Oshkosh Truck Subsidiary, Pierce, To Supply 55 Fire Trucks to U.S. Forest Service

OSHKOSH, Wis.--Nov. 6, 2001--Oshkosh Truck Corporation a leading manufacturer of specialty trucks and truck bodies, announced today that its subsidiary, Pierce Manufacturing, will supply the United States Forest Service in California with 56 fire fighting vehicles for combating wildland and urban interface fires. The order is valued at $3.9 million.

Many of the vehicles will be delivered by July of 2002 - in time for next year's dry season - and will significantly increase the number of wildland fire fighting vehicles in California. As part of a national fire plan, the 55 vehicles will be added to 140 fire fighting vehicles that protect California's 18 national forests.

``We're very pleased that Pierce® fire trucks will be playing such a critical role in protecting the citizens, property and natural resources of the State of California. These trucks will incorporate the fire fighting advantages of every Pierce brand truck, but will be customized for the wildland and urban interface application, to provide the best value,'' said Robert G. Bohn, Oshkosh's chairman, president and chief executive officer.

The order includes 31 tanker trucks and 25 Hawk(TM) wildland trucks. The new trucks meet the requirements of the federal General Services Administration schedule so other governmental agencies - federal, state and local - can purchase like vehicles through the GSA Advantage program (www.gsaadvantage.gov).

These vehicles represent Pierce's commitment to expand its model offerings for the wildland and urban interface fire fighting market. Pierce also offers the proprietary Hercules(TM) compressed air foam system that is especially effective in wildland and urban interface fires.

Nationally, there were 122,800 wild fires in the United States in calendar year 2000 that burned 8.4 million acres. The federal government spent $1.3 billion preserving the nation's natural resources. More than 30,000 people were involved in fighting these fires. Those figures don't include efforts by state and local governments. As recently as August 2001, there were 42 major fires burning in the country involving more than 500,000 acres of land.

Oshkosh Truck Corporation (NASDAQ: OTRKB - news) is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of specialty trucks and truck bodies for the fire and emergency, defense, concrete placement and refuse collection markets. Products are marketed under the Oshkosh, Pierce, McNeilus, Medtec, Geesink and Norba brand names. Oshkosh is a Fortune 1000 company and had annual sales of $1.45 billion in fiscal 2001.