School project

Most guys in fleet or company trucks are assigned that vehicle, easy to track maintenance and driver performance, etc. that way. Some companies allow you to dress them up a little bit, others do not want you messing with their image. Because what chrome/lights looks good to the driver, may not represent the company the way it wants to be represented. Generally, if you like to keep your rig clean, simple things like lug nut covers or hub caps are accepted, but adding a big drop visor may not be welcome by the company.

The guys that slipseat drive really do not care about the outside. Some might, myself being a relief driver, enjoy getting into a clean truck that is well kept and has a few extra lights. However, it is obviously not assinged to me, so I will not contribute with my own money to beautify the exterior of the rig. When I had my company rig permenantly assigned to me, I put a few extra bucks in chrome on the outside, nothing too crazy though.

As far as acutal design....I was never too picky, but there are lots more guy & gals out there with a lot more miles on than I, and I'm sure they have their likes & dislikes with a slightly stronger opinion. For me, I liked it clean....it was a company ride, so what I wanted really didnt matter. If the truck functioned & got the job done, it was fine.

 

If you are talking ground up design.......

I drive a freightliner classic XL. So this is from MY viewpoint.

1. Aerodynamics: Less wind resistance.
2. Stability: Less side to side roll in turns.
3. Visibility: More of it, bigger easy to see out of windows.
4. Lighting: More "road" light. I don't want to HAVE to add extra lights to see the road.
5. Over hood view: Shorter hood so I can see whats in front of me better.
6. Engine/transmission: Ability to pull an 80k vehicle up a 6% grade without having to go 25 the whole way, yet still fuel efficient enough to not need to fuel so often.
7. Fuel economy: Diesel is on its way to 4 bucks a gallon, anything that will increase fuel economy is good.
8. Handling: Tighter turning radius for those pesky docks. It doesn't need to pull 1g on a skid pad, but it should turn pretty tight when needed.
9. Noise: LOTS of dampening, road noise, engine noise, and wind noise are horrible in my box.
10: Sound system: Personal preference, I like my music clear and loud, don't need to wake the neighborhood when I drive through, but I do like to hear it.
11. Seating/driver comfort: Easy to reach/read gauges, and a good comfortable seat...look at some of the aftermarket airride seats. Dash should "wrap around" the driver, so that all controls are within arms reach without having to lean out of the seat.

Ok, all that being said.....I don't want to drive a Lotus with a big engine. I don't need the "I-Truck". I just want to be comfortable, and not have to spend a fortune to get from A to B.

There is a lot I would change about the sleeper area. Most of which there are ample aftermarket solutions for. Softer bed, more "organized" storage, etc. Spaces for specific items, like a padded cell for my laptop, built in inverters for small appliances (TV/DVD or Fridge/Microwave) Filing cabinet style drawers for important stuff like receipts and logs and such. Securable doors/drawers. More insulation, and better ventilation. Creature comforts.

 

Serviceability. Don't put the engine under the dash, aerodynamics be ###### I want to be able to service the truck without removing the cab, trucks have hoods for a reason. I've always been a fan of simplicity in design, form should follow function.

See if you can spend some time in a truck, designers almost always fail to account for the end user. (I know that you are trying with this post, and I applaud you for it.) Stay away from steering wheel controls, the interfacing is bad because when the wheel is turned, your buttons move. Don't put an 8' tall windshield on it, nobody is bird watching while they drive, and it makes one hate the sun with all the glare and such. Try to make the controls "obvious" in an ideal world, each button and switch would be unmistakably tied to it's function.

I got halfway through an Industrial Design program before the economy tanked; good luck with your project- I know how difficult it will be.

That's all I can come up with on the spot, I hope it's not too negative- I did get frustrated with the "re-skinning" theme of ID. I'll put some more thought into it and see if I can come up with more for you.

 

Escape door on ALL sleepers. A lot of trucks out there do not have them. Those should be basic on all trucks.

 

agreed on the escape hatch.......with out one the truck can become a death trap if it catches on fire

 

All of the above suggestions plus cup holders that actually hold onto your drink.

 

Just try to be more mindful of where gauges on the dashboard are located. In my truck (2011 Freightliner Cascadia) the gauges and steering wheel are located in such a manner that, when an average-sized drivers gets in the seat, the fuel and voltage gauges are blocked by the steering wheel. Even with tilt steering this can be a little annoying.

Also, you may want to keep in mind that many drivers these days have laptops, GPS units, and other assorted electronic gadgets; you may want to account for some of this in your interior design.

Lastly: my truck has an APU. While I'm definitely glad to have it, the way in which the associated components were arranged ended up reducing the amount of space in the side luggage compartments. Many of us are used to keeping essential equipment there (like tools, reflectors, chains, etc) and would like to have some of that space back (I wonder why some of the APU equipment wasn't moved to the center of that space rather than the ends?)