Custom Hearse Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2015/03/26/freightliner-supertruck-hauls-goods-sips-fuel/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fabrux Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 That's cool, I like it. Lots of really good ideas that could make it to production. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petetrucker07 Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 With some changes it might go into production. From the hood back, it looks like a T700 KW. The hood looks like a bash up of CAT, Freightliner and Paccar. I guess I'm new old school. I don't like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kpifer2 Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 Nice to see good fuel economy but at the same time I'd rather pay for fuel than drive a Prius. The price of cool ain't cheap! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btapper Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 Would love to take that on my route around northern jersey. That skirting wouldn't last a trip and have fun backing it in with almost no gap between the trailer and cab. Guess it would work great for all those drivers that get to go to wide open distribution centers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plastic trucker Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 Would love to take that on my route around northern jersey. That skirting wouldn't last a trip and have fun backing it in with almost no gap between the trailer and cab. Guess it would work great for all those drivers that get to go to wide open distribution centers. You mean the straight ahead truck drivers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petetrucker07 Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 You mean the straight ahead truck drivers? They are known as Steering Wheel Holders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gatorincebu Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 A good looking truck? if you like the fast back look?? And some of the ideas are cool. practical???? Who is going to wash the solar panels? Or will they install and automated roof washer at the super truck service centers! ( aka truck stop ) Automated shifting abd GPS trip planning. I am not too keen on the shifiting thing.I see a real possibility for catastrophic failure there. They need electric motors on the trailer to help with the braking problem! I doubt that I will see it in My lifetime, but then , you never know. Be Well Gator Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 I don't like it. Nor do I. I like the "traditional look" much better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbill Posted March 28, 2015 Share Posted March 28, 2015 in 15 years, this truck will be 'old school', lol. automotive technology is really making strides in hybrid stuff, this truck has a lot of features of the chevy volt and other electric cars. cool concept drivetrain-wise [and lets face it, fuel savings has got to be the number 1 issue with trucking], but I am not sold on the 'look' of the truck, but ya gotta be streamlined. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxer Posted March 28, 2015 Share Posted March 28, 2015 , but I am not sold on the 'look' of the truck, but ya gotta be streamlined. Then get a Mack or a Freightliner .. when they streamline Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lapazleo Posted March 28, 2015 Share Posted March 28, 2015 Looks like nothing more than a Cascadia with a facelift. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaronw Posted March 28, 2015 Share Posted March 28, 2015 I notice a lot of these concept vehicles are integrated tractor trailer units which seems impractical to me. Not a commercial trucker but I know several who are and it seems like trailer swapping is extremely common, either different types by the job or dropping one off and picking up another to backhaul.Of all the items, the hybrid seems the most likely to catch on, and I would guess accounts for the biggest gain in fuel economy / pollution reduction. I used to work in a National Park and we had hybrid 40 foot busses and open air tractor trailer trams. The electric motors were used for acceleration which eliminated the common diesel black cloud under acceleration. Even after several years in service there wasn't a trace of visible diesel soot in the exhaust stacks. Lots of steep hills and these hybrid vehicles had no trouble climbing them.Aerodynamics is basically a no duh, tractor trailers offer some unique challenges but like it or not aerodynamic trucks are here to stay (see the thread on trailer skirts, now required in California). The biggest challenge will be combining aerodynamic styling with something appealing to buyers. Lets be honest though, fleets account for the largest number of trucks, and their buyers don't really care about aesthetics. You offer a truck that saves 5000 gallons of fuel a year, at a price that doesn't offset that savings and it could look like Barney the Dinosaur.Solar panels are cheap these days, and fairly maintenance free. A fleet could easily hire a couple of minimum wage guys to give them a good wash down every couple months. Again saves money, looks good to the accountants.So yeah, I don't see this particular truck with quite such dramatic savings showing up, but I bet you see a lot of these concepts arriving soon. If they can get even half that fuel savings, a fleet with 20 trucks could save $280,000 a year assuming prices stay where they are at now (US avg $2.80/gal), and we all know they will probably start heading up again. Fuel savings also equals emissions reductions which are being looked at by states other than California. