New package cars...

[Ms.PacMan]

Just more stuff designed by someone who's never done the job. Weak sauce compared to the workhorse. The roof isn't translucent like earlier models, cab is smaller, turning radius is horrible, the pulley/weight bulkhead door opener is to weak to open the door on a road with a crown. They aren't sealed up at all. Shall I go on?

Ha.....yeah they scoot pretty good. After watching my Pats whoop the Dolphins and throwing down a few....I'm going on a rant....lol.

So.....who goes down to the unveiling of these package cars before they are introduced to the system? Any safety members??

So maybe when they showed the truck to UPS......perhaps it went like this.....

"Instead of the old trucks where the wipers, ignition, temp controls, lights were all in one place. ..we spread them out now to make the driver reach all over the cab. We even located the handbrake so they can't reach it without hyper extending, if you're short then you have to remove the seatbelt.

Also, when it rains.....we made the drip edge over the doors stop right above the handrail so it drains the water down the rail so they can slip getting in and out.

We also made it like the old trucks so when they turn the heat to cold, hot coolant still flows through the heater box in the cab further increasing heat in the cab during the summer.

And lastly, we didn't vent the rear cargo area, instead we used the same golf ball size holes on each side so they can cook in the back"

"Excellent......we'll take a few thousand of them!"


My P1000 is still the same old design that takes no human well-being into consideration.

Rant over.

You two nailed it.

 

[iruhnman630]

What engineering genius made the decision to make all shelves level, not inclined? Lip load last about 1 mile of dirt road.

 

[1BROWNWRENCH]

The seat belt issue for "vertically challenged" is prevented by merely lowering the 3rd point down to where it should be for someone that height.

 

[1BROWNWRENCH]

There's no such thing as "better quality springs" that will carry the loads. Air bags are most likely the only way to improve the ride. It's a truck, not a sports car or Cadillac.

 

[1BROWNWRENCH]

I once, on purpose, stopped a State Trooper and had him write me a fixit ticket for an old P600 for dim headlights because the mechanic said that was the only style headlight he could get out of automotive supply. After I showed the ticket to the center manager I was allowed to petty cash a set of top of the line (at that time) halogen lamps that were like 5 times the cost of regular lights. I was the envy of the center with my new lights but none of the other trucks got them because they didn't get a ticket.

I bet the 6 volt lights were dim! Seriously, a lot of the new ones are aimed way too high.

 

[iowa boy]

There's no such thing as "better quality springs" that will carry the loads. Air bags are most likely the only way to improve the ride. It's a truck, not a sports car or Cadillac.

But why are the old 700's "oversprung" for the weight rating and why no shocks on these 7's?

We have a couple of old 7's in our fleet that ride like they are on steel wheels, full or empty... makes me feel old real quick, especially with the old seats in them.

 

[1BROWNWRENCH]

But why are the old 700's "oversprung" for the weight rating and why no shocks on these 7's?

We have a couple of old 7's in our fleet that ride like they are on steel wheels, full or empty... makes me feel old real quick, especially with the old seats in them.

What do you mean no shocks? They have them in the front on the old IHC's. I'm sure the shorter wheelbase makes for some of the roughness. What "old" seats? All P7s I know of all take the same kind. Bostrom seats would require an air compressor, but would be nice.

 

[1BROWNWRENCH]

Our center has received 3 new Freightliner 1000's in the last year. Just curious if anyone knows when some new 700's might be rolling in to a center near you?

No smaller PC's are going to be produced for another year or so.

 

[Billy Ray]

If you guys and gals had to drive my truck daily, you would swear that you were being punished by the center manager.

 

[iowa boy]

What do you mean no shocks? They have them in the front on the old IHC's. I'm sure the shorter wheelbase makes for some of the roughness. What "old" seats? All P7s I know of all take the same kind. Bostrom seats would require an air compressor, but would be nice.

I was talking about the no shock setup in the back, just the leaf pack with no "bounce" built into it.

And I was just complaining about the old factory seats that never get changed out when the seat and back springs flatten out. I know the seats can be changed out but our mechanics piss and moan every time they have to change out a seat because they are lazy.

 

[Alexcross774]

So.....who goes down to the unveiling of these package cars before they are introduced to the system? Any safety members??

So maybe when they showed the truck to UPS......perhaps it went like this.....

"Instead of the old trucks where the wipers, ignition, temp controls, lights were all in one place. ..we spread them out now to make the driver reach all over the cab. We even located the handbrake so they can't reach it without hyper extending, if you're short then you have to remove the seatbelt.

