I have no idea?

I hear ya brother. I respect a family man. I don't respect aholes that take advantage of good hands. You will move on to better times that I am sure of. About the only advice I can give you as a old hand is check your equipment alot. And don't risk your families well being by getting hurt.

 

It must be geared poorly or needs some serious work. A 425hp motor shouldn't have any issues pulling American gross max. Talk to the boss or move along.

 

Yeah those Mercedes motors are equivalent to the Maxxforce of the Internationals. Some of those new DD15 pulls just as worse as a Mercedes engine

 

I am not apologetic to point out that if you are not checking the basics by checking the insurance and registration of the truck you are driving, then you can not complain about the situation you put yourself into.

It don't matter what the owner does, they can doctor everything, they can claim that they have insurance but you as a driver have not just a right to refuse to work but a duty to when it comes to knowing if the truck is legal or not.

 

Does the truck use DEF? If it is 2006, I doubt it. More likely it's EGR (Exhaust Gas Return). EGR is notorious for creating the symptoms you describe. Could be the turbo actuator, Delta air pressure sensor, or VPOD.

I drove a 2006 Freightliner Century Classic for 18 months. During that time we replaced the VPOD twice, replaced the Delta Air Pressure Sensor, and cleaned and adjusted the turbo actuator. Finally the owner gave up and took all that out, put in a fixed blade turbo, and reprogrammed the ECM. It pulled like a champ after that.

 

All of our Mercedes powered trucks are the same and they are maybe 10 years newer.