Volvo Trucks - Episode 4: It all comes down to this

What a difference a CDL license and a little confidence makes for Fleet Equipment’s Jason Morgan as he finally goes head-to-head with the experience and expertise of super truck spec’er Joel Morrow. After a rundown of what to expect from a present-day Volvo VNL with I-Torque and a throwback 1996 Volvo VN, Jason and Joel hit the road in tandem as the Fuel Efficiency Face-Off finally achieves critical mass.

[@pauljohn6637]

You are right about the VNT with the old 16L. They were aimed at owner operators. I do not know the exact spec on the drivetrain, but for some reason only a small quantity were built. Perhaps more went to Canada. As you are aware the interstate GVW is only 80,000lb. Large displacement and big horse power wasn’t really needed. The Detroits at that time would have been 12.3L, the Cummins being 14L. When the M11 was introduced to meet stricter emission standards the displacement dropped to make it more achievable. Most engines today are around 13L although they have very few features of the older engines, in both design and electronics etc. Today’s diesels have come along way in the past few years, as have automated gearboxes and low friction axles. Volvo in Europe do sell many D16Ks for use in different markets and for different applications. For many years Volvo were known as the high horse power champions. Their current max horsepower is 750, with options of 650 or 550 with the same engine in the FH version 4. I believe the 13L maxes out at 540hp in Europe. SCANIA’S the champion now and have been for a while, with their 16L V8 at 770hp. The lowest output is 530hp. Believe it or not many fleets run the big engines.

[@mikeskidmore6754]

When you are getting paid by the mile 55 MPH really sucks .. Manage your time and run 70 MPH and you get in more miles per day and get paid for more miles driven ..

[@pauljohn6637]

Totally agree. Both truck and driver need to make money and get the job done. For that guy to say most drivers do not know how to manage their time or at least not as good as him is an insult. I’d love to run against him, to full of himself!

[@mikeskidmore6754]

@@pauljohn6637 I need 6 hours of sleep .. then I am wide awake for 4 hours before I can start driving again .. Then two hours after I start driving I get sleeping.. I have driven way more hours in a car .. by taking 3-4 hour naps when I get tired..

[@mikeskidmore6754]

I drove a 2016 Freightliner Glider with a 60 Series Detroit .. I got the best MPG @ 68 MPH .. If I slowed down the MPG got worse.. I also drive a 2020 Freightliner with a DD-15 and automatic.. Between 70 MPH and 55 MPH the more you slowed down the better your MPG got.. It was so nice not to feel guilty for running 68 MPG as that is where I got my best MPG

[@pauljohn6637]

It goes to show that speccing the engine, gearbox and axle ratio is important for the type of work you do and terrain you run.

[@KarCar13]

I sell lots of D16 parts in Alberta, still a lot of D16 up here, getting harder to get parts though ✌️🇨🇦❤️

[@TakeshiSTiJPN]

Google traduttore IT= This truck is fantastic in everything, the only thing that really can't be understood is that Volvo has its own engines and in the USA, in 2022/23 the Volvo VNL740/760/860 with the most powerful Volvo engines with D13 only 500hp USA? Where are the high power Volvo D16 550hp/600hp engines? Previous years Volvo had the fantastic Volvo VT880 with the incredible Volvo D16 engine 625hp in 2006/2008 I have a magazine about the Volvo VT880 model. Volvo VNL 730/780 with Volvo D16 550hp/600hp engines. In 2023 the Volvo VNL860 USA with the strongest engine and a D13 500hp? I can't understand how Volvo allows this to lose market share to competitors with engines with more ➕️ power I hope that in 2024 Volvo will bring back high-performance engines to the VNL 740,760 and 860 models.

[@pauljohn6637]

Not quite what I expected. Why wasn’t there a proper hand over of trucks to the drivers? How serious is this challenge? It costs money to organize and operate this challenge. I don’t think we can blame Jason here, as he is brand new to driving trucks. However he should have familiarized himself with all the vehicle controls prior to setting off. Surely driving in cruise control is paramount to efficient driving. Knowing this the co-driver/coach in both trucks should have been capable of hand over instruction to get the best from each vehicle. I look at the number of likes and comments. What are the viewing numbers? Are people watching the videos completely? Perhaps, replies to comments by those involved in the project would help. There should be a big following here between VOLVO enthusiasts and those that follow Fleet Equipment. Rules or a guide of what is expected in the challenge can be compared to the actual results. The route should be run twice with the drivers switching trucks. Make it a real test. Obviously there is a huge mismatch of trucks, so let’s see Jason’s results in both trucks against the more experienced driver in both trucks. Let’s record route times, fuel use and earning potential. A challenge needs to be a challenge. Will it be the driver that lets the vehicle down, by failing to optimize the vehicles potential or the vehicle not living up to what was expected of it?🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🇺🇸