The Comparison
I have been getting some requests for a comparison between the Cascadia, Century, and the Columbia. It should help to set the stage for my opinions by giving a little history of the trucks I have driven. The first truck that I drove was a 1975 Dodge D series. Shortly after that I landed in a 1974 International low cab forward. This truck was an oven in the summer and a freezer in the winter . The radio in this truck was useless unless I was on break with the engine turned off. Another thing about these older trucks was the fact neither of them had air dryers. I remember that in the winter you needed to drain the air tanks multiple times during the day or the system would freeze up. The next trucks on the list are responsible for my bad back. These jewels of the highway were GMC Brigadier’s. Two of them were single axles and the other was a tandem axle walking beam suspension. Another fine feature of the tandem axle GMC was a Viking spring ride seat. This truck was capable of finding bumps in the road that were not visible to the human eye. The next truck was a whole lot nicer. It was a 1982 Freightliner cabover ,48 inch sleeper and for spring reyco suspension. This truck had it all Cummins Big Cam engine 10 speed transmission power steering air conditioning and a AM- FM radio that you could actually hear . Then I switched jobs to a different carrier. This was a private carrier and they rented trucks as we needed them. I enjoyed the opportunity to drive a lot of different truck nameplates for a few years. The only brands that I did not get to try during this period were Autocar, Western Star and Marmon. The carrier finally decided to get our own truck. This truck was a 1994 Freightliner FLD 120 48″ sleeper, 360/400 HP 1450 foot pound Series 60 Detroit 9 speed Eaton, with air ride cab and rear suspension. Now it was finally time for me to buy my first truck of my own and start Albert Transport. The decision to start out with a Freightliner FLD 120/70″ mid roof was a no brainer. The rest of the specs. on this truck were the same as the last truck that I was driving. This truck really helped me as I started working for myself. It was reliable, light weight, and was very good on fuel. In short this was everything that I needed in my first truck. Next on the list brings us to my 2001 Freightliner Century Class S/T which I still own and operate. The Century has given me years of reliable service. When I first started driving the Century Class it seemed incredibly quiet. This truck now has over 820,000 miles on it and the only real rattles are the cabinet doors in the sleeper. When I adjust the latches the noise disappears. I really like the ergonomics on the Century and found them to be similar to those in the new Cascadia. The handling is a little different for me because my Century Class is a mid roof and my Cascadia is a full condo. The differences in roof height make it difficult for me to make a fair comparison on all out handling characteristics. There is one thing that really stands out in respect to handling and that’sthe rack and pinion steering. The rack and pinion steering system gives me a precision feel of the road . Freightliner has dialed in the perfect amount of boost assist to the steering. The Cascadia has a lot more room in the cab . I really like this part because I am 6′5″ tall and this was the first vehicle of any kind that enabled me to use the sun visors and see past the end of the hood. The doors on the Cascadia close like they came from a fine luxury automobile. The most incredible part of the Cascadia to me is how quiet it is. When my wife calls me in the truck she needs to ask if I am running down the road or parked because it is so well insulated. The insulation also helps during my rest breaks. When I sleep I do not like to listen to my truck, so I always shut off the engine during rest periods. With the Cascadia, I have a parked HVAC system that is operated by battery power. The Cascadia is insulated so well that I have forgotten to turn on the heat and still slept comfortably. The only real rattle that I have found in the Cascadia was the batteries in my flash light. This truck is so quiet, that if there is a rattle, it is coming from something that I put in the cab. The Columbia and Century Class are both fine trucks. The Cascadia just puts the bar to a level that is out of reach for other trucks.
March 9, 2009 at 9:07 am
Henry, I noticed just as Freightliner was getting ready to introduce the Cascadia, they hyped up the fact they had spent millions on research to give us a “better” truck. Have you personally noticed a “better” product? You can compare it to an older Freightliner, since you have one.
Some of my pet peeves over the years have been the gap in between the sun visors, that let the sun into my eyes, and the guages being too small and or blocked by the steering wheel, and the toggle switches being too close and sometimes causes you to hit the “Jake” instead of the trailer clearance lights, and small radio knobs, which are a pain when trying to make adjustments on a bumpy road. And finally, could the manufacturer install a pull down visor that would block the early or late sun coming through the side window. It would be just above your left hand as you were gripping the steering wheel. Just a thought since Freightliner wants your feedback, right?