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fantacmet Posted March 29, 2015 Share Posted March 29, 2015 The whole Prius thing is a flop in reality, it's all hype. There have been all kinds of testing showing how great it is, but when checking into the backgrounds of those testers they each had a monetary stake of some kind in it. Independent studies by those who do NOT have a stake in squat, have shown that given the likely future costs of maintenance, parts, availability, even alot of DIY, even if the fuel costs don't rise significantly(which they will after ll the study assumed like 4 bucks a gallon 5 or 6 years from now), that it would take more than 50 years to equal the expenditure of a traditional vehicle with actual capabilities of getting people around. Then there is the whole "environmental impact" thing. It takes more pollution to manufacture a Prius then it does to drive a late 70's early 80's large V8 SUV like a Suburban for 30 years. Take these factors and hike them up on a truck? You've GOT to be kidding me. The automatic transmission? The naysayers that too many things can go wrong? Not likely. There are quite a few big rigs and ultra heavy duty applications that use automatic rather than manual, and have been for some time without issues. Sure the manual provides more positive control at the hands of the driver, but drivers make mistakes too, even the long term veterans. Keep in mind that in your generation, kids worked for what they had. You probably bought whatever you could get your hands on and put in your own wrench time. If something broke, you fixed it. Newer generations, don't get any experience whatsoever, other than pushing buttons on controls. They get mommy and daddy to buy them a toy car, and they pay a shop to install this part or that on it and call it a "custom" car. Never mind the fact that custom comes one cut at a time. Put something like a wrench in their hand and ask them to do something heavy duty manually with finesse, forget it. It's not going to happen. I don't want that kind of a person struggling with a manual while tooling along at 60MPH in an 80 thousand pound rig putting my kids life in danger. I'm PERFECTLY happy with newer trucks having auto's in them for that reason. Yes yes I can hear the old schoolers whining and whimpering right now about it. Then they shouldn't be driving because you can't control anything without direct manual control. HORSEPUCKY. You stick a control in these kids hands with ZERO feedback and half thought out for them and they will be capable of anticipating the machines actions, as well as getting them to do what they should be doing, far better than any veteran driver will be able to do. Tough Schmuff. Give the kids electric power steering which has zero road feel and they will do just fine with it. I'm not old or new school, but my words to you who are old school and to you who are new school. Quit thinking the other end of the spectrum have no skills. I assure you that old and new both have skillsets and can control a rig just fine where it really counts if the proper rig is paired up. There are no lack of skills, just different skills. Quit getting into urinating matches. I don't have a CDL yet, but I have proven so far there isn't a thing around that has a bare minimum of 4 wheels that I have not been able to drive. You'd be surprised what you can come across to drive when you aren't a trained this or that. I've driven buses, tractors, trucks, cranes, trailers, no trailers, box vans, Dodge Vipers, Vettes, Ferarris, GT-40's, Lotus's, etc. Hell I've even driven a train. I can fix a car on my own with my own two hands, I don't care if it's a 32 ford, a 64 Impala or a 2005 Honda Civic, it's all the same, takes the same stuff to run it as it always has. I can hunt, fish, cook, with or without a BBQ. I can run a mill and lathe manually(thought I won't claim to be good at it yet as I don't have the practice I need), I play guitar, I play piano, I play bass. I can chop wood, fell tree's, I can do all the old school manual stuff you need me to. I can also build a computer from the ground up, I can design and implement a network of a million computers spanning hundreds of countries, and make it all work. I have degree's in network engineering, and cisco systems. I am that nerd you used to beat up on because he didn't play football. Now I have the skills to whop you no matter what the game. I know what it takes on both ends of the spectrum and can do it all. So get into your urinating match with each other, and while you are doing so I'll go drive BOTH of your rigs for you, and I'll get paid those miles while you can keep sitting there seeing who can outdo the other one. Custom Hearse Keep posting all this new and upcoming stuff. Same goes for anyone else who wants to post stuff like this, don't let the naysayers get you down. Personally I prefer the old school look of a 60's or 70's Pete, I think they look great. This