FUEL CONSUMPTION COMPARISON: Volvo VNL 760 vs Freightliner Cascadia (Detailed cost-savings analysis)

Today, we do a fuel consumption rate comparison between the 2019 Volvo VNL 760 and the 2019 Freightliner Cascadia. Which truck has better fuel efficiency? How much does the difference equate to in money? Watch the video to find out.
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Soundtrack:
Sun Dog - Tiger Gang
Pop Filter - Alternate Endings
Low Fidelity - Tide Electric

[@matthewmoore54]

I drive the speed limit (if weather and conditions are good) the way I combat the higher cost of fuel is a simple and easy way,,, don't haul cheap freight!

[@kcmo1992]

Okay, but this isn't what I saw as I drove a 2018 Freightliner and a 2020 Volvo. I found Volvo a lot more fuel efficient.

[@angrysocialjusticewarrior]

The Freightliner in the video is the 2020 versions, not the old 2018 versions.

[@kamalpreetsinghgill1396]

Maybe Freightliner have improved their 2020 line up? 2 years these days is lot of time for advancement of technology.

[@AC-ir3od]

@@angrysocialjusticewarrior What do you mean old 2018 version?

[@node3155]

iShift is Volvo automated transmission, not engine... Engine is Volvo D13TC...

[@akusitaaiai2215]

Great job! Thank you very much for sharing with us so important inf!

[@aimxdy8680]

Cascadia is more reliable, parts are cheaper so cascadia easily wins in cost savings

[@ryanburkitt424]

This is great information!! Thanks for doing this. Do you have info on service costs?

[@santahansen395]

I-shift is the transmission called the Volvo's own engine is named d13

[@angrysocialjusticewarrior]

Pointless correction.

[@santahansen395]

@@angrysocialjusticewarrior no it’s not. But the most funny thing is that freightliner uses button from Mercedes-Benz but they have same owner

[@philhartman6036]

Dang that is one bad ass intro!

[@steveverrill6935]

Great videos! How do you spec your trucks? How important is the drive gear ratio?

[@BalwinderSinghDeol]

Good comparison. Its very close between the two. Volvo is my personal favorite bcz of its ride quality But if you look at from cost perspective Cascadia is the way to go. They have cheaper parts than volvo and you get better pricing when purchasing your truck

[@jaeinnmoon3279]

I have 2019 cascadia, dd15 505hp, 3.05 rear ends and I got 9.7 mpg for the last 10,000+ miles and I got 8.8 mpg for the life of my truck. Yes, my mpg has been progressively improving as my truck got older. Your drivers use a lot more fuel than me... why is that is what I'd like to ask. I have a diesel APU (tripak), and I accelerate like an 80 yo granny driving her 40 yo station wagon. I rarely drive faster than 63 mph and I hardly use service brakes, mostly use Jake to slow down.

[@BalwinderSinghDeol]

Those are very impressive numbers

[@tamasprincz1290]

Thank You!

[@rookiebird9382]

Driving conditions(city, highway)? Payload? Seasons? These things affect fuel economy significantly. Comparison based on rough statistic is not as accurate as strict tests with the same conditions.

[@angrysocialjusticewarrior]

That's why he used 5 of each truck model to make an average that accounts for what you said. If he didn't want to account for all those scenarios, he would have just went to each manufacturer's website and got MPG figures there.

[@martinpoulsen6564]

@@angrysocialjusticewarrior While it helps, it still doesn't say anything about whether hauling tarped flatbed freight or reefer trailers snugged up to the truck, how much weight etc, as well as which drivers were in them. It'd be very easy to make a truck stand out as either good or bad, without any real scientific backing. Also, which gear ratios are they running and so forth.

[@Nikowalker007]

Should be the same route on a dedicated account with similar load otherwise it’s just a useless numbers

[@downundertruckerusa4733]

Outstanding video

[@randyrafter323]

Hey great video Can you do a video on a comparison on per mile $ vs % of load $ Thank you

[@michaelrains2268]

Freight lanes matter also for MPG , are you running in the mountains out west or in the east . Are you running in the relative flat midwest, in big cities getting caught in rush hour traffic, driving style also has a lot to do with MPG.

