It's a Team's Life
M2 vs. Cascadia
The M2 was a short truck being only 12’10†at the highest point; the Cascadia is 13’ 4†at the highest point. The Cascadia is like climbing a mountain when entering the cab. I was able in the M2 to lay things on the seat when climbing in, but that has all changed! Now I have to throw things up onto the seat and hope they make it.
After we climb in and sit in the drivers seat the first thing we notice is the amount of gauges as well as the curved dash. The truck is set up for driver comfort as well as safety. The steering wheel has push buttons for cruise, turn off and on engine brake, and blink clearance lights. Oh and I cannot wait for winter as the seats are heated and they swivel as well. We have the standard Freightliner Cascadia seats and they are exceptional in comfort.
In the M2 I sat with the seat as high as it would go with no up and down movement and I tried this with the Cascadia. My feet ended up about six inches from the floorboards so I will be learning a different way to drive. I like to leave the seat unlocked so it can move forward and back as this keeps my knees from getting stiff.
The cab of the Cascadia has an enclosed area about the driver’s head. We have always had this area open and used the compartments to store items we might need while driving. If a phone went dead we could reach the charger, if we needed a different headset they were also kept in this area. Bob always had a wide array of snacks as well to eat while going down the road. We will learn new habits with the new truck.
The windshield is split in two pieces, which I hope will help with the price if we get a rock chip. The M2 was one solid piece of glass and very expensive to replace. The last windshield we had in the M2 had over 400,000 miles and not a rock chip to be found, but if the sun hit is just right it was pitted horribly.
The DD13 has 70 more horsepower and 550 foot pounds more torque and what that means in my language is this truck wants to fly up hills. The Cat labored up hills empty and if we were loaded heavy we were always in the slow lane. We are both looking forward to getting the DD13 into the mountains out west and seeing her strut her stuff.
I am also looking forward to the mountains and having a jake brake. When I reached the top of the hill in the M2 I struggled all the way down trying to stay slow and not heat up my brakes. From others I have heard the jake brake on the Cascadia will keep the truck without having to apply the brake or very little use of the brakes. Even thought the Cascadia has the engine brake I do not plan on topping the hill as fast as I can and than expecting the jake brake to slow me down. Caution is still the name of the game when going down steep grades.
We are both still in awe of this truck, the beauty of the Cascadia, the fuel mileage, the visibility out the windshield, the ride, the handling, and of course how quiet the truck runs and virtually no interior noise.
Bob & Linda Caffee
Leased to: FedEx Custom Critical 

TeamCaffee

Saint Louis MO
Expediters 6 years been out here on the road 11 years
Expediting isn't just trucking, it's a lifestyle; 

Expediting isn't just a lifestyle, it's an adventure;

Expediting isn't just an adventure, it's a job;

Expediting isn't just a job, it's a business.