in t&d this month theres a report on the new big volvo aimed at owner drivers got lots of lights and chrome looks very nice hows it been recieved over there
caravan:
I am not arguing that these trucks are better or those trucks are better, don’t you get it ■■?
I’m just saying that YOU CAN NOT GET A SCANIA OR ANY OTHER EUROPEAN TRUCK IN NORTH AMERI CA TO DRIVE !!!
No matter how hard you try.Therefore you have to choose from what’s available.
And by the way I have had an APU in my truck for a year and a half now. It lets me use the A/C or heater without the engine running, leave the lights on at night and it can also warm up the engine oil in winter before you start up the truck.
I do not want to start any arguments here but… There are at least two big heavy haul companys in Alberta running Terberg’s 1 6x4 and 2, 8 wheelers. As for Mack I will have a cl733 18spd isx motor and 20k front axle please…
mat.
buying a volvo 630 next january - waiitng for residency hopefully coming in oct/nov then will order it - good timing as thats when the new 13 litre engine comes here 
caravan:
I am not arguing that these trucks are better or those trucks are better, don’t you get it ■■?
I’m just saying that YOU CAN NOT GET A SCANIA OR ANY OTHER EUROPEAN TRUCK IN NORTH AMERI CA TO DRIVE !!!
No matter how hard you try.Therefore you have to choose from what’s available.
Actually, you must be able to get a Scania, I was driving east on I-8 about a year ago and saw a 4 series T Cab heading toward San Diego, I thought I was dreaming but from what I understand it is an American driver based out of Long Beach California.Stu
well if i were over there id want one of these a volvo vt 880
well almost kenworth t2000 peterbilt 387 mack vision volvo vn which would ya like to drive/own the reason for this question is that most expats go for the volvo as its quite european .has any mag in the us done a test including these trucks if so what was the result .cheers curious carl 
Yes Carl, most of the mags do ’ tests’ on the class 8 trucks over here, but the ’ tests ’ are ‘nt anything like the in depth tests our mags do, and you will very rarely if ever find a test that will point out any down sides and bad points in a truck the manufacturer in question has just loaned to whatever mag is doing the test ( remember the almighty Dollar?, trucking mag editors over here do and will always bow to the almighty Dollar, considering the truck on test is from a company that spends thousands each month in advertising in each mag ) You see American Mags are not like Truck & Driver etc, the staff care only for the advertising revenue that pays their salaries. You never get a scathing article about Trucking companies, Truck Models etc like you do in British mags, so you can never really tell over here if the glowing article on a Trucking company or a test on a new Truck model is pukka.
To me it is another example of the ’ we just don’t know how good we’ve got it’ syndrome, at least not until we move to another country then gradually discover that they don’t have the same standards/principles/honesty/intergrity as we do, in certain things, such as the former Truck Magazine’s reputation for ’ telling it like it is ’ or for that matterTruck & Driver magazine which still has the same attitude. You know there’s more genuine passion & support for truckers in each of Dave Young’s editorial’s in each and every issue of T&D than there will ever be in a whole decades worth of American Trucking Mags. Daves counterparts over here are so ’ wet ’ they are about as daring in sticking their neck out for the truck driver as the leader of the Womens Institute. Dave’s editorials are straight from the heart, he tells it like it is!, no messing, no worries about who’s toes he might be stepping on, even to the point of upsetting big name advertisers, that is how a magazine aimed at truckers should be!
I have’nt got time to go into detail on specific examples of why mainstream US trucking mags and their editors mostly ■■■■ but if you really want me to give you some examples, just say so and when I’ve got the time I’ll reel off plenty for you.
The best magazine for getting anywhere near the truth is the OOIDA’s Landline magazine (it is the closest thing America’s got to T&D). Incidently OOIDA , stands for " Owner Operator & Independent Drivers Association " and OOIDA actually does drivers a real service by naming names/companies that screw drivers, the only thing that lets them down are the tepid acknowledgements to Truck model weak points that show up in roadtests etc.
Can I have that raise now Dave?
As for picking the truck I would like to own? When and if the time comes I hope to be able to spec out what will probably be the first and only brand new truck I’ll ever have.
It will be a Volvo of course, no contest there!
It will be either the 680 same as the old 660, or it will be a 630 same as the old 610 (which is what I have right now ) The 780 does’nt get a look in from me, far too much truck for my needs, even the 680 is bigger than what I need from a truck. The 630 which is the same body style as my current 610 is about perfect for everything I need, I can stand upright, the cabinets, closet, drawers, TV Cabinet and fridge are just enough without cluttering or crowding the cab, the top bunk is perfect for occaisional guests, and the bottom bunk being the same size as a standard single bed we all slept on growing up at home is also perfect.
