The tone of the conversation was much different this year at Walcott.
This week, Jeff Clark and I attended the Walcott Truckers Jamboree at the Iowa 80 truck stop. The turnout was great and I enjoyed meeting many new people throughout the event. Many drivers talked with Jeff and me about the reliability and fuel mileage results of our Freightliner Cascadia Evolution Trucks.
I’ve attended many trucking events over the last five years and this year the topic of conversation seemed to be on whether to purchase a new truck or keep throwing money into an older truck. Many drivers are faced with this difficult decision when the equipment has in excess of one million miles and becomes less reliable. During the economic downturn over the last several years, many drivers have held onto an older model truck in hopes to cut operating expenses. What they are finding is that keeping their current truck is costing them BIG dollars. One man shared with me that his monthly maintenance expenses are almost equal to a new truck payment. Drivers are experiencing more downtime and lost revenue due to maintenance issues. When repairs are needed it costs money and can also cost your reputation with a customer. When driving a truck for a living, you’re only going to be as good as your equipment. With that said, purchasing a new truck might be a good idea. Some drivers are concerned with the impending California emission rule deadline which may render their current truck inoperable in the state of California. Some of these drivers go into that state on a regular basis. These folks have several choices: they can retrofit their current model truck for the new emissions or purchase a newer truck which would be equipped with the necessary emission system or find another customer outside of California in which to transport product.
During the Walcott show, many drivers came over to check out the Cascadia Evolution by Freightliner which is equipped with the Detroit DD15 engine, DT12 transmission combination. Drivers seemed interested to learn more about the whole evolution package on the Cascadia as it has been making quite a few headlines with its unprecedented fuel mileage results. After taking a look at this new equipment, many drivers were able to see how many small changes have added up to BIG increases in efficiency and reliability. This is a huge change from what the industry experienced with the 2004 and 2007 emissions requirements. Just as in the automotive industry, trucks are making improvements each year as manufactures have figured out how to meet emissions
requirements.
One driver shared with me that he feels like the decision to keep the old truck is a double edge sword. His reputation is on the line and his repair costs are beginning to skyrocket and he continues to lose money while his truck is in the repair shop. He decided to go ahead and do the research to find a newer/new truck for his operation.