Constant Truck Problems

I am constantly having trouble with this truck. It's a 2024 Cascadia and it's one thing after the other literally. Now, and this keeps happened since I got the truck, it keeps going into load shed when I stop for the night and put it into opti idle. Why? How do I fix this?

If you are a company driver, you need to let your dispatcher know and get hold of your shop if you have one. Or follow company's policy about getting it to a FL shop. If you are a lease operator, you have to follow your policy on maintenance. The 2024 is under warranty and you have to follow the maintenance setup for that truck or the warranty can be voided.

It sounds like you might be dealing with a faulty battery. I faced a similar issue a few years ago with my truck. Despite visiting three different shops, all of them claimed the truck and batteries were in good condition. However, the problem persisted, especially when the bunk heater was running at night, triggering load shed. It wasn't until I took it to a fourth shop that they identified a bad battery.

The technician explained that some shops take shortcuts by testing batteries in series, which can lead to inaccurate results. To accurately diagnose the issue, they need to break the set and test each battery individually. Once the problematic battery was replaced, the truck no longer experienced load shedding issues. It's worth ensuring a thorough battery testing process to pinpoint and address the specific problem.

It sounds like you might be dealing with a faulty battery. I faced a similar issue a few years ago with my truck. Despite visiting three different shops, all of them claimed the truck and batteries were in good condition. However, the problem persisted, especially when the bunk heater was running at night, triggering load shed. It wasn't until I took it to a fourth shop that they identified a bad battery.

The technician explained that some shops take shortcuts by testing batteries in series, which can lead to inaccurate results. To accurately diagnose the issue, they need to break the set and test each battery individually. Once the problematic battery was replaced, the truck no longer experienced load shedding issues. It's worth ensuring a thorough battery testing process to pinpoint and address the specific problem.

Arejay, that is super useful information to know. A real gem for future use if necessary. Thanks for the tip!

Arejay, that is super useful information to know. A real gem for future use if necessary. Thanks for the tip!

You're welcome BK! I think the reasoning behind the shortcuts is that it takes so long to run the full test of each battery, they just want to get it done as quick as possible, so just test them all at once.

By the way, I have to say that I always enjoy the slightly cheesy humor you inject into so many of the conversations on TT. I always enjoy a "punny" joke and get a good chuckle. :)

Arejay, that is super useful information to know. A real gem for future use if necessary. Thanks for the tip!

You're welcome BK! I think the reasoning behind the shortcuts is that it takes so long to run the full test of each battery, they just want to get it done as quick as possible, so just test them all at once.

By the way, I have to say that I always enjoy the slightly cheesy humor you inject into so many of the conversations on TT. I always enjoy a "punny" joke and get a good chuckle. :)

Can you provide more insight into the testing methodologies used by manufacturers to evaluate battery performance, and why they may prioritize speed over a more thorough approach?

Verner S. He had "shops" look at it. They tend to skip the proper procedures to do stuff (lazy) Ya need to remove all cables, separating the batteries, and test each 1 separately to locate the bad battery. Had same issue with 1 of the 2019's I drove, was just 1 bad battery..... Would drain over a weekend off and be hard starting, but I had a jumper pack to jump start it. Took it to our terminals shop, even told them which battery was bad and needed replaced (I pre-load tested em at home)lol

Load shed? Opti idle? What the devil is all that about? It seems as if trucking has gotten too geekish maybe.

Load shed? Opti idle? What the devil is all that about? It seems as if trucking has gotten too geekish maybe.

Load shedding protects the truck batteries. Example.. we have phone chargers, refrigerators etc. So in my truck with a bad APU , the bunk outlets would cut out to prevent power drainage from batteries. Normally the APU would kick on at a certain point to recharge the batteries.

Opti idle has the truck go on an off throughout the night to basically do the same without an APU.

APU:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.