LOUISVILLE, KY. After 38 years in the trucking industry, Paul Vikner made his last public appearance as the host of Mack Trucks' press conference here at the Mid-America Trucking Show. Vikner steps down as Mack president on Mar. 31.

He will continue to serve on the executive committee of parent company AB Volvo, spending a good deal of his time addressing broader industry issues in Washington, DC.

While acknowledging the current “tough market” faced by both truck fleets and manufacturers, Vikner said he believes that lessons learned in the transition to EPA’07 engines will make the next emissions hurdle in 2010 less disruptive. He also reasserted Volvo’s commitment to selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technology to meet the 2010 requirements.

Vikner’s replacement as Mack president will be Dennis Slagle, who had been heading up the North American operations of Volvo Construction Equipment.