Another thing I like about the cab size of the 610/630 is no extra windows to leak, I don’t know about Volvo’s upstairs windows, but every truck I have driven that had extra glass, had leaking upstairs windows, admittedly they were mostly Freightliners, so 'nuff said right? come to think of it, I’ve never had a Freightliner that did’nt have a leaking windscreen too! in fact my Volvo is the first truck I have driven in this country that does’nt now,nor has it ever had a leaking windscreen 
but even if Vovo’s don’t have problems with leaks in their upper windows, I probably still would’nt want a 660/680, the bigger the cab the longer it takes to cool down in summer and warm up in winter, so that would be another plus for the 610/630. Cosmeticly I like the 630/610 body shape better than the 680/660, the 630/610 is more aerodynamic in appearance in fact it has a much sleeker profile than the rather bulky looking 680/660, and the 780/770 is even more bulky and ’ awkward ’ looking than the 680/660.
A wheelbase around the same as what I have now 230 inches is perfect, it adds to the lowered sleek look, gives the right appearance in regards to proprtion and is not too long to make manouverability a problem (in fact my 230 inch wheelbase Volvo, turns as good if not better than my old 196 inch wheelbase Freightliner FLB 100 Cabover 
yeah really!
Bodystyle, wheelbase etc out of the way, now down to the business end of the truck.
First an foremost It will have a Volvo Engine (preferably one made in Sweden, and not one of those half-arsed afforts made in South Carolina or whereever it is they are making them)
Trouble is, Volvo Engines biggest offering over here at the moment is the 465 HP VED, why? I don’t know but I hope they will start introducing the larger engines over here within the next two-three years, I know the 16 litre is supposed to be making it’s way over here for the 2007 model year (according to the Volvo people at MATS last year), but I even wonder if they know what they are talking about sometimes, because when I mentioned other engines and the ‘I’ shift I was met with blank looks, they literally had no idea what the ‘I’ Shift was!
Of course there is’nt an ‘I’ shift for the 16 litre yet anyway, and if one does’nt become available, then I will opt for a smaller 500 or 520 engine if they are made available over here, just so long as I can have either the ‘i’ shift or the next best thing available in a Volvo over here, the ZF Freedomline, I’m sorry but I have had enough of shifting gears especially with these ancient crash boxes thay still ’ have to have ’ over here. There is no way synchro boxes will become available here, look at the problems Scania had trying to train American drivers to use them 
, no, over here it is Crash box or Auto, and I’m plumbing for the auto, not he eaton type that has a clutch, but the two pedal type, I’m fed up with stop and go traffic and a a very sore, aching left leg that ought to be twice the size of the right leg, the amount of work it does!
Right!, Body Style, Wheelbase, Engine Make (size to be decided on still ), transmission (‘I’ shift or Freedomline) all sorted.
Next I’ll stray even further from the ’ norm ’ in American truck specs, and that means no more 6x4 ■■■■■■■■!, No way, it is totaly unnesesary to have double drive, 6x2 with a rear lift, I think a rear lift as opposed to centre lift would be more beneficial considering my wheelbase.
Now for the rest I’ll just list it everything in no particualr order, Airslide 5th wheel, air suspension with capabilitiy for raising suspension above ride height to get under and connect to trailers dropped to high (As far as I’m aware that is also technology that has yet to make it’s way over here) Isringhausen seats, full O/O gauge package, power everything, night heater/Air con with a generator if nessessary. Complete checkerplate frame infill, (just like back home) also specially imported & genuine Volvo Full mudguards (Known as Fenders over here ), but they must be the ones that the tops come off, due to the low riding trailers we have over here. Minimum of 10 Hella Spots ( 6 on the roof, 4 across bumper ), maybe as many spots facing rearwards too, that way I’ll get everyone who refuse’s to dim their lights, especially the tossers who come right up behind you then turn their main beams on 
, last but not least, & hopefully with a bit of help from Boots, I will install an Aussie windscreen Stone guard, and Aussie Bullbars for all those bloody Deer that are currently out of control in this State ( Three drivers on our firm hit deer last week! )
Well there you go, thats my heart on my sleeve in regards to how ’ my truck’ would be spec’ced if I ever get the chance to spec one (hopefully it won’t be a pipe dream ) laugh all you want, if I cared I would’nt have ‘spilt my guts’ on my dream would I?
Although I’m already two thirds of the way to getting my current Volvo paid for, I still realise that jumping from making payments for a 4 year old used truck to making payments on a brand new one is a bloody big step and one that may never get off the ground, so I realise, I could quite possibly end up with my current Volvo for a very long time to come, it won’t break my heart either , after all, it is the most solid, reliable, comfortable, rattle free, leak free truck i have ever driven in the States. It may have a Detroit engine, and that in itself has it’s pros and cons, I reckon the worst thing about my Volvo is the Transmission, whoever specced my truck out, actually had their thinking caps on, it really is a very well appointed truck, power everything,full O/O package, Dual stacks, big tanks, 10 Volvo alloy wheels all round, but then who ever did the specing must have took the day off when it came to speccing the transmission, a bloody 9 speed roadranger!, Doh!, it almost made me turn away from the truck when I went to look at back in 2002, even though everything else was ’ right ’ I knew the Transmission would be diabolical, and it is., the decision maker, was my mechanic convincing me that, when I’m ready he’ll convert it adding the back box with a top four extra gears, making it a 13 speed, which, If I have to have a crashbox regardless, then a 13 speed is the box I know I can live with, I had a 13 speed in my Cabover, it was about the best thing on that truck!
