Happy birthday to my new truck

jon f mn

Well-known Member
Hauled my first load 1 year ago today in my not new anymore truck. Here's a pic of it that made it into the Dart calendar. For those that are interested I thought I would give a report on how it's working out so far. First the specs. I got 137,687.1 miles as of today, with 122,094 paid miles. I've used 18,466 gal. of fuel for an average mpg of 7.45 mpg. That's a bit less than what I budgeted for at 7.5 mpg and a little disappointing since I was hoping for over 8 mpg. I will be doing some changes to the computer this year to try to bring that up.

The engine has been good. If you remember I was disappointed to find it had an 11 litre when Dart told me it would have the 13 litre. This engine really pulls good tho, it will out pull a lot of other trucks on the road in the hills and mountains. That is because it is rated at 1600 pound feet of torque, the same as the 13L. At only 385hp tho it's not going to win any speed trials. She cruises good at 65mph, will do 70mph pretty well, but struggles at 75mph. That makes sense since torque pulls the load and hp makes the speed. Had a few problems along the way with the engine starting with a major recall from Volvo for fuel injectors. When they pulled the injectors they found a bad head and EGR and the oil pan was wrong so it hit the front axle, so all that was replaced. The bill came to over $12,000.00 so I'm glad I didn't have to pay that one. Had a couple other problems too, batteries went bad at 112,000 miles, just after the warranty was off on them, that ticked me off a bit. Also had the problem with the air dryer, also after that was off warranty. That was a lot bigger problem than it had to be because of the dealer tho. Over all I like the engine and since I don't normally drive fast don't see a need for more. My only concern now will be longevity, generally larger engines last longer. Guess we'll see about that.

The trany is a work of art!!! That's about all I can say about that. It shifts smoother both up and down than I can, or anyone I've ever ridden with either. Unless you are paying particular attention you miss a lot of shifts. It's like it reads your mind and anticipates what you want. When I first got it I would reach for the shifter only to have it do what I wanted anyway. I can see why so many companies with company drivers are going to these. You can't do harm to them. You can't drop or burn the clutch, it won't grind the gears, it's always in the right gear for the best fuel milage. It senses the load and will skip gears both up and down to limit shifting and RPM's to maximize fuel milage. It has been trouble free so far. If it has any shortcomings it would be that it needs another lower gear for this high gear ratio rear end. If you have a heavy load and need to start out going up hill it really stresses the truck out more than I like. I called Volvo on this and they said they knew it was marginal, but that it was made to take it and that you need to just floor the truck and let it do it's thing. That is better than taking it easy and heating things up. If you do that it goes ok, but it takes some getting used to. If I had my choice I would also add manual shifting to it. This is an option that Dart didn't get, and I understand why. Most drivers wouldn't leave it alone and that would hurt the milage, especially for the company drivers. It would cost $750.00 to upgrade it and I may do that. The only time it would be nice is when pulling mountains because it pulls down to 1100 rpm's before it shifts down and you would hold more speed if it shifted at say 1200 or 1250 rpm's. Over all I love the trany and wouldn't go back to manual if I can help it. My opinion of that might change too after it gets some years on it and starts having problems.

The super single tires have been good so far. For me none of the things people complain about have come to be. I haven't noticed any extra problems on slippery roads or in the rain. They seem to be wearing well too. The drive axle tires look like they will last on that axle to about 150,000 miles or more which is better than most single drive trucks get even with duals. They tag tires show almost no wear, so I will rotate them to the drive axle when the others are about gone. That should give me 300,000 or more miles for the set, which is about what I got from duals. The steers are still on, which is 37,000 miles more than I've ever gotten on steers before. They still show no evidence of cupping or any other abnormal wear and it looks like I'll get 200,000 miles on them. I don't know if that's because it's a good truck or the Michelin tires, but that is a big cost savings for me. The only problem I have seen with the tires, and it happened with both the drives and steers, is that they loose chunks of rubber for some reason, BIG chunks. It doesn't seem to affect the wear or performance, but it does happen.

