Truck choice criteria?

The DD15/DD15 definitely has what I would consider to be significant issues. Most of our new trucks have a DD13, with the sleeper trucks having a DD15, and most of them have been in to the dealer at least once already, some have had to go in multiple times. The check engine lights are always on, the most common cause seems to be a faulty throttle position sensor and a faulty EGR sensor, with an assortment of other random problems.

I can't help you with any of the other engines unfortunately!

 

The company I work for has some new freight shakers with DD13's. They seem to be the better emissions engine but having said that they are in the shop quite often for emissions issues. I had an emissions issue with one in Yuma AZ and because it was a 2012 engine no one in Yuma had software for the engine. It resulted in an $1800 tow to Tucson AZ. I wouldn't buy any of the emissions engines but I guess in your case you don't have a choice. Just my experience with the DD13.

 

as time moves on. the choices for non emission trucks are going to get slimmer and slimmer.

 

What do you think is going to happen to the 10,000+ trucks that are driving around Cali now come 1-1-14? I don't see them going anywhere anytime soon.

I'm in LA every week, and I just don't see those guys parking their trucks-and it doesn't look like they have the money to buy new or newer ones.

 

At least as long as I have been in this industry, which is for about 10 years, they haven't been very good truck. When I first started we were getting rid of FL106's, most of them pre-egr, and they ran just fine. They had 60 series in them and about the most major issue we had was the line going to the charge air cooler would randomly blow, but other than that they were solid, albeit slightly underpowered trucks.

After that we started getting M2's in and man where those a complete and absolute nightmare. Electrical issues from the fuse panels being mounted on the frame rails, gear shifts coming right out of the floorboard, a lot of them on the DAY they were delivered none the less, frame rails cracking left and right, they were junk needless to say. After that we went a while on Columbia's and they had their problems, but on the whole they weren't too terrible.

Now that those are no longer an option we are getting Cascadia's and we are back to having tons of issues. Lots of check engine lights, emission problems, just generally a huge thorn in our side when it comes to keeping the trucks up and running. Sure they drive nice which is what Freightliner was hyping them when they gave us the spec sheets, but the ride hardly matters when the truck is in the shop more than its on the road!

I would love to get some basic International's in here, but alas those buying decisions are far above my paygrade.

That is a question I am interested in seeing the answer to. Every year they roll out grants so people can retrofit engines, but that money goes up pretty quickly. The guys that work the port for sure don't want some new truck, they want the oldest and jankiest truck they can find to make as much money as possible, not some brand new truck. I am all for doing things that help clean up the air, god knows the air in this state isn't all that great, but I think there was a better way to go about it then the plan they came out with. I think the better idea would have been to say all NEW trucks need to meet emissions, if you have a truck before this cutoff date you are good until you buy a new truck. Sure those old trucks are going to stick around a while, but they can't last forever, eventually they will get sold because it just stops making sense to repair them.