Navistar International Corp. has elected long-time Navistar and Ford executive David Tarrant to be chief executive officer for Workhorse Custom Chassis in addition to his present duties as vice president and general manager of Light Duty Vehicles and Joint Ventures for Navistar. Workhorse, based in Union City, Ind., is a Navistar subsidiary that manufactures chassis for walk-in trucks and motor homes.
Tarrant has a broad background accumulated over the course of a 37-year career in the commercial truck business, serving in a diverse variety of roles ranging from field sales to product development. During most of this period, he served Ford Motor Co., both as an employee and consultant, across the spectrum of truck business initiatives. Included among these were a five-year stint as Ford’s RV & special vehicles manager, planner of the Super Duty F-Series pickup and chassis cab family, and technical and marketing development of alternative fuel vehicles. He also led the rebuilding of the company’s commercial truck focus after Ford divested its heavy truck business.
From 1999 to 2001, Tarrant was the lead negotiator for what became the Blue Diamond truck and parts business joint ventures between Navistar and Ford. He subsequently led implementation of these joint ventures as chief engineer for Ford’s side of the engagement, presiding over the rebirth of Ford’s medium-duty truck line. In 2005 he joined Navistar, where he has focused on acquisitions, joint ventures and 2010 emissions programs and related vehicle strategies.
“I look forward to leveraging great products and resources from the Navistar spectrum of brands to further develop the Workhorse business – a new landscape of opportunity is in our future,” Tarrant says. “By using our Navistar resources, I expect Workhorse to be on the leading edge of cost-competitive solutions targeted to meet customer needs while also producing long-term, profitable growth for the company.”
