Man, I can’t stand all the lights. I’ll get annoyed trying to drive if it’s too bright. Even the light up dash and other accessories that come with the truck are too bright. I turn everything down as low as possible.
If I was driving, I would have them on minimum brightness at night. The truck is in my driveway and I just sat in it for a picture. Didn't adjust it because I drive mostly during the day.
It would definitely be too bright like that, you're right. They're all on like 90% brightness.
I gotcha, I was wondering lol. I've got a rand McNally and trucker path, but I have one mounted low on the dash and a cupholder phone mount. I keep everything on the lowest brightness at night.
I got a cell phone mount attached to my seat so I can answer calls right from my arm rest. Ran a charger under the floor and behind the seat for it.
Everything in that truck is plugged in in the picture. No visible wires. Including 4 cameras. I used to do car audio installs as a side hustle way back in the day, so I can't stand seeing wires everywhere.
When I was OTR and used to start at 2am I would make "barn doors" for my screens. I would cut a microfiber cloth to the shape of the screen, attach it to the top and flip it in front or behind the screen. When you're on a quiet road with no other cars/trucks and no moonlight the tablet lit up way too much.
My eyes would bug out my driver, Readymix concrete truck and do all the state work at night on the highways. I have black tape over everything in the cab with lights on it ! I even made Lil flip down covers for my smart hatch display in the truck that reads the slump temperature in the air about in the mix and then I dim my dash as much as it can get dimmed otherwise my eyes like won’t focus to the road lol but man if you can pull that off good for you I’d probably be having a seizure by now. If I was in your truck, my eyes would be bugging it looks dope though . I even have my rear camera turned off a lot of guys drive with it on. I just can’t do it. It’s bad enough when you get out there on the highway and then you have to start pouring and you have all the DOT trucks with their strobes on in the police cars that are doing the traffic control with their lights on especially when you’re trying to focus on the end of your shoot and pour intricate areas on top of like walls or bridges and stuff like that.
Gotcha . I’d prefer to drive at night, but I’ve always been a person that is a creature of the night lol . I’ve noticed that driving at night. I tend to run into less traffic in less annoying unsafe uneducated drivers. I guess I would say on the road definitely less traffic too even when I’m not behind the wheel of a truck. I’m doing any distance driving traveling I always try to drive at night.
Was it cheaper or more expensive than its auto counterparts with similar mileage and year? If it was cheaper, then that’s probably why. Too many people want to be drivers but can’t drive manual.
Companies wanted better fuel economy and autos were sold to them promising that. That development naturally attracted more auto drivers that would normally otherwise never attempt to become a driver.
I think I was in the last group in my CDL program back in 2017 that had to learn manual even if we never planned on driving manual.
I don’t even have a gps still using maps when I trip plan of if I go somewhere I don’t know. I think you can have any truck you want with manual transmission, they are rare because most people buy them used and fleets prefer automatics
One in the middle up top is carplay and camera monitor. Dispatch sends me an address on my phone, I put it in waze and it pops up on that screen via Bluetooth, then I send it to the Garmin GPS (center bottom) via Garmin smartlink app. So basically control those 2 screens from my phone by my arm rest and don't need to type on the screens. The other tablet is velcroed to the sun visor, running my eld and a myweather radar app. That's all.
It either obstructs view or it doesn't. Who put it in doesn't affect whether or not it will obstruct view. Which mine doesn't anyway. It takes up less room than a sun visor.
Under FMCSA regulations, GPS devices can be mounted on a commercial vehicle's windshield, but they must be within 8.5 inches of the top edge (or 7 inches from the bottom) of the wiper-swept area.
Whitehoneybun666@reddit
To many sceeens I use my phone with the gps on my lap
18-Spinning-Wheels@reddit
Excessively busy in my opinion. You do you though.
FunGroundbreaking530@reddit
Might be missing a screen
meizhong@reddit (OP)
Tablets are cheap.
BB5er@reddit
I don’t know how you can live and drive in that with shit and screens everywhere. Ugh!!!
