COE

Thought this was about trucks. Not European junk

 

I am just now buying my first two trucks. I asked the dealer about the Volvo cab over as I like the design of it. He told me there was no demand for them here at all. I asked him what he though I was. I purchased my trucks from an out of town dealer because of that.

I believe there is a demand for them in big cities with tight docks.

 

Ive yet to see a euro truck with super singles on the drive except a foden from 20 years ago which is paccar, 90% of trailers are on singles alright, you're allowed 88,000lbs with a single axle tractor and 3 axle trailer or 110,000lbs with the same configuration in some countries, with a tandem it's up to 100,000lbs with a single trailer normally, very few have 9-10spd p except small delivery trucks, 13 - 16 is the norm , yup speed limiters are very annoying for everyone not just the driver, they haven't reduced accidents by the way in fact 'falling asleep' accidents have increased, let's hope they don't become mandatory in the states! Trucking in Europe is indeed a very dull affair but the trucks themselves for the most part are excellent, cabs are shorter than what you're allowed in the us but still far roomier than you'd have on a classic 48" sleeper, ride is a lot better, better fuel economy, more power, synchromesh transmission , retarders and much much better brakes.

 

I'd love to get a late model Scania over here, but I'm afraid I'd have to grey import it from Canada, and never mind the parts availability. I see an older Scania occasionally, it's orange and leased to Erb, around the Buffalo NY area sometimes. I'm jealous... That would be perfect for metro area deliveries.

 

Seriously, you'd get laughed at. You could do it on the autobahn in Germany to a point, sort of like the old "safe & prudent" speed laws in MT. That is, in the few remaining sections where there is no limit posted. There's a whole different attitude about responsible driving in Europe versus North America. They'd be marveling at the stupidity and inefficiency of all that, not over how grand it is. Especially in Germany. I don't think Germans can function without a lengthy rule book.

Now if you could field a rig getting 20 mpg running 90 kph fully loaded on the autobahn, you'd be a superhero.

 

We used run pretty fast through Germany,100 - 110 kph in a country where the speed limit is 80kph, German drivers would be shaking their fist and making gestures with the phone they would call the police when you passed them especially in the 'no passing' zones , because we were in right hand drives driving on the right side (usually if he made gestures to your running mate ahead of you) we would slow down, keep close, reach out and twist their mirrors around as we passed, then they would get really irrate, no sense of humour!! You wouldn't get away with it nowdays. Germany is actually an awful place to drive a truck, lines of the most obedient drivers, when the first slows on a hill so will the thirty or so behind them, quite often there's no passing on the hills and they won't break the law, I find this a great opportunity to pass