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A Volvo D13 engine is about a 5% fuel economy penalty over a Detroit DD13 with the same spec/axle ratio. In addition to that, Volvo does not offer certain direct drive axles that Detroit does so that gap widens even more.
In addition, Volvo doesn’t even have a 15-liter motor that long-haul fleets demand so you end up with lots of Cummins X15’s in the Volvo’s. (Freightliner offers both the X15 and the Detroit DD15, with 95% of customers choosing Detroit.) The Volvo D16 is more for heavy haul stuff and is horrible on fuel mileage - should not use this motor for high mileage applications.
There is a reason you rarely see the big fleets driving Volvo’s, even though they are the cheapest truck on the market. International is just as cheap, offers the same X15 engine, and has a more aerodynamic cab. The big fleets micromanage the fuel mileage and they know to avoid Volvo engines because due to the fuel mileage and no 15-liter. (And massive resale penalty of a 13-liter engine in a big sleeper.). Their market share (or lack thereof) backs this up.
If lowest up-front cost is your goal, you buy International or Volvo.
If lowest cost of ownership is your goal, you buy Freightliner with a Detroit engine, transmission and direct-drive axles.
(For “on-highway” or applications that run over 80K miles per year.)
Last edited by iamweasel; 11-24-2019 at 10:37 AM..
Reason: Typo
Yes strange to have a union of any kind in the south, Union is a 5 letter swear word in the south.
That's what the politicians say, they sing a song about the independent minded Scotch-Irish folk being too irascible to cede any autonomy to a union.
But it really isn't the case, and European companies are usually more willing and comfortable negotiating with a union, especially when they don't have the horsepower that they have in Europe.
That's what the politicians say, they sing a song about the independent minded Scotch-Irish folk being too irascible to cede any autonomy to a union.
But it really isn't the case, and European companies are usually more willing and comfortable negotiating with a union, especially when they don't have the horsepower that they have in Europe.
Funny thing though all those European automakers that have plants in the south and are not union, while i say if you’re union at other plants than should be union at all plants like the big3 plants.
Funny thing though all those European automakers that have plants in the south and are not union, while i say if you’re union at other plants than should be union at all plants like the big3 plants.
I'm guessing those plants were already union when Daimler bought them. With the auto makers, they agree to use union labor wherever they are in the US and Canada.
I'm guessing those plants were already union when Daimler bought them. With the auto makers, they agree to use union labor wherever they are in the US and Canada.
The European automakers are all union in their countries.
The European automakers are all union in their countries.
True but it's a different type of system that isn't permitted by US law. VW tried to implement a works council based union that would have given labor seats in the company.
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