I like the suspension too. This truck rides as nice as any truck I've ever driven and is also stable on the road. No hunting the cracks or wandering. The other nice riding trucks I've been in would wander a lot. I don't know if that's the suspension or the super single tires tho. Where this suspension really shines is on slippery roads. It senses slip well before I can and it dumps most of the air in the tag putting more weight on the drive for traction. If that is not enough it has a locking dif. and it locks that. I've been on some REALLY bad roads this year and I've been able to go when others couldn't. It's kind of fun to watch the dash and see how often the traction control and anti lock come on. I never realized how much I was sliding around before. There have been several times when twin screw trucks couldn't hold the road or get moving on ice that I have been able to. What it is not is an off road truck. This thing will easily get stuck in the dirt, especially sand. I've been stuck twice in my driveway and I never even realized it was sandy. LOL This truck will never retire to hauling gravel or as a farm truck.

So here's the sum total as I see it. I like the truck. Mostly it does what I want. If I was buying one as I liked I would do most things the same. I would probly go with the 13L engine, mostly for resale and because I think it would last longer. I would definnately go for the auto shift tranny. I would also buy the super singles again. On the suspension it would depend on long term goals. If I was going to keep the truck a long time and retire it to something else then I would go twin srew, if not I would go with the single drive and tag. Personally I would go with the longer, mid roof sleeper. This one is the condo, or tall sleeper. I like the storage, but a lot of it is high and hard to reach, and it makes it harder to retire it to something else.

So that's it. Hope I didn't bore you and I apologise for the long post.
a142253.jpg
 
Jon, is the truck an Automatic or an I-shift? World of difference I'm told. My wife works for Volvo on the Cab line. Good chance she could have worked on yours.I have toured the plant several times and seen the trucks in all stages of assembly.They have a cutaway of the I-Shifts,some tranny. Volvo is a very quality oriented company. Wife get quality bonuses pretty often. Glad you like your truck. Spread the word, She needs a Job!!!
 
It's the I-shift. I guess we call all the brands auto-shift. lol It's not anything like the Allison automatic as you said.
 
I just sold a 9200 International with a M11 Cummins It was a 94 model. I bought it 477000. It had been overhauled, Cummins had done it under warranty. I drove it to 995000. Did a lot of small things, including a computer box. But the engine stayed together and is still good. It is 11 Litre also. Had just 375 hp. You are right was big enough for 60 to 65 mph but no faster. I had revved it up to 2000 and took all the lower gear stops out. I was going up a big hill, where you started out from a stop. Was turning it 1800 in 7th or 8th. There was another truck gradually passing me. When he got around I gave up and shifted up a gear. To my surprise, I reeled him in. That little Cummins would pull better at 1100 to 1200 than 1800. It would rev a little over 2000.
 
Most newer engines are that way. My last Cummins ISX too. Wouldn't pull anything above about 1600, would just drop down to that then hold. This one will pull good up to about 1900 rpms, but still holds good all the way down to 1100. It tops at 2200.
 
Interesting,and informative report. I didn't know they had the wide single rear tires, but it makes sense. I have pretty well lost track of what's what in big trucks in the last few years. Thanks.
 
Very interesting report, Jon. Knowing very little about trucking...Is the 15,500 unpaid miles typical? If Dart is booking all your loads, how does that happen?


Glenn F.
 
That is a very low precentage for unpaid miles. Darts company average is close to 15% and for drivers who don't get paid for empty miles it can easily excede 25% with heavy haul drivers and cattle haulers getting close to 50%. For me I get about 8% just because the milage calculator used by Dart calculates miles by the absolute shortest route which takes too many small roads and can't realistically be done. The rest comes from driving home or to meet friends on the road and such.
 
Haul dry van freight and rarely get west of Denver. Been west of Denver maybe half dozen times in 8 years with Dart.
 
