Freightshaaakkerrr!

My 14 Mack will make you beg to get back into your 14 freightliner, I can guarantee that!

 

Volve from the late 80's were very good, I cut my teeth with a 300 cummins and roadranger 10 team truck going from MD to KY to get auto glass for GM in baltimore. Dead of winter feet of snow on all the passes and so on. Good trainer. Added to my newfound joy of mountain work in conditions that essentially stopped everyone else.

One minor quibble. You never crossed a bump or curb or similar at any angle it was very stiff and would rock violent giving you a double punch below the ribs from the side to side forces inflicted on the cab it would hurt alot. But in them days before CDL, a few bottles of beer make the pain go away. Just pace the sipping so you don't get all smashed.

 

I loved my Volvo ride except for one flaw...steer axle airbags. They had them for a few years and I believe they did away with them. If you blow one rolling~ good times! Makes the steering squirly in cross winds above 25 mph, too. Other than that, it's the Cadillac of semi tractors.

 

If you lost a bag isn't there a ride height adjuster big enough to take the axle until you get stopped? I dreamed for airride steers all my life on those things. I guess it's not always good...

 

Yup, still is. $5,200. Could have gotten it cheaper if I had of ordered the truck from the factory with one in it.

 

It probably wasn't a good idea, but when I blew one in WY at night with a time sensitive FedWrex Freight load to SLC and a Volvo dealer over 200 miles away I chanced it. Quite squirly going down Pailey! Truck ####ed toward the blown side and made my compressor work overtime, but I made it without any more problems. When I got the bag replaced ar Sapp's the mechanic showed me how a worn shock has compressed too far and make it blow....needless to say, I replaced both shocks. Funny, same bag blew again about 6 months later in WV. Luckily I was going 10 mph in a rest area! HA! Volvo dealer half hours away in VA, in stock and came to install. 2 hours start to finish. Said 1st bag was more than likely defective.

 

I drove a big Volvo once from Southern ON back to a dealer in Northern ON..It was bobtail and oh my gawd that was a smooth ride! It was a 630 or 670 or something.

The pete I run is a nice smooth ride too with 12/40s and Pete low air leaf susp but that Volvo is hands down the smoothest riding truck I've ever driven.

 

This 2010 Freightshaker company truck in my avatar with a DD15 is almost like sitting on your couch at home. It has a longer wheelbase than most company trucks. I don't know if its as long a wheelbase as @uncleal13 though. I need to measure it. I love the s.o.b. I will probably lose it soon, as it is approaching 800K miles. You almost need to buy a laptop with this truck, as it will throw a few codes. But all the codes mean something, and all have been minor fixes.

 

I've been thinking about this thread the last couple of days. It's not the truck.

It's the seat, stupid.

I just spent the last four days driving team in an '09 KW. I feel the onset of bone bruising on under my gluteal muscles, inside and under my hip joints.

This was the same scenario that caused me to develop debilitating pain that almost made me give up trucking three years ago. At that time I drove for Swift. The '09 KW is an old Swift truck with the original seat.

I'm GLAD to be back in my '07 Freightshaker, with a comfortable seat. It was also an old Swift truck, but specced for an O/O with a good drivers seat. Now it will take a week or more for the soreness to leave my ###, but I know next time if I drive that KW I need to bring my Magic Gel seat cushion.

Cheap companies spec cheap seats. Get a better seat and most any truck will be fine. Best seat of all might be the Bose trucker's seat, at $6K a pop. Google it. I delivered a load to Bose a couple of years ago and talked to the yard dog about it. He said he was part of the initial testing program. He could drive at speed over railroad tracks and the only thing that would move was the steering wheel and floor. The seat stayed steady at all times.