freightliner cascadias, uncomfortable steering and handling? Seems to be the case here

Discussion in 'Trucks [ Eighteen Wheelers ]' started by dextrdog, Aug 4, 2017.

  1. dextrdog

    dextrdog Light Load Member

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    Feb 2, 2012
    Milwaukee, WI
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    We have a fleet of 2017s and 18s cascadias, all day cabs, and we do about 2-300 miles a day on average. I've been driving them for almost 3 years, and no matter what, the drive and handling comfort just isn't there, not the seating, but mainly steering and handling. It seems almost impossible to relax with your hands on the wheel before it starts veering out of the lane left and right. It's fatiquing, and annoying as #### after a while. When you get on 2 lane country roads, depending on wind, it's almost a battle trying to keep the thing in your lane. Sometimes we get rentals that are volvos or internationals, and that is definitely not the case with those. The Volvo, u just rest ur hand on the wheel and it goes straight as an arrow, always. The last company I drove for, we had Mack pinnacles and those were a pleasure to drive too. Does anyone else notice this on the freighliners?
     
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  3. shogun

    shogun Road Train Member

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    Doing a regen
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    I noticed they lumber down the road, swaying from side to side. The lack of a visor to block the sun is stupidity at its finest. The interior is still like the century class from the early 2000 era, the mount for a cb radio is idiotic, the cb antenna is a joke, and the automatics suck.
     
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  4. Brandt

    Brandt Road Train Member

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    MD alignment could fix them I bet if something is wrong and that includes the factory spec alignment is not good enough. They say factory spec it what they can do in 7 minutes not the best alignment

    Check out some of his videos
     
    bzinger Thanks this.
  5. CasanovaCruiser

    CasanovaCruiser Road Train Member

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    Indiana
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    Yep. They're a lot more likely to dive into a rut and cause you to look like an idiot swerving all over the place too.
    There are certain areas where I just brace for it because it'll always pull the freightliner some weird direction. Our volvos just cruise right by though.

    We have all single screw day cabs so that doesn't help
     
  6. Crude Truckin'

    Crude Truckin' Alien Spacecraft

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    North Dakota, Eh?
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    I have a 2018 mid roof that is still the same body style of the 2017 models. Run smooth bore tankers in the oilfield. Never had a better truck.
     
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  7. LoneCowboy

    LoneCowboy Road Train Member

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    Colorado
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    Freightliner hates drivers.

    Once you accept that, it all makes so much more sense. (and yes, I had a 03 Columbia, same interior, nothing has changed)
     
  8. dextrdog

    dextrdog Light Load Member

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    Feb 2, 2012
    Milwaukee, WI
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    The weight of the load helps too I'm sure, the heaviest we ever are is 10k on the trailer. I remember when I hauled gas, it was like driving a Cadillac with all that weight
     
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  9. dextrdog

    dextrdog Light Load Member

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    Feb 2, 2012
    Milwaukee, WI
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    yea we have single axels too, except our 17s those are all tandems. And most of our trailers are pups, which makes it even worse. It's a lot lot smoother pulling a 53
    Interesting video. we lease all of ours thru Penske so what they say goes I guess
     
  10. poppapump1332

    poppapump1332 Road Train Member

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    freightliners are the bottom of the barrel believe that!
     
  11. boneebone

    boneebone Road Train Member

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    They're tied with Inter-trashional as being the biggest piles of junk made and disquised as a truck.
     
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