What do you guys think of my cab-over truck in Portugal?

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icy730@reddit

Missing 6x4 but they do look great! But i do love my scanias

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CryptoStef33@reddit

If it's not prima frio with the noisy frigo trailers I'm in.

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CryptoStef33@reddit

I'm serious they are cancer when I park somewhere I have to count that some jerk will park next to me while the whole lot is free...

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Ibrxhim_2@reddit (OP)

Primafrio or Jcarrion. Their drivers are stupid tbh. They act like they own the road. Overtaking at any chance they get...

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CryptoStef33@reddit

Yes I will say that police should hunt them because there's overtaking ban.

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Maybe some trucks of Primafrio don't even have a speed limiter. They do 95-97 km/h; they are always passing me on a straight road while I'm going at 90 with everyone else. And they dont even follow the tacho rules....

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Lucius_Furius@reddit

They do have a limiter, the trick is they calibrate the tacho using mega tires, than put the normal ones on. You can win around 6 km/h with it, tacho measures rotations and the bigger tire takes longer to turn.

It’s an old trick, many smaller companies use it. You get fucked by the police if they find out because it counts both as tampering with the tacho and trying to gain an unfair advantage. I know an Italian firm that got fined for 35.000 EUR/truck and they had 12 trucks.

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CryptoStef33@reddit

Srsly did not know thanks for.the head up.

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Lucius_Furius@reddit

Check the left door, the calibration plate is there. It measures impulses (turns), you can manipulate it with tyre size.

It works both ways, I’m mega and my tyres are 2-3 months before replacement. I’m limited to 85, but can only do 83 according to the gps. It sucks, especially with all these Lithuanians who are governed to 80, and with old tyres can only do 77-78.

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CryptoStef33@reddit

Yes i see them crawling on the highways.

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Ibrxhim_2@reddit (OP)

Woah, that's something crazy I learnt today.

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Lucius_Furius@reddit

It’s a really old trick. My grandfather used it back with paper tachos (the one that looks like a cd player), everybody was doing a bunch of weird shit before Eastern Europe joined the EU.

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Ibrxhim_2@reddit (OP)

Yeah I have seen the disks tachograph. Nowadays fines are so heavy and very strict regulations

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CryptoStef33@reddit

Pushing to the limit 😝

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Ibrxhim_2@reddit (OP)

Anyways you do international transport? How many days outside?

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CryptoStef33@reddit

If I told you that I was 10 and half weeks Denmark Benelux will you believe me 😝

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Ibrxhim_2@reddit (OP)

Yeah, I would believe you. That's a very long time. For me, I work 22 days and then have 8 continuous days at home. I was in a contract with the same company, working 5 days out and 2 days at home every week, but somehow my company convinced me to do 22 days on and 8 days at home. For me, 8 days at home is heavenly. Not everyone gets that as an international driver, even if they stay a full month outside. What do you think? Did I choose the right option? For me, 5 days out and 2 days rest was working out, but Sunday didn't feel like a holiday because I was already planning for Monday, which means sleep early, no party, no nothing.

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CryptoStef33@reddit

Idk how old are you but you or family situation but I'm only doing this for the money part after my code 95 expires in 2029 I'll won't renew it. Good balance is 6 weeks out 2 weeks off in my opinion. Many Dutch companies operate this way.

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Ibrxhim_2@reddit (OP)

Six weeks is a long time. You could renew your Code 95, get ADR certified, and get a job at a company that operates nationally and refuels petrol stations. That gets you a good salary, too, but most importantly, you get to come home every night. For me, my salary is 3000€ in Portugal, but if I were in Germany or the Netherlands, my salary would be even more, but in Portugal, working for a Portuguese company, I am comfortable.

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CryptoStef33@reddit

I have Adr tanks but haven't looked here in Bulgaria for local jobs. For that rotation is nice most people in Bulgaria get 2200-2500 if they are lucky with 22 days on the road

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Ibrxhim_2@reddit (OP)

Or just work in Primafrio 🤣 They do 18-21 days out but 3-4 days at home. And the salary is good too. One downside that loud frigo...

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CryptoStef33@reddit

I saw some college with non noisy frigo but damn those prima frio are very stupid drivers. Either from Morocco or Africa

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Ibrxhim_2@reddit (OP)

Ah don't even talk about it. Right now it's all Indians in there trucks mostly in spain and portugal they have contracted so many Indians 🤐

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bananslickarn@reddit

Primafrimo be fucking sending it past me, they got places to be

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CryptoStef33@reddit

Yes while you drive 90 max they drive 95 :)))

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lord_nuker@reddit

That it is bog standard Volvo FH 500. It’s good to drive, but lacks a bit in steep hills when you get close to the weight limit.

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Ibrxhim_2@reddit (OP)

It's globetrotter XL

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lord_nuker@reddit

Okay, bog standard Volvo FH 500 globetrotter with the XL cab. But as long as you are happy and comfortable in it, there isn’t anything we should say.

