Yesterday was a great day for my company, Blue Ridge Transport, LLC. I took receipt of a 2010 Freightliner Cascadia from
SelecTrucks of Charlotte. It came to SelecTrucks from Schneider National so I can be confident of the specs and the maintenance program of a successful fleet operation. It has the Detroit DD15 for power, Eaton Fuller 10 speed manual and a enormous double bunk condo sleeper.
I noticed a big difference the moment I got in the truck and closed the door to the Cascadia. It was like shutting the hatch on a tank. As you all know, you can tell a lot about a vehicle just from shutting the door.
During a short test drive around Charlotte, I noticed the quietness of the ride as I was talking to Brian Richards, the Service Center Manager who was along with me. We talked in normal conversational tones, as if we were in a luxury car, certainly not a truck. Freightliner has come a long way!
The truck had a few modifications from the way it was turned in from the fleet.
An AERO CLAD bumper, courtesy of Hendrickson was added. This addition adds ground clearance and protects the truck from a deer strike, etc and looks great. The stock halogen headlamps were replaced with Truck-Lite LED headlamps. I read Linda and Bob Caffe's blog about this new item and look forward to testing mine soon. The graphics were produced and installed by Motorsports Designs. They handle the NASCAR fleets so the quality of their product on my truck is the same as the race teams.
I look forward to getting this new addition on the road soon. My current truck, a 2007 Freightliner Columbia has done a great job for me and I will miss it as we've spent a lot of time together. Coast to coast and almost everywhere in between, but sadly that truck won't be welcome in California on January 1, 2014 thanks to CARB so I guess it's time for an upgrade. Ever Forward!