daimler eCascadia electric truck

Status
Not open for further replies.
Originally Posted by Cujet
Well the good news is that this new EV trucking system gives drivers mandatory hour long breaks every 1.5 hours.


Wait ... wasn't the green economy supposed to improve the economy? Not hamstring it?
 
Originally Posted by Danno
Originally Posted by Chris142
Originally Posted by Danno
In order to run 140,000 lbs GVW in Canada, the engine needs to be a minimum of 425 hp. That's the only power requirement. A 13 liter engine can do that easily.
Same engine works well at 1,650 ft. lb. of torque at 1100 - 1400 RPM. Newest engines peak torque is down near 1000 RPM.
From some of the runs I did at that 140k weight, anything more than that is overkill.


Lower HP and torque make for a real long day. It also wears the driver out too. Hauling say 80k with 430 HP vs 250 HP. The constant shifting in the 250 HP truck wears out the driver

Latest stats I've seen is that a good majority of Class 8 s go out with automatics now, just for that reduced RSI and lower skills of new hires.
All the trucks I bought were automatics, from Class 3 cube vans, 26' box trucks to Class 8 highway tractors.
And I bought 100 s per year for our fleet.
I have had my CDL for 21 years. I have never driven an automatic! Maybe that will change with the new laws banning older trucks here?
 
Originally Posted by y_p_w
Originally Posted by A_Harman
Truckers in the USA are limited to a total 11 hours drive time out of 14 hours on-duty time (including fueling) during a 24-hour day. And during an 8-day period, they can't drive more than 70 hours.
In a 14-hour day:
250 miles in 4.2 hours on a full overnight charge.
Fast charge for 1.5 hours.
200 miles in 3.3 hours.
Fast charge for 1.5 hours.
200 miles in 3.3 hours.
Then the truck has 10.2 hours to get a full charge overnight.
That totals 650 miles in 10.8 hours of driving and 3 hours of fueling time to fill up the 14-hour day.

But if a trucker is trying to level his 70 hour weekly drive time:
In an 8.75 hour day:
250 miles in 4.2 hours on a full charge.
Fast charge for 1.5 hours.
200 miles in 3.3 hours.
Fast charge for 1.5 hours.
75 miles in 1.25 hours.
That totals 525 miles in 8.75 hours of driving.

Both scenarios end up with 4200 miles of driving at the end of the week, so the trucks could keep up the allowable operational tempo.
I have done 4000-mile weeks in my Dodge a few times, but require at least two days off before going out again.

There's one last rest area around here, and the truck parking area is often full with sleeper cabs. But there's no parking past a sign. Saw CHP knocking on a sleeper cab way past the sign once. Not sure if the driver got a citation or was told to leave. Has to be tough when a rest break is all planned out but there's no place to legally park.

Don't some Wal-Marts allow overnight RVs and truck parking?


I've slept on the ramps of rest areas before where the signs say "No Parking", and haven't had a problem. But I think it depends on the state. I can see California being more strict about that kind of thing. I got hassled by a rest area custodian in New York once for parking my RV trailer across 6 car parking spots in the dead of winter, but I just moved over to the truck parking area. But truckers can get into a no-win situation if they run out of hours and can't find a place to park. What do you say to a State Trooper when he complains you've gone past 14 hours versus parking in a No Parking zone? You're in trouble either way, but it's better to be off the road if you're tired.

WalMarts are generally very trucker-friendly, and I use them from time to time.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted by Chris142
I have had my CDL for 21 years. I have never driven an automatic! Maybe that will change with the new laws banning older trucks here?

Happy birthday to you, while we're at it.
 
Originally Posted by A_Harman
Originally Posted by y_p_w
There's one last rest area around here, and the truck parking area is often full with sleeper cabs. But there's no parking past a sign. Saw CHP knocking on a sleeper cab way past the sign once. Not sure if the driver got a citation or was told to leave. Has to be tough when a rest break is all planned out but there's no place to legally park.

