“be aware very aware”
hello everyone, i hope you all had a good week!! when i was asked to test the cascadia and dd-15 i had no idea how much i would learn. not only about the cascadia and dd-15 but about our industry as a whole. case in point, the truck pictured above is my truck i got out of it to get in to this one. i kept it for a couple of months just in case something happened that i didn’t like the new set up. it didn’t take very long for me to decide that i really liked the cascadia and the dd-15. the room, comfort, and power sold me pretty quickly. so i decided to sell my W900L. first i put it in the truck paper, and from there i started getting phone calls from places on the net that i could or more like, these people would sell my truck for me. i heard all the hype how they had people wanting my truck and they could sell it in just 4 short weeks. they also told me that if it didn’t sell in 90 days i could get my $400 back less $75 administration fees. so i went with Classy Auto out of omaha ne. yep you guessed it i bought in to it hook, line and sinker. i read all the fine print and thought i had all my bases covered. except for the very last line that said it was up to their discretion. that is the part i didn’t read very well. the reason they gave why i didn’t get my money back was because i didn’t lower my price. needless to say that i had but their letter stated that their word was final. i guess i should feel lucky that it was only $400 and not $4000. I’m just to optimistic or gullible 
which ever fits. i have had others call me with the same type of thing promising me the world……for a fee. i did learn my lesson though. i guess i know how some of these big companies get so big. off me and your back. if i have helped any one of you not to make the same mistake i did it would make me feel a whole lot better!!! i dont think Classy Auto is very classy do you? until next time be safe.
kurt
June 17, 2009 at 10:35 am
Kurt,
Sorry to hear about this experience…Especially a good ol Nebraska company. I looked them up and they have some comments about them on ripofffreport.com as well. I had thought I may know this outfit, but I have no idea who they are.
Better luck.
Brian
June 19, 2009 at 1:55 am
Hi Kurt!
My name is Fedor I’m from Russia. Sorry, but I’m not truck driver, but a service engineer . Several times I tried to get in contact with sevice dept. of Freightliner corp. But invain, suppose burocracy. So I’m interested in the most common problems with the new freightliner engines and transmission, due to the fact that sometimes DD engines have lubricating problems, we change them for Cummins. I would be glad if you give me some info concerning the new DD engine. Thanx a lot.
Have a nice trip…
June 21, 2009 at 10:04 am
hi fedor, i have 121000 miles on this DD-15 as of now. the oil changes are 50,000 miles. i do oil analysis about every 20,000 miles. i had just done one on friday the 19th and everything came back good. i also check my oil a lot and have not seen any oil usage. i have not seen any lubricating problems with this DD-15. it is still smooth and very quiet. i will pass your concerns on to freightliner, so check back for a follow up. thanks kurt
June 22, 2009 at 11:21 pm
Hi Kurt!
)). So that Freightliner had aluminium wheeldisks which were damaged , driver said that the reason of damage is not roads or overweight, but bad material from which that disks were made, we checked our stock and found steel disks for that radius. So I have the question can we change aluminium for steel? I think, that there is no any problem in it, but want to hear an authoritive opininon, what do you think?
Thanx for your reply. I will save your information for our engine dept. cause they need in it badly. I want to know your opinion concerning the next situation which happened yesterday. Freightliner Columbia FLC 120 came to our service for wheel and pneumatic system checking. ( I don’t know really, have you any idea about russian roads, but in brief and in whole, there are no roads at all, in their existing meaning, So the most common problem for all trucks is wheel checking every 15 000 km, otherwise, truck can stop on the road there no any truck service 500 -700 km around and wait till somebody’ll help, though it is not easy problem especially, if the truck is overloaded ( common thing
Thanx a lot
Have a nice trip…
P.S. I see the speedometer results of your truck. So I admired with your speed approx. 110 km /hour, but I was astonished what’s the permitted speed for trucks in the USA ? In Russia it is 90 km/h, otherwise, police will send “happy letters”
June 22, 2009 at 11:41 pm
Dear Kurt!
Now I tried to send an e-mail to Freightliner sales dept. but my “outlook “informed me that such e-mail address doesn’t exist. So I send you that letter, because I haven’t any idea how to come in contact with the men from Freight liner. Won’t you be so kind to readdress it to them. Thanx in advance:
Good afternoon!
Our company “Agrotechservice” is situated in the town of Georgievsk, Stavropol region Russia and we are seeking for a constant spare parts supplier for Freightliner trucks. As we closely working with Cummins company and we are the dealer of that company on the territory of Dagestan,Kabardino-Balkarya, Karachaevo-Cherkessia Stavropol regions and republic of Kalmikiya, we possess all necessary equipment for diagnostics and repair Cummins engines. So, now we want to begin to provide the whole spectrum of service for American trucks, as our capacities, equipment and stuff are ready for that. If you are interested in development of service net on the territory of South Russia we would be glad to get from you information concerning dealing of Freightliner spare parts.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
With kindest regards!
