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I had the privilege of driving the Freightliner "Winter Soldier" Camo truck recently for Wreaths Across America.  The trip to Maine took me through a lot of snow and I was able to experience how the truck performed in a more challenging environment.

The truck had the Aero-X package, which is the most aerodynamic model with tIMG_1353.JPGhe front bumper air dam among many other things.  I'm not sure how much snow I pushed for the Maine DOT, but the hard plastic air dam held up to the punishment.  The air dam was first tested in Minnesota on a winter test track and it stood up to the stress so I knew it would perform for me.

The new one piece windshield really improved visibility I quickly noticed.  We all know that winter driving really diminishes visibility, often from the spray of the brine and other chemical mixtures being used to treat the roads.  The new windshield has a lot more surface area being cleaned by the wipers than the classic Cascadia.

The LED headlights don't produce any heat so ice and snow buildup doesn't melt off as it does with incandescent bulbs.  The typical life of these LED IMG_1357.JPGheadlights are 10 years of continuous burning so I'd rather deal with the snow and ice buildup once in awhile then replacing incandescent bulbs every so often.  Rain-X or a cooking spray like Pam, could help with the winter buildup on the lights.

The ParkSmart system, which is a battery operated HVAC system for the sleeper, performed extremely well in the cold conditions.  I stayed warm in the bunk even though the outside temperature was in the teens.  I heard all the trucks around me idling all night to stay warm and I thought of the money they are wasting.

Bottom line:  The New Cascadia is a tremendous vehicle that can take on the many challenges of the road and keep the driver in unrivaled comfort.

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Joey Slaughter

Joey Slaughter is the owner of Blue Ridge Transport, LLC. Joey has been in the trucking industry since 1992.

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