Thanks. All very interesting.
What brand engine? Trans.?
Oh, and as long as she's a "calendar girl", seems like Dart would have found a trailer with painted rims for you!
 

Very interesting read Jon. If I were shopping for a truck it would be a lot of good info. I can't believe that it has been a year, I would have thought six months. I know that your loads will vary all over the map, but what do you think your average gross would be? When I had my dump truck most hauling was one way of course but probably ten percent was both ways. I had a 5900i International with c15 cat putting out 475 HP. I got a pretty constant 6.5 mpg usually grossing around 74,000, which I think was pretty good for the time hauling so heavy. I was always trying to get as good mileage as possible, and one thing I did a lot was make use of hills to pick up momentum. Not to get going fast but to wait until the downhill to get back up to top speed. It seemed to help some. Do you do that?
 
The engine/tranny are both Volvo. And no fancy wheels on Dart trailers, they go to mexico and fancy wheels don't come back from Mexico. lol
 
Jon,

I sure enjoy your humor postings and reading about your adventures on the road. This was a very interesting post!

I've always been interested in big trucks and have a question. I (sort of) remember that back in the day (50 or so years ago), tandem-axle trailers being pulled by a single-axle tractor had the wheels several feet ahead of the rear. and a single-axle trailer had the axle at the rear of the trailer.

Tandem-axle trailers being pulled by a tandem-axle tractor had the wheels clear at the back end.

Do I remember right? Any more, the only tandem-axle trailers I see with the wheels at the rear are grain trailers.

Please un-confuse this old, befuddled mind.

Thanks,

Stan
 
It would be hard to give an average gross, but my
loads go about 50% close to max and 50% less than
60,000. And yes, when pulling hills I just hold
the slowest speed as I get to the top and let the
downhill excelerate me. I also use the engine
brake a lot because when that is on all fuel is
shut off, so I use that rather than the truck
brakes as much as posible. I also idle very
little, only 4 days last year for air conditioning
and 2 days because it was below zero. In the
summer I tend to drive later in the day so I stop
after dark, that way it's cooler and I have a fan
that I put in the vent which is usually good
enough. For winter I have a heater that runs off
the battery and pulls fuel from the tank so no
idling unless I'm worried the truck won't start in
the morning.
 
All those things are still out there and depend on the trailer/truck combo. The short vans have the wheels in back because they are pulled in twins or triples. Flats and grain trailers usually have the wheels fixed because it is easier to load or move the load so the load is ballanced. On 53' vans like I pull the trailer tandems move so that once the trailer is loaded you can move the wheels to get the axle weight right and make it easier to get the max weight on the trailer.
 
Owning 4 heavy haul rigs I have watched your post close and even asked you about the fuel millage.
I like you would have seen that other 1/2 mpg but you are probably about where I expected. Think the industry is moving toward the computer shifted transmissions. Good luck and keep trucking.
 
Do you think the bigger engine would negatively affect the single screw traction? I haul hay for a neighbor with a single screw and a Cummins N14 plus. It sounds about like yours - don't leave the blacktop unless it's packed hard. I've always thought her freightshaker was bad because it had so much engine hanging out front on those tires and have wished for a smaller engine. There's no locking diff on that one either, so it's a hopeless cause off the blacktop.

I love hearing what they are doing with "automatics". Seems like yesterday that anyone who hauled anything would only get a standard.
 
(quoted from post at 06:15:34 01/20/14) Jon,

I sure enjoy your humor postings and reading about your adventures on the road. This was a very interesting post!

I've always been interested in big trucks and have a question. I (sort of) remember that back in the day (50 or so years ago), tandem-axle trailers being pulled by a single-axle tractor had the wheels several feet ahead of the rear. and a single-axle trailer had the axle at the rear of the trailer.

Tandem-axle trailers being pulled by a tandem-axle tractor had the wheels clear at the back end.

Do I remember right? Any more, the only tandem-axle trailers I see with the wheels at the rear are grain trailers.

Please un-confuse this old, befuddled mind.

