On the fence - New trucks, thinking about leaving job

Same truck..different hood.

I'd sooner have my 1,751,000 mile 379 than any new plastic POS......

 

Good for you, stick to your guns. Your the one that has to live in it!

For those of you that think KW is going to discontinue the W900 aparently haven't driven past the factory in Ohio, they're still selling very well. Also the W900-T800 use the same cab/sleeper as the T660 so they only thing they have to make different is the hood. If the government does mandate a fuel mileage standard it will be done by the ton mile because someone like Rat pulling a belt trailer at 100K+ shouldn't be held to the same standards as a door slammer with a load of potato chips! My 700hp W900L at 4.6mpg at 120,000# bury's the 7mpg plastic McDonalds truck for efficiency.

Some people just don't understand that small companies with 100 trucks or less don't operate the same way as the mega fleets. We buy our trucks so we care about the resale value. Most also run relatively local so maintenance is done in house so taking 2hrs to remove plastic junk so we can see the engine isn't appealing. 8mpg pulling heavy odd shaped trailers isn't possible no matter what shape your hood is.

A local fleet here with 120 trucks just traded in 8-2011 Cascadias for 8 2008 Pete's with C15's, and it wasn't because they were making too much money with the plastic trucks. I believe the owners quote was "those were the biggest POS's we've ever owned"

And as far as maintenance costs, you raise the hood of a prostar and take a picture and I'll do the same to any of my "hoods" and we'll see who's is easier to work on.

Rat, there are those on here that see the pics in your sig and seriously think "those external air cleaners are why he's not getting 8mpg" "A set of side skirts would definitely help him off road" And chances are they're holding a steering wheel for a mega fleet.

There are those of us that can differentiate between the trucks needed for someone pulling a light van OTR, and someone doing local or regional heavy haul. I owned and pulled a belly dump for a few years, the shape of my hood didn't mean squat driving 30mi one way between a gravel pit and an asphalt plant through a city. The steering wheel holder would say "absolutely the guy with the aero truck would make more money"

 

Very true. Mainly the only reason I like the lonestar is for the looks. The prostar looks like space shuttle and a tractor had a baby.

I love Pete's. 359exhd, 379exhd and 389's. If i could afford to get a glider I would. But for now I'm saving up for a '98-2003 Pete. That's what i really want. But things may change in a few years. Never really know what the future holds.

 

I fully understand wanting to drive the truck that YOU want. It is both your workplace, and to a certain extent, your home.

But it is still just the "tool of the job." And I just can't see quiting an otherwise good job because of not "liking" the "tool provided." Of course it is an entirely different matter, if the company does not maintain their equipment.

JMNHO.

 

I can tell you that I would quit a company job if I didn't like the equipment... why start each day with a bad attitude toward your job? No different than quitting a 40 hour job because of the commute, the location, etc.

Once the Volvo's starting making an appearance I'd be looking....

 

I thought about leaving my job recently because of our switch seating and how guys pig up a truck for the next guy, welp starting next week I'll have my assigned truck (the oldest truck in the fleet, 05 w900).

 

You complain about small sleepers but take pride and joy in that old 379? At 3.5 MPG your lucky they didn't send that truck away long ago.

When it comes to company trucks I am all about smooth ride, versatility, interior space and comfort. These are things severely lacking in every PACAAR product that I've had the misfortune of driving. Sure the 379 and W900 look sharp going down the road. The 387 is the only thing PACAAR close to tolerable for me.

I can drive as good as the next guy, but who honestly enjoys going to that ###### dock in new jersey designed for pup trailers, or that construction site with tight turns, mudholes, and ###### laying all over the place, in a truck that has the turning radius of a Carnival Cruise Ship?

I always hear Pete and KW guys talk about "road feel". If road feel means feeling every hairline crack and acorn laying in the road and making me fly off my seat, you can keep your Pacaar POS.

Call me crazy, but my favorite truck so far was a Cascadia I drove in 2008. It was not the most attractive thing on the road, especially in our companies colors, but it turned on a dime and rode like a Cadillac. And I could wake up in the morning without worrying about bumping my head climbing into the cab. There were a few things I didn't like about it, it had some electrical issues at first, like most bottom end Freightshakers it was cheap and chintzy, but at the end of a long drive I was a lot less tired sore than the times I was stuck in a Pete or KW.

Ok, Ill step down from the soapbox now...

 

Here ya go RAT, tell them they will retain you for the next xx amount of years, all they have to do is go buy this over a Prostar....