Ordering or buying new Volvo VNL780. Suggestions?

I purchased a 2014 Volvo 730, can someone give me their input on why this truck is so heavy... I haul flatbed and I can only load 45K of freight compared to Kenworths and even Peterbilts. Whats the reason this truck is so heavy, on my first axel the weight is 13500

 

i currently purchase a 2014 volvo 730, can someone give me their input as to why this truck is so heavy? Just in my first axle its at 13,500. Is it the chasis?

 

One reason is the cab is made of steel, Volvo and Western Start are the only ones making their cabs out of steel.
It appears that Volvo just doesn't seem to care about the weight of the tractor, or particularly the weight on the front axle. They were involved in a class action lawsuit about front axle weight issues which they lost about 15 years ago.
There is little or nothing you can do about it now. I have several friends with Volvo 780's, many of them routinely give up loads because of the weight issue, and have to run G rated tires on the front axle to keep from getting tickets at scales.
Volvo's stock answer to the problem is to recommend a 630, or even a 430, single sleeper flat top, both regional tractors not suitable for over the road weeks on end living.

 

If you’re talking about a brand new truck from the factory, the dealer can tell with fairly good accuracy, what that truck will weigh before it’s even built. Same thing goes for a new truck on the lot. It’s not something Volvo is doing to hurt drivers. I don’t know about any lawsuits. Could have been a mega looking for exact weight to do linehaul, which is an extremely weight sensitive application. Same is true for any brand of truck, surely there is more flexibility with a Pete, KW or Freightliner to build a lighter weight truck, and the OO should buy one of those.