scania in america

The only thing you'd win me over with in that regard is the "no regen" bit, and the one you didn't mention... EBS. But, until FMVSS 121 is amended, or an exception is written into place, EBS can only be applied in addition to a 121 compliant system here, which only brings on additional expense a lot of companies and owners will see as unnecessary.
700+ HP? The inline sixes are perfectly capable of it... it's the EPA which is pulling in the reins on that one, and they'd do the same with your V8s. And give up the natural primary and secondary balance of an inline 6 for a V8? I'm just not seeing the advantage, other than length, which you don't seem so concerned about in your post. If I'm not mistaken, I believe the IVECO Cursor engine is a 12.8 liter inline 6, and can be had in ratings of up to 550 horsepower?
As for synchronized transmissions.. I'm indifferent at best. The unsynchronized ones seem complicated at first, but once you've got them, you've got them. And wasn't the use of synchromesh transmissions in Europe borne more out of necessity than anything?

 

yup forgot the EBS, I know inline 6's are capable of it, volvos top 6's are rated at 750hp in Europe but they don't meet new emissions laws yet whereas scanias 730hp v8 (780 hp soon)does and even meets your stringent EPA regulations. As for balance.....I know the 6cyl is naturally a better balanced engine but with uneven firing sequences, crossplaned and counterbalanced cranks v8's are as smooth if not smoother, there are more advantages, better power delivery at low rpm giving better traction for off-road applications for example, they tend to cruise at lower Rpms, typically between 1000-1250 rpms meaning better fuel efficiency, those 730 hp are regularly returning up to 11mpg's @ 97,000lbs, the only truck better is Mercedes with a Detroit 6cyl engine but that only has 480hp, as for longevity......I don't see anything else on the market that lasts as long nowdays, will a modern cummins, paccar or Volvo do 1.5 million trouble free?

are you saying Europeans can't change gear? Well... Americans can't reverse so we're even lol
i don't see the big issue with unsynchronised transmissions, I had it down after a couple of hours and there's no big difference with useage on highway work but the synchro reigns supreme on off-road operations especially when dealing with mud, modern synchros are stronger than an eaton with scanias own gearbox used at 730hp @180,000kgs far above what an eaton is capable of. Don't get me wrong eaton is a great box far better than a lot of syncro box brands like ZF etc, synchros are also safer for newbies on mountains etc cos you can't miss a gear

 

Ha!
If I remember correctly, there was talk on this here forum some time ago about Europe having a shortage of truck drivers in the 70s, and that leading to synchronized transmissions.

 

No euro driver shortage...... They just import carriers from behind the old iron curtain.

 

But I'm talking about when the Iron Curtain was still a thing, plus we import a lot of them here, as well.

 

Synchros are common in naziland since the 60's, I don't think a type of gearbox would cause or cure a driver shortage, pay and conditions are more likely the cause, I know of drivers from the 70's that used go from Ireland to North Africa and be gone for months, that'd be tough on family life, by contrast today is equally as miserable due to over regulation and over enforcement, ye don't know how lucky ye have it

 

Too true, for that reason it's hard to make money too

 

Ha! Naziland! One the European drivers from some time ago on this forum left me with the impression that the synchromesh transmission was a means to ease driver training, and I think the autoshift will be what ultimately fills that role here.
As for how lucky we have it, I don't know. If the stuff they're proposing now goes through, and industry policy is ultimately determined by the ATA and the megacarriers they represent, I'm a bit doubtful you'll be saying that for much longer.

 

Synchros were an option here but people just preferred them, they were also seen as safer as it's #### near impossible to miss a gear and that's important as Europe is very mountainous especially in the south so much so that hydraulic retarders are mandatory in some countries. Auto shifts are getting very common in Europe too, not so much in Ireland but a lot of countries prefer them, in fairness they are pretty good nowdays with double clutches gearchanges are instant, big fleets buy them for fuel saving.

Oh I hope ye don't have to start using elogs, we've had them for years and I kid you not..1 minute over your time and it's logged as an infringement and that's stored for up to a year, then speed limiters, 55mph and 50 in some countries and if the greens have their way it would be lower. Trucking in Europe is a very dull affair, you're expected to behave like a robot or a German ....same thing! One thing I know, things are only going to get worse on both sides of the pond

 

I'm hoping it doesn't get pushed on us, as well, but the ones greasing the most palms are the ones pushing for it, courtesy of our largest carriers, who are hoping not to elevate the industry here, but to bring the rest of it down to their level.

On the subject of Scanias, can you give me a timeline of the different body styles? I believe they ceased production in 2005, if I'm not mistaken? But I know the last was a much more streamlined body style (which was ugly enough that people in the US wouldn't buy it, although Iveco seems to have a marketable truck with their PowerStar/Strator, if they follow the Volvo example and adapt it accordingly).