[@SergioInzunza]

Freight weight is another factor towards mpg.

[@angrysocialjusticewarrior]

You are right, but this video is meant to measure TRUCK mpg, not mpg from other factors.

[@Freightlinerbob]

It would be more accurate to measure MPG by actual fuel purchases rather than engine computer generated numbers which are notoriously inaccurate. IFTA mpg numbers if taken for 12 months would be far more accurate as well.

[@VisionCompanytv]

I drive in Europe and my trip computer Scania fuel consumption measurements are really accurate 3.6 kmpl average

[@blackericdenice]

@@VisionCompanytv We are not in Europe. My 2021 Vnl760 show 8 mpg but the pump show 7.4 mpg. The FL is slightly better mpg but the Volvo had a better ride and brakes.

[@TimRHillard]

This was an excellent video. So, what was the average cost of the two compared?

[@dewaynemiguel3349]

It's not as simple as he thinks at Walmart we had 7 volvos they used very little fuel because they were in the shop being fixed 75 percent of the time my cascadia averaged 9.1 mpg for the year with a 365 cummins and a 10 speed never broke . my cummins fuel milage impressed me my chevy pickup only gets 8 mpg lol

[@RusVito]

yea but what's your speed limit? what speed are you limited to?

[@dewaynemiguel3349]

@@RusVito max governed speed is 65 mph I ran over the grapevine all the time I normally run around 60 in California and 65 outside California.

[@RusVito]

@@dewaynemiguel3349 that's why we go 75 when speed limit allows, anything below is unacceptable lol

[@dewaynemiguel3349]

@@RusVito remember that when your paying 7.00 a gallon for diesel ,I ran hard when I hauled cattle in the 70s and 80s but I've found over the years I get there faster then the guys running 75 they all seem to stop alot I just kick back and Cruise and I always get there before them cowboys and my truck never breaks .

[@RusVito]

@@dewaynemiguel3349 hmm maybe gotta give it a try )

[@elarabichallenge2367]

Hello thank you for all the info I want get a brand new truck what your advice for me should I get a Volvo or Kenworth?

[@tonynimmons111]

I wish you would talk about how hard it can be to find someone to fix the Volvo when it breaks down in the middle of nowhere. Freightliner parts and repairman are everywhere. Volvo is a specialty truck.

[@TrickyMickTrucking]

THIS! There's a reason they are so cheap.

[@anthonycollier8616]

been driving volvos for 9 years and I've never had a issue finding a repair place. I drive coast to coast.

[@chernowitz]

What is the rear ratio on your trucks? Thank you

[@FansSports]

What is the engine sizes and horsepower ratings of the two examples? Also rear end gearing ratio...Any running APU's? This is a hard one to quantify, too many variables not considered here.

[@RD2564]

The Volvo is very close in this analysis, good stuff.

[@ronhon100]

Besides fuel consumption, downtime for repairs / maintenance are also costly for owner operators. Do you have any video for comparison?

[@ghhh9012]

Most likely cascadia 228 gear ratio Vs Volvo 249 gear ratio , Cascadia 62 mph strict , Volvo can do 68 mph . Volvo better.

[@AmanSingh-yq9ch]

What u recommend about Automatic and manual

[@Ashtree81]

5 best cascadias vs 5 worst volvos? Why not include the whole fleet? Bigger sample size is always better

[@audoinxr6372]

Jeez they get good economy. Here in Australia, I'm running single trailer semi set up at 1.93km/L so 4.54MPG. That's maxed at 42.5t gross weight. So 93,700ib for the Americans.

