Western star 2016

The company I work for has two 2014 Western Star 4900's, and one new one on the way. We also have a couple Pete 379's, a W900, 4 Freightliner Classics, and two Coronado's. So we have a few different brands. (All daycabs mind you)

I was skeptical of the Star, until I drove it. Once you get past the square hood, coupled with the fishbowl looking cab, and over the horror of the clashing body lines, it really is a nice truck. Cab has more room than is needed, but everything is at your fingertips, as it should be. God forbid if a bottle of water falls on the floor and rolls to the other side of the cab. You might as well pack a suitcase for the trek to the other side for that water. You just might die from dehydration until you get there.

I've driven every truck in our fleet, and after a long day, I come out of the Star still looking for more. The ride is the nicest, although at only 350000 on the odometer, its hard to compare to a million miles truck. The Frieghtliners lack of leg room leaves my knees hurting bad. The Pete's rough ride hurts my back in unimaginable ways, and the Kenworth's have no leg room, kind of like the Freightshaker. But less painful.

The Paacar products are known for build quality, and rightly so. Most of our trucks are older, but meticulously maintained. After a million miles, the interior is holding up really well in the Paccar trucks. The Freightshaker Classics are the same way. The Coronado's are plastic trash. They live up to the Freightshaker name. Every pebble on the road causes rattles, which only become worse over time. As far as the Star, with 350000 miles, it has a minor squeaking noise that I can't find in the dash, and some screws need tightened every so often. But overall, I can't complain. The little issues are trumped by the ride and overall quality of the truck.

Overall, I'd take a Star any day without second thoughts. I wish I could say the same for the other manufacturers out there, but im simply not able to. Except a Mack.