Wants Wanted Cascadia - Now They Want More

In-depth

7 Feb

Wants Transport of Lismore, NSW recently added a new Freightliner Cascadia 126 with a 60-inch bunk to its New South Wales fleet. The Cascadia is running to and from Townsville with alternate loads of grain and fertilizer as a B-double at close to 68.5 tonnes and is returning a fuel economy figure of between 1.9and 2km per litre.

“We’re just blown away by the fuel economy,” explains owner, Matthew Want. “Those numbers, when it is full almost all the time, are just amazing. We have a great driver, Jason, who is embracing the technology the truck brings and I’m sure the fuel figures will even improve over time.”

Matthew Want says Cascadia’s standard safety features such as Autonomous Emergency Braking and Lane Departure Warning as well as the optional Side Guard Assist, which he selected, were a key part of the reason he bought one. “Safety is very important to us, not just the active safety, but also managing fatigue.”

Cascadia’s manufacturer warranty of four years or 800,000km (whichever comes first) for the truck and engine and five years/500,000km (whichever comes first) of free Best Basic servicing also played a part in Matthew’s decision to buy. So impressed is he that a second unit is on order, to be delivered later this month.

The truck’s 60-inch sleeper is the largest available for the Australian Cascadia and this particular truck features a double bunk, microwave and television.

Driver Jason Olive, who stepped out of another brands 2013 conventional truck, says that he feels about 80% less fatigued driving this truck. “It is crazy. The sleeper is so big I could hold a dance in this thing. (Jason demonstrates off-camera) Although a single, the bed is plenty big enough and I can stand up to use the microwave or get changed and I can walk around. Living in this is easy.”

And that from a bloke who’s only been back home a couple of nights over the past month.

Jason also gives the battery-powered climate control system a big thumbs-up. “It’ll cool the truck up here in the northern heat for eight hours straight, overnight.”

**Jason Olive, smiling on the inside with his new drive**

Along with buying the Cascadia, Wants decided to hit on new corporate branding and logo, developed with help from Ben Daley Signs at Lismore. The factory ‘Deep Fathom’ metallic blue paint job, is gaining plenty of attention out on the road, reckons Jason. It gets a tick from us.

Matt Want has spent a bit of time in the U.S. so he was no stranger to North America’s No 1 truck choice. (Contrary to all those pics of Pete’s and KW’s on their roads that would fool you into believing otherwise).

“I had seen a lot of Cascadia’s on the road over there and so I was keen to take a closer look when they introduced them here.”

The Wants Transport 126 runs a 16-litre DD16 with 600hp and 2050lb-ft of torque, working through the Detroit AMT. It uses Intelligent Powertrain Management, which means the truck reads topographic route data and combines it with the truck’s precise GPS location to advise it how to behave.

For example, it knows exactly when to hold on to a gear (and not change up just before the crest of a hill), when to use the engine brake and when to save fuel and just coast (by selecting neutral). Clever truck!