Fedex Flagship from MATS, 12000 miles later

dabluzman1

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
Here is an update on the new 2012 Cascadia/Bolt Sleeper truck we are now driving.

All opinions on this truck will be weighed against the 2007 Columbia SST.
Both units are Class 8 DR units 22' box, 2007 has a MB4000 10 spd auto GVW 30800 the 2012 DD13 w 10 spd auto GVW 31000.
Both units were picked up new by us at Stoops in Ft Wayne.

Over all, so far, we like the 2012 better than the 2007.
Newer is better, right?
Well okay it smells nice.
The handling is better, a firmer feel on the road steering with the 2012.
The DD13 responds well but so far just an even match to the MB4000. The newer 10 spd auto is a different story. Markedly better than the old.

To date: MPG 8.6 diesel and 396 DEF.
We run at 65 mph. MPG is about the same as the MB4000, should get better as we break the DD13 in.

We have been torpedoed by the T1000 THERMO KING Reefer.
IT DID NOT PASS the Thermal Mapping Test done at Fedex.

A MAJOR disappointment as now we have to once again have the unit looked at by THERMO KING to have (as Jason put it ) "known issues" resolved.

For the life of me, I dont understand how a vendor puts its product on a "SHOW" truck and not have it meet Fedex standards.
No gripe against Fedex TVAL standards, they are what gets us the good paying runs........when the T1000 is accepted.
At the same time our T1000 equipped unit was being TVAL tested so was our old 2007 for the new buyer.
The 2007 equipped with a Carrier passed no problem.
We will just bend over for a couple more lost days wages on a situation that in my non humble opinion never should have happened with a new T1000.

Okay that is the worst of it. Maybe.
Lets talk ONAN APU.
I would not recommend one of these if they were free.
The 2007 had to be rebuilt ( $2500 each time ) twice in a 4 yr period.
The 2007 ONAN was broken down 50% of the time over 4 years.
The 2012 ONAN, while still running, has some issues we need to have addressed. You might ask, like what?
1) it seems if the % of available charge falls below 82% our refrig WILL NOT turn on. Yep, our new bigger nicer frig begins to thaw. WHY?
The default set-up has a range you can set an auto start feature.
When you toggle thru this screen your options are: 50, 60 and 70%.
If 80% were available I believe the frig would be okay and my ice cream wouldnt be yukkie.
Also, we have 2 AGM batteries for the condo. My observation is they DO NOT charge as we are driving down the road. We have done a couple cross country runs with the new truck and I have observed the condo batteries had discharged to aprox 72% while we were on a 24 and 36 hour straight thru runs.
Melted my ice cream again.
I dont like ONAN.

Okay, thats the major stuff.
We still like the new truck very much and once the mentioned conditions are taken care of it will almost be perfect......hmmmmmm he said almost.

Okay, now I can be petty.
1) No Fantastic Fan. I was told there wasnt any place to put it.
MY RESPONSE, then its a poor design. Find a place as it gets hot in the box with thos really high ceilings holding way more hot air than the 2007.
A microwave with an exhaust fan was installed and said to replace the FF. Not even close. It gets hot and sticky on a nice 72 degree day or evening where a FF will make it comfortable.

2) Cheap privacy curtain in the cab. It is a much larger curtain than the one we had on the SST but unlike the SST the Bolt unit uses a flexible plastic track where you pull tiny wee little plastic "T" clips along the track.
This may be okay in a RV setting that is used a couple of times a year but we pull the cab curtain shut every time we are stopped for more than a few hours. The tracks are already wearing and the "T" clips are popping out.

3) Noisy AC and micro fan. If I was making a condo for the trucking industry, I would try and understand what happens in the sleeper area. One guess would be SLEEP. Now I know a loud AC fan above your head or and exhaust fan on a microwave that sounds like a propane torpedo heater shouldnt disturb your sleep, but it does.