rig doesn't look too bad, at least it has a bit of a ruff and gruff look while still being sleek and efficient. Sorry for the rant, but it does get tiresome with these little whizzing matches between old codgers and punk kids. The kids need to get off their high horse and realize these old codgers with their skills that delivered their diapers and baby food, paved and paid their way to get what they got now. These old codgers need to sit down and relax because it's these kids who have the skills to drive something different who are going to get them their bags of depends and cans of ensure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superpeterbilt Posted March 29, 2015 Share Posted March 29, 2015 I dont like it, and I wont build a model of it. But, they have been building crazy concept rigs like this since the 60s and almost none of them have gone into production. I remember just as silly looking concept trucks in the 80s. The bottom line is, all of this stuff will make it out there eventually, but the golden age of trucking is dead. Thats why we build models of trucks from times gone by. Im sure the same outrage was had by the guys driving the old chain drive Macks when they saw the 1st Peterbilt with a tilt hood, air ride, and a sleeper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btapper Posted March 29, 2015 Share Posted March 29, 2015 My new truck has an Eaton 10spd auto shift in it. Most of the time I don't mind it, if it goes stupid I just put it manual mode and shift it myself. Only thing horrible about them is even though it's an automated manual, backing up is nearly impossible to do smoothly if it has any uphill at all. You just look like a rookie trying to back it up into an uphill dock without that clutch pedal. Though I did love it yesterday sitting in traffic on the cross bronx and gw bridge not have to shift a thousand times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petetrucker07 Posted March 29, 2015 Share Posted March 29, 2015 The day they tell me I'm getting an automatic is the day I quit. I'm a truck driver, dam proud of it. If I wanted to drive an automatic car, I would've went to work for the post office! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tesla Posted March 29, 2015 Share Posted March 29, 2015 UGLY, UGLY, UGLY!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Buckaroo Posted March 29, 2015 Share Posted March 29, 2015 I dont like the looks of it and several other trucks out there now. Come to think of it there is not a newer car or pickup I would want to have either. I know that progress rolls on but I dont want to be involved with it. Clayton - my last two service trucks had auto's in them. (Freightliner Business class) I got to like that when driving through business routes. Those kind where every light is red. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truck parts Posted March 29, 2015 Share Posted March 29, 2015 I guess I'am old school about the look's of the truck. But cost of hauling freight is the name of the game Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kilrathy10 Posted March 29, 2015 Share Posted March 29, 2015 Does look much closer to something you'd expect to see in about 10 years, anyway....Unlike some other stuff that you KNOW would NEVER hit the roads any time soon....With a few tweaks to the styling, it just might work.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Custom Hearse Posted April 5, 2015 Author Share Posted April 5, 2015 Companies would stop giving fuel bonus awards, that's for sure... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
youngtiger1 Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 Sounds like few truckers here. If you don't mind me asking, is it worth becoming a truck driver today and raise a family doing it? I'm thinking about getting a into driving trucks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petetrucker07 Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 It depends on what you get into. I drive tranfser, dump truck. It is possible to make a livin, raise family and have a life. I was raised on a dump truck drivers wages. I enjoy what I do, most of the time, I like where I do it. The hard part is putting in the first couple years, getting the experience under your belt. If you go through a large company to get your license, don't be discouraged if you don't like it there. After a year, the doors open up, after a couple years and no tickets or accident, the doors are pretty much wide open. I started at Schneider, got my license, got some experience and went on to greener grasses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
youngtiger1 Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 Thank you for answering my question, I'm not sure what I should get into. Perhaps, I should do a little research what is best for a new drivers in the beginning. So, do you drivers get paid differently for driving different types of loads...frozen, dry, liquid, or gravel? Also, does that require different certifications? What if I get my own license? Is that better approach or is it better to go through a big company like you did? Btw, do you guys have a lot of extra expenses? For example, sleeping in hotels and eating out? Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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