What are your views and opinions on truck cab layout(s)?
I mean from the Drivers seat, whilst most truck manufacturers will give you any number of reasons why they build their cab layout the way they do, cost being the main one, but also Driver comfort, ease of access, cleaning, etc depending at what market sector the truck is aimed.
I feel that from sitting in and driving different vehicles I could improve the ergonomic layout of the primary controls you use most.
The Scania for example:
Park Brake on the dash is too far forward, I have to continually reach for it and I find this annoying because invariably at the same time I am trying to use mirrors, watch traffic, etc when, if it were by my left leg just behind the gear shift my hand is automatically in the right area to use it without having to unsettle myself in the seat and then get settled again, I find it a real irritation, especially in stop/start town driving.
There is nowhere for your left foot to rest comfortably, the left leg is always bent, or the foot tucked under the clutch pedal, something else that irritates me.
At 5’ 7”, I have to get nearly out of the Drivers seat to reach the interior light switch, annoying with a seat belt on.
I particularly liked the DAF layout, always have. The Stralis I did not like at all, found the driving position a little ‘odd’ and hated the steering wheel. Yet to get my mits on a Volvo, so cannot criticise.
XF an FH are best by far, older FH is better than newer FH in most ways. CF 85 space is also very good, but for some strange reason they still haven’t widened the cab, its still too narrow.
Best Seat = FH - XF and CF close second
Best Bed = XF- FH second
Best steering wheel = DAF - Volvo second
Best brakes = new FH
Best interior layout = Close contest between DAF & Volvo
Best Gearbox = DAF ZF 16 speeder, next Volvo 12 speeder
flat dash cabs are a pain. the wraparound like the Scania is so much better. cross cab access is of little importance in a day cab so why stick the controls out of arms length and leave a big flat area between the seats?
I haven’t driven a huge number of different trucks, so I can’t do particularly good comparisons, but…
I thoroughly agree on the Scania park brake. It should be down behind the gearstick like everyone else does. And I’d rather it was a “collar pull” release one rather than “pull the whole lever out” release.
An ERF I had recently had the cruise control on a rocker switch on the dashboard panel to the left of the steering wheel, where it’s just in a sea of other rocker switches. When driving at night, you have to fumble around to try to find the right switch. I’m pretty sure I accidentally dropped the unit’s tag axle whilst en-route, probably at 56 mph…
I don’t like trucks which have “automatic” exhaust brakes where you have to press the footbrake to engage the exhaust brake - that seems partially to defeat the object of the exhaust brake to me. I prefer the MANs which have the exhaust brake button under the clutch foot heel, or one I drove recently (also a MAN I think) had an automatic exhaust brake, but you could enable it manually with a button on a stalk.
Always liked the layout in the Volvo FL, not ideal for a night out, but from a driving point of view everthing was at hand, As an overall best I have to go with the Topline Scania, but that is of course my personal point of view and I know it is not shared by many on here…
They must do. 28 different seats and i have not spent a day in any of them when I wasn’t constantly trying to get comfy. Everything is just out of reach ( unless you are orange and hairy). Try putting your cup down in a day cab. There is not a flat surface.
Allthough you don’t get Volvo VN models over there, the driving area is the same as the FH range and I find that even though I sit well back I never have to lean or stretch to reach any control So for the bebefit of those in the UK I would say an Fh has graet ergonomics
Don’t remind me of my cab. It could do with being fumigated. Along with me in it. My DAF CF 85 layout/space is fine. But then 2 cup holders and i’m happy.
As a long distance driver on international work i find that none of the cabs come anywhere near a standard of comfort that i would call suitable.
Its the same for any driver who spends all week cooped up in his cab whether around the uk or on international work. As a first time visitor to America this year for the truck show, i can honestly say it opened my eyes as to the comfort that is provided for long distance truckers, and sometimes their families.
Ok you may say…they do longer distances so what ! We should have a lot more comfort than what weve got now…away from the driving environment. We should all have a shower toilet provided, a room with which to relax in, to invite your fellow drivers into for an evening, to watch tv, video etc, In some of the trucks i saw were a sofa, tv (sattelite), microwave, shower, toilet, wash basin, proper wardrobes with which to hang enough clothes for a fortnight, chest of drawers, the list is endless. Of course the ministry are a lot to blame for when they decide to increase the overall length of a vehicle/trailer combination, it is always in favour of floor space for the goods carried and not for the drivers own comfort. Of course if we were to be allowed to have these increased cab lengths, to what cost would an employer go to in order to provide these for his/her drivers. At the moment it would only be viable for an owner driver to pay and equip himself with the best thats on the market as detailed above. like i said, its up to the laws that be to change the rules on cab comfort length, and lets face it, you wouldnt need that much extra anyway. we know the american tractor units are way too long, but they favour a long bonnet rather than a cab over so space could be made there, we have wind deflectors built along the sides of our tractors, why cannot that be made into extra space for the driver, it can all be done without a ridiculous extra amount of length.And i`m afraid that when this happens i will no longer be on this planet. I once looked forward to the day when we didnt share the cab with the engine…its still there today…apart from the magnum…so not much change there then…so much for progress.
i dont think that cup holders are too much to ask for. why do they waste space? are they so vindictive that they like to see us day drivers chasing sliding paperwork and trying to avoid the spilt coffee?
my latest trick is to buy a NATION COFFEE and hang on to the cup. every time i get a coffee, i put it in that cup since it fits in the door panel. the MOTO trucker mugs are too narrow at the base
Good thread this one charles.