4) Front window controls. On the 2007 you could open and close the windows anytime without turning on the key. Not so on this 2012. A minor point but just wanting to close an open window say if its starting to rain means turn on the key, listen to all the beeps and bells an then close them where as before all you had to do was push the button and they closed.

5) The nice looking battery and fuel tank covers pose a couple of issues. The battery covers have the steps to get in and out of the cab. This new design has a much narrower step. I will wait until winter and slush and ice season to have a final opinion. Also, the fuel tank covers do not allow the pump nozzle to securely nestle into the tank during filling. Never had a problem on the 2007 but twice already a nozzle has popped out once while fuel was being pumped. To try and remedy this I use the fuel cap as a wedge under the handle. So far so good. Not the best solution but it works.

So the Flag Ship has taken on some water.
Nothing so bad as to sink us, delay us a little, yeah but that can be expected with any truck.

This is written as a critique to help others if they are in the market for a Cascadia/Bolt truck.
You might want to look into the things that are bugging me or not.
ALL IN ALL, I RECOMMEND THE CASCADIA/BOLT TRUCK.
We are happy to be driving it and will be happier when the T1000 has its "known issues" resolved.
 
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layoutshooter

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
"To date: MPG 8.6 diesel and 396 DEF.
We run at 65 mph. MPG is about the same as the MB4000, should get better
as we break the DD13 in.

Both units are Class 8 DR units 22' box, 2007 has a MB4000 10 spd auto GVW 30800 the 2012 DD13 w 10 spd auto GVW 31000."


I would hope that the mileage would get better than that. Our truck is 30,000lbs EMPTY with a 48,000GVW. We average 10.5MPG with the MBE4000 and an Eaton-Fuller 10SP Auto shift. We run around 62MPH. I would be upset with mileage that low. Maybe it is due to the fact that it's a newer engine? I have been lead to believe that they tend to get worse MPG's than our older one did.
 

dabluzman1

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
My MPG figue is an all inclusive, run, idle, reefer and APU diesel consumption figure.
But, I dont care where the fuel is burnt at, I still have to replenish when gone.
The clink monitoring system tells me I am getting 9.8 while rolling down the road.
Apples to apples, currently my fuel consumption is about the same, and I am running
a little faster.
If it follows the MB4000 I would expect another .5 to .75 mpg after 100k.

Hey, Happy Memorial day to you and all the other US Vets.
 

layoutshooter

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
My MPG figue is an all inclusive, run, idle, reefer and APU diesel consumption figure.
But, I dont care where the fuel is burnt at, I still have to replenish when gone.
The clink monitoring system tells me I am getting 9.8 while rolling down the road.
Apples to apples, currently my fuel consumption is about the same, and I am running
a little faster.
If it follows the MB4000 I would expect another .5 to .75 mpg after 100k.

Hey, Happy Memorial day to you and all the other US Vets.


So was my figure. I have got as high as 11.7 with a light load, no reefer and a tail wind.

Thanks for the wishes.
 

Monty

Expert Expediter
I get 19 mpg .. loaded or empty ....... ok, 15 when crossing the Dakots with a nw wind in my face!
 

layoutshooter

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
I get 19 mpg .. loaded or empty ....... ok, 15 when crossing the Dakots with a nw wind in my face!


Yeah, them roller skates do fairly good, too bad that there is no vehicle out there, yet, that gets that kind of mileage and can carry freight.
 

dabluzman1

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
Thats pretty good, wish we got that mpg.
On the other side, we carry more personnel stuff in our condo
than you can carry frt.
Oh, also, we could carry your tiny weeny little vehicle in our box.
Just sayin.
 

zorry

Veteran Expediter
Are you Jeff Jones ( the saleman) made the reefer choice ? I was surprised that your owner would have chosen TK over Carrier.
 

ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
... A MAJOR disappointment as now we have to once again have the unit looked
at by THERMO KING to have (as Jason put it ) "known issues" resolved.