Don't some Wal-Marts allow overnight RVs and truck parking?


I've slept on the ramps of rest areas before where the signs say "No Parking", and haven't had a problem. But I think it depends on the state. I can see California being more strict about that kind of thing. I got hassled by a rest area custodian in New York once for parking my RV trailer across 6 car parking spots in the dead of winter, but I just moved over to the truck parking area. But truckers can get into a no-win situation if they run out of hours and can't find a place to park. What do you say to a State Trooper when he complains you've gone past 14 hours versus parking in a No Parking zone? You're in trouble either way, but it's better to be off the road if you're tired.

WalMarts are generally very trucker-friendly, and I use them from time to time.

I was wrong about that. There are two rest areas left in the San Francisco Bay Area, and technically a third. The one that's technically one is the H. Dana Bower Safety Roadside Rest Area, but most people call it Vista Point because it's right past the Golden Gate Bridge and popular with tourists. Plenty of tour buses park there, but I don't believe that trucks are allowed to use it.

There's one on I-280 in San Mateo County called the Crystal Springs Safety Roadside Rest Area. I looked at it on Google Maps and they've got three large parking spots for trucks and/or buses and no parking on the shoulder.

https://goo.gl/maps/5ELwyJRDVBN2

This is the one where I saw CHP waking up some driver sleeping in his cab. The truck parking area is on the shoulder of the off ramp.

http://www.dot.ca.gov/maintenance/hunter-hill-w.html
https://goo.gl/maps/V4oXPoJmoA42
https://goo.gl/maps/dwm8YWcAtGS2

It's got a wide shoulder for truck parking that ends where there's a sidewalk. I suppose the sidewalk allows for drivers parked on the shoulder to walk to the restrooms. But there were maybe three trucks that were parked past the no parking sign and partially blocking the off ramp. I was able to drive slowly past the trucks, but I think it's pretty clear that they shouldn't have been there. But yeah I get that it's difficult mapping out required rest hours. Must really be a pain getting stuck in a traffic jam that screws up the timing too.

What ever happened to trucks driven in teams? Seemed to be a movie stereotype of one driver at the wheel while the other took a nap, and then talking to each other for part of the day to keep from getting bored. I've even heard of married couples doing it.
 
Originally Posted by y_p_w
Originally Posted by A_Harman
Originally Posted by y_p_w
There's one last rest area around here, and the truck parking area is often full with sleeper cabs. But there's no parking past a sign. Saw CHP knocking on a sleeper cab way past the sign once. Not sure if the driver got a citation or was told to leave. Has to be tough when a rest break is all planned out but there's no place to legally park.

Don't some Wal-Marts allow overnight RVs and truck parking?


I've slept on the ramps of rest areas before where the signs say "No Parking", and haven't had a problem. But I think it depends on the state. I can see California being more strict about that kind of thing. I got hassled by a rest area custodian in New York once for parking my RV trailer across 6 car parking spots in the dead of winter, but I just moved over to the truck parking area. But truckers can get into a no-win situation if they run out of hours and can't find a place to park. What do you say to a State Trooper when he complains you've gone past 14 hours versus parking in a No Parking zone? You're in trouble either way, but it's better to be off the road if you're tired.

WalMarts are generally very trucker-friendly, and I use them from time to time.

I was wrong about that. There are two rest areas left in the San Francisco Bay Area, and technically a third. The one that's technically one is the H. Dana Bower Safety Roadside Rest Area, but most people call it Vista Point because it's right past the Golden Gate Bridge and popular with tourists. Plenty of tour buses park there, but I don't believe that trucks are allowed to use it.

