Gettin’ Down & Dirty

In-depth

13 Oct

Cleary Bros buy into Freightliner Cascadia

Cleary Bros Transport has introduced the Freightliner Cascadia to its iconic yellow fleet based on the New South Wales South Coast.

The Port Kembla company chose the Freightliner thanks largely to its 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,” said Cleary Bros Director, Brett Cleary. “Safety is absolutely paramount for our company and there is nothing else out there that has this level of safety in a conventional truck.”

The Cascadia 116 has been running as a quad-axle dog at 57.5 tonnes with Performance Based Standards approval, hauling sand and aggregate between Wollongong and Sydney.

Cleary Bros General Manager Concrete and Transport, Steve Crandell, said the Cascadia’s safety features weren’t limited to the advanced driver aids such as Adaptive Cruise Control and AEB.

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. These are all important elements for Cleary Bros.

“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,” said Steve. “The safety technology in Cascadia is way in front of what else is available.”

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.

Steve Crandell says the engine and transmission is 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.”

It is too early for fuel economy data on this truck, but other Cascadia models are delivering significant gains for operators around Australia.

Steve Crandell adds that the driver loves the Cascadia. “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.”

The bright yellow Cascadia is also drawing plenty of attention.

“It really is turning heads, left, right and centre. We are getting heaps of comments about it - all of them positive.”