Thanks,

Stan

Stan I would say that you remember right. I would explain it this way. Back in the day of forty foot trailers, most LTL freight companies had mostly forty footers. They used newer ones on line haul, (long distance) and older ones for delivery and pick-up. The line haul loads tended to be heavier so there was often a tandem tractor pulling a trailer with the tandems set all the way to the rear in order to meet scale rules with the weight they carried. Delivery loads tended to be lighter and tractors usually single axle. For tighter turning radius the trailer wheels would usually be slid forward. These days the 53 foot trailers are used a lot less for delivery than the forties were and many more LTL fleets are running more double 28s for line haul and for delivery as well.
 
Jon,

It now makes sense - as you know, I was referring to the days when a 40' trailer was one of the big boys.

Thanks for the reply.

Stan
Melbourne, FL
 
Showcrop,

Thanks for the reply - it all makes sense to me now. I'm remembering the days when Freightliner was just one model of a White truck.

Stan
 
That baby ain't made for off road for sure. I have pulled a couple of those low trucks out of the ditch when loading Xmas trees. Had to use my IH 1066 and it a real pull for that.
Walt
 

A good objective report.It annoys me to no end when car and truck magazines publish reports that are just too subjective.Sounds to me as if it's a good truck,is to this point giveing you good service and you are happy with it.
 
Well written report, and nice truck. Always thought being an over the road trucker would be the job to have, getting paid to see the country, but livestock and gone days on end don't mix.
 
I don't know why in the he77 I clicked on this thread but I did.
It was a Very well written post Jon, interesting and informative too.
Thanks.
I drove OTR for a couple of years back in the early/mid 80s and must not have been cut out for it.
Only job I've ever been fired from and not by just one company but TWO.
First company had cabover Freightliners with shiney 290s and a 13 sp Roadranger in them.
Ugh!
It sounds like trucks have come a long way since then.
 
I have a friend that drives for Kraft with a Volvo 13L. He told me when thing are just right, he can get 8.4 but not very often. I like my 93 Pete with a N14 (430) and 13 speed for the farm. I don't like the 3.55, I wish it was a 3.70 or 3.90 with my tall 24.5s. I usually go more over 80K than under. The way I drive, I get around 4.5 mileage wise but it is mostly short hauls. I have an 1988 IH 8300 with a 855 (350) and a 9 speed. It has a 18' Kann alum box and I pull a 550 Brent wagon. I usually gross 85-90K and it will come out of the field better than my Pete. It has a 3.90 with tall 24.5s. They both have around 600K on them. I drove a 9500 GMC 238 with a 5+2 speed, hauling cattle and grain in my younger days. It had a tag and would get stuck very easy. I had to burn my way away from the hog dock in Chicago once but it was better than pulling doubles where you can't back up.

I very much enjoy your posts. Thank you and be careful.
 
Well written.The only question I have do you have a small generator to run the life support systems at night?

Vito
 
No APU. They cost too much and are a maintainence nightmare. Last year I idled 4 days and used a fan the rest. Pretty hard to justify a 12, 000 dollar apu for that.
 
Thanks for your post. Lots different than the 1956 B61 Mack with the two stick duplex transmission I drove. Still I think the old Mack was about as pretty as a semi tractor ever gets.
 
Nice truck, and a well written post. Is that a 670? The company I work for is going to 730's with the D16 and I-shift. Decent trucks, especially for lighter work, but I don't get along well with the I-shift. I've had it trip up too many times, and how it controls the clutch has nearly sent me flying off a mountain a couple times. Granted, I pull super B tankers grossing in at 140k lbs. A little much for a computer to handle in the mountains.

Had any trouble with the emissions equipment on your truck? We had one go down for frozen DEF lines, and two that we couldn't do a parked regen on and subsequently derated themselves.

I'm in the process of spec'ing my own truck for super B tanker work, probably going to order in the spring. Looks like its going to be a Western Star 4900 with the 600 horse Detroit DD16.
 

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