[@johnysilver1853]

Your truck is probably pretty old

[@audoinxr6372]

@@johnysilver1853 2015. So getting on yeah

[@chrisboro1204]

They're damn close as for complete different trucks. 👍

[@jeffdoell5064]

Great that someone s prepared to share their data so the rest of us can compare ourselves to new trucks. The Maths shouldn’t be done this way. Your averaging averages which isn’t accurate unless all the miles are about the same but there’s a huge variation in the miles the Volvo’s drove (8079 miles to 22,230 miles). The better way is to add all the five trucks miles together and divide by the total fuel used. This gets us 7.998 (basically 8MPG) for the Volvo’s and 8.08 for the Freightliners. Basically stuff all difference, which is an interesting outcome in itself. Shows fuel use is not a consideration when choosing between these trucks.

[@MrVettelovralexand2]

Came here to say something similar except even using his numbers and method, the values for the Freightliners is wrong. The math should have output 8.1 or even 8.09 if he hadn't used the rounded numbers before doing the math. So the difference really should have been only 0.07 or 0.08 mpg.

[@nukedogger86]

First thing I noticed about his math, was not accounting for the total miles driven and total fuel used, vs just taking the average for each driver and averaging those. That is what I would say is lazy and misleading. I thought I was gonna have to pause the video and do that math, but I appreciate you doing it!

[@leonsolohov8014]

Sub + finger ! Awesome video!

[@jobwachira8471]

Here in Kenya, 90% of all tractor trailer truck are Mercedes Actros and the rest are mainly Man and Scania with a few Volvo. They say Actros is fuel efficient, reliable and durable. I would therefore love to see a fuel consumption comparison of Cascadia and Mercedes Actros (with similar size engines) as well as a comparison of Volvo and Mercedes Actros.

[@ahaagy7718]

Actros trucks are not driven in America. They are European made. Because the small cab, no one would buy them.

[@michaelb.u.g.2958]

@@ahaagy7718 the interested Thing is, freightliner ( same as Western Star) is Part of Daimler Trucks und uses many Parts from the Actros ( engine, transmission...). They are only adapted for the American market, but were first used in the German Actros

[@audoinxr6372]

They sell both in Aus and NZ. The Actros is usually the better of the 2.

[@jobwachira8471]

@@michaelb.u.g.2958 interesting..

[@jobwachira8471]

@@audoinxr6372 I think Actros has a good reputation

[@riteshchoudhary7591]

Can u please do on kenworth t680 next gen as fuel consumption comparison with both of them.

[@MykSr]

“Fright liner” … I’m right there with you brother❗️ My “fright liner” scares and beats me half to death ☠️ LoL 😂

[@ferxsc6710]

Have you compared d13 vs d13TC Volvo engines?

[@kangasniem899]

How about the DEF? Is that included in the calculations???

[@truckingswe]

Those numbers are so close to one another so i think it hard to compare, did they run the same rutt the same day, same loads, because snow, rain, head/side wind, etc, are trailers comparable.

[@carlthor91]

He said 45 days, in the early fall, if he took them out of different terminals, it's a useless exercise. I think he is a little smarter than that.

[@georgeochletree5347]

I drive a Volvo and it shifts at about 2 grand,I haul Train Wheels 45,500lbs and I deliver up in the mountains so what type driving environment are they operating in and on?

[@alialibeyoglu7532]

Check out the Alpha drivers buddy. Volvo can hit 12mpg mark with 20.000-25.000 lbs load. And last thing. Add the service prices on that list please

[@Salty4Reel]

Was it 505hp dd15 or down sped ?

[@ODiarioDoFimDoMundo]

In your opinion which one is better ? Not only regarding fuel efficiency but maintenance in general?

[@fastvinny6281]

The volvo uses volvo engine d13. The transmission is the Ishift.

[@jesetfreesince9317]

What speed are these guys running?

[@inpeacewithgod]

what horse power are in the trucks

[@mobeasley8577]

Good video but averaging averages isn't an accurate way to get the real average. You must use the actual numbers; total up all of the miles for the 5 trucks then divide by the gallons consumed.

[@kr46428]

Finally, lol, can't believe I had to scroll this far in the comments for someone to point this out.

