Volvo reviews or opinions

My 2 cents worth. Emerson, my hubby's first truck as a company driver was a volvo 780 with 350k miles on it. He loved it. The only problem he kept having was one of the air canisters had a very slow leak. The truck was pulled at 500k, and he was put into a newer volvo with what he called a "studio apartment". Was much smaller, which he hated, but still no probs with anything. He now has 2010 volvo 780 with cummins 400hp, and thats all I know of the specs. He loves it, and so far no probs with it.

 

I just ran across your thread (I've been running my wheels off this week). Let me tell you what I've gotten to know so far in the first 30,000 miles with my '05 780.

My 780 has the Cummins ISX, and I wouldn't own the Volvo motor. Main reason is the parts availability and the service network - if you can find a Cummins, Volvo, or Peterbilt shop - you're all set for a repair. I haven't needed a repair yet, other than a fuel pump that started leaking. I've heard they'll do that if the trucks sat awhile, and mine sat dormant for 8 months before I started running it. In it's defense it still pulled the load from WI to NC, it just idled badly and leaked fuel sometimes. So far it only uses about half a gallon of oil by 15,000 miles - and I'm changing mine at around 18k right now. When I can afford to, I'll start changing it at 15k, starting out has been expensive.

The Cummins jakes are awesome - the higher the revs, and the more weight you put on the truck - the harder they hit. I've come down 5% grades at 55mph at about 1,800rpm and never needed the brakes, other than to check them once in awhile. Volvo has a 3 position switch which gives you 33%, 66%, 99% jakes, although the engine is capable of 6 settings (some Pete's have it).

The motor pulls like a gale force storm, I have yet to see anything it wouldn't do well. I've driven a 475 Cat - and the ISX pulls harder - but in the Cat's defense it was against an automatic. I pull a hopper, so I'm always heavy and I get around 6mpg with a 13 speed, 3.58 drives and 22LP's. I usually run 57-63mph depending on the speed limit and traffic pattern. I'd suggest you look for the Eaton 18913B 13 speed trans, it's great for hitting the right rpm for climbing (or the jakes). That trans is also rated at 1,850 ft/lbs torque, which makes the most of the engine.

I just finished a 1,000 mile bobtail, and got 10.4mpg average LOL wish I got that all the time. Hoppers are like dragging a parachute, empty or loaded, so comparing my mileage to a dryvan or reefer - results may vary and yours would likely be higher.

2003 and older trucks with non-EGR engines are the way to go - wish I knew the difference before I bought an '05. It's usually about a fraction of a mpg higher pre-EGR - like half or so. That adds up quickly as an O/O or L/O.

As far as the air-ride front axle - I like the thing. It steers a little light, but mine tracks straight - and it rolls over rough terrain smooth (which I do alot of). I had an air pressure gauge installed on it, so I can tell when I'm overweight on the steer axle - figured I might as well take advantage of that. The downside is the bags will probably need replaced at around 500k or 5 years, which I just did, at about $600. If you stay on the street, springs will probably do just fine, and maybe handle better - but no tractors a sports car - I'd rather slow down for a curve any day. If I wind up with unsolved alignment issues, I'll probably try a shop that does alot of coaches (tour buses) as they all run an air ride steer axle.

Living space on the road? I haven't seen better, and you have to pry me out of this truck when it's stopped. I'm sitting at the workstation right now typing this email and it's comfortable. I leave the table up and the laptop on standby all the time, and sleep in the top bunk. It makes a great office, and it's good to not see the dashboard when you're resting. The drawers are a great thing to have above the fridge - I keep all my paper and plastic tableware in one, and small items like peanut butter, salt/pepper, etc in the other. I can also sit here at the table and get food out of the fridge (be nice to have that at home!). You can get the truck setup with a sink in one of the drawers, but I thought that was going too far myself. The insulation is incredible, people think I'm parked (over the phone) when I'm climbing mountains - and it's great not to hear the reefer parked next to you.

I keep the curtain pulled most of the time, but it doesn't seem hard to heat or cool with the bunkheater or the dash system. I have room for everything I can think of, but I would like to add some shelves in the closet, and then I'll be set up. The fridge/ freezer is a great size, I've been out for a week and have only eaten a fraction of the food in there (without buying anything). I'd advise getting one with the Volvo factory inverter - I have wired outlets I can't use yet thanks to my Cobra inverter.

The manueverability (231" wb), visibility, and living space are the reasons I bought this truck, and they are all fantastic. After all, I have to drive the thing everyday and live in it for weeks at a time. I like the looks of it, but I wouldn't buy a truck for looks. Under the surface, a truck is mostly a truck. Issues like electrical problems are usually Monday or Friday trucks IMO. I don't think anything can go wrong with a truck that the right mechanics can't fix.

It's a heavy tractor, mine weighs about 20,500 with the 300 gallon tanks full, me and all my junk onboard. I have to squeak by to haul 50,000 pounds (TARE is right at 30,000) by running short on fuel, but it's do-able.

Overall, from my own opinion, I didn't want to go broke trying to keep fuel in a classic, and I don't like narrow cabs. Of the aero wide-cabs, I didn't like the visibility of the 387 or the T2000, and the interior layout just didn't seem right. I was on the fence about international (no one seems to talk about them much?) as I like their trucks, but I couldn't afford a newer model - and their cab is slightly wider than a classic. If the issues some people are having happen to me - yes, it will suck - but everything man-made will break at some point. Any breakdown is a dilemma for a driver, and I try to take care of small issues before they become big ones.

Would I buy one again? So far I would, but it would be a 2003 780 pre-EGR. Hope this helps, it took forever to type out Best of luck to you!

