Are there any trucks you guys don't like?

MikeJ

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I guess it doesn't matter because you have to drive what you have to drive, but we have a couple of Sterling's at school and I really don't care for them. I don't know what do you guys think of Sterling's?
I like the Freightliner FL70 we have a couple of those at school and they work out pretty good. We also have a couple older International's and those are alright too.

The road trucks we have and that I've driven are Freightliner Century Class tractors and I can't say anything bad about them, there pretty no frills, but there not bad. Fairly simple trucks over all.

I don't know I'm just not crazy about the Sterling's.
 
Freightliner and Sterling. JUNK! Unfortunately, almost our entire fleet is Freightliners. Have a few old Sterlings as back up and a few Volvos. I'm trying to talk the head of the shop into giving me a Volvo when I am due for a new truck, LOL.

GT should be along shortly to defend the piece of junk Freightliners LOL
 
We got a bunch of Cascadias a couple of years ago, and they were all kinds of trouble. Stupid stuff. I'm not sure if they country where they are assembled is directly related or not. The Volvo VNLs we have gotten since are great. I really like the ride, visiblilty and turning radius over the Freightliners.

The DD13s and 15s in the Freightliners are just wierd to me. Really laggy, I guess. The D13 in the Volvos are a lot more responsive. All are 'tuned for fuel economy', so take that for what you will. At one time this winter, we had eight tractors out of 30something down at the same time with DEF issues, both Freightliner and Volvo.

I used to like the ProStars, but the cheap door hinges really turned me off. When the wind catches it one time, you can see daylight past the seal. I do like the way they drive.

I've spent some time in T800s, a W900, and a 379. I get claustrophobic in the tiny cabs. I spent a good portion of my life in late 90s Autocars, great work trucks. I really want to try a Caterpillar truck with a real automatic sometime.
 
The Sterling I drove today was an ex Conway unit, as dumb as this sounds they sit to high. I like the visibility in the FL70 much better, I just prefer it over the Sterling's.

I have another question and its kind of an observation as well, but are automatic trucks becoming more prevalent? I understand there not the majority and still in a minority, but the more I read it seems more and more of them are popping up all over the place. I know not everyone likes them, but I've also read some people say they are not totally awful either and it certainly seems like Sysco from what I read on this forum has embarrassed the automatic trucks. I know for along time automatic trucks were just talk, but its seems like from what I read over the past year, they have worked some of the kinks out and they have gained some mainstream acceptance.
 
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Hmm I do like the freightliner Cascadia. They ride nice and there comfortable. I also really like volvo even tho everyone picks on me for it. I've driven Kenworth T800 and T660s and not bad but I'm not a big fan of the small cabs. Peterbilt to me is overrated. I've driven one and I wasn't all impressed

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Peterbilts used to be cream of the crop, like 40 years ago. I don't know much about them, or many others these days. We have Macks of varying ages and models, old Volvos and Sterlings. The Volvos ride the best, Sterlings the worst. I currently drive an '02 Mack CH 600 with about 800,000 miles on it and it should be in the junk yard already. I find the Sterling to be Cadillac by comparison but I had to get out of the Sterling due to clutch/knee issues. The combination of angle, stroke and pressure were killing my left knee. Had two Mack Visions, which I liked but the company retired them, must have had some maintenance issues with them. And we have one Mack Pinacle, it is the pride of our fleet with about 700,000 miles on it and still works like new. What I do like about the Macks is that almost everything on them still works after all those miles. Open the door and the lights come on. The dashes on the Sterlings and the Volvos are falling apart. The Volvos have a big mirror that can obstruct your view out the right. If another vehicle ends up on the other side of that mirror coming across it can be blocked from view for a while.
 
The Sterling's our school has the one is an ex ABF unit and the clutch break on it is absolutely shot and it's all beat up on the inside. The other Sterling at school I don't know where it came from, but it's dashboard is falling apart and it's in terrible shape.
 
Heh, the Columbias we are almost done replacing are absolutely beat to death. The interiors and dashes are unbelievable.