thanks for a great and informative reply cliff theres nowt wrong with dreams mate one day i hope to be able to move to cancda as i have cousins in toronto and being an owner driver there sounds a better proposition than in england.my dad passed away new years day and the one thing he never did was follow his brother to canada and he always regretted it .its better to try and fail then not and regret it
Volvo without any doubt 
T2000 are next best and nearest to anything Euro style.
Mack Vision are just the same old Macks with bigger mirrors from what I can see, they are still rubbish
Sorry to hear about your Dad Carl.
Yes I s’pose dreams are what keeps us going, I’ve already fulfilled one by becoming an Owner Operator, so I s’pose the next step after seeing my current ride through to ownership would be to seriously look at getting a truck built for ME! as opposed to being built for someone else then buying their hand-me -downs, believe me, I’ve spec’ced out dozens of trucks in my mind over the years, maybe thats as far as I’ll get, who knows?
Mind you, I’ve dreamed of Nicole Kidman taking advantage of me and getting her wicked way with me dozens of times, but it ani’t got me any closer to the reality of it 
I’d like to have a C-series Mack with a Mack motor of about 460 bhp, a 13-speed Rockwell ■■■■■■ and a mid-size sleeper. I’ve never liked long high noses on trucks, and the extra wheelbase for a big sleeper just makes it harder to pull around corners. Mack motors are really built for abuse, and the cabs are well insulated against the cold.
It would have to be the Renault Magnum. I want one here in Arizona…!!!
He mentioned only trucks sold over here mate…
Which means no topliners, no FH16 globeys and no magnums 
Got to be a volvo for me too… With similar spec to Cliff’s.
Since Manitoba is being an arse about swapping licences over, I’ll be going class 1, and will probably get a 610 as my first solo truck. There’s a 660 sat outside right now, and I love it. By the way Cliff, it’s a '99 and none of the windows leak at all. 
I would, just for a while, like to run a Pete 379 long nose, with 3/4 tonne of chrome on it. Just to see how it feels you know?
They are great fun Alli Especially for a 6’4" bloke like me. It’s good enough for me, driving position takes awhile to get sorted, good gearbox (if not using the clutch), VERY roomy & comfortable sleeper. & everything is to hand, literally, even the passenger side window winder
OH, & stacks of chrome, enough to keep you busy on a nightime (polishing).
To be honest with you, as long as it does the job, is reliable & goes like the wind, i’m happy
Before you start! I know i’ve only been here nearly 6 months, but never once has this “ole girl” let me down. Not even after being parked up for 2 weeks, in minus 35 degrees plus, temperatures. Started first time (after starting the block heater for 2 hours)
Maybe I’m missing something?..'er what truck do you drive Geordieboy?, and why would anyone want to start on you just because you have only been here six months!
I’m driving a Pete, Cliff, & a ■■■■ good truck it is too
i’d have to agree with alex. the favorite truck i drove was a '95 mack. mine had a 427 in it and it did ok for me. since then i’ve had a volvo, sterling and now a freightliner. the mack didn’t have near the amont of gremlins as these other trucks.
if i was to spec the mack, i would keep the local norm of a 6x4 but get 3 locking diffs for going to the remote places i like to go to. With the remoteness i’d also opt for one of those australian bull bars and extra fuel tanks. i’d also have full gauges, air slide fithwheel, power windows and door locks, power and heated mirrors(the big one and the convex), and a gps tom tom sort of moving map. i’d get two aimable spots on the sides. then i can spot the people that don’t realize or don’t care how well trucks can see their bright lights over that retaining wall on motorways. the suspension lift would be nice too. i’d get a hydraulic clutch, i don’t understand why the desgners make 'em so it takes about 50lbs of force to push the peddle. i’d opt for a crash box just so i don’t have to use the clutch very much, and i’d get the loved 13 speed eaton. to get her moving i’d get the biggest motor of the day which is currently the cat c-15 at 625 hp and 2050 lbs of torque. i’m not a big one for chrome and tons of chicken lights. i prefer my truck caked in mud so that i can answer that question of where the heck i’ve been.
A Volvo with a big cam ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■ axles…and a fuller gearbox…quarter lights on the side windows…and the full interior package including air-con…nicely spaced axles…ie none thats sitting under the front bumper…sliding 5th wheel…and a cab that resembles a small motorhome on the back…shower…cooker…lounge area etc…a complete home from home…that would be my ideal motor…dream on