Talking Shop: The Just Talking Thread

Personally, I prefer Freightliners. I find them to be to most comfortable.

Next would be Kennworth followed by Volvo. The Volvos I have driven have all been junk, so it probably soured my opinion.

We just received some Internationals but I have not driven one yet. The reviews aren't not great, people say they are too small and uncomfortable.

With the way our auto daycabs are spec'd, I prefer volvos. They're just so smooth especially backing. Freightliner are definitely most spacious but the economy mode irritates me. If I'm using cruise I want to maintain that speed. I don't want it kicking me into E mode and slows me down 5 mph below what cruise is set for before it kicks me back up because it sensed a small hill. We have some 2017 kenworths still in the fleet but they're very jumpy with backing. I'm assigned a 2023 international LT and it's starting to grow on me. It's been to the dealership twice for the same issue, the dash lighting up with several errors. It only has 55k on it. The truck seems to lack power pulling hills which is frustrating so I gotta be more mindful when attempting to pass. They definitely are more cramped than the others. My biggest complaint though is for whatever reason if my air is below 100 it will not allow me to shift. It's extremely frustrating coming out of a store and needing to build pressure to pull from the dock. Atleast with the others as long as you were above 40 psi or so it would allow you to move then you could build normal pressure while closing your doors. We have a couple stores that are tight and you gotta stop to build pressure up because you did pull ups or tried to fix your setup. It's even more fun down in the KC caves when there's several trucks waiting on you to back in the first place, now you need to needlessly set your brakes to build pressure back up. Personally I'm disciplined enough to take my time getting in but new drivers worry about holding others up or being judged may rush through the maneuver and not pull up when they probably should if they worry they'll have to build pressure before they can reverse.

I have not driven a Mack or Pete.

In our fleet we have volvos, internationals, freightliner and KWs. I've driven all of them for at least a week or more.

The way that our company specs the vehicles and programs them has a lot to do with how they feel and operate.

My first criteria in what appeals to me is ride quality and ergonomics. We're governed and the trucks are set for maximum fuel efficiency so it's a mute point to choose performance, they are all very similar due to the programing anyway.

My second thing I look for is features and reliability and then finally ease of operation.

In all three categories, the KWs just fit for me. Very smooth ride and comfortable seating. Very easy to back with the urge to move. I have a 23 T680 and am very comfortable with it.

If I wasn't with that, I'd take the freightliner, it's ride is next best for me.

I just can't get along with the ergonomics on a volvo but the internationals I've driven have all had terrifying steering habits, even brand new. Haven't driven a mack or a Pete, but I suspect I would struggle with the dash mounted shifter and ergonomics on the Mack as they seem to be very similar to the volvo. The pete I assume would be similar to a KW.

Having only driven (in this order) 2021 FL, 2020 FL, 2021 Pete, 2019 FL and 2021 FL, I can honestly say I prefer the Freightliner for turning radius and backing, but I really wish I had the Pete comfort.

*Sigh* I'll probably stick to Freightliner until I can no longer stand it, because I can direct swap everything I own from one truck to the next, without too much "now where the heck do I put THIS in the new truck? "

As a new driver, I have driven FL, Volvo, a very old Pete, and a KW.

Out of all of them, I prefer the KW.

I am currently running a 2024 KW T680 and I like it a lot.

It's powerful going up hills, it has auto creep mode for backing, it does system checks automatically (I do not rely on the system checks alone, I do my pre-trip still), and it has an automatic fifth wheel release which is heavenly.

Michael drove a couple of different FLs during the 7 months he worked at CR England. Since coming to Marten in March 2021 he's driven a 2018 KW T680 and he said right away he liked much better but he did have troubles backing with it in the beginning but that may have been related to transmission problems that were later fixed. On his first drive with it he commented how much better of a ride it was than the FLs he drove and gave an example of a stretch over the Yolo Bypass causeway that would make him feel somewhat seasick driving over it in a FL but it was smooth in the KW.

He does sometimes drive a day cab if he's at the terminal and has a long wait before his next load and gets assigned to make a local delivery. He doesn't like the day cabs and has said that all of those day cab drivers work way too hard and are like zombies when he sees them walking around at the terminal. He doesn't think he ever wants to be a local driver.

I am curious... Who is your favorite truck manufacturer and what is your favorite truck series and why?

How about a top three of your favorite manufacturers and the top three of your favorite truck series?

My three favorite truck manufacturers are probably Kenworth/Peterbilt, Freightliner, and Western Star. I’m cheating and lumping Kenworth and Peterbilt together because they’re both owned by Paccar now and newer models are very similar between the two manufacturers. The KWs and Pete’s I’ve driven felt really solid to me and drove really smoothly. Overall my favorite. Western Star is second overall because of their durability but I’m speaking mostly for older models as the brand new ones we’ve gotten have had tons of issues. Freightliner just makes a good all around truck. They don’t win any style points and they’re not the most luxurious but they don’t break the bank, they’re easy to drive, and they’re about as reliable as any other brand out there right now.

As far as models, I love my current truck which is a Western Star 4900 SF. It looks sharp and drives great. It could be a little smoother ride but it is purpose built for rougher applications and that’s where it shines. All our 4900s have been pretty reliable. The newer 49x and 47x daycab models we got have not faired as well.

Not to sound cliche but I’ve always wanted a Pete 379 or a W9. I’ll get my wish one day but not at this company lol. For now I’ll enjoy what I have.

Hey I'm curious what is the safety policy for the companies that y'all work for?

Does the company go by a point system and if you have points, how does those points come off your record with the company?

Hey I'm curious what is the safety policy for the companies that y'all work for?

Does the company go by a point system and if you have points, how does those points come off your record with the company?

No point system that I’m aware of at my company.

I guess if they think a driver is not safe, they call him up and say “ You’re fired”

Hey Trucking Friends,

I hope everyone is well.

I am creating safety videos for the company I work for.

If you were a rookie driver, what safety subjects would be of interest to you?

For veteran drivers, what safety subjects would you wish you would have known about before driving solo?

Bonus questions:

I am creating a video for the company about G.O.A.L.

Why is G.O.A.L. important and how has G.O.A.L. saved you from incidents from happening?

My suggestion is a video pointing out the dangers of rookies making safety videos. Very dangerous. Lol