Confident-Target-383@reddit
Idk how y'all drive like that at night, all that glare from the screens would bug me to death. To each their own though.
waveyvibez22@reddit
Man, I can’t stand all the lights. I’ll get annoyed trying to drive if it’s too bright. Even the light up dash and other accessories that come with the truck are too bright. I turn everything down as low as possible.
meizhong@reddit (OP)
If I was driving, I would have them on minimum brightness at night. The truck is in my driveway and I just sat in it for a picture. Didn't adjust it because I drive mostly during the day.
It would definitely be too bright like that, you're right. They're all on like 90% brightness.
Confident-Target-383@reddit
I gotcha, I was wondering lol. I've got a rand McNally and trucker path, but I have one mounted low on the dash and a cupholder phone mount. I keep everything on the lowest brightness at night.
meizhong@reddit (OP)
I got a cell phone mount attached to my seat so I can answer calls right from my arm rest. Ran a charger under the floor and behind the seat for it.
Everything in that truck is plugged in in the picture. No visible wires. Including 4 cameras. I used to do car audio installs as a side hustle way back in the day, so I can't stand seeing wires everywhere.
Confident-Target-383@reddit
That's clean work, I hadn't even noticed the phone mount, that's really neat
meizhong@reddit (OP)
Attaching it to the seat also means it goes up and down with the seat when you adjust it. It's the way to go.
dat1dude69@reddit
How did you attach it to the seat?
meizhong@reddit (OP)
It has a clamp.
https://a.co/d/08HyZ87B
dat1dude69@reddit
Nice, I wanna try that out now lol
scottiethegoonie@reddit
When I was OTR and used to start at 2am I would make "barn doors" for my screens. I would cut a microfiber cloth to the shape of the screen, attach it to the top and flip it in front or behind the screen. When you're on a quiet road with no other cars/trucks and no moonlight the tablet lit up way too much.
Ur_Fav_Step-Redditor@reddit
My barndoors are tinted red so I can still see it at night but it doesn’t mess up my night vision
mvamv@reddit
Came to say the same thing. My cab has to be dark for me to drive at night.
unftp-0@reddit
What tablet holder do you use? Would it work with an iPad?
meizhong@reddit (OP)
Velcro tape.
junglepiehelmet@reddit
I just bought a 98 step van. This is pretty.
Cheah978@reddit
Could never drive like this for a shift lol
That lil GPS & a Qualcomm & my phone was all I ever needed for 48 states
Now a days I’d only add a dash cam for insurance purposes
bizzyizzy100456@reddit
My eyes would bug out my driver, Readymix concrete truck and do all the state work at night on the highways. I have black tape over everything in the cab with lights on it ! I even made Lil flip down covers for my smart hatch display in the truck that reads the slump temperature in the air about in the mix and then I dim my dash as much as it can get dimmed otherwise my eyes like won’t focus to the road lol but man if you can pull that off good for you I’d probably be having a seizure by now. If I was in your truck, my eyes would be bugging it looks dope though . I even have my rear camera turned off a lot of guys drive with it on. I just can’t do it. It’s bad enough when you get out there on the highway and then you have to start pouring and you have all the DOT trucks with their strobes on in the police cars that are doing the traffic control with their lights on especially when you’re trying to focus on the end of your shoot and pour intricate areas on top of like walls or bridges and stuff like that.
meizhong@reddit (OP)
I drive during the day. I'm just about to leave right now (7am).
bizzyizzy100456@reddit
Gotcha . I’d prefer to drive at night, but I’ve always been a person that is a creature of the night lol . I’ve noticed that driving at night. I tend to run into less traffic in less annoying unsafe uneducated drivers. I guess I would say on the road definitely less traffic too even when I’m not behind the wheel of a truck. I’m doing any distance driving traveling I always try to drive at night.
jose_guapo_@reddit
Way too many distractions and screens
vbceejayy@reddit
Do yall really need all those screens? Ts would fw me at night lmao and i roll mostly in the dark
meizhong@reddit (OP)
I drive during the day. I'm just about to leave right now (7am).
kloyoh@reddit
Naw bro..tooo much.
