Industrial design student designing a truck, I need your real world views :)
 

Hi guys, I'm designing a truck for my college graduation project, and I need some feedback for my lecturer about trucks, what trucks are driven, and what you think of the styling and interior of your truck.

Interactive design research: Trucking

*1. What truck model do you drive?

*2. In what country, or countries do you operate your truck?

*3. Do you own the truck?

*4. Do you work for a company, or by yourself?

*5. How many hours do you drive in a week?

*6. Do you like your current truck? If no, what truck would you prefer?

*7. Do you like the styling of your truck?

*8. Do you think it could be better looking?

*9. Are you satisfied with your interior?

And that's all, it won't even take 5 mins :)

Click the link below
Interactive design research: Trucking Survey

Thank you for your time :)

What the outside looks like doesn't matter to me. To me, the most important aspect to the design is the interior storage. Remember, we LIVE in these things.

Done, hope it helps with your design. My truck is in my avatar if your interested in what it looks like

Thank you, it definitely will help :)

I answered your questions, but if you plan on using the data to design a better truck you will need to go into more detail. For instance, if someone doesn't like their interior then you need to know what thy don't like or how the user would make it better.

Yes, I realised that, I'm going to be making a little change soon to that part :) Thank you for the help :)

I see, thank you for that, I will consider that in my design of the interior :)
Also, is there any specific property you look for in storage?

Just to check, do you drive the Volvo vn780? I'm asking because the results are anonymous, so I'm not sure :)

I just feel a little deja vu now and then. :) :p http://www.classadrivers.com/forum/a...w-big-rig.html

... don't get me started on the cup holder, unless you are at the doctorate level of design.
my engineering skills are staggering, though a little shaky.

I haven't driven a Volvo 780 in years, but those have great storage and layout. Even the Volvo 670 isn't bad even though the sleeper area is much smaller. The cabinets could definitely use some shelving.

And I agree 150% with the cupholders. The holders in the Frieghtliners are just about worthless, unless you drink out of a cup that's only 2" tall. Same for the cupholders in the Volvo's that slide out of the dash. You might as well forget they even exist because if you put anything in them with ANY opening at all on top will do nothing but shake it out of the cup the second you hit any piece of road that isn't as smooth as glass.

Thank you for that :)

I would also like to know,
What different trucks have you driven? Which was your favourite, and why?
Thank you :)

Hmmm - the trucks I've driven...

Freightliner Century Class: nice truck, good layout & insulation
Freightliner Columbia (ick ick ick): looks similar to the Century, but 'cheapened down', switches that you use often: cruise, wipers & lights, are put just outside of your reach, which means every time you need to flip them, your seatbelt has to be readjusted, worst cupholders of ANY truck
Freightliner Cascadia: Pretty decent truck and layout - not perfect by far, but pretty good. They still need an engineer to actually put a drink in one of their cupholders and go for a drive on any street/highway
Volvo 670: pretty good layout - not 'huge' room inside (like for a small fridge & microwave), but still plenty of cabinets, shelves and underbunk storage. Great insulation in the walls/floor, so it's a quiet ride as well
Volvo 770/780: My top pick - great layout (though the 'split' upper/lower dash lets the dash 'bounce'). Plenty of storage space everywhere in the truck. Nice and quiet inside, great ride loaded or empty
International ProStar Eagle (large sleeper): Great layout for the most part. Why they put a huge plastic storage pocket across the back wall of the sleeper is beyond me, let alone putting a protruding plastic International logo on it - that thing HURTS if you sit up wrong in bed, trust me. The truck had a fantastic ride and is really quiet inside. The downside to the entire truck is that it's REALLY heavy, easily weighing in more than the Volvo 780.

I'm having trouble understanding why MOST, if not all, of the questions in the O.P. have anything to do with designing a truck.

My design for a new truck would have a super quiet cab. Shower, Toilet, couch and table. Huge bank of batteries for off the grid power with no weight added to truck. 12 mpg. Oh, and the ability to fly over traffic. Little overboard hu?

I can't see why there should be a problem. :)

My biggest complaint with today's sleepers is all the plastic. All the contoured shapes create a great look but when you want to secure something like a microwave oven so it doesn't get airborne and kill you there's no place to hook a bungie or strap to. Why not try an entirely different approach? Give it a utilitarian look like a tricked out garage might have. Start with plenty of countertop and walls with recessed eyelets that make customization easy.

