Truck getting ordered this week.
 

Well, it took a lot of back and forth to get all the specs the way I wanted them, but my glider truck order is going in. 2013 Columbia, 500 hp DDEC IV, 18 speed, 2.79 rear ends, Midroof XT. I spec'd almost everything you could get in the interior. there isn't hardly a wall space that doesn't have some form of cabinet on it. Built in fridge, premium interior, arctic insulation and premium noise abatement insulation. Every gauge that is available in the dash with chrome accents. Set back fuel tanks, polished boxes under the cab entry doors, chrome bumper, LED lights all the way around and Alcoa Durabrites. Invoice price came in at roughly $108K. Brand new truck, no emissions junk. Similar new truck with all the emissions junk and spec'd out the same would have come in at around $140K-$150K. This is my last truck.

It sounds like you saved a lot of money with the glider. Will the title say anything about it being a glider or just a 2013 Columbia?

The VIN will have a two letter identifier in it that shows it is a glider. But one would have to know what all the letters and numbers mean in a VIN to be able to tell. It would be registered as a 2013 Columbia. We spent a lot of time the last few weeks going back and forth on the specs.

One interesting note, Schneider did the same thing and dumped a 900 truck order for gliders. bogged down the entire system. Mine will not get completed till August! Just the first of the this year, the lead time was April. In 1.5 months the lead time jumped 3-4 extra months. Anyone even considering a similar thing better put a wiggle in it or get left behind. Freightliner is expecting a big demand and is having a hard time keeping up.

Now watch..... will get the thing and the EPA will come up with some form of mandate like CARB. Then I would have a nice lawn ornament. I am pretty confident the primary area I run, the Upper Midwest, will not do such a thing. It would just about have to come from the feds.

Why not a cascadia or coronado? Too me both are better looking trucks and heard cascadia was good on fuel! Also by the rearend does that mean you pull light loads mostly flat land?

Cascadia not offered as a glider kit. Coronado is too much of a brick for me. I spend most of the time inside the truck, and I have spec'd everything you could ever hope to put in the interior of a Coronado. After I get done with the graphics on this one, it will not look like some fleet truck. No, not primarily running light on flat ground, the 18 speed with the 2.79 rears is ideal for pulling heavy in hilly midwest areas. Will operate the tranny primarily in direct drive (16th) where the best performance and fuel economy is. More power is actually making it to the wheels in direct drive. Overdrive steals power from the engine. The 18 has deeper reduction on the bottom end than a 13 or direct 10. And I will have all the splits right down into the basement for really nasty pulling. And if I am running light, on flat ground like I-80 in Nebraska, I can step up the pace and jump up to 17th. In 18th, at 1500 rpm, I would be busting 90 MPH. That is just not going to happen.

Keep in mind this is a DDEC IV 12.7 engine. If you can find a Cascadia with a pre-emissions engine option like this, I would like to hear about it. And this setup, driven right, will probably put Cascadia fuel economy to shame. The 12.7 Detroit was one of the most fuel efficient engines ever made. Run it in the sweet spot, in direct drive, with the right rears and tires, it is not far fetched to say that this combo would beat a DD15 in a Cascadia, load for load, by .5 to 1 mpg. I drove a truck for a guy back in the mid 90's with a 10 speed direct tied to tall rear ends like this. It would bust 8 mpg most of time and all day Sunday. Only when really loaded down in nasty weather would it get down to 7 mpg or high 6's. I will be putting on a ported and jet hot coated exhaust manifold and a 50% larger turbo on the engine once I get it. The exhaust will flow quite nicely and really give me the performance and fuel economy I want.

It is indeed somewhat unorthodox setup. But you have to step out of the normal way of thinking sometimes. This truck will be tweaked for what I do, how I do it, and where I do it. My last truck, so am going to do it right. It was fun tweaking the setup with the dealer. I thought they were going to stroke out on me! They never had someone work up a combo like this before.

you sir are my idol! i dont care what anyone says, the columbia is a damn good looking truck when clean. i'm curious who did you go to for the glider? i really REALLY want to build a glider out of my columbia. hell wouldnt mind the whole thing just in a new truck. my rears, my MBN cat. just put it with a 13speed.

just curious, did you get a price with out all the add ons? if you dont mind that is.

i too am scared if i build one the EPA will do something screwy.

