Scania, Volvo, Mercedes vs American trucks. How can you stand them?

But in some countries, not all over EU. In Finland ore Sweeden

BTW, this is just a 40' (13.5m) semitrailer with dolly axe (BTW - equipped with 2S/2M ABS and brake force regulator). I tried to drive these road trains. sloooowly climb hills!

 

Comparing a US truck to a European when it comes to safety is like comparing a Land Rover Defender and a Volvo XC90 or BMW X5. Sure the hood is longer and the Defender is heavier but XC90 is still safer due to a more modern design. The same applies to most US trucks.

I'm sure a European truck would make more money than a Amercian one if certain factors are considered. But as they are more advanced and more expensive to buy and US buyers are not prepared to pay for safety and driver comfort they have a hard time to compete with cheaper US trucks at the moment. But when the transport buyer starts to demand safe trucks with good breaks, fuel efficiency and the drivers demands good comfort (good comfort is not only measured by how big the sleeper is) they will the choice.

 

lets look separatelly at active and passive safety.

EU truck active safety is of higher level, especially taking into account EBS of trailers that work via can bus (pins 6-7 on trailer ABS/EBS connector). Towing EU EBS trailer with US truck (of course with 12-24 V voltage converter) is much safer then using US trailer. I did EBS conversion on old US trailers (there are drum brake versions of EBS)!
EU trucktors are short! So with classical brake system they are more dangerouse then US trucktor. Bobtailing is more rought and more unstabil on wet pavement, becouse made of steel cabine is heavy! US trucks get into jeck-knife accidents more frequantly. Trucktor ABS helps! But US trailers have too long responce time.

Passive safety... In collisions and jack-knife accidents US trucks look more tought and safer, requare less $$$$ for repare.

EU truck is better in roll over crash. But newer trucks with some EU components of design are good too. I belive Volvo trucks with Volvo FM cabine (yeah, VN and FM share cabines) will be tought, but used in the USA cabine is w/o steel rear wall, becouse they add sleeper there! Cascadia cabine is based on Actros and seems to me tought and safe too.

BTW, our drivers are surprized when they see Cascadia interior the first thought - it is Actros

 

Care to state the facts? Not saying it to make you mad, but always get curious whenever the term fact is used w/o examples.

 

I think that the interior of Eu Truck is Nice.

 

Who would deny in a place soo coooozzyyy!

 

Nice and inrresistable ah ah

 

i guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder----cause that is very very gross to me

 

Unfortunatly EU trucks have too narrow sleeper and not too much space inside.

Not all, of course, Mercedes Megaspace cabine is roomy, Renault Magnum cabine is big too, but look at Scania interior! Nice for driver, but bunk is too small

Yeah! this is truck for short errands