My second biggest complaint is that the passenger seat isn't easier to remove. Make it easy to remove the seat and offer (as an expensive add-on of course) an office desk that fits the newly opened up front right corner of the interior and attaches securely to bolt holes in the floor and the eyelets in the walls. Of course the desk should come with a slick way to tie-down printers and other office equipment that hasn't even been invented yet. Flexibility is key.

I agree with Gman. Your survey comes up a bit short.

On question 7, one improvement that would have a major impact on safety (especially at night) would be... Nearly every truck I've driven has steps up to the catwalk. At the back of these steps, there should be a "reverse light", hooked in with the transmission, that can illuminate the area of the driver's view, not just alongside the trailer, but also 20 to 30 feet behind the trailer. Current "reverse" lights are only useful when backing under a trailer or bobtailing. (And, of course, if you're bobtailing, you're not making any money, so most times, you're backing up WITH a trailer behind you that blocks the light from current reverse lights.) They need to light up the area 70 to 80 feet behind the truck, and they need to be "outside" of the drive tires. They could also have a switch on the dash to disable them when you do not need them. I think the impact on safety would offset the extra cost.

Ideally, these lights would be located on the back of the trailer, but I have not seen manufacturers putting them on, and I only know of a couple of companies that add them on. With the offset on safety, I do not understand why they are not required. And, if they were located on the back of the trailer, the ones on the tractor would still be effective, but would not need to be as bright. These lights could also make use of technology (currently available) that would keep them in a normal "OFF" state. The driver would have a button on the dash that would turn them on for a pre-set time of 3, 4 or 5 minutes, and the circuit would turn them off automatically. If the driver is not done backing in, he/she can push the button again and turn them back on.

And, with regard to "cupholders", I've seen far better cupholders in 4-wheelers, which does not make much sense to me because a truck driver spends far more time behind the wheel, and does not have the ability to stop and get a fresh cup or thermos, just about anywhere.

If you're sitting behind a desk for 4 hours, how many times to you move your legs and stretch them under the desk? I've been able to, effectively, stretch my left leg out between the clutch peddle and the edge of the firewall in a number of trucks, but the right leg is another matter. Not sure just how to design it, but try sitting in a 4-wheeler and swing your right leg over to the right and up on the dash... Then see how long it takes to bring it back down to the floor if you have a sudden highway emergency that requires the brake NOW!!!!! You'll see that "that" is not a viable option. But, the ability to straighten out the knees would add greatly to the driver's comfort. Stopping alongside the road just to stretch your legs, without a breakdown, can get you a ticket in some areas. Or worse, I've seen trucks, after a long, heavy rain, laid on their sides because the edge of the shoulder gave way.

IT should be noted that while I am currently retired, I filled out your survey according to the last truck I drove before I retired.

It's for a specific task set by my lecturer, who wanted a set of questions set towards more of the 'interactiveness' between the truck and the driver, but not specifically in the design aspect, more about the human factor. Sorry if it was confusing :)

You never know :) I have been looking into the battery thing, considering solar, or some sort of external power generation. As for flying, how about a blade-less fan in the back :) Best I can do for now :)

Sorry, the survey is set more towards the 'human factor' of the truck, sorry for any confusion.

Also, thank you, this is very insightful :) My original plan was to design a trailer to go along with the truck, but I haven't gotten to that part yet. If I do design the trailer, I would line it with powerful LED light strips, and maybe add an option for a retractable LED telescopic floodlight. I'm still in the development stage, so anything is possible :)

An idea I had was a set of interchangeable appliances, that can be purchased separately and docked into a specific area of the truck, probably the back. Maybe some people want there own fresh coffee?

I was thinking of that part, especially giving space towards extra legroom, and maybe a totally different type of seat, more towards a lounge chair hybrid. Still developing...

Finally thank you very much for doing the survey :)

Thank you :) Volvo seems to have a strong presence. I believe they are more user friendly?

Also, have you any experience with Peterbilt?

One of my ideas was a set of appliances that are sold separately that cab be 'docked' securely into the counter top space, or something similar. This way the user can customize according to his like/dislikes.
As for the seats, my idea was a range of different seats that can be purchased as add-ons for the truck, also following the docking principle.

What were the results of your research?
What conclusions have you drawn from it? .. I'm currently writing a much similar research and at the stage of collecting information.