Freightliner has been doing all the ground work to launch its new Cascadia model to Australia and while there have been some delays in trucks arriving from the North Carolina factory in the USA, som fleets are starting to take delivery of the much anticipated bonneted offering from the Daimler brand.
Major tanker operator McColl’s has landed one of he first production versions ot hit Aussie roads and it has already hit the road delivering milk across Victoria in the company’s familiar ewhite red and blue coour scheme.
McColl’s Cascadia 126 is powered by Daimler’s big banger new generation 16-litre Detroit engine mated with the DT 12-speed AMT.
The Cascadia is the top selling truck in the United States, partly thanks to its class-leading fuel efficiency aided by optimised aerodynamics and the latest generation powertrain, which uses GPS data to read the terrain in order to select the best gear.
As we have previously reported the new Cascadia also introduces a full suite of fully integrated safety features not seen on conventional trucks in Australia before now. These include a system that uses radar and camera to ‘see’ down the side of the truck to warn of any impending collisions and a front-facing radar/camera that will automatically brake the truck in an emergency. This feature, which is standard, can even detect, and brake for, pedestrians.
McColl’s took delivery of the new Cascadia at its Geelong headquarters recently and the truck started carting milk with a B-double combination a few days later.
Freightliner Australia Pacific director, Stephen Downes, who handed the keys over to McColl’s managing director, Simon Thornton, said it is great to see the Cascadia in McColl’s colours.
“McColl’s is an iconic Australian fleet that has a special place in our hearts, especially those of us with a connection to regional Victoria, so it is fantastic to see our Cascadia in those striking colours,” he says.
“We are excited that the McColl’s team will now be able to experience the new standard of safety, efficiency and comfort that the Cascadia brings to the conventional truck class in Australia,” he said.
Mr Thornton said the Cascadia’s full suite of safety features is appealing.
“McColl’s has always been at the forefront when it comes to transport safety, so we are especially keen on the advanced safety features being introduced with the Cascadia,” he said.
“We are also very interested to see how the new Detroit engine and transmission performs in our operation,” Mr Thornton concludes.
The McColl’s truck is one of first Cascadias in company colours on Australian roads, while several demonstrator models are in operation across fleets.
Daimler Truck and Bus president and CEO, Daniel Whitehead, says the early feedback has been very positive.
“We have been talking about Cascadia’s fuel economy, the quality and the comfort of this truck for some time, so it’s great to hear operators tell us how good it is,” he said.
“The feedback across a wide range of applications has been extremely positive as customers get a taste of this class-leading truck,” Whitehead added.
