Hi its Will here again.
I am researching for an article for T&D and am interested in your comments on the most comfortable, and the most uncomfortable driving position in an up-to-date truck (less than 3 years old).
Has any one got any input on this?
Please be aware that any comments maybe published in T&D, if you dont want your comments published please state clearly in your post.
I have a lower muscular back problem.
Providing that I set up the seat correctly and it is in good condition, then I have never had a problem in any modern truck, including those dating back 10 years or more.
The modern lumbar supports are very good IMO and I am 6 foot 3 inches.
One little niggle - some of the headrests do not adjust enough for someone of my height.
I would also like to point out that the driver seat is designed for one person at a time to sit on - sharing it with your partner whilst driving is not too good an idea 
for any normal person getting in any truck ive just been in after me its probably not that comfortable, i have general back problems, nothing serious just get a few bits of pain now and again
but i set the back of the seat at virtually 90 degrees saves me a trip to the chiropractor every week aswell even though it doesnt cost me anything.
I drive a 57 plate Scania R420. I would have to say its the most uncomfatable ive ever been in a truck. The lack of fine adjustment on the seat set up is poor, the blame for this is the use of a ‘ratchet’ system instead of a ‘twist’ system as seen in most trucks and cars!! The actual seat could do with a bit more padding aswell!!
Perhaps a link to the many Axor complaints?
chippy:
Perhaps a link to the many Axor complaints?
I think Will has probably read them, and is being polite. While we do reserve the right to use snippets from the forums in this case I beleieve Will is asking directly for comments that will get printed rather than just lifting comments that the author may not have intended for print.
I drive a 56 plate Axor and start to suffer lower back pain after 1 hr of driving, had a Daf 95 430 for past week, due to Axor off the road, been pain free all week 
Part of the problem is there is no comfortable position to rest left leg in Axor
The Axor, although I’m sure is an excellent fleet motor, just has lost its comfort in the conversion to