The big mirriors on the Volvos are a plus to me. The dinky mirriors on the Cascadias suck, and you can't clamp an antenna on them. But then, we have to get around on tiny parking lots full of cars, blindside in the dark, generally have a lot of fun. On another note, the factory antennas on the Volvos are pretty good. Every Cascadia I have had my radio in throws up a red light when I key the mic.

The only Mack I have ever driven had two sticks :biggrin:

Fleet trucks are fleet trucks. If you are assigned a unit, take care of it. Unfortunately, we don't, and likely never will, have enough tractors for everyone to have their own. This was, and still is, a tough thing for me. Last summer, I shared two brand smackin' new tractors with the same two other drivers. All three of us took care of them, and they were always spotless, and not a scratch on either one. I don't know what happened in the fall, but since bids changed I never ever get the same truck. A lot of my fellow drivers are pigs, trucks are constantly a mess, they don't write stuff up to get fixed. Post trips burn my @ss, and really don't want to start on that. Maybe I spent too many years wrenching on my own trucks, maybe I'm more in tune to what's going on mechanically speaking, but c'mon. If you don't look, you don't know what's broke.
 
Heh, the Columbias we are almost done replacing are absolutely beat to death. The interiors and dashes are unbelievable.

The big mirriors on the Volvos are a plus to me. The dinky mirriors on the Cascadias suck, and you can't clamp an antenna on them. But then, we have to get around on tiny parking lots full of cars, blindside in the dark, generally have a lot of fun. On another note, the factory antennas on the Volvos are pretty good. Every Cascadia I have had my radio in throws up a red light when I key the mic.

The only Mack I have ever driven had two sticks :biggrin:

Fleet trucks are fleet trucks. If you are assigned a unit, take care of it. Unfortunately, we don't, and likely never will, have enough tractors for everyone to have their own. This was, and still is, a tough thing for me. Last summer, I shared two brand smackin' new tractors with the same two other drivers. All three of us took care of them, and they were always spotless, and not a scratch on either one. I don't know what happened in the fall, but since bids changed I never ever get the same truck. A lot of my fellow drivers are pigs, trucks are constantly a mess, they don't write stuff up to get fixed. Post trips burn my @ss, and really don't want to start on that. Maybe I spent too many years wrenching on my own trucks, maybe I'm more in tune to what's going on mechanically speaking, but c'mon. If you don't look, you don't know what's broke.

They taught us in school that really the thorough pre trip inspection that you have to do at the CDL testing yard should really be your post trip inspection. It's like how the charter bus companies do things, when a charter bus from a reputable company is done from it's run and is on it's way back to the garage it goes through the wash and then cleaners and the mechanical department look it over and take care of business and then put it back out on the ready line for it's next assignment.

I would figure a truck should be similar when you get back to the warehouse, terminal or yard and are done for the day look everything over really good and that way if there is an issue the mechanical department can get to it and if they have to get a rental truck or assign another truck at least the problem was reported and being rectified.
 
The Sterling I drove today was an ex Conway unit, as dumb as this sounds they sit to high. I like the visibility in the FL70 much better, I just prefer it over the Sterling's.

I have another question and its kind of an observation as well, but are automatic trucks becoming more prevalent? I understand there not the majority and still in a minority, but the more I read it seems more and more of them are popping up all over the place. I know not everyone likes them, but I've also read some people say they are not totally awful either and it certainly seems like Sysco from what I read on this forum has embarrassed the automatic trucks. I know for along time automatic trucks were just talk, but its seems like from what I read over the past year, they have worked some of the kinks out and they have gained some mainstream acceptance.

Autos suck in snow, hesitate when pulling out into traffic and just plain suck! I drove an auto for two years. Nice in the city, that was the only thing I liked about it. Five of our senior drives tested autos a few years ago. After six months, the owner sent the trucks back to the dealer and bought five manuals. The drivers hated them and so did the shop.
 
We have one Volvo with the I-Shift. The guy that usually drives it, loves it. He is one of the 'old guys'.

