One of the first Freightliner Cascadia trucks in Australia has been officially delivered and put to work in McColl’s Victorian dairy fleet. It took delivery of the Cascadia at its Geelong headquarters on Friday and the truck started carting milk with a B-double combination this week.
The 126 comprises a 16-litre Detroit engine teamed with a 12-speed automated manual transmission.
The firm emphasises the safety system which includes a radar and camera to ‘see’ down the side of the truck to warn of any impending collisions and a front-facing radar/camera that will automatically brake the truck in an emergency, including upon detecting pedestrians.
"McColl’s has always been at the forefront when it comes to transport safety, so we are especially keen on the advanced safety features being introduced with the Cascadia," McColl’s managing director Simon Thornton says.
"We are also very interested to see how the new Detroit engine and transmission performs in our operation."
The McColl’s truck is one of first Cascadias in company colours on Australian roads, while several demonstrator models are in operation across fleets.
"McColl’s is an iconic Australian fleet that has a special place in our hearts, especially those of us with a connection to regional Victoria, so it is fantastic to see our Cascadia in those striking colours," Freightliner Australia Pacific director Stephen Downes says.
"We are excited that the McColl’s team will now be able to experience the new standard of safety, efficiency and comfort that the Cascadia brings to the conventional truck class in Australia."
Daimler Truck and Bus President and CEO Daniel Whitehead adds: "The feedback across a wide range of applications has been extremely positive as customers get a taste of this class-leading truck."
"We have been talking about Cascadia’s fuel economy, the quality and the comfort of this truck for some time, so it’s great to hear operators tell us how good it is."