Fedor Kipa
Engineer “Agrotechservice” LLC
357820 Russia, Stavropol region
Georgievsk
Oktyabrskaya st. 114
tel. +7(87951) 748-59
te./fax +7(87951) 748-58
mob. +7(928) 971-23-78
ICQ 581380294
June 23, 2009 at 9:30 am
fedor, i have passed your info on to freightliner. i would give them a couple of days to respond if you dont hear from them let me know and i will try again. can you be little more specific on your wheel disc. and finally a lot of the states i run in are 75 mph, 120km/h thx kurt
June 23, 2009 at 10:42 am
Re: your adventure with the outfit in Nebraska, it seems that there is a school somewhere in America that teaches businesses how to deceive tha buying public. I have become so skeptical when it comes to doing business with anyone, that a lot of the times, I don’t even bother to read their advertisiment, especially when there’s a half a page of small print. It is uncanny how these businesses come up with their deceptive practices.
Have you considered hiring a driver for the W900 ?
June 23, 2009 at 4:37 pm
hello barry, yes i have thought about putting another driver in my truck, however all the drivers i know that i would put in that truck already have a truck or have a good job already. good thing i didnt give them $4000. lol kurt
June 24, 2009 at 4:00 am
Dear Kurt!
So I suppose that in Russia there will be a lot of purchasers, if thereis necessity I can help you to find purchaser who ll pay for the truck and for delivery from the place which you’ll point.
Read you reply to Barry G. and had an idea for you to sell that truck to Russia, you see there are a lot of american trucks in russia which were built even in late 70s, sometime such “unique things” come to our service. and we are “meditating” over such “dragons”. Though sometime it is impossiblr to find any spare part for it. than we begin to construct them.
Concerning wheels finnaly the put it, but the truck cannot rise the speed due to the fact that these discs are heavy… but we always have to choose between worse and bad…
Thank you for you support in our business, will wait from you reply concerning truck…
June 24, 2009 at 7:52 pm
hello fedor, thanks for the offer on selling my truck any thing i can do to sell it i think i would try!! i have sent your concerns on to others in freightliner. hopefully someone will contact you soon. i can’t imagine having roads that bad!! i hope you keep checking back and letting me and my readers hear from you again. until next time and be safe. kurt
June 25, 2009 at 10:40 pm
Hi Kurt !
Thanx for your reply! Sorry haven’t any time to give detailed description of the wheel problem, one of our dept. is working over CASE and NEW HOLLAND harversters and tractors, so I was sent to help them to translate technical manuals for that vehicles. You know it’s time to harverst here in Caucausus. So we all are on fields, to support, and to help our men in their “struggle for crop”. More over we have purchased several Freightliners, through one of the american auctions, to transport weat from fields as their volume and transporting weight are higher than Russian trucks have, though they always win in Paris-Dakkar tours… paradox…
Kurt, sorry to say, but Ihaven’t got any info from Freight liner men, though the necessity in spare parts is too high, cause our Freightliners are decomplected and are on it’s way through Ocean to us… pity
By the way Have you ever been in Europe? I mean, as a tourist ? If yes, what countries did you visit?
June 26, 2009 at 7:00 am
hi fedor, no have not been outside the USA. to many things here to see and do
good luck with those crops. take care kurt
June 26, 2009 at 11:27 am
Hi Fedor,
let me first introduce myself to you. My name is Miguel Soetaert. I work for Detroit Diesel in Detroit, MI, USA in the role of component optimization. This is about selecting truck components to optimize certain features of the truck. I also keep in touch with Henry, Kurt and Dick, the 3 Slice of Trucker’s Life drivers.
I am excited to learn from your blog how many american trucks are driving around in Russia. I had no clue (although I once traveled from Ulaan Bataar in Mongolia all the way to Moskau and on to Stuttgart in Germany by train).
If you send me your specific questions regarding DDC engines, Freightliner Trucks and Western Star Trucks, I’ll be more than happy to answer them for you. I won’t always know the answer, but I should at least be able to find the right person within the Daimler Trucks North America organization to give the right answer.
You can reach me at miguel.soetaert@daimler.com or via phone on the number +1-313-421-6117.
Have a great weekend.
Miguel
June 28, 2009 at 10:41 pm
Hi Kurt! Thanx a lot for your reply. Some years ago I visited North America, I was in Florida in the USA and in Ottawa in Canada. I qute agree with you that there a lot of places in america to see and to visit, by the way, how much time did you cross america? what the main problem in america while driving? I ask you such questions, as one of our person is going to visit his relatives in California, but he is going to do it by renting a car in Washington and cross the USA till California… I suppose that it will be crazy to do. because he even has no idea what can heppen on the roads in the USA, more over his language skills are not so good enough to travel by car. What can you advise?
P.S. Thanx a lot for your help, finding the Daimler men…
Havr a nice trip…
June 29, 2009 at 3:04 am
hey fedor, it takes about 3-4 days of hard driving to cross the U.S. and that is not stopping for much!! the biggest problem i see with American drivers is no respect for big trucks i.e. it is big trucks fault. it will be a challenge for him because our road system is so mass. take care kurt
June 30, 2009 at 12:39 am
Hi Kurt!
Thanx a lot for your reply. 3 days of hard driving it ’s not much. Yesterday come a man from Far East . he said that he began his voyage at 15 June and only 28 he came to us. He described roads and police on his distance we listened him and looked like children. Because his story was dramatic you see, it seems that he returned from war. His truck was damaged in some part especially cab, mirrors, and lightings … we tried to find spare parts for such “warrior” but invain there is no supplier in russia… so we decided to restyle the truck if it is possible