I have driven several Penske units with Eaton autoshifts, and they absolutely suck. I never spent enough time in any to get used to them, so maybe that's just me. With our 10 speeds, I turn corners in sixth, not third or foufth. Loaded or empty. It is really hard to pull into traffic when you have to launch in first and lollygag thru every gear. If you gas it too hard, the trans can't keep up and doesn't know which gear to shift into next. I know that they can be shifted manually, but I've never gotten comfortable enough to do that. I know after a short bit of empty driving, you can make it launch in third. I base my gear selection on load, grade, traffic, and road conditions. I may take off in second, up to fifth. I have had them downshift into first pulling into a store lot before. That really sucks when you're trying to make a left turn at 8am on a busy road.

Sorry, but I like to be in control.
 
We have one Volvo with the I-Shift. The guy that usually drives it, loves it. He is one of the 'old guys'.

I have driven several Penske units with Eaton autoshifts, and they absolutely suck. I never spent enough time in any to get used to them, so maybe that's just me. With our 10 speeds, I turn corners in sixth, not third or foufth. Loaded or empty. It is really hard to pull into traffic when you have to launch in first and lollygag thru every gear. If you gas it too hard, the trans can't keep up and doesn't know which gear to shift into next. I know that they can be shifted manually, but I've never gotten comfortable enough to do that. I know after a short bit of empty driving, you can make it launch in third. I base my gear selection on load, grade, traffic, and road conditions. I may take off in second, up to fifth. I have had them downshift into first pulling into a store lot before. That really sucks when you're trying to make a left turn at 8am on a busy road.

Sorry, but I like to be in control.

In school with the 10 speeds were either in 3rd or 4th when cornering however one instructor did let me take a turn in 6th gear, we were getting on the highway. Usually though they want us in a real low gear 3rd or 4th and just going real slow no faster then 10mph which would be 4th gear in the schools 10 speeds. To me it's fine I don't mind going slow around turns, I am new so it's cool. Really the manuals are not that bad I guess once you get used to them. I mean I was struggling hard my first 2 times out in the truck it was really really bad. My third and fourth time out though wasn't nearly as bad as the first times trust me on that, night and day difference if you ask me ha-ha.
 
Freightliner and Sterling. JUNK! Unfortunately, almost our entire fleet is Freightliners. Have a few old Sterlings as back up and a few Volvos. I'm trying to talk the head of the shop into giving me a Volvo when I am due for a new truck, LOL.

GT should be along shortly to defend the piece of junk Freightliners LOL

I am driving an old Albertsons KW from the 1940's. I like the old thing but they are going to replace it with a Volvo....I guess you can only turn one million mile a limited amount of time. I am on the sixth turn over right now....The late Joseph Alberston got his money out of this one.

I like Sterlings.....they make good paperweights!
 
Dunno, cheap trucks are cheap trucks. WE have all International 8600s and Freightliner M2s. The M2s tear me up, with the dinky driver's seat and seating position. Usually walk bent over for a day or two afterwards. The 8600s are all 5-7 years old and beat to hell. Lots of Wind Noise, squeaks, rattles, and warning lights. I think of what's on the market now I've driven everything except for Mack. A truck's a truck. I liked the quality and ride of a KW/Pete but not the little cab. Volvos are nice new, but I wouldn't want to own one or drive an old one. Cascadias always felt flimsy inside to me. My favorite cheap trucks would probably be an IH 9800 Cabover and a Freightliner Century post 04.
 
Dunno, cheap trucks are cheap trucks. WE have all International 8600s and Freightliner M2s. The M2s tear me up, with the dinky driver's seat and seating position. Usually walk bent over for a day or two afterwards. The 8600s are all 5-7 years old and beat to hell. Lots of Wind Noise, squeaks, rattles, and warning lights. I think of what's on the market now I've driven everything except for Mack. A truck's a truck. I liked the quality and ride of a KW/Pete but not the little cab. Volvos are nice new, but I wouldn't want to own one or drive an old one. Cascadias always felt flimsy inside to me. My favorite cheap trucks would probably be an IH 9800 Cabover and a Freightliner Century post 04.

We have M2's at my work, older ones 2006-2009. There nothing to write home about and ours are absolutely filthy on the inside.
 
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