For the life of me, I dont understand how a vendor puts its product on a "SHOW"
truck and not have it meet Fedex standards.

That does seem strange, especially since the issues are known.

Lets talk ONAN APU.
I would not recommend one of these if they were free.
The 2007 had to be rebuilt ( $2500 each time ) twice in a 4 yr period.
The 2007 ONAN was broken down 50% of the time over 4 years.
The 2012 ONAN, while still running, has some issues we need to have addressed. You might ask, like what?
1) it seems if the % of available charge falls below 82% our refrig WILL NOT
turn on. Yep, our new bigger nicer frig begins to thaw. WHY?
The default set-up has a range you can set an auto start feature.
When you toggle thru this screen your options are: 50, 60 and 70%.
If 80% were available I believe the frig would be okay and my ice cream wouldnt be yukkie.
Also, we have 2 AGM batteries for the condo. My observation is they DO NOT charge as we are driving down the road. We have done a couple cross country runs with the new truck and I have observed the condo batteries had discharged to aprox 72% while we were on a 24 and 36 hour straight thru runs.
Melted my ice cream again.
I dont like ONAN.

I am surprised by your Onan results, past and present. Diane and I have the same Onan Quiet Diesel 7500 on our truck that came with it in 2006. It has over 10,000 hours on it now and has needed only two repairs. The first was the belt which I replaced myself. The second was the exhaust flex pipe which rusted through and was replaced by ARI. Beyond that, nothing has been done to the generator except scheduled maintenance.

Onan's oil change interval is 150 hours, which is far less than some other brands. I thought about extending it but with the small capacity (3 quarts) it seemed best to stick to the 150 hours. Also, extending a three-quart oil change would produce insignificant cost savings compared to the risks to an engine with an oil capacity that small. Filters and engine coolant were also changed per manufacturer's recommendations.

I am also surprised that you have hotel batteries on that new truck. That extra cost, weight and space is old school. We have no hotel batteries and use only the four truck batteries to supply power to the sleeper as well as the truck. When the batteries fall below a specified voltage, the generator automatically kicks in to bring them back to a full charge.

Typically, we can park the truck say at 9:00 p.m., run lights, computers, fridge and other usual stuff until bed time, leave the chicken and parking lights turned on to make the truck visible when parked in the dark, and go to sleep. In such a scenario, the generator will kick on to charge the batteries sometime between 5:00 and 9:00 a.m.

Having the positive experience we have had with our Onan, my mind went to installation and maintenance when I read your report. I know of several reefer and generator big-buck horror stories that trace back to bad installs. The tech took shortcuts, wrong wires or tubes were used, electronics were not properly connected, wrong components were used, engine breathing or cooling (ventilation) was not properly provided for, etc. These units would seem to be OK when they went out the door but difficult to diagnose problems later developed. Out of the box the units were fine but they could not operate to spec because of a poor install.

No Fantastic Fan. I was told there wasnt any place to put it.
MY RESPONSE, then its a poor design. Find a place as it gets hot in the box
with thos really high ceilings holding way more hot air than the 2007.
A microwave with an exhaust fan was installed and said to replace the FF.
Not even close. It gets hot and sticky on a nice 72 degree day or evening
where a FF will make it comfortable.

Fantastic Fans have been highly praised in the Open Forum by many drivers. I would not want to be without the one we have in our sleeper. To anyone spec'ing a sleeper, sprinter or cargo van today, I suggest that the Fantastic Fan is essential; an absolutely must-have item.

Noisy AC and micro fan. If I was making a condo for the trucking industry, I would try and understand what happens in the sleeper area. One guess would be SLEEP. Now I know a loud AC fan above your head or and exhaust fan on a microwave that sounds like a propane torpedo heater shouldnt disturb your sleep, but it does.

