Archive, Truck Reviews

Scania’s R620 proves its worth in close shave

ATN test drives Scania's R620 V8 prime mover, and the beast proves its mettle in dealing with an ignorant motorist

Without doubt, the cost of new equipment is a major factor in the decision making process for operators when it is time to buy a new truck or trailer, especially if there is no visible way for that cost to be repaid in terms of profit.

However, when it comes to specifying the best possible braking systems, sometimes it is the ability to prevent a cost that needs to be examined.

To put this in real world terms, Scania Australia has just held its media drive days to showcase the newly arrived R730 V8 prime mover, with journalists driving the trucks on a loop through the Victorian countryside to get a feel for the new powerplant compared to the existing V8 models.

ATN got behind the wheel of an R620 V8 prime mover, loaded to 58.5 tonnes as the convoy rolled through the sleepy township of Kilmore.

All was going well until a local decided that pulling out in front of the heavily laden B-double and stopping in the main street without indicating was a good idea.

Fortunately for the driver, the truck ATN was testing was travelling at 55km/h when he made the decision to pull out of the driveway of one business, drive 20 metres towards the next driveway and then stop dead without even turning on the right indicator.

ATN was forced to slam on the brakes, which activated the retarder and exhaust brake as well as dropping the Opticruise AMT down through the gears to generate engine speed to help the retarder do its job.

Impressively the Scania stopped straight and true, just falling short of the trailer’s rear bar, with the driver completely ignorant of his near-brush with the full force of physics.

From a fleet manager’s perspective, if there had been contact, the truck and trailers would have been tied up in police investigations for hours, particularly since the whole sorry saga was just 50 metres short of the Kilmore police station.

The remainder of the drive was completed without incident. There is plenty to like about the stopping power of the all-wheel-disc brakes, EBS and other safety innovations.

While investing more in extra safety benefits for your truck might not show up immediately on the bottom line of the balance sheet, there are hidden benefits. It could also open the door to at least asking the insurer to revisit the premium.

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