Overdrive

June 2015

Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info

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June 2015 | Overdrive | 27 It's time to lose the wait. Visit Drivewyze.com to begin your 30 day free trial and start skipping the scales today. 1-888-988-1590 Stop waiting in line and start bypassing the scales with Drivewyze,™ the nation's largest weigh station bypass service. Drivewyze works on your smartphone or tablet, instead of a traditional transponder. It's easy to get started: just download the app. ©2015 Drivewyze is a trademark of Intelligent Imaging Systems inc. The nation's largest weigh station bypass service. Works on smartphones, and on PeopleNet, Rand McNally and Zonar ELDs in old-school, large round gauges. The center console cluster is more modern, with an advanced driver information system and screen dedicated solely to hybrid drive system performance. The hood slope is dramatic. While views to the side are just as good, this is one area where the Super Truck has outpaced current highway laws. In its test form, the truck relies on aerody- namic rearview cameras, but these sys- tems are not yet road-legal, so my test vehicle was equipped with limited-view mirrors supplemented by rearview monitors inside the cab. The hybrid drivetrain delivered a super-smooth launch. While the Super Truck's 10.7-liter Detroit produces only 375 horsepower and 1,375 lb.-ft. of torque, any lack of low-end grunt is more than offset by the powerful elec- tric motor. You feel the low horsepower a bit when accelerating up a graded on-ramp. The truck drives great with excellent throttle and steering response, and all the controls are more familiar than futuristic. There also are model-predic- tive engine controls for optimal perfor- mance and a hybrid driveline mated to a DT12 automated manual transmis- sion. The rear axle ratio is 2.28.1. Solar panels on the trailer roof cap- ture energy to recharge batteries and power the fully-electric HVAC system, and software manages kinetic energy for optimal feedback into the powertrain. High-tech lightweight composite materi- als were used throughout. Sitting in the passenger seat overseeing the test drive was Freightliner engineering technician Jason Gray. He told me that all the futuristic features aside, Super Truck drives and handles like a well-engineered current production truck, and he's right. Even the heavy desert crosswind didn't rattle the Super Truck. Thanks to the advanced drivetrain and the super-sleek design, this was the quietest cab interior I've ever experienced. Super Truck was a blast to drive, and not just because of the quizzical looks I got from truckers on I-15. It's a shame this exact truck won't go into produc- tion because it looks so distinct and handles so well. DRIVE TEST Jack Roberts is equip- ment editor for Over- drive and Commercial Carrier Journal. See videos of this drive test and others in the Drive Tests playlist at youtube.com/ OverdriveMag.

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