Why do so many Americans hate European trucks?

No but when you add up stuff like not having trailer trolley valve, suspension dump valves, locking differentials and minimal gauges for a fleet spec truck, you can easily save a grand or more per truck.

 

Driver controlled air suspension, in general freight applications is simply not needed. They won't get used. So that makes them expensive. The cost is greater than the benefit. In the case of the vast majority of applications, they provide nothing, so in effect is the same thing as those chrome stacks you hate so much. Useless.

In applications that they would be used, we order trucks and trailers with them.

 

By making an apu type device standard equipment you jack the price up for everyone, including those that don't need it/won't use it. I'm of the opinion that standard equipment is bare bones essentials the truck has to have to operate. Everything else is added as ordered by the individual customer.

 

A good example of why we don't jump on new technologies....see the mb engine freightliner was offering a few years back that was a complete and dismal failure.

You guys seem to ignore a very important factor in the equation. In NA the vast majority of trucking businesses are very small companies/individuals. We own 1 to 5 trucks. When new techs don't work out, or are costly (see mb engine) we go out of business.

 

Yup. Look at that emission junk they mandated in 2007. At least we never had those headaches in the offroad industry. We had 4 years to observe those epic failures before we were forced to adopt those technologies. We didn't even have to start using DEF until this year.

 

One of the reasons that disc brakes face such an uphill battle for acceptance is that the generation that was introduced 25 years ago (IIRC) was a dismal failure.

For the reason Spyder mentioned, small fleet owners are a conservative bunch. You have to take into account risk when evaluate any "new" technology.

Maxxforce engines and the MB engines have ruined many hard working entrepreneurs. We watch and learn, and don't go running after every trinket just because it might theoretically be a benefit.

One of the critical differences between business in Europe and the US is that the barriers to entry are much higher in Europe. Every Schmuck can buy a truck in the US, and that makes our margins considerably lower than those of businesses in the EU. The competition is just not as intense, and the margins are therefore higher. With higher margins, you can afford to take a bit more risk.

 

Just throw this out there . How many miles s year are EU guys putting on your trucks ?

 

Then why are your trucks at least 20% more expensive?

 

Much less.
OTR is less distance.
We have less drivetime and lower speeds.
We do have longer worktime.
15 hour clock.
Besides which miles does not mean more $$$$.
Shorter is better.
This year 55000 but i prefer no more then 50 000.

 

I run about the same miles. At those miles how many years of usable life is there in a typical euro otr tractor?