The Freightliner Cascadia has set a new standard for respected Port Kembla trucking outfit Clearly Bros Transport.
Running a Cascadia 116 with a quad-axle dog at 57.5 tonnes with Performance Based Standards approval, the company is hauling sand and aggregate between Wollongong and Sydney.
Cleary Bros Director Brett Cleary has been impressed by the Cascadia’s 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,” he said in a statement released by Daimler Trucks.
“Safety is absolutely paramount for our company and there is nothing else out there that has this level of safety in a conventional truck,” said Cleary.
The Cascadia’s safety features weren’t, however, limited to the advanced driver aids such as Adaptive Cruise Control and AEB according to Steve Crandell Cleary Bros General Manager Concrete and Transport.
“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,” he said.
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.
“The safety technology in Cascadia is way in front of what else is available,” said Crandell.
The Cleary Bros Cascadia runs a fuel-efficient 13-litre Detroit DD13, which generates 505hp and 1850lb-ft of torque, linked to a fully automated Daimler transmission.
Crandell confirmed the engine and transmission are 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.
Crandell added that the new Cascadia had fast gained driver approval.
“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,” said Crandell.
“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.
A third 10×4 agitator, set to arrive in the next few weeks, has already been ordered such is the impression the Cascadia CL112 has left in the specialty application.