And no, I don’t know the topography of Portugal, but when I had the 540 and started my day at the 50t weight limit, it was slooow uphills here in Norway 😂

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Ibrxhim_2@reddit (OP)

Yeah, 50t with 540 isn't ideal. My load is normally 24t total weight, coming up to 35t average of load and vehicle, and still slows down on hills. I would like a Scania V8 750. 😅

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lord_nuker@reddit

The difference between 540 and V8 650 is exceptional. And when you get into the 770, you truly feel like the king of the road. You can have a 40T excavator on the low loader and you still drive past the others uphill ❤️

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Ibrxhim_2@reddit (OP)

🥲 I am missing out big times

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lord_nuker@reddit

Nah, by reading what weights you haul around it looks like you have the right tool for your work. What is the average fuel use on it? 25-26l/100km? An 770 would be at 37-38l/100km at the same weight

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Ibrxhim_2@reddit (OP)

My FH 500 does 30L/100km with a 24-ton cargo. I mostly drive from Portugal to Barcelona, and the Zaragoza region is very hilly. From Barcelona to France, the consumption is better. After all, my truck isn't an I-save.

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lord_nuker@reddit

Still not bad, had a previous gen 730, if I drove it in eco mode, and set the cc on 80, I was able to get it down into the 45-46l/100km range 😂

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Lucius_Furius@reddit

Holy fuck that’s high. I do Benelux with a 460, and it’s rarely higher than 24 l/100km

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Ibrxhim_2@reddit (OP)

Do you do frigo? Because all frigo companies use 460 because the weight is less. I do tautliner is 500 is barely sufficient.

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Lucius_Furius@reddit

I do curtain side intermodal. Most of our trucks are 420, this is an older one that’s a 460. We carry 8-15 tons, and mostly in Benelux and France.

We don’t need large engines, the 420s only need like 21-22 l/100km

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lord_nuker@reddit

It's an thirsty and in these days, inefficent engine when it comes to consumption. But it was built to haul heavy stuff up and down the norwegian mountains.

Fun fact, my former V10 Ford Excursion managed 25L/100km while driving on the highway. In the cities with much start and stop it was closer to 30L/100km :) on petrol :D

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Ibrxhim_2@reddit (OP)

Yes, that's absolutely a very high consumption. I think my company would go bankrupt with those statistics 🤣

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tekkskenkur44@reddit

Wait, in Norway? I highly doubt we are getting such low numbers on a 770 in Iceland

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lord_nuker@reddit

Depends on the weight 35t isn’t much for a vehicle built for hauling 65t+++ all day long

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Ibrxhim_2@reddit (OP)

Yeah especially in portugal with the hills...

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Status-End-7703@reddit

Maquina dupla embraiagem é sempre a bombar boa pascoa kolega 🫡🫡

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Ibrxhim_2@reddit (OP)

Kolegaaa 🇵🇹🇵🇹💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻 Boa Páscoa

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hoodie_man84@reddit

💪🏻🇵🇹

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Ibrxhim_2@reddit (OP)

Força 🇵🇹🇵🇹🇵🇹🇵🇹

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Dangerous-Moods@reddit

Looks good. Do you guys have in cab cameras?

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Ibrxhim_2@reddit (OP)

Cab cameras? NO, I wouldn't allow that ever. My company shouldn't know what I am doing in the cab; it is my home, basically. 🤣 Dashcam for the road, maybe yes. But anyway, I think cab cameras are illegal in Europe. I've seen it very rarely, but it's still a thing.

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Dangerous-Moods@reddit

Oh nice. Lucky you. We just got some last week and it’s uncomfortable knowing you’re possibly being watched. Do you guys have hours of service logs?

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Ibrxhim_2@reddit (OP)

Yes, we have a tachograph in the truck. We have a driver card which registers all the data. The maximum driving time is 9 hours a day. In a week, only twice can we drive 10 hours a day. In one week, the maximum driving time is 56 hours, but the second week should only be 34 hours of driving, because in any two weeks, you cannot exceed 90 hours of driving. Most companies split it into 45 hours and 45 hours for each week. And the per-day rest is 11 hours mandatory, which can be reduced to 9 hours 3 times a week if necessary. The working amplitude is 13 hours, which includes rest in between driving, which is a 45-minute rest after 4 hours 30 minutes of driving, and includes time for loading and unloading. If the working amplitude is hit, even if you have driving time left, you can't drive, it happens sometimes if loading/unloading took alot of time. and the working amplitude can be 15 hours if you want to have a reduced mandatory daily rest of 9 hours.

Violation can result in heavy fines 🙂

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MotorPromotion2465@reddit

Those hours of service regulations, coupled with the lower speed limit for trucks in Europe seems like it would suck the fun right out of this industry.

Canadian standard hours: everything is per calendar day 14 hours on duty per day 13 hours driving per day Daily reset 8 hours sleeper 10 hours total 70 hour/7 day schedule only reset with 36 hours off.