There's one on I-280 in San Mateo County called the Crystal Springs Safety Roadside Rest Area. I looked at it on Google Maps and they've got three large parking spots for trucks and/or buses and no parking on the shoulder.

https://goo.gl/maps/5ELwyJRDVBN2

This is the one where I saw CHP waking up some driver sleeping in his cab. The truck parking area is on the shoulder of the off ramp.

http://www.dot.ca.gov/maintenance/hunter-hill-w.html
https://goo.gl/maps/V4oXPoJmoA42
https://goo.gl/maps/dwm8YWcAtGS2

It's got a wide shoulder for truck parking that ends where there's a sidewalk. I suppose the sidewalk allows for drivers parked on the shoulder to walk to the restrooms. But there were maybe three trucks that were parked past the no parking sign and partially blocking the off ramp. I was able to drive slowly past the trucks, but I think it's pretty clear that they shouldn't have been there. But yeah I get that it's difficult mapping out required rest hours. Must really be a pain getting stuck in a traffic jam that screws up the timing too

What ever happened to trucks driven in teams? Seemed to be a movie stereotype of one driver at the wheel while the other took a nap, and then talking to each other for part of the day to keep from getting bored. I've even heard of married couples doing it.


Oh yes, team driving is still popular in trucking. There are a lot of husband-wife teams that do it. The USDOT has rules covering team-driven trucks, but a truck can basically be kept working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. But resets are still required.

I have only made one run to California doing RV deliveries, and that was to Vacaville. I have a niece that lives in the SF area, but couldn't coordinate a get-together when I was out there. I avoid towing through major metropolitan areas, and if I do, plan to run through them before noon or on weekends. California has the highest fuel prices in the country, and the transport company I drive for pays its lowest rate to run there. I basically just took a run to Cali to check it off my list of States Visited. I make more money running to the northern states and into Canada.
 
Originally Posted by A_Harman
y_p_w said:
A_Harman said:
I have only made one run to California doing RV deliveries, and that was to Vacaville. I have a niece that lives in the SF area, but couldn't coordinate a get-together when I was out there. I avoid towing through major metropolitan areas, and if I do, plan to run through them before noon or on weekends. California has the highest fuel prices in the country, and the transport company I drive for pays its lowest rate to run there. I basically just took a run to Cali to check it off my list of States Visited. I make more money running to the northern states and into Canada.

That rest stop I mentioned is fairly close to Vacaville. My wife likes to shop at the outlet mall there, and I inevitably drive because she hates any kind of driving that takes longer than 15 minutes. We'll sometimes stop there on the way home. I think I've even taken a nap there after we went Black Friday shopping and I really needed to sleep for an hour.

But yeah - I've heard complaints about the Bay Area being particularly difficult for trucking I know there aren't too many places for a truck to refuel and definitely no truck stops where you can sleep. Still - I remember seeing some fuel stops that are CFN only via member card access and with ample room for semis. I don't see too many gas stations that don't have a convenience store or even a clerk. One in particular didn't even have a roof. Just a Flyers/CFN sign and no posted prices.
 
Originally Posted by OVERKILL
Originally Posted by Chris142
Could they put solar panels on the top of the trailer to help increase the range?


The contribution would be so small I doubt it would be worthwhile. Solar's density is horrifically low.

I remember a Knight Rider episode where the premise was of a cross country rally race where all the vehicles ran on alternative fuel sources. There was one that was completely covered in solar panels, which seemed a bit odd given the problems with energy density, especially with early 80s solar technology. The true solar powered cars at at the time were essentially large fairings covered with solar parents and were based off of bicycle mechanicals to save weight. None I recall would ever be allowed in normal traffic.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0620815/

https://www.nbc.com/classic-tv/knight-rider-original/video/give-me-libertyor-give-me-death/n3681

KITT's alternative fuel was liquid hydrogen. The premise in the series was that KITT could basically run off of any combustible fuel, although it was typically gasoline.

I had a quick look at it, and apparently there are some odd ones, including one they claim is running on moonshine. Also, the solar powered vehicle isn't completely covered with panels, and it's revving up making sounds like a gasoline engine.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top