Better City Delivery Truck: Hino 268 vs Freightliner M2 106 ?

[ssmfg]

Hi all, new member here, looking for your experienced advice.

Our company is in the market for a brand new truck and are deciding between a new Hino 268 or a new Freightliner M2 106.

We run deliveries daily to NYC from Central NJ and travel approximately 100 miles a day.
Most of the time is spent making stops in New York City and then returning back to our shop in NJ at the end of the day.

The vehicle must be a 25,950 GVW for a non CDL driver.

First question, is the Freightliner M2 106 legal for a non CDL driver? It says on the website GVW is 56,000 and that is the lowest GVW of all their current models. On the contrary the Hino 268 clearly states GVW 25,950.

Second, please weigh in with your preferences and opinions about each truck. Which do you prefer / would you pick? Why? Advantages/Disadvantages of both?

Knowing we do not do long highway driving, and we are only a 1 hour drive to downtown Manhattan where we will make multiple stops for loading / unloading, what is the better truck for us?

Also, which truck has been in production longer & has replacement parts more readily available in my area? The last truck we had was only in production for 2 years which meant it was very hard to find replacement parts for it.

Thank you very much for your help.

 

[mugurpe]

I don't own either, but I've rented both. I can't say anything about maintenance but just from driving them I found the hino to be a better ride. Better visability, dash ergonomics, controls. I also own a couple trucks in that class that I have more experience with, GMC T6500 cabover, International 4300, and kenworth t300. GMC T6500 (isuzu FTR) is the best city truck I've ever driven hands down. Next would be the kenworth. Worst I've ever driven is the GMC C6500. A major factor is how good your local dealership is. The truck determines how often you have issues, the dealership determines how long those issues put you out of commission for. If you're just running local you don't need to worry about the dealership network, just the one down the street. They're both decent trucks.

 

[greasytshirt]

Need more information.

What engine will you be selecting for the M2?

How many miles/years will you be planning on running it before replacement?

Manual or auto transmission?

How important is a tight turning circle?

Are you or one of your guys tasked with doing any of the repairs/maintenance yourself?


I'm admittedly a Hino guy. I've answered a few questions about them on here. I also do not drive trucks for a living, so I'm only able to look at it from the repairman's point of view.

The 2015 Hino 268 has had a lot of improvements done to the aftertreatment system and it's pretty reliable. Gone is the burner system on the 11-14 trucks. Initially the burner systems were quite problematic, but a couple of recalls for some parts and lots of computer reflashing really took care of a lot of it. Still, the 2015 uses an entirely different method of DPF heating, and regens are faster than ever.
The dealer network for Freightliner is much stronger than that of Hino, however there are a ton of Hino dealers up there (I mean, they can't all suck).


I'm happy to answer specific questions. I'm also happy to blather on endlessly, but no one wants to read all that.