Fabulous_Force9868@reddit
So many screens
meizhong@reddit (OP)
Yes!
One for carplay / camera monitor, one for eld / weather radar, one truck GPS, and one for entertainment.
And an alien air freshener.
Benodryl@reddit
This cab is such a perfect home on the road, love all the little personal touches that make it yours. Safe travels out there!
meizhong@reddit (OP)
Thank you!
Justin_92@reddit
I didn’t know you could buy a 2019+ freightliner with a manual transmission. Was this a special order or something?
meizhong@reddit (OP)
Got it from penske. Just got it a few months ago. My first (and only) truck.
I have seen a few other newer freightliners with a manual. They are getting seriously rare these days tho.
Justin_92@reddit
Was it cheaper or more expensive than its auto counterparts with similar mileage and year? If it was cheaper, then that’s probably why. Too many people want to be drivers but can’t drive manual.
Companies wanted better fuel economy and autos were sold to them promising that. That development naturally attracted more auto drivers that would normally otherwise never attempt to become a driver.
I think I was in the last group in my CDL program back in 2017 that had to learn manual even if we never planned on driving manual.
meizhong@reddit (OP)
Ppdgjbcrt
Exciting-Car-3516@reddit
I don’t even have a gps still using maps when I trip plan of if I go somewhere I don’t know. I think you can have any truck you want with manual transmission, they are rare because most people buy them used and fleets prefer automatics
azziptac@reddit
Holy screen cringe
meizhong@reddit (OP)
It's not for everybody.
One in the middle up top is carplay and camera monitor. Dispatch sends me an address on my phone, I put it in waze and it pops up on that screen via Bluetooth, then I send it to the Garmin GPS (center bottom) via Garmin smartlink app. So basically control those 2 screens from my phone by my arm rest and don't need to type on the screens. The other tablet is velcroed to the sun visor, running my eld and a myweather radar app. That's all.
TheElegantMrThay@reddit
Heeey a fellow 4am Kru enjoyer!
meizhong@reddit (OP)
Say what?? Wow! We are a very small club.
unwantedrelic@reddit
Bro looks like he’s in the damn Artemis cockpit.
meizhong@reddit (OP)
I do keep an alien on the dash. 👽😂😂
CannibalAnus@reddit
Isnt it illegal to have anything blocking your vision on the windshield?
meizhong@reddit (OP)
No.
In fact, the newer freightliners (mine's 2020) have a big ass sensor right there at the top that is bigger than my camera / carplay screen.
Seebs9@reddit
I remember my old company telling us they had to get passes from the government for their forward facing cameras. No doubt freightliner did the same
meizhong@reddit (OP)
Regulation was updated in 2022.
Now it reads within 8.5" of wiper area.
Also, I'm maybe 1" into the wiper area. The sun visors are about 3 inches further down.
Mixing_NH3_HCl@reddit
Yup
meizhong@reddit (OP)
https://share.google/o2YEes19Sg8R4ZD8v
Scroll down to activate lane assist and picture of the inside. That sensor in the center is nearly 1.5 times as large as my camera screen.
Let freightliner know they need to remove it.
Mixing_NH3_HCl@reddit
I’m aware, I used to drive one. The difference is they come from the factory like that.
meizhong@reddit (OP)
It either obstructs view or it doesn't. Who put it in doesn't affect whether or not it will obstruct view. Which mine doesn't anyway. It takes up less room than a sun visor.
meizhong@reddit (OP)
Under FMCSA regulations, GPS devices can be mounted on a commercial vehicle's windshield, but they must be within 8.5 inches of the top edge (or 7 inches from the bottom) of the wiper-swept area.
I'm well within that.
Seebs9@reddit
I hate having anything on my windshield. Don’t know how you guys do it.
SpectacularNelson@reddit
I’m the same way I don’t understand how others have mountains of papers & items on their dashboard either to each their own I guess
heyleggomyeggoman@reddit
Freightshaker, rollin money maker.