Freightliner’s new Cascadia has found favour with prominent NSW South Coast operator, Cleary Bros Transport which says. That the new truck’s safety package was a major factor in adding it to the fleet.
The iconic yellow fleet based in Wollongong and operating throughout the New South Wales South Coast has a large fleet of truck ranging from tipper dog to concrete agitators, prime movers and rigids with a large proportion wearing the Freightliner badge.
The company says it chose the new Freightliner thanks largely to its advanced safety technology, including Active Emergency Braking with pedestrian detection, Lane Departure Warning and SideGuard Assist, a system that uses radar to detect people and objects down the side of the truck when it is about to turn left.
“Cascadia is setting a new standard for safety and the rest will have to follow,” said Cleary Bros director, Brett Cleary.
“Safety is absolutely paramount for our company and there is nothing else out there that has this level of safety in a conventional truck,” he said.
The Cascadia 116 has been running as a quad-axle dog at 57.5 tonnes with Performance Based Standards approval, hauling sand and aggregate between Wollongong and Sydney.
Cleary Bros, general manager Concrete and Transport, Steve Crandell, said the Cascadia’s safety features weren’t limited to the advanced driver aids such as Adaptive Cruise Control and AEB.
He cites the Cascadia’s sloping bonnet, which provides excellent visibility for a conventional truck, along with the optional wing-mounted side mirror as key safety features.
These are all important elements for Cleary Bros, he said.
“Our trucks operate in all types of areas, where there can be a lot of traffic and pedestrians, so we need to do everything to ensure the safety of our driver and other members of the community,” Mr Crandell said.
“The safety technology in Cascadia is way in front of what else is available,” he adds.
The Cleary Bros Cascadia runs the 13-litre Detroit DD13, which generates 505hp and 1850lb-ft of torque, linked to the fully automated Daimler transmission.
Mr Crandell says the engine and transmission is working well on the application.
“It has a good torque band and goes up Mount Ousley, the steepest hill around, with no problems at all,” he says.
It is too early for fuel economy data on this truck, but other Cascadia models are delivering significant gains for operators around Australia.
Mr Crandell added that the driver loves the Cascadia.
“He appreciates the safety, and things like the adaptive cruise control, but the first thing he spoke about was the cabin layout and said was that everything he needed was within reach,” he said.
The bright yellow Cascadia is also drawing plenty of attention.
“It really is turning heads, left, right and centre,” Mr Crandell says. “We are getting lots of calls asking about it.”
The Cleary Bros truck was the first Cascadia delivered by Stillwell Trucks in Sydney, which provides a high level of support to the Cleary Bros fleet.
Stillwell Trucks has recently provided the company with two high-productivity CL112 10×4 cement agitators already at work. The team at Cleary Bros were so impressed that they have ordered a third 10×4 agitator, which is set to arrive in the next few weeks.
