Stepping Out With My Own Numbers

It's obvious you did a lot of research making this decision.
Truck looks nice. I hope it's everything you expected and more.
Good luck

 

Update - That 870 mile reefer load of frozen burned exactly 17 gallons of fuel from start to finish. The unit was on continuous -10 for 27 hours. I think that's really efficient. On a hot 100* day it probably would have burned a gallon an hour based off past experience. So about $50 of fuel burned.

 

Finally hit the road yesterday. The miscommunication I spoke of previously was a missing engine brake on the truck. That cost me an additional six days of unexpected down time. It was a software bug when we built the truck. I'm 76,500 pounds going to New Orleans for tomorrow and out of the box got 8.1 MPG to my current spot. I'll be interested to see after a full month of running where it ends up.

The truck is really comfortable. I have so much more room and storage than the Peterbilt. This LT is a midroof single bunk and the wall mounted cabinets have loads of space. I have an aftermarket Pioneer radio receiver in here and the extra juice makes the bass hit so hard I had to turn down the bass a few notches. The A26 motor is really quiet, even under heavy acceleration. The only noise you really hear is the turbo whistle when you let off the throttle.

The front end is lighter than I thought it would be. I was a little over half a tank and 76.5k gross and, with the fifth wheel all the way forward, only 12k pounds even on the steers.

I'm still getting used to these new style pedestal mount mirrors. Any truck I've driven has had the two point mount on the pillar. It makes everything feel like it's right next to you. The vision is really good, a lot better than a traditional mirror, but it takes time to get your eyes and brain used to it. And, the LED headlights on this thing are awesome.

As far as the 6X2, I tested it backing under my trailer at a customer and it can't do it like you would in a normal truck. You have to engage the off road mode so it dumps the air in the rear tag axle and engage the diff lock and it backs under just like a regular 6X4 would. On the road driving through the rain last night, I noticed no difference in starting, stopping, or hill climbing.

My initial impressions of the truck are very positive. It is an extremely comfortable truck to drive.

 

I love how deep south people pronounce new Orleans. They say as if one word. Nawlins. Back woods swamp people. Bobby buchet (waterboy)

 

I love how Southern Women speak English. I hope I am not a pervert because of this but I find it very sexy...

Lately, I even started to listen to a course of how English evolved in America since colonial years. Interesting staff. There isn't any French spoken in Louisiana by locals, is there?

 

A small percentage of Louisiana speak French. What is much more common is creole.

 

Wow...These people should be really treasured by linguists and such. English prevailed but who knows how close was it for French or Spanish to become American language. Most of the settlers must have arrived from British Islands and they must have shown the French with pitchforks which language to speak. It is hard to imagine though that a few centuries ago it was French spoken in Louisiana.

 

Even if they're saying "Thank you for calling Total Quality Logistics."?

 

Ruined that one for me.....

 

Most of the French left after the Louisiana purchase. They left behind their Caribbean slaves won spoke creole. A small population of poor French stayed because they didn't have the funds to leave.