Well, I did go pretty wild and detailed on the specs. The guy I was primarily working with, Phil Woody, had to call in a guy higher up than him to help spec some of the stuff I did. I used Harrison Truck Center who is a Freightliner dealer near Waterloo, IA. Their glider division is at Clear Lake, IA, across the interstate from the Pilot T/S on I-35. They have a few of their gliders listed on the Truck Paper website if you wanted to take a look. Those are their "one size fits all" varieties.

Price? Well..... I did go crazy and the invoice price came in at $109,108. Did some checking around other dealerships, and a new production truck like a Cascadia or Coronado would have set me back between $140,000 and $150,000 for similar specs. Same for International and their Prostar.

You would get in one heck of a lot cheaper by using your drive train in it. The rears in mine are brand new.... that alone was $16,000. That is one area that Phil had to call in help to get spec'd out. I wanted Meritor RT 40-145A, 11mm aluminum housing with Dualtrac option. The engine and tranny are rebuilds with warranties. The color is a Pearl Blue Metallic base/clearcoat. I wanted set back fuel tanks instead of the normal tanks under the doors, and had them put on polished step boxes under the doors. Left side would be the battery box.

Order goes into the FL system today. I had concerns about any EPA thing messing things up in the future, and it probably will eventually. But they are not jumping thru hoops yet to put the brakes on pre-emissions gliders yet, so that will take a while, and considering the entire nation, it would probably have quite a long lead time before it went into effect and was enforced. What I think will go down, if this happens, is that the EPA will just cut off any glider use of pre-emission engines and just grandfather the others in. Then let attrition weed them out over time. To make the entire nation do what California did would be a nightmare.

Those who wait and don't get something done, they may miss the train. Procrastination can be a killer.

I'll bet that truck is the dream machine extraordinaire! It's ok to envy I hope. :)

Yeah, I won't get jealous. Anyone who wants to look at the spec sheets to see what this is all about can PM me and give me your email address and I will forward it to you in a PDF. It was a very laborious process going thru every minute detail. But if you only have one shot and better make it hit the target right where you aim.

wow we get just over half your 90mph with our setups.isx 550hp peak at 580hp,rtl020918b,meritor rt46-160gp tandem rear,and wait for it ,4.3 diff ratio. pretty **** roads here and hilly,allowed 45.5 metric tonne all up without permits,mine just done 200,000ks at 2.05ks per litre.ha you change it to miles etc

Yes I agree with firebird that columbia is a damm good lucking truck.I really like it.

still a frieghtshaker though

That's true. But any truck is only as good as how it is spec'd. There is hardly a single part or component that isn't spec'd or can be changed in the spec sheets. Many things, people just go with the standard stuff that the OEM has outlined in the basic specs. That is ok sometimes. I probably changed 75% of the OEM basic stuff to other components. I even mix matched a lot of stuff. One was brakes. I used Conmet drums, Meritor shoes, Haldex slack adjusters. Some things, I had to drag them kicking and screaming to get changed to exactly, not close, but exactly like I wanted. One that I had to almost hold a gun to their head was the drive tandems. I wanted Meritor RT-40-145A's, with 11mm aluminum housings and dualtrac option. But I got 'em. I am having the frame rails and undercarriage painted in Dupont Viper Red, and the body is going to be Dupont Viper Blue.

Even a "freight shaker" really spec'd well it can be a solid truck. I have seen generic, fleet spec'd Pete's and KW's I wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole. But we all have seen some pretty good Petes and KW's. Thing is, most everyone has only seen a Columbia that has been spec'd out by the standard fleet specs. There are not too many Columbias that have been really tweaked and custom done. This will not be a typical Schneider truck, for sure. I can't even begin to imagine a fleet spec'ing an 18 speed tied to a 2.79 rear end, like mine. Few drivers would really know what to do with that setup without destroying the truck.