US standard hours: 14 hours on duty per shift 11 hours driving per shift Shift reset with 10 hours off duty/sleeper (can be split as 7+3 or 8+2) 70 hour/ 8 day cycle reset with 34hours off.

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Dominik_Tirpitz@reddit

What's the difference between off duty and sleeper (if there is any)?

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MotorPromotion2465@reddit

Off duty is defined as: Not working, out of the truck Sleeper birth is in the truck, out of the seat/in the bunk(sleeper) and only applies to trucks equipped with a sleeper cab

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Ibrxhim_2@reddit (OP)

Yeah but we truckers in europe can still cover 700km+ a day. Depends alot on traffic. We get a good amount of time for unloading. Big companies do double driver too. In a monthly my average is 15000 km to 16000 km following all the rules

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MotorPromotion2465@reddit

I do primarily over dimensional cargo now, so the hours of service don't affect me quite as bad, but for general freight, a perfect day in Canada would be 1300+km for the day, and in the US 1100+. Most of our freight trucks average 5-6000km/week

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Lucius_Furius@reddit

On a 24 hour cycle an EU truck can cover 1000 km. Our short rest is 9 hours, start at midnight, drive 8 hours with 1 hour rest (rounding down for realism), that’s 600 km. Than take a 9 hour brake, start at 6 pm and drive 5 hours with 1 hour rest, 400 km.

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MotorPromotion2465@reddit

You certainly get your rest in that example:

00:00-9:00 drive 9:00-18:00 rest 18:00-23:59 drive All to cover 1000km

In Canada you could cover that in 11hrs straight without a break ex: 6:00-17:00 (likely less than 11hrs as trucks in my province are speed Limited to 105km/h)

In the US it would look slightly different ex:

6:00-12:00 drive 12:00-12:30 break 12:30-17:30 drive (US hos rules require a 30 minute break every 8hrs of drive time)

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Ibrxhim_2@reddit (OP)

Goddamn. That's built differently. Obviously, you guys have a lot of road to cover. While for us, international isn't a big thing, crossing borders just requires a few checks, and exiting is free. From Germany to Spain, that's roughly 2000 km. Basically, every transport is in the range of 3000 km. While most transport is to neighboring countries, the average trip distance is 1500 km.

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MotorPromotion2465@reddit

Everything is scaled I'm sure, your system works as well, and I didn't mention in my replies, I love a Volvo FH (or whatever they may call your current model) I'd love to see some interior shots as well, the euro trucks seem to manage the small interiors quite well.

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venusunusis@reddit

It fuckin sucks, especially since these rules are supposed to help the driver not overwork, but in reality they are done just to fine the drivers, with the new gen tachographs they can remotely read for any errors you make and decide if they want to stop you or not, it basically simplified finding drivers that they can fine.

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Dangerous-Moods@reddit

Oh wow… thanks for the thorough explanation. Who checks your logs ? Do you guys have weigh stations as well?

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Ibrxhim_2@reddit (OP)

It's always random, at different places. We don't have fixed stations. Either at roundabouts, highway rest areas, toll points, highway exits, or industrial zones. Mostly, it's just the police putting their machine, connecting with our truck to see if we've committed any violations of the hours or not. They ask for truck papers and check our load and CMR (it's a paper used all over Europe; it has to be the same, like the layout and the information sections. It has addresses and truck details and load weight and details and places for the signature of the sender and delivery place and for the driver). So mostly the checks are done without a weigh scale, but it could be done with one as they have a portable one in their van or something. The checks are quick, not so much time-consuming, because it would still be burning the hours of the driver. So it is always very random. The last time I had one was 1 month ago, and in one year the average is like 8-9 checks depending on the region. And what is your system over there?

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Dangerous-Moods@reddit

In the United States, we have weigh stations. They are usually just off the highway. There’s a sign that says if they are open or closed. Sometimes they are open and they don’t pull us in. Most of the trucks have “ pre pass ” which lights up green or red so we know if they want us to pull in or not. We usually just roll through the scales slowly once they pull us in and then get back on the highway. Sometimes they randomly check our hours of service logs. The frequency depends on the CSA score usually but randoms also happen. Last time I got stopped at a weigh stations was months ago. One of my trailer tires was at zero psi and they had a sensor that detected that while I was rolling on the highway. Got pulled in, waited for a mechanic and was on my way after I got a new tire. They also sometimes pull trucks in for random inspections in the garage. I’ve had that happen once in a little over 4 years. They just went under the truck and checked my brakes. I go through the same weigh stations a lot because I’m regional so I feel like I get left alone a lot. Often times when I see a company that doesn’t come through often, they tend to get pulled in and are asked to bring in their paperwork inside for the DOT officer to check them out.

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Ibrxhim_2@reddit (OP)

Different continent Different rules but same roles. We make things move without us the country stops 🫡

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Ibrxhim_2@reddit (OP)

🫷🥺🫸StAwP

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Successful-Spinach38@reddit

Volvo is pretty good truck 👍