[@SinghSatnamable]

Please explain the best way to accelerate to save fuel. Thanks

[@limplin7]

The best way is the slowest 😂

[@michaelglenning5107]

Put it in cruise and just bump it up with manual toggle button.

[@matthewmoore54]

Floor it!

[@jonanderson4280]

Slow and steadily. Avoid hard deceleration also as it kills mpg pretty quick. It takes a lot of discipline especially when every other truck is passing you, but if you're an OO, you'll see the difference in fuel savings.

[@johnysilver1853]

I hope fuel tanks of all trucks were almost empty when you started this comparison between fuel purchases and distances they have traveled during this comparison

[@leahanderson8179]

Freightliner Cascadia beutiful ,iv been in Volvo too.comfortable but small

[@wissamfaris83]

DD15 is the cascadia engine, what about the Volvos is 15 or 13 ishift is the Volvo trany

[@B1gHagar]

Assuming all these trucks are still under warranty, which one cost the most to maintain and what are the cost due to mechanical problems including opportunities costs for being down?

[@inlikearefugee5194]

According to the comments, cascadias win hands down because of the engines used are better than volvo's. The only favorable from the volvos are the ride quality. The best engines must surely come from Cat or Cummins.

[@martinlalonde2919]

Would greatly help knowing how each brand is specd. Name on the grill is meaningless, what matters is what is underneath.

[@jobwachira8471]

The difference in this two models is very small. I believe the major difference in this case can be on maintainance; cost of servicing, cost of spare parts and the frequency of breakdowns. Any time a truck is in garage is a loss coz money is being spent on it and at the same time loosing possible revenue coz that truck is not on road at that particular time. Kindly do a video for comparison of the two in terms of maintainance.

[@mctransportation9831]

I love volvos, but there's a freightliner dealership in every medium sized town and even some po dunk places with nothing but a gas station, post office, and a FL dealership. Way more mechanics know their way around a detroit than volvo engine.

[@chrisogle4698]

Every cascades I have driven has the worst suspension I have ever seen on a truck.. I have also driven the t680s and that suspension is really good in my opinion. I’m getting ready to buy a 2022 Volvo and was wondering what your guys take is on the ride quality.

[@ginyuforx9632]

Volvo i-shift has more "smooth" shifting versus T680's automatic transmission. I prefer the room, ride and turning of Volvo. Volvo is the lightest and has tightest turn radius. T680 has better suspension. After 3 years Volvo's cabin and interior parts start vibrating while KW T680 interior has a solid interior build. I find driver seat and steering wheel position of Volvo's more comfortable than KW T680. KW automatic transmission will keep on giving you problems. KW just don't build good auto transmission.

[@anderspettersson9885]

Someting is wrong with your calculations when the truck with the lower average MPG converts into higher fuel cost.

[@jerseycowboy1]

Volvo is 13 litre Cascadia is 15 litre. Oil change would be more expansive on the Cascadia etc...

[@KevinNguyen-zn4vv]

Just out of curiosity (I'm not in the transportation business), how many days does it take an average driver to travel 11,500 miles, fuel cost, maintenance, loan, and net profit? If I drive 23K miles a year, that would take me like 4 decades to reach 1 million miles.

[@ddinoboy]

A truck driver, route permitting, can do anywhere from 500-800 miles a day. If it is a team, double that. The high limit is only possible with near perfect, no traffic, very minimal slowdown conditions, mostly above the safe speed limit. Company trucks are usually limited from 63-68 mph. Owner operators and some companies can do over 75. Some teams are able to do upwards of 6500 miles in a week.

[@jajajaja2624]

Do the Volvo has a fuel saving mode right.