It would have been nice to have a broader selection of trucks. Pete is offering the 389 as a glider, but they are really playing games with bringing them to market. That pretty much left the FL M2 Business Class (local, regional type truck), the Coronado, and the Columbia. Paccar just will not get with the program in an aggressive way when it comes to gliders. I would have considered an International Lonestar if it had been offered as a glider. The OEM's are really dropping the ball here. They are missing out on a potentially big market. Only Freightliner is actively seeking buyers for gliders.... and laughing at the other OEM's all the way to the bank. They are having a difficult time just keeping up with the demand. Meanwhile, Paccar, Mack, International, etc are all sitting in the dealerships twiddling their thumbs, waiting for a buyer to show up. Of course, those of us going the glider route are also snickering at those that get the latest pipe burning, urine fed, EGR eating truck. There are those that have no choice because they do California, but there are a lot of people buying that emissions laden stuff that really don't need to, and are really missing out on a good opportunity to have a good truck without all that emissions stuff.

just giving you a hard time with frieghtshaker word haha learnt it in here,glider trucks not available here as far as ive heard ,our kws made in australia and can only get what paccar will let you ,well specks they deal in.internatiol are assembled here in tauranga ,dont see that many of new models on the road and never heard of them supplying gliders,thier t and s line models around doing the hard yards ,good solid old trucks.

Aaah, that's ok. I didn't take it to heart. It is common for Freightliner to be called names. I do it myself! Just like International is called everything from a combine to a 13 letter manure spreader. It is all in fun. The Columbia, though, is one truck that really hasn't had a chance to be what it could be. It got targeted to mega fleets and sold to them in generic, one size fits all, varieties by the thousands. Some O/O have scored on a decent used Columbia, and a few have done what I am doing in buying a glider. I wanted to take it to the next level with this truck. No skimping on anything. I wanted as close to the perfect truck I could get for what I do and where I have to do it. I could have done that with a Pete 389 or a Coronado, I guess, but I did want the aero features. And the Columbia will maneuver in tight spots a lot easier than the other two, and is a lighter truck for more payload.

il msg my email for specks be a lot here interestd i think.was thinking if people here have imported trks that were gliders without knowing all though only no 1 bloke who broght trk bak from states and he drove over there it was a pete and he changed diff ratios 2 weeks after driving it here

i 100% agree. i got what i think was a good deal on mine.. ex ryder truck, MBN c15, 10 speed 3.73's out the door with a warantee from ryder for 27k. it drives straight and all and all.. no real squeeks and rattles. my major gripe with freightliner is that all the interiors are the same! the only thing stopping me (and my dad for that) is that we're scared that 4 years down the road.. hell. 10 years down the road the epa will do something to make the trucks not aloud on the road.. or something where the new trucks will get some kind of stupid fuel milage that i can not obtain. sadly, i think the truck i buy next will be a new t660.


copperhead, the list you have is that an options list?

There is literally nothing on the specifications sheets on a truck that cannot be modified to meet a particular need. It can be a little intimidating and definitely time consuming. Everything on an ordered truck is technically an option short of the body and the frame. And of course, some government mandated stuff. But even that in many cases is just a matter of spec'ing the brand of component. The government may mandate that I have anti lock brakes, but I do not have to use a particular brand. Where I place the air horn, or how many I have as long as there is at least one. I can use incandescent lighting or LED's. As long as the minimum are on the vehicle and placed in DOT mandated locations. You can get as defined as the brand of wheel seals in the hubs!!

Granted, the specification list I did does have some things that I chose not to mess with. But everything is technically an option. A buyer would get a generic spec sheet to start with, then go thru and modify what needs to be changed to meet their needs.

