Snackbar is chillin'....at Shaffer

One thing Freightliner needs to change on the Cascadias is where they put the sleeper HVAC system now. Where it's at, not only does it take up a space for a storage compartment, but the duct work screws up the hanging space in the closet. The way it is now, your hangers have to hang at an angle which cuts down on the amount of clothes you can hang up. Put it back under the bunk where it belongs and run the duct up the back wall so it pushes the cold or hot air from back to front.

 

They're a stable company that pays good, and currently has abundant freight. Their equipment is maintained properly and they have a good safety record so the scales and DOT generally leave you alone. But good is a driver specific term...like beauty is in the eye of the beholder (or beer holder). Some drivers here wouldn't work anywhere else, others, like me, are here because we got sick of being shutfled around at other companies when they're sold or are resorganized by a new parent company and need a company that is gonna be here and owned by the same people for the foreseeable future no matter what the economy does. I mean, this is my third time with an Acklie family company, so there is something that keeps me coming back (or else I am like a battered spouse that can't bring themselves to stay gone for good). As far as being good for an experienced driver, I am approaching 4 million career miles, and I came back...and one guy in my orientation class has 54 years behind the wheel.

 

The system knows what the reefer is set at, so when sending in a loaded message, if it isn't set right, you'll get a message. But if what your load info says and what the customer wants are different, you just send in a message to dispatch, and they set it to match your b/l. As far as nannying you, it depends on your dispatcher. The one they just moved me from hardly ever messaged me about stuff like ETA's unless I was delayed and I won't make it to the delivery on time. But I am OCD about keeping them informed if my original PTA/ETA changes. The one thing I don't like is the automated message system on the Peoplenet. Just before you get into a bad area, it'll warn you not to stop in high crime areas or not to speed in known speed trap roads. Other than that...you get the same safety and recruiting messages most megas send out on a regular basis.

 

As far as cameras, they don't have any, although there is a rumor they're thinking about forward facing ones in the future.

Now the downside, their trucks have the typical nanny safety systems (collision avoidance, following distance, lane departure, right side lane change radar) plus they're becoming an all AMT equipped fleet... another words, just like all the other mega companies. And their transmissions are locked into economy mode and no real manual mode (you can force the Freightliners to shift up or down, but the computer is like a spoiled child, if you tell it to do something, it does everything else but what you tell it to do.)

Plus they do utilize opti-idle, no APUs. But they do have the trucks wired with an inverter (with built in 120v plugs) and a factory midget fridge.