[@arionmelton9034]

Yeah they do at least my 2020 model does

[@gekogals128]

Volvo VNL and Freightliner Cascadia are statistically the same. Are you comparing a fuel efficiency build to a power build? Most people choosing VNL will select the high torque engine. You are comparing apples to oranges at that point. Additionally, those selecting VNL over Cascadia are doing so for different reasons than just fuel economy. I run a 2018 VNR with a high torque D13 (500HP, 1850 Ft-lbs) and a 12+2 transmission with a 2.89 ratio. I running regionally in BC, so of course, I am going to get worse mileage than someone running through Ontario with a 450hp 1650 ft-lbs of torque and a 3.05 gear ratio. That has nothing to do with why I prefer VNR's. Better retarder. A must in BC. I have driven Freightliners before, they are cheaply made and poorly designed. They are 50,000 dollars cheaper, so that's why fleets like them. As far as I know, VNL's have a heavier frame. They tend to be better for heavier loads and bad roads. For the record, if I wanted to go for a fuel economy build, I would have selected the D11. I haven't had any problems with the electronics on any Volvo I have operated. The Freightliner I have driven all had problematic DEF systems and serious electrical issues. Won't touch one again. Freightliners are guaranteed to break down or wind up in the shop because of a failed regen at least once a week. Preventive maintenance does a good job of keeping the Volvo on the road. Sure Freightliners are cheap to fix but they cost a small fortune to fix in places like Ft. St. John and I guarantee that's when I will get a failed regen, which I never get on my Volvo. No amount of preventive maintenance can keep a cheaply made and poorly designed truck out of the shop. BTW we call them Freight Shakers for a reason

[@edwardwiltz1450]

Fuel injector service makes a difference

[@craig_sez8534]

5 trucks means 5 drivers of each and 5 trailers that all could have to many variables....

[@parkergray5346]

It’s to get the average fuel efficiency

[@craig_sez8534]

@@parkergray5346 you can get a average yes but so many bariables that you cant get THE average mpg.....You dont see and car,motorcycle,big rig manufacture get a few guys out for a spin and calculate that automobiles average mpg....You have 5 driver all in different trucks with different trailers ect who all drive differently and you want that car or trucks avg mpg?????? Noo that not how averages work...

[@freifahrt12]

@@craig_sez8534 thats exactly how averages work. but you would need to calculate the statistical significance of the result, and that would probably result in the sample being to small to allow a valid comparison.

[@craig_sez8534]

@@freifahrt12 I knkw how average works....But if you have a heavy footed/aggressive driver that rite there messes with average of getting the best mpg..You almost have to have same driver with same trailer,same fuel all on same run during the same day just to be remotely close..

[@freifahrt12]

@@craig_sez8534 Calculating the average means you just add a couple of numbers to get the mean of it. Calculating the statistical significance means to check, whether the difference between the data of two groups (Volvo & Freightliner) is not only a coincidence (because of a difference of driving style, load type, etc....)

[@lifeitsgreat]

Also the guys doing Less mpg are carrying more weight as well okay

[@viarnay]

if you want cut fuel cost go for a cabover

[@ColGayles]

Team freightliner

[@anarewrigth2105]

Freightliner trucks the best 👌👍 👏🙏

[@IlyasWidaad]

My vnl 860 doesn't get near 8 mpg. More closer to 6.5 7

[@MrJardier]

That's because the weight most of them are hauling over 40k if you do light loads you can do easily over 9.0 mpg

[@donbosconguyen5464]

My Freightliner 2019, the entire of time from the day my company assigned it to me, at that time my truck only 60.000 to now 300.000 miles it's consumed 8.9 mpg.

[@volodymyrprosov6134]

Out cascadia takes 6.5 - 6.8 mpg dd15 455hp

[@soul_reaper9935]

@@volodymyrprosov6134 you must be running higher ratios 3.25 or higher

[@soul_reaper9935]

2.64 ratios ?

[@volodymyrprosov6134]

@@soul_reaper9935 3.08

[@edmunger5595]

Hell I get better fuel mileage from my 1999 FLD120.

[@markgiles5426]

Not to mention shop time for bad censor

[@yordanrodriguez42]

He compared the DD15 to the Volvo iShift engine!!!! WTF was that?

