International Harvester Corporation (now mentioned as Navistar International Corporation) manufactures large heavy-duty trucks, tractors, pickups and therefore, the Scout SUV. IHC places Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) on all the trucks since 1980.
This VIN number can be used to find almost all the information about these international trucks. It is a 17 character extended identification code. You can easily find it in different places in the truck.
Once you find the VIN number of the international truck, you need to head on to search for a good VIN decoder online.
Although you can read the VIN number manually, that would be a hectic, long and time-consuming process. So, it is better to go for an online VIN decoder.
How To Read The VIN On An International Truck?
Let’s start with how can you read the VIN number. You need to follow the following simple steps to decode the VIN.
#1 Locate the VIN Number
Firstly, you need to locate the VIN number on the international truck. You can find it at the following places:
- On the windshield, where it is attached to the dashboard of the driver’s side.
- On the inside of the driver’s side door frame.
- Under the hood stamped onto the engine front
- Behind the front driver’s side, tire-stamped onto the vehicle frame.
- It can also be found on the vehicle title.
#2 Read the Characters
You can read the characters as follows:
- The first character indicates the country where the truck was manufactured. For instance, the number 1 is for the USA; 2 is for Canada. All the Canadian vehicles were manufactured at the plant in Ontario.
- The second character indicates the manufacturer of the vehicle. It describes which company has manufactured any particular truck. For example, H is for International Harvester.
- The third and fourth characters symbolise the vehicle type and weight rating. Many various models were manufactured. For instance, FC was used for the International Scout and FW for the DCO-405 trucks.
- The fifth, sixth and seventh characters specify the type of vehicle and its body style.
- The eighth character is employed for engine configuration information. There have been many sizes and types of engines used for International truck applications.
- The ninth digit is employed as a check digit for VIN verification and authenticity. It is a security code that ensures the authentication of the vehicle.
- The Tenth character specifies the information about the model year of the vehicle. The identification of model year can be in the following fashion:
- A =1980, B=1981, C=1982, D=1983, E=1984, F=1985, G=1986, H=1987, J=1988, K=1989, L=1990, M=1991, N=1992, P=1993, R=1994, S=1995, T=1996, V=1997, W=1998, X=1999. Y=2000, 1 = 2001, 2=2002, 3=2003, 4=2004, 5=2005, 6=2006, 7=2007, 8=2008, and 9=2009. After this the code again starts with A =2010 followed by B =2011, C =2012 and so on.
- The 11th digit indicates the location of the plant where the truck has been built. International trucks were built at several different locations. For example, some of the 11th digit codes are G for Fort Wayne, Indiana; H for Springfield, Illinois; C for Chatham, Ontario; Y for San Leandro, California; and L for Bridgeport, Connecticut.
- The last six digits that are the 12th digit to the 17th digit are the serial number or production sequence of the truck.
#3 Read VIN through VIN Decoder
As you have already understood how to read VIN manually and have understood how lengthy and time-consuming that process is, let’s now discuss the easier way.
VIN Decoder is an excellent way to read a VIN number within a fraction of a minute.
Open Mercedes VIN Decoder or lookup to start searching. Enter the VIN number of the international truck and click on the search button.
After a few seconds, you will get the desired result. Mercedes VIN decoder lets you not just the basic details of the truck but also a detailed description of it.
What is the result of reading VIN?
Vehicle Identification Number provides the following information to you about the international truck:
- Manufacturing and built details of the truck
- Theft history
- Accident history
- Historical photos
- Year of production
- Safety information related
- Location of vehicle registration
- Unreported Vehicle Damage
- Other Vital information
You might be wondering how this whole piece of information is helpful to anyone. This information is useful in a lot of ways:
- Each VIN number is exclusive, so it helps you hunt your truck, just in case you would like to
- While buying a second-hand vehicle, you’ll check the authenticity of the vehicle by watching the database of the car through the VIN number
- You can check for the originality of the car’s engine by matching it to the VIN.
- It is a crucial insurance assessment of the car
- To be sure about the model year of the car
- It is important data for EMI payments
Basically, a VIN number is like proof of identity for any truck and maybe a standard followed by all the manufacturers around the world. You will never find any two vehicles with the same VIN. This identification code is unique to each vehicle across the globe.
In The End
The VIN has become an identity of the international truck. As it provides a wide range of information about the truck, you can use it as per your requirements. VIN is not a single code but a combination of several codes that helps in identifying various details about the vehicle.
VIN decoder simplifies the process of reading the code as it eases the task in just a single run. It provides you with a lot more descriptive information than manual VIN reading.
Among all the online VIN decoders, the Mercedes VIN decoder is the best. It processes the search at lightning speed and hands-on most satisfactory results. You must try the Mercedes VIN decoder and make full use of it.