I'm not so sure it's that modern. We saw in the first teaser that it seems to be a D-Series cab. That doesn't necessarily limit the model years as commercial trucks use old cabs all the time (Dodge was using the 1950's pickup cab on medium duty and even full on semi trucks into the mid-70's), but it would make more sense for the team to have used the H-Series cab if they wanted this to be post-2003. The IRL Chevy medium duty trucks used the pickup cab except for 2003-2009 where it used their van cab, then there was no medium duty truck until 2019 where they re-introduced a medium duty truck with the pickup cab. That almost perfectly lines up with the Gavril D/H-Series production years since the D-Series stopped production in 2003 and the H-Series goes on until 2017. Looking at the contemporary Ford and Chevy counterparts, we'll probably see the existing Gavril 6.9 gasser, may or may not see a larger gasser, may see the existing 6.0 diesel, and probably will see a new Belasco diesel i6 somewhere around 6-7L.
If we do get a gas engine that is bigger then that 6.9. I cant wait to shove it into a D10. AND shove the little i6 carby into a duel cab box truck HAHA cant wait for this update.
The part behind the night cab of T-series looks a lot like a typical thing on American logging trucks - possibly there's something related to logging in the upcoming update in the career mode.
I'd love to shoehorn that upcoming 6.9+ V8 in the Barstow, although I recognize that having a tuned 291CUI Fleet-Power V8 would be better for the vehicle's weight balance (the TrackSport is my favourite variant of this car and the 4-link live rear axle makes it very composed around the bends)!
That does look like a new headache rack actually. But the one we got in the last update has the notch-out for a logging pole trailer, this one just looks like a more typical version.
They are not, and the point of them is weight distribution. Maximum weight in trucks are defined by the number and type of axles the truck has. Having this type of axle means the truck will legally be able to pull more weight because the weight over the rear wheels are more evenly distributed. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Bridge_Gross_Weight_Formula
Adding to this, lift axles have a few benefits over normal axles including tire wear and tolls on pay-per-axle tolls. Sometimes, like in the teaser, they'll have a passive steering system since having so many fixed axles on a truck makes turning a bit more "fun", which is usually important for vocational trucks in yards and job sites.
Possibly so we wouldn't know that the Durham was being added as official content? Ren has worked with many people over the years, and a few of those people are now part of the Beam Team, so it isn't entirely off the table.
That'd be a first for a vehicle mod added as official content, right? If it's the case (I doubt it though) there's at least 10-15 vehicle that deserve the same treatment, so that would set a good precedent. I wonder how would it go if a modded car was added, who would be responsible for it's maintenance, the mod creator or the dev team? Would the mod creator be made part of the dev team then?
That's exactly my thinking. We don't know if it is the Durham, but it is a medium-duty truck based on the D-Series, so there are some similarities. The reason why I think that they might be hiding RenAzuma being on the Beam Team (if Ren even is on the Beam Team) is so we don't think that they would be adding a medium-duty truck to the game, because that is what Ren has been working on for a few years. And, Ren's skills would benefit the team, as in Ren's profile it says that he is a "Proficient 3D Artist, Freelancer, and BeamNG Modder", which are all skills that could help the team design vehicles in the future.
That depends how you define the terms. There's been several official additions that are close to existing mods, partially just by the nature of the content. The Durham is actually the best example of this... The formula for this sort of truck was basically the same for all of the big 3 until 2009 (with a few astrisks like the COE versions and Dodge being all over the place with their medium/heavy duty truck lineup. But even they stuck to the same formula in the US until 1976, and in Mexico until the late 90's). Any realistic interpretation of a Gavril medium duty truck from this era will be similar to the Durham since all of the big 3 were following the same formula at the time (again, Dodge only in Mexico)