Stepping Out With My Own Numbers

Finally hit the road yesterday. The miscommunication I spoke of previously was a missing engine brake on the truck. That cost me an additional six days of unexpected down time. It was a software bug when we built the truck. I'm 76,500 pounds going to New Orleans for tomorrow and out of the box got 8.1 MPG to my current spot. I'll be interested to see after a full month of running where it ends up.

The truck is really comfortable. I have so much more room and storage than the Peterbilt. This LT is a midroof single bunk and the wall mounted cabinets have loads of space. I have an aftermarket Pioneer radio receiver in here and the extra juice makes the bass hit so hard I had to turn down the bass a few notches. The A26 motor is really quiet, even under heavy acceleration. The only noise you really hear is the turbo whistle when you let off the throttle.

The front end is lighter than I thought it would be. I was a little over half a tank and 76.5k gross and, with the fifth wheel all the way forward, only 12k pounds even on the steers.

I'm still getting used to these new style pedestal mount mirrors. Any truck I've driven has had the two point mount on the pillar. It makes everything feel like it's right next to you. The vision is really good, a lot better than a traditional mirror, but it takes time to get your eyes and brain used to it. And, the LED headlights on this thing are awesome.

As far as the 6X2, I tested it backing under my trailer at a customer and it can't do it like you would in a normal truck. You have to engage the off road mode so it dumps the air in the rear tag axle and engage the diff lock and it backs under just like a regular 6X4 would. On the road driving through the rain last night, I noticed no difference in starting, stopping, or hill climbing.

My initial impressions of the truck are very positive. It is an extremely comfortable truck to drive.