I`m in a new fh volvo at the moment, lovely bit of kit to drive, the only criticism i have is … with the seat set to my level and the wheel right down i cant see the speedo properly.
Apart from that i love it
Very poor exhaust brake (and it’s annoyingly floor mounted)
Poor cross cab access because of the huge engine tunnel. The cab is as high up as an FH and they can more-or-less make a flat floor so why can’t they with the XF ?
No arm rests on the drivers seat
DAF CF space
Poor radio
Very poor exhaust brake (ditto)
With the truck in 8th gear your left leg rubs up against the gear stick and splitter switch
Can’t relax in the seat by dropping it back unless you lift the bunk up
Above-screen cupboards impossible to access unless you stand on the engine tunnel
Drive axle suspension won’t raise more than a couple of inches making trailer coupling a very different and annoying task if the trailer has been dropped high. Asked Chatfields to sort it twice now and they tell me there’s nothing they can do about it. How come the XF suspension lifts up a decent amount then but not the CF
Bunk is a bit narrow for my liking but as I’m not getting any smaller maybe it’s just my imagination
Door pockets far too narrow to fit anything useful in them
Fold down drivers-side side window visor is far too small and leaves huge gaps when the sun is on that side
Steering wheel very uncomfortable and makes reversing hard work (Alex will back me up on this one too)
No arm rests on the drivers seat
Volvo FH GT mk2
I-shift gearbox worse thing ever put on a truck
No front corner fairings : side windows get chocked up with dirt far too quickly because of this
Very uncomfortable steering wheel because of the airbag crammed in it
Huge mirror layout makes for huge blind spots at junctions and roundabouts. Bring back the old design please which was nice and very stylish
Seat very hard
6 leggers push you straight ahead on bends and corners in the wet if you’re fully loaded because the middle axle isn’t steering. Very poor design
Headlights get dirt trapped behind plastic cover which is impossible to remove without disassembling the headlight
No arm rests on the drivers seat
Volvo FH GT mk1
Virtually no complaints except from above :
No front corner fairings : side windows get chocked up with dirt far too quickly because of this
6 leggers push you straight ahead on bends and corners in the wet if you’re fully loaded because the middle axle isn’t steering. Very poor design
No arm rests on the drivers seat
Scania Topline 4 series
The bunk!! I am a truck driver not an acrobat
Lack of storage
Seats that slowly drop down as you’re driving along
The sound of a tennis ball rolling from side to side behind the fold-up steps whether you’re moving or parked
Transmission judder when setting off
Transmission shaking about over holes in the road
Annoying exhaust brake that only comes on when you press the brake pedal
Crunchy gears
No flat dash spots to put your tele on etc
Build quality overall is very poor
Huge engine tunnel
Having to duck to see out of the windscreen
Vibrating air kit on top of cab when the wind is blowing a gale
No arm rests on the drivers seat
Merc Actros super space mk1
3 piece bed that needed to be pulled out and a bit hard
Gutless engines with no grunt
Very crashy over the bumps and potholes
Not had enough experience of the ERF, MAN and Iveco units to comment but my experiences of the ERF and Iveco weren’t good, but the MAN (TG-XXL) wasn’t bad other than gutless engines once again.
3 piece bed that needed to be pulled out and a bit hard
Gutless engines with no grunt
Very crashy over the bumps and potholes
.
I take it these do have arm rests
Take it from me if you have the arm rests in the GT MK2 they arn’t worth the extra money (especially if you are rotund) as you can only just get your elbows on 'em
Mind you it gives you somwhere to put your arms when the seat is in the handball position
moving the bunk from the back wall and putting it lengthways along the passenger side.
Then behind the drivers seat you could put in a Shower
If you didn’t want a shower you could fit a Kitchen unit (same as per volvo) on the back wall
The drivers seat could be turned into a “captains seat” that turns through 45dg’s to face a pull out table from under the dash.
On the wall above the bunk you could have an entertainment centre (t.v,Freeview,d.v.d etc) Or a row of cupboards
Any other novel ideas (practical to build would be an advantage )
Before you ask I dont think a set of optics will pass the mot
XF an FH are best by far, older FH is better than newer FH in most ways. CF 85 space is also very good, but for some strange reason they still haven’t widened the cab, its still too narrow.
So for the bebefit of those in the UK I would say an Fh has graet ergonomics 
