The BEST Truck?

Unless you're going the owner op route, you're rarely given the chance to pick your own truck. Most trucks handle the same. The trucks with the weakest uphill pulling power are Volvos and Pete 387s. Kenworth trucks are known for their small berth areas. Freightshaker, I mean Freightliners are decent inside, but break down all the time. Unless you plan on having your rig fueled by nuclear power, they are mostly the same.

 

Oh hogwash. Any of those trucks can be spec'd any way you want.

 

Well said Allow.
Personally I find it amusing thatsome "drivers" say they will only drive for a company who issues W9 KW or 379 Pete exth. There is more inner cab room in a Ford Super Duty P.U. than in those models. They steer like old wagons and often ride like crap wagons.
My opinion.

 

Just a quick rundown of the ones I've driven...

International ProStar/Cummins
Nice handling truck, nice cosmetic interior appearance. Quite a bit of room in the sleeper, but not as much as the Volvo 780. Definitely less storage than the Volvo. Comfortable placement of controls, and most are on the steering wheel, which is a nice touch. Other manufacturers offer this as an upgrade, but from what I've seen, this is standard for this model. Steers very well.

Volvo 670 and 780/Cummins
Nice riding/handling truck, but the dash was very noisy. Not much room in the cab, but it's alright for a solo driver. Very good insulated cab, keeps a lot of noise out and (in cold weather) heat in. Curtains are a nightmare, worth replacing the tracks with something easier to manage. Awesome storage. The 780 is a team truck and has a huge sleeper. Like that these have larger fuel tanks from the factory. Volvos have a hydraulic clutch, and for some this is a pro, as it feels more fluid and less resistant.

Freightliner Columbia/Detroit
Roomy interior. Not a lot of storage space. I'm not really a fan of the Detroit engine, it just felt sluggish compared to the Cummins engines (unfortunately, I've never driven a CAT engine, so I can't compare to it). These trucks do handle well in turns and such though, that much I have to give them. Hate the headlights.

Kenworth T2000/Cummins
My current truck, and I have to say I really enjoy it. I like that it has a roomy drivers area, comfortable seats, and the shifter is oriented closer to your leg as opposed to some of the other models. The Volvo had me reaching to the side and back to grab the shifter and it would hurt my shoulder sometimes, this one just feels more naturally placed. There isn't that much storage space in the truck, but since we don't live in our truck for weeks at a time, we don't have to carry as much either. The clutch is different, but not unpleasantly so, in the KW, it disengages very quickly, but has an area at the top of it that is dead space. From what I understand this is common with KW. I wish it had the headlights from the Volvo or International, but they are alright, better than the Freightliner at least. Steering in the truck is slightly different than the others I've been in. One thing is that it definitely doesn't turn as quickly/sharply as others, but after you get used to it, you really don't notice it. Nice comfortable ride.


I'm sure there are better/worse models out there for these manufacturers, which is why I listed the models, and these are only the ones that I have had the ability to drive so far.

 

I've been in all 4 of those, spot on review I'd say
Found the interior of the T2000 rather noisey and rattly though, not but together well

 

Hmm, the Columbia I drove for Marten had BRIGHT headlights. Got flashed a few times with my low beams on from other drivers who then got on the CB to curse me out. Told em those were my low beams, then showed em. Did feel kinda bad for four wheelers I got stuck behind.

And the Volvo 670 I drove for Swift had the CRAPPIEST headlights. My fog lights were brighter then my low beams, and the #### low beams would occasionally not work at all. Found out it was a fuse or wiring harness, forget which, that was going wonky... hated the electronics in that Volvo. Fried 5 starters in 4 weeks until they finally found the wiring for the starter was worn in 3 spots and shorting out. Oh ya, and the dash does rattle like hell in these things. You WILL spill coffee or soda out of cups/cans if you put them in the dash without something on the top. Need non-spill caps or the like. Prolly the reason they have so many electrical/electronic problems. Heard some guys actually use small blocks of wood to prop the dash up to get it to stop.

Other then that, the Volvo did ride great, had decent room, and I did like the clutch in it.

Drove a T600 for Melton, and man did I love that truck. 475 Cat C-15 with a 13spd. Had the Smart Wheel package so you had radio volume, jake controls, and the headlight and trailer light interrupts on the wheel. VERY handy. Plus it had the cool purple backlights for the gauges/dash. Not alot of room though, either in the cab or the sleeper. Big bed though. Still missed the big overhead compartments in the cab.

The Columbia I drove for Marten had a 435 Cat C-15 with a 10spd, rode and steered decent enough, good amount of room all around. Good truck all around to be honest, just a crappy sound system. One thing I do like about Marten trucks is the air-release 5th wheel... except in the winter when they stick.

Drove 2 T600s for Marten too, no smart wheel, standard gauges. Had 13spds instead of 10spds like the Columbias had, so I liked the 600s more. But again, lack of space makes alot of people not like them. Not a problem for me tho really, got used to it.

Edit: Forgot to add the T2000 my mentor with Swift had... also nice truck, good room, decent ride, not sure what engine he had in it though. Only thing I didn't like about it was the dash. They got really high dashes.

 

Well at least you can see out the starboard side window of a W9 or 379 without the aid of a pair of binoculars.

 

I've driven Freightliners, Internationals, Mack's, and Volvo's. I pretty much enjoyed each one. They all had their own pro's, and con's. Never had to have one towed.
But, overall, they were all ok.