Does your reefer not disturb your sleep when it is running? You are in a truck, after all, not the Hilton. Although, your microwave exhaust comment seems odd. What exactly produces the torpedo effect you mention? Microwave ovens are generally not loud.
 

davekc

Senior Moderator
Staff member
Fleet Owner
Speaking on the Onan, I have mixed opinions. Great for a one operator truck, not so much for fleets. To hard to get serviced and cost three times as much for simple oil change mainentance. If you do it yourself, then those costs are eliminated. As for repairs, several issues with the auto-start, and some issues with the breakers.
For a fleet, our best luck is coming from the carrier and Thermoking models. Maintenance has been cheaper than Onan and Rigmaster. If you have a large sleeper, then you can still hook up a roof air to these. Ton of service areas and even speedco can do a oil change for 30 bucks verses 150 to 200 from Cummins.
 

dabluzman1

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
Hi Phil,
The Onan situation is not unique to me I have had conversations with other with negative and positive experiences and as we have talked about them, you even helped me PM mine once, yours is a positive experience. Twice the unit was completely removed from the frame and rebuilt by Cummins. Maybe it was a bad install three times.
You like Onan, I dis-like Onan.
Nothing unusual here. Point of views.
The reefer noise has been reduced to dull drone. Bolt does an excellent sound insulation on this unit and the noise from the reefer is greatly reduced to a non factor.
In comparison the sound of the fan on the roof top ac is louder than any reefer we have been inside.
The reference to a torpedo heater is not an effect but a device used to heat large areas like a mechanics garage. when cranked up it emits a very identifiable sound as it sucks air, burns and pushes out the heat. Be glad to let you listen next time our paths cross. The micro wave is equipped with an exhaust fan.
Have you ever had an exhaust fan over the stove in your house. The sound made by those would be comparable to our FF sub, now place it 3.5 feet from your ears at night.
 

dabluzman1

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
Hey Phil, I agree on the batteries. I am stuck with what I got as I am a driver for an owner. Pat purchased a built truck from Stoops. Why they went to AGM or Thermo King can only be answered by Stoops.
I have been sleeping on the road for over 15 years. The last 5 as an expediter. I find your Hilton comment stupid. Just a point of view.
 

dabluzman1

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
Hey zorry, not sure on the cost. I dont think the T1000 is cheaper.
Two trucks were built by Stoops that the owner I drive for bought.
1 had a Carrier 1 a Thermo King.
Here is hoping the "known issues" are small so when I do find time to get into a Thermo King shop
it wont be anything major or take too much time.
 

jimby82

Veteran Expediter
We ran into a couple at a delivery a while back that had one of the new Cascadia trucks with the Thermo-King unit. They were having problems with the new unit also. Would not hold temps in range on certain loads (those 68 - 72 ones). They had not had the new truck in for TVAL testing yet, but he was very concerned that the new unit would not be able to hold the range needed in order to pass the test. He had talked to the folks at the TK dealer and was not too happy with their response up to that point.

They apparently were telling him that the unit could not hold that tight a range. (Which it certainly should be able to) I even printed a tape from our old Carrier unit showing every probe in range over the length of the run, and told him to show it to the dealer. You would expect a new unit to be able to outperform one from 2007.

He mentioned the dealer said it might be a software related problem, so hopefully they'll have a solution before long. He thought it might also have something to do with the probes in the box, as they were a different design than those from his previous truck.

Good luck with the truck, it looks like a nice ride!
 

mrgoodtude

Not a Member
Hey zorry, not sure on the cost. I dont think the T1000 is cheaper.
Two trucks were built by Stoops that the owner I drive for bought.
1 had a Carrier 1 a Thermo King.
Here is hoping the "known issues" are small so when I do find time to get into a Thermo King shop
it wont be anything major or take too much time.
Met with Jonesy awhile back and if memory serves the TK unit had issues that were resolved by the install of the "old style 3 way valve" into the newer unit..
Again if memory serves the new unit is electronically controlled and caused issues.
Would think if this be the case it would have been dealt with prior to delivery.
Keep us posted.
 
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