[@AlexD-fq5zm]

He is just stupid

[@santahansen395]

Actually he compared the dd15 engine with the allison transmission named I-shift Volvo's engine is named d13

[@vladtepes5984]

This is very irrelevant and not accurate. 1. MPG on the dashboard are not the same as going by miles driven divided to number of gallons put in the tanks at refill. 2. A truck will burn less fuel driving in Florida than one going through West Virginia. So both of your trucks would have to go through same route. 3. If trucks don't have same gear ratio, then is not a fair comparison also. Driving a 2.12 vs a 3.08 is not the same.

[@wizard_of_poz4413]

I feel like volvo got a raw deal in this comparison

[@rooseveltrainesjr1536]

Volvo but I have a 18 cascadia. Auto

[@VisionCompanytv]

Scania trucks are the best, why are they so rare in North America?

[@inekeduyvestyn9265]

Because they are the best??????

[@jesetfreesince9317]

Duh…should have watched until the end. 65mph

[@Sinerwray]

Freightliner because they got Detroit engine lol

[@tamaratairova5214]

thtas numbers all bull sh i t are drove those truck babtaile or empty

[@Salty4Reel]

Umm

[@danielvoicu1184]

Walmart shopping cart rides better than freightliners

[@Dudevegaslv]

I like shakeliners !!!! Cheap to fix and everyone knows how to fix!

[@philmarwood69]

Very basic way of analysing these figures. You missed weight & terrain ! Not accurate at all.

[@22jeepmojave75]

Forth factor is gross weight.

[@mvmedved]

volvo ishift engine isee i see

[@hamdijabajric556]

Governed at 65mph? Lmao way too slow

[@Salty4Reel]

I shift isn’t an engine

[@jobwachira8471]

Av just watched a KZbin video on 5 reasons I'd never buy a Volvo truck. He admits Volvo has better fuel efficiency. This are the reasons he gave: 1) All the 1000s of Volvo truck models look the same and there's nothing special/unique about them. 2) Volvo have no hood so if a driver hits a wild animal, the sloppy nose will lift the animals up to the cabin. 3) That Volvo are naturally fugly and can't be pimped to look good. 4) Volvo trucks have poor resale value coz there are too many on them on the yards for resale. 5) Volvo are made in Sweden and not North America. Even if some are made in America, the Volvo's company revenue is repatriated back to Sweden and therefore not building the North American economy. Nobody in Sweden is buying Peterbilt. This 5th point is one that he explained in much details and I believe it's the actual reason why he can't buy a Volvo. Otherwise, the rest of the points are weak. For me, if I was to buy any vehicle, whether fir private use it commercial use, I would mainly consider 6 things; cost of purchase, fuel efficiency, reliability, durability, availability of spare parts and comfort. The rest, I wouldn't care much.

[@dieselmutt8865]

D-13 engine, not "I-shift. If your going to make a video at least have your facts.

[@nickabdallah2612]

The Volvo's going to use less fuel because it's always borke down in he shop while the Detroit deisel powerd trucks out pounding the pavement getting shit done

[@leonsolohov8014]

Hahhahahahahaha. !!! Good one agree ! But they looks nice though !

[@parkergray5346]

Not gonna lie those Volvo’s are beautiful, but I’d take the Cascadia any day

[@nickabdallah2612]

@@parkergray5346 I can't stand the Volvo it's ugly the dash looks like your driving a Bus seats are uncomfortable ....they are quiet and have a smooth ride but that's it ...I'll take a freighshaker any day over a Volvo but better yet id up grade to the Western star 5700xe you get the same guts as a cascadia with a much nicer cab

[@parkergray5346]

@@nickabdallah2612 I’m talking about the exterior- the inside is awful, and the cascadia is better imo. The dash of the western star is all analog, and very old school,

[@John-kr7iz]

there is probably more freight shaker dealers out there for service than volvo

[@stfutruck68]

Isn't the Volvo the worst for electrical issues and downtime associated with that? For north America is seems they have difficulty getting parts.