Loaner Truck

I have a brand new Freightliner my company issued me a couple of months ago and I guess it's ready to be broken in. I've heard that trucks are often in the shop more their first 100K than after. Does anyone wants to chime in on the veracity of that? Should I be expecting a few more "straight off the line" kinks in the near future? The poor thing was fine this morning. I drove about 1.5 hours and all of a sudden it says my def tank is empty and the check engine light comes on. I knew that the tank was half full (and I spotted no signs of a leak during my pretrip), but just to be sure, I pulled over at the next truck stop and filled it up. I only got like 5 gallons in there though and it normally holds 20... Maintenance had me drive to a terminal 65 miles away to look at it, but I've been here since 10:30 and they can't seem to figure out what is even going on, let alone get started fixing it. Oh well, and so we have the loaner truck. Kinda worn out, but nice.

It's pretty fun driving the loaner around. My Freightliner is an automatic, and when I first went to move the loaner I started in third gear, but forgot I had to shift and just started pushing the accelerator. The RPMs shot up vvvvvvvrrrrrooooooooo! and I got so confused. "Why is it doing that? What is happen------oh. I have to actually work and not just sit here holding the wheel. Whoops!" Other than that though, shifting came right back. I had kind of missed having a shifter. The loaner is an International as well just like my first truck (how nostalgic - I miss you #5585). I've always thought that they have better storage than the Freightliner, but only one bunk so I'll stick with my current truck thank you very much.

Anyway, it looks like I'm going to have a great time driving this truck around and getting some good shifting practice the next few days! Happy New Year Everyone!

Not to sound dumb but what is a def tank?

Not to sound dumb but what is a def tank?

DEF - Diesel Exhaust Fluid

It's that horrible stuff that all newer trucks have to run thanks to the lovely state of California. If you remember the scene in Red Dawn (the original) where they pee in the radiator, this is literally letting livestock pee in your exhaust in an effort to make it cleaner.

Not to sound dumb but what is a def tank?

DEF - Diesel Exhaust Fluid

It's that horrible stuff that all newer trucks have to run thanks to the lovely state of California. If you remember the scene in Red Dawn (the original) where they pee in the radiator, this is literally letting livestock pee in your exhaust in an effort to make it cleaner.

The red dawn thing. Funny. At least these new engines are keeping us mechanics busy

DEF stands for Diesel Exhaust Fluid It is used for emissions control in newer trucks and kept in a fuel tank separate from your diesel tanks. You will see DEF at the pumps at most large truck stops and you can buy bottled def inside. If you run out of def, your engine will derate.

This info is taken from the web to tell you a little more about what it is:

What is Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF)?

Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) is a non-hazardous solution, which is 32.5% urea and 67.5% de-ionized water. DEF is sprayed into the exhaust stream of diesel vehicles to break down dangerous NOx emissions into harmless nitrogen and water. This system is called Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) and can be found on 2010 and later model year trucks and many diesel pickups and SUVs. DEF is not a fuel additive and never comes into contact with diesel. It is stored in a separate tank, typically with a blue filler cap.

What is Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR)?

SCR technology uses a catalyst system to break down dangerous NOx emissions produced by diesel engines into nitrogen and water. The chemical reactions used in SCR systems require a constant feed of ammonia gas. In automotive applications SCR delivers ammonia using a urea solution called Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF). DEF is sprayed into the exhaust stream by an advanced injection system and then converted into ammonia on a catalyst. The ammonia breaks down dangerous NOx emissions produced by diesel engines into nitrogen and water.

Crushed lines, plugged filter, bad sensor, bad wire from sensor to computer, or even bad DEF are among the first things I would check.