Buying off the lot is almost foolish. I said, almost. The dealers and the OEM's have really only a limited vision on how a truck should be spec'd, usually based on what some idiot in a mega fleet read in a couple of industry magazines. No operation, driving style, etc is the same. I have bought off the lot. Never again. For my needs, there is literally no truck on any lot that is what I want or does what I need the best way. It is always a compromise. I have had enough of compromise and mediocrity. Now I have a truck on order that perfectly meets my needs, will comfortably obtain fuel mileage that will exceed any claims made by the OEM's, and I will not have to deal with what the OEM thinks is best for me because they "think" this is what I need to do the job.

I've thought for quite a while that someone could make money by the ton doing custom truck interiors. I haven't been in many trucks compared to most people here but every one I've been in was designed by an accountant. The last truck I drove was a new Volvo and it didn't even have a front curtain. It did have enough cabinets but somehow they managed to design them so there was almost no counter top. Making a sandwich or a cup of coffee shouldn't be a chore. And then there's the slide out desk. It had a cute little compartment that I'm sure was intended for stationary and the desk surface wasn't big enough for a laptop and mouse. Pretty funny when you think about. A stationary compartment would have been the cat's ass in 1947. I guess they don't think drivers have heard of email yet. :)

Yup, custom interiors designed by drivers for drivers.

Well, I spec'd every aspect of my interior on this truck. Premium interior. I have every cabinet that is available for the truck. Right side has lower shelved cabinet (with desk drawer) along with a tall clothes closet. The left side has lower cabinet with built in fridge and desk drawer and a tall cabinet with shelving. I also have cabinets circling around the entire upper area of the sleeper. Functional windows in both sides of the sleeper. Also Arctic insulation package and premium noise abatement package and wood trim doors on all the cabinets. Lights spec'd just about everywhere. Sleeper curtain and cab curtain. Premium stereo and speakers.

Many fleets will skimp on just about anything they can. Sleeper features get hit pretty hard. But then, many drivers are brutal on company equipment and it seems like a waste sometimes to spec high quality stuff in a company truck just to have drivers tear it up. Unfortunately, the good drivers have to deal with low spec's because of the bad drivers. And it really takes away from the value when the fleets get rid of the trucks.

Is California physically checking trucks for compliance. I see more older trucks out there than anywhere it seems. If a truck is a 2013 would they even bother you? I have to go to California but I would love a glider.

With the knowledge that many folks are doing ECM reprograms and such and deleting EGR, DPF, etc, I doubt that any truck is not a potential target for CARB to take a look at and see if it complies. And even though it has been sporadic, there have been instances of trucks getting checked. And not even going west of I-25 was one of my motivations for doing this truck as opposed to one with emissions junk.

Congrats on your new purchase. Seeing as how this is your last truck I assume you're hanging it up after this truck is paid off. BTW what do you haul that you have an 18 speed truck? I'm just curious because I don't hear of them being built that way too much anymore. Is it just a preference thing?

Do you know why truckers use 18 gears? That's right, you're an ex cop, not trucker. Maybe when you grow up to drive a big truck, you'll understand why the extra gears are needed.

Hopefully, my grammer is ok.......

It was more in line with what the other specs were and with some flexibility thrown in. I could have done a direct 10 speed and got essentially the same thing, but the 18 offers more options when I get into various situations. And, probably equal on the list, is ability to handle higher torque. The 10 direct is not designed for higher than 1550 lb of torque. In the right hands, it would work on higher levels with no problem. The 18 offers that. I will concede, the stock Detroit 60 is not a torque monster, but when this one gets tweaked this spring, it will be putting down a lot more hp and torque than the stock 500 hp and 1650 torque. Wanted to spec things in anticipation of bumping up power on the engine. So the 18 was a preemptive solution.

I probably won't be hanging it up when the truck is paid off. This is a long term investment. It most likely will be my last truck, but that will be quite a while yet. I probably will rebuild some components before I finally step out of it for good. When that day comes, based on the probable market for selling it, agriculture, the 18 will make a difference for some farmer considering it for grain hauling or whatever. That, along with personal wants and needs, is also why I spec'd a mid roof instead of a condo and full lockers on both drive axles.