So you pretty much have two companies that build cabs for this style of vehicles. Morgan Olsen and Utilimaster. They come up with the design, the company that buys the trucks can make minor changes such as A/C, whether it has Keyless etc. But for the most part we just buy what is available to the market right now.
That being said, I agree with many of your complaints. I think with so much dash space, and so few buttons, they just move stuff around to make it look different.

 

[werenotthepostoffice]

I run a van route these days so I'm looking forward to the days when I get a rental due to peak volume.

Yup,those Penske rentals with nice sound systems and modern HVAC ain't so bad. Especially if they spring for the ones with the new Bose Seats.

 

[AKCoverMan]

My pet peeves are..

The four-way flasher switches that are always in a stupid place like under the steering column. I mean we use the flashers at every stop all day...

The newer cars have this hideous alarm that goes off if the engine is off and either the lights are on or the ebrake is not set. I'm down with the ebrake alarm, but in the winter it gets dark very very early here and in most conditions I want to leave my car lit up while I walk off my DR. Make myself seen to avoid a hit-while-parked and also to illuminate the area a little bit during my stop. The only way to do this is to listen to this very loud alarm you can hear a block away. And if you do ignore the alarm because you think it's for the lights..there is an increased chance of rollaway if it was also going off for the ebrake not set (again, because it's the same alarm sound).

Our mechs say there is no way to bypass or turn off the headlight alarm. They tell me i should turn the headlights and running lights off at every stop and only have four-ways on. Really? Come deliver in the dark with me...

 

[1BROWNWRENCH]

I was talking about the no shock setup in the back, just the leaf pack with no "bounce" built into it.

And I was just complaining about the old factory seats that never get changed out when the seat and back springs flatten out. I know the seats can be changed out but our mechanics piss and moan every time they have to change out a seat because they are lazy.

Seat changing is easy. That's unfortunate.

 

[selfcancelsignal]

No smaller PC's are going to be produced for another year or so.

Good to know. I'll happily make due with my manual international p7 probably for several more years anyway as there are 5 bid routes in our center that still have manual p7's & I'm probably the 2nd most disliked driver by management in this group, so the top 2 will probably get new PC's since they are run & gun Skippys.

 

[Ms.PacMan]

My pet peeves are..

The four-way flasher switches that are always in a stupid place like under the steering column. I mean we use the flashers at every stop all day...

The newer cars have this hideous alarm that goes off if the engine is off and either the lights are on or the ebrake is not set. I'm down with the ebrake alarm, but in the winter it gets dark very very early here and in most conditions I want to leave my car lit up while I walk off my DR. Make myself seen to avoid a hit-while-parked and also to illuminate the area a little bit during my stop. The only way to do this is to listen to this very loud alarm you can hear a block away. And if you do ignore the alarm because you think it's for the lights..there is an increased chance of rollaway if it was also going off for the ebrake not set (again, because it's the same alarm sound).

Our mechs say there is no way to bypass or turn off the headlight alarm. They tell me i should turn the headlights and running lights off at every stop and only have four-ways on. Really? Come deliver in the dark with me...

If you put the dimmer switch all the way down there is no alarm.

 

[1BROWNWRENCH]

My pet peeves are..

The four-way flasher switches that are always in a stupid place like under the steering column. I mean we use the flashers at every stop all day...

The newer cars have this hideous alarm that goes off if the engine is off and either the lights are on or the ebrake is not set. I'm down with the ebrake alarm, but in the winter it gets dark very very early here and in most conditions I want to leave my car lit up while I walk off my DR. Make myself seen to avoid a hit-while-parked and also to illuminate the area a little bit during my stop. The only way to do this is to listen to this very loud alarm you can hear a block away. And if you do ignore the alarm because you think it's for the lights..there is an increased chance of rollaway if it was also going off for the ebrake not set (again, because it's the same alarm sound).

Our mechs say there is no way to bypass or turn off the headlight alarm. They tell me i should turn the headlights and running lights off at every stop and only have four-ways on. Really? Come deliver in the dark with me...

Can't re-engineer what was made of the dashboard without big liability. Especially in light of what happened a few years ago in Federal Way involving a hydroboost alarm. It is annoying that made it beep on everything, but the same noise maker for the hydroboost warning is the same one for the other extraneous beeps. Can't silence it.

 

[Ms.PacMan]

Can't silence it.

Dimmer switch. The brake alarm will still beep but turning the dimmer all the way down will silence the light alarm.

 

[QualityLoads]

New cars. It only takes one irreg and your truck is blown out

 

[oldngray]

If you put the dimmer switch all the way down there is no alarm.

On some trucks yes but not for all.