Our Truck Specs

[ATeam]

During our custom truck build and after its completion, several requests have been made for the specs and rationale. It took some time, but the final specs are finally consolodated into one document. I did not provide specs earlier simply because, until the truck was completed, we would not know what the final specs were. Numerous changes were made through the build. Publishing the specs before the truck was complete would have been premature.

Summary:

2006 Volvo VNL 64300 (day cab), 435 hp Volvo VE D12 engine, ZF Meritor 12-speed automatic transmission, tandem drive axles, 3.42 rear axle ratio, GVWR 54,600 lbs, 132" ARI Legacy Custom sleeper (includes double-aero roof, shower, toilet, 50" Corian® kitchen counter with sink, two-burner electric stove top, convection microwave, full-size bed, dinette, RV-size refrigerator/freezer, wardrobe, Fan-Tastic Vent™ ceiling fan, abundant storage space), Onan 7500 watt genset with voltage sensor and auto-start feature, shore power, 16-foot Kidron reefer body (8 rows of E-track each side and 6 rows front, 4 floor rings, 3 rapid-start fluorescent lights, pallet guards, Whiting overhead door), Carrier Supra 850 refer (under-mount), Leyman LHLP-4500 lift gate, Truck height: 13' 3". Truck length: 40' 0" (includes lift gate deck extension and dock bumpers). Lots of extras and custom items.

Complete specs:

http://successfulexpediters.com/Madsen/MadsenTruckSpecs.htm

The next step is to write out the rationale behind each spec. That will take some time but it will be done.

I share this information not as advice or recommendations on how to build a truck. I've never advised anyone to buy a truck and I'm not going to start now. I'm sharing the information simply as a resource for those who may build a custom truck of their own. The spec list is simply a primer to assist others in the truck-design thought process.

There are hundreds of decisons and trade-offs to make in building a custom truck. Whether you find a useful idea in our truck specs or not, I hope that thinking the list through will help you cover all the bases when you develop specs of your own.

 

[mrgoodtude]

That is a sweet truck! Just curious about fuel consumption since we are running a 500 ISX Cummins with the Automated 12 speed as well but I believe we are running the 3:55 rears as opposed to the 3:42... Our shift avg w/normal acceleration is 4-5 shifts to top gear with 65mph being the sweet spot avg 9.5 mpg.
PS. Would love to see pics of the interior
Mike and Cyn

 

[ATeam]

Jeff Jensen's article about our truck includes a couple photos of the interior. See: http://www.expeditersonline.com/artman/publish/New_expediter_truck.html

Our shifting is similar to yours. For those who don't know, the ZF Meritor automatic transmission skips gears as you work your way up to highway speed. It does not go 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, etc. It will go something like 3rd, 8th, 11th and 12th, depending on the weight of your foot and size of the grade.

9.5 mpg sounds really nice. At this early stage, I don't know if we'll achieve that or not. Other Volvo drivers tell me their Driver's Information Display is accurate. I have not had a chance to verify this yet.

With 15,000 miles on the truck, the best I can say about fuel economy is we'll come in someplace between 8.5 and 10 mpg. Values in this range have appeared on our display between fills. The problem in verifying actual mpg is some of our loads have been reefer loads or loads where we used the generator a lot between fills. Until we get a good dry-box, cross-country, non-stop run, where we will refuel once or twice, and won't use the reefer or generator, I can't check the actual fuel consumption (measured by gallons pumped into the tank) against what the display is telling us.

Items on our truck that degrade fuel economy include tandem drive axles and H-rated front tires that increase rolling resistance; lug-tread tires on the rear; the weight of the large sleeper and water for its shower, toilet and kitchen; the above-average weight of personal gear and freight handling equipment we carry, and the weight of the generator and reefer.

Options available to improve fuel economy in the future include going to tall rubber, going to H-rated steers, replacing lug-tread drive tires with ribbed, changing the rear axle ratio and engine horsepower rating, leaving some of our personal gear at home, getting along with less freight-handling equipment, and driving slower.

In a new truck, the fuel economy conversation is ongoing. No matter how good it is, you hope for better. None of the above options are being seriously considered at this early stage. My dealer tells me to expect a 5% fuel-economy improvement after 50,000 miles are on the truck. Virtually every truck owner I have talked to speaks about a break-in period of one length or another.

For now, we're simply driving the truck and watching the numbers. Based on what we've seen so far, we'll come in somewhere between 8.5 and 10 mpg.

How much does your truck weigh?

 

[mrgoodtude]

Last empty "full wet" weight came in at #30,180 with 11280 on the steers we were a "D" unit but got that changed to a "C" cause of the steer weight(wink wink). As for your fuel mileage 100k is about right for optimum break in (I have been --told-- sold). We have 142K on our rig now and the only thing I have witnessed making a marked improvement on our mpg was using T/A fuel as we are avg 8/10 of a mile better per gallon vs. luvs and or pilot. The options you listed to improve fuel economy do not sound feasible so let and let live.
I LOVE YOUR INTERIOR as ours is small with the condo IE no shower or fixed commode but we have outfitted ours nicely (flat screen home theater etc). Please keep us posted as you have done a fine job!
Mike and Cyn