Whats up with the Frieghtliners?

they are cheap plastic trucks, Freightliners were good till around 1990 then they turned in junk, Want a good reliable work truck get a international, want a great truck get a peterbilt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

It's all about the service. Freightliner sells more trucks than any other manufacturer because they're a bit cheaper to large fleets and most Freightliner dealers actually stock parts and have great hours.Quite a few of them are open 24/7. When you combine that with the fact that T/A's are also authorized service centers, breakdowns get handled cheaper and quicker than waiting for the Pete or Volvo dealer to open at 7am only to find out they don't stock the part.

I have a Western Star, that is also owned by Freightliner now. Stand alone WS dealers that stock parts work banker's hours, and Freightliner/WS dealers open 24/7 rarely stock WS parts.

Oh yeah, truck preferences vary by region as well. Get out in the Midwest and Internationals are very popular and command a premium in price.

 

Not sure about the Mexicans, they will pretty much drive whatever rolls!

I do know that black people (no offense) love driving Freightliner Classics! Not sure why, but they love em'!

 

I've driven both cabover and conventional Peterbuilts, Kenworths, Internationals and Freightliners. As far as cabovers go the Pete's and KW's were better because they had more features. As far as conventionals the Freightliners are better engineered with the driver in mind.

I drove a KW with a flat dash that had the fuel pedal in behind the shifter in the middle of the dash. My heel would be on the shifter boot. The newer Pete's and KW's have the dash way to high nothing is easily reachable by the driver. The newer Internationals are really nice but they still ride like an international.

For the most part all the trucks are the same a few like the Mack, Volvo, and Freightliners have there own engines. But the frames, front axles, rear drives, airbags, wheels, brakes, transmissions, clutches, seats and shocks are all made by other companies. The only thing you by that's made by them is the cab. The ride in the Freightliners and the easy access while in the drivers seat to me is what I look for. I don't need a name on my truck so my ego can look cool.

 

Yes, they are cheaper. Especially when you buy fleets. Freightliner dealers and repair shops are also easier to find vs Pete, KW, and Volvo dealers and repair shops. I wish you luck trying to find a Volvo repair shop in Socal, or Texas. And if you go to a TA or Petro with a Volvo for repairs, expect to be down for at least a week. That's the main reason why you'll never see me in a Volvo.

 

You can thank NAFTA for that. NAFTA made trade easier with Canada and Mexico, but trading overseas is still overburdened with government regulations.

 

SoCal large car!

 

That's part of it Preacher, it is also has to do with which dealer is willing to make a better deal with the company. Much like why most schools run DELL computer systems, they get the better deal.

 

We do?????

 

Yeah driver.....Didnt you ever see that episode of Good Times where JJ was gonna be a truck driver but the company wouldnt give him his Freightliner Classic so he decided against it?