 

HwyPilot,

We have exchanged comparisons in the past about Volvo 780's.
I am considering the exact truck you have basically for the same reasons,interior size,Cummings, maneuverability,ect..

My shop that I have been dealing with for years strongly suggested the Cummings engine over any 4-6 year old Volvo engine, and they are a Volvo authorized repair facility.
The mechanics are factory trained on all Manufactures of trucks.They are exspensive,but they solve repairs correctly the first time.
The cheapest way most times is the most expensive, in the long run.

I want to comment on you putting an air gauge on the front air suspension, very intelligent.

I am also considering a different 05 Volvo 780 w/ Cummings 450hp Eaton Auto w/o a clutch pedal

OR

a 05 Kenworth T600 with a Cat, 430 hp, Auto 18 speed with a clutch pedal

Considering the auto's for reasons that if I purchase another truck in 10-12 months,I can hire a new driver to run the auto one.Then purchase another w/o an auto.
Also the 2 Autos are $ 6000 less.

I am on fence here, I am probally going to go with the same exact Volvo you have for the space, workstation, network for the Cummings engine,etc., I will be in it quite often just as you are in yours.

The 05 Kenworth Auto is a possible choice due to the mileage is 350k, the price and has about $4000 worth of options,previous O/O truck.Need's all tires replaced .

The original question of this post was to obtain opinions of Volvo's.

Someone else had said on this forum, " manufactured by engineer's, with economy in mind, not for the biker type of trucker" ( THIS IS NOT MY OPINION,crusin).
I really didn't think the person who posted that somewhere on this forum was an O/O,maybe a company driver driving a brand new type of Volvo and not paying for maint./repairs himself.

I agree with you, ALL makes of trucks will fail , it is a matter of when.
It come downs to what make your driving where you are, how long you are going to have wait for repairs ( if you cant do them yourself) and overall as an O/O the cost's involved.
Sitting or trucks that need constant repair don't make $.
In this business, it comes down to $, but consideration that you will be in that truck for some time is another consideration when making a purchase.
Also for me, I will be doing my own maint. and quite a bit of repairs.( only 1 truck)

By the way, what are the guys with pre-emission types of trucks are going to have to be required to do to them in the very near future?

All Response's on future emission requirements for 05-06 type trucks would be appreciated.

crusin

 

Oh,
the other consideration for the auto's would be that I was just offerd a run into/out of New York city,steady, consistant work.
I had thought the auto's would better in NY city traffic.

crusin

 

I work for a east coast millrowk company and we have 8 Volvo day cabs in our fleet. All have Volvo engines. We have one 07 and 08 and 6 09s. The 08 and 09s have the newer emission engines and are a maintenance nightmare with injector sleeves (or cups) going bad all the time. So far this has been a warrenty thing, but it's still anoying. The 07 is the best of the bunch and has had very few issues asside from 2 clutches in 200k. Service has also been hit and miss depending on the dealer. Although I love the looks of them and they drive like a Cadilac, I doubt I would buy one if it was my money.

Re'

 

""That being said Volvo is going to get out of the big truck business in The United States, so what that will mean for getting service done etc is anybody's guess but it won't be good. ""

John5272000: What was your source for your statement about Volvo getting out of the US trucking biz?? First I've heard about it. Looking at their operations growth and investment plans it seems doubtful. Is that your opinion or fact?

 

I haven't heard a thing about Volvo North America moving or closing, and I can't possibly imagine why they would. Have you looked around on the highways lately? In some areas, there are more Volvo trucks than any other make. No company is dumb enough to turn down money and market share!

Crusin - you need to be careful with automatics, they can get expensive quick. A good friend of mine had an auto trans control module go out on him that cost over $2600 and had him down for a week. No rhyme or reason, it just up and broke. I forget which auto trans he had - but you'll find that's the case with most of them. You can nearly buy a rebuilt 10 speed manual for that much, with installation - and they generally don't break unless abused. I'm a huge fan of a manual trans in anything, I just feel they're more reliable and give you something to do instead of just steering and pedal pushing Traffic can be tough in anything - don't think a clutched auto (w/ pedal) will give you a break there - you'll be clutching stop and go traffic like the rest of us. Usually I just watch ahead for the movement pattern, shift to a good constant speed, and back off.
And I rarely use the clutch past stopping/ starting - only when I'm trying to force a difficult shift. A truck can't run up on cars efficiently in traffic anyway, and we get paid by the mile not the mph.

I've driven all the types of autos out there for a short amount of time, and they're not bad - they actually get BETTER mpg alot of the time, depending on the experience of the driver and the type of freight. As far as performance goes - again that depends on the driver knowing his gears, load, and power.

The one that I drove against a Cat engine was good (SelecShift 9 speed I think - it's the one with the paddle shifter) but I hated the size and location of the shifter! Heck, the wipers have a larger control in most trucks. There were times when I completely forgot about clutching it to stop the clutched automatic thing took a while to sink in, I guess. In my defense I had driven the push button auto just before that

Overall, if you want an easy to run o/o truck that's cheap and easy to fix - you're probably best off with a freightshaker. Sure, they squeak, whistle, and rattle, but they are cheap to buy and repair (just don't get anything with the MB engine). That Cat auto I was just talking about was in a Columbia, and it was not a bad truck by any means - it just didn't suit me.

ps - Freightliner is owned by Mercedes, so there are alot of MB power FLs out there - I wouldn't take one if they gave them away.

 

By the way, the big scare with newer emissions refit is on the fence right now, as far as I've heard. Apparently the brainiac hippies forgot to consider who would be bringing their stuff to the stores in the foreseeable future. Since it would cripple the trucking industry, they've decided to rethink those plans.