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http://www.flickr.com/photos/arborvitian/496893558/)
I ran across one of the company drivers weighing out his late model Volvo with a load comparable to the 43,000-odd pounds I usually haul. I noticed all his axle weights were a lot lower than mine, and he made some remark about "That's because you're driving that ol' large car."
I haven't gotten out a tape measure, and I didn't go into the sleeper when I drove a company truck for my road test, but it seems the company trucks are roughly the same size as this T600, and I wouldn't have thought of my truck as a "large car."
I've been wondering about this ever since. I think of a "large car" as a classic conventional like a Kenworth W900 or Pete 379, with a square hood, side-mounted stacks, side-mounted aircleaners, and the aerodynamic profile of a brick; usually bedecked with gobs of chrome accents.
A T600 is awfully plain by this measure. They aren't as common today as they once were, but there are still plenty of companies running these things. It's got a little more of a "premium factor" than one of those fugly Volvos (oooh, that ought to start a fight! :evil: ), but it's not really what I'd call a droolable truck at all. (Especially with the paint so dull, and all the faux chrome at the front turning white.)
So that begs the question. Maybe it's only a large car because it can pull the bark off a tree (to borrow a quote from another Cummins N-14 fan) and it can bury an 80 mph speedometer without even trying hard? Is it all about how fast it runs, and how it walks up the hills like a stick (furniture) wagon even though it has a load of heavy freight on it?
Personally, I say not. I don't think this is a large car, though it sure has a lot more hair on its chest than the International 9200 I used to drive.
I'll let CAD decide once and for all.