March 9, 2009 at 9:41 am
Thank you so much for responding to your comparison requests. I must admit as much as I HATE how noisy (NVH) the ‘06 Columbia I drive is I DO like some of the innovative features that came with it. Also, the steering (and I don’t know if it has the newer Freightliner rack and pinion setup or not) is honestly very car-like. I am a 7on/7off truck driver and I have absolutely no trouble going from truck to car, steers very similar! And I must say making a big truck steer like a car is no small feat!!! Also, it turns very tight, better than my last assigned International 9400i and probably as good or better than any other truck out there its size (70 or so in. midroof). I can tell by just watching these Petes and Kenworths back into a parking spot/dock.!:) That all being said, I do hope my company (plan on staying with them for awhile) eventually goes to something like the Cascadia. Seems like the ergonomics are better (radio is a stretch in the Columbia) and the insulation is better than the 9400i (I insist the Columbia’s is noticeably worse). Also, I hope the DD15 is MUCH more well mannered than a Series 60. Freightliner did a good job with the Columbia on paper (specs, design, features, etc…), I just wish they kept going in the refinement department!:) Also, does your Century have a Cummins or Series 60 in it? Another thing, I trained in 2 Freightliner Columbia condos and the only differences I remember are that the condo was taller and had 2 bunks. Another thing, thankfully when my company ordered my assigned truck, they got the nets on the storage areas instead of the doors, even though the nets are at times inconvenient, common sense tells me the doors would created a rattle-trap, especially in the Columbia!
March 9, 2009 at 2:31 pm
Barry and Brad , I have found the Cascadia to be much quieter than my Century Class which has a 500/ 1650 Series 60 engine. The Series 60 has proven to be a very reliable on efficient power plant for me. The DD-15 takes engine technology to a higher plateau. The slogan that Detroit Diesel uses to decribe the DD-15 (DEMAND IT ALL) is very accurate. This engine has all the power that a driver needs while staying quiet and delivering teriffic fuel mileage. The DD15 is also easy to service with its top loaded filters and with 50,000 mile P.M. intervals that keep you on the road instead of the shop getting service.The diference in feel between my mid roof and my condo could also becoming from the fact that I pulled flat bed with the mid roof and a dry van with the Cascadia condo. There is alot more area for wind to blow you around with a dry van versus a flat bed trailer. I will pass your pet peeve about the sun visors on to Freightliner . The visors are not something that I am in the habit of using because I am so tall . To block out the sun I normaly just raise the seat a little. Finally , the cabinent doors in my Century Class dont rattle much if you keep the latches adjusted.The best way to explain the improvements that make the Cascadia a Cascadia would by saying that this truck redefines what a large car should be. Just a few years ago I would not have beleived that a truck could be this well thought out. The good thing is that the engineers at freightliner are not on break yet and are still trying to advance perfection constantly. I do not think that good enough is in their vocabulary. Thanks again for commenting to let me know what you are interested in .Henry
March 12, 2009 at 9:07 pm
Did the HVAC come with the truck or is it aftermarket? From research, that would be my choice but the true test is in experience. Does it have its own batterys? The Cascadia sounds wonderful and personally I would live with rattling doors before I would wrestle those nets.
March 13, 2009 at 10:51 am
Johannah, the HVAC system that is on my Cascadia came factory installed. The electric system is powered by eight batteries and is recarged by a two hundred and seventy amp alternator. This system is also protected by a low voltage shut off device. When the voltage starts getting low it starts shutting down cicuits one at a time, leaving plenty of voltage to restart the truck. I hope that this answers your questions about the HVAC system. I totally agree withyou about wrestling wih cargo nets and the cabinet doors on the Cascadia have proven to be totally rattle free so far. It was good hearing from you. Are you coming to Mid America ?
October 5, 2009 at 6:55 pm
i was interested in putting a detroit diesel series 60 14.0l into my 92 freightliner 120. Dop you think I have room to put a bigger engine into an olde truck like that?
October 5, 2009 at 9:21 pm
Yes,it should bolt in and should be easy if your truck has a 12.7 60 series in it already. I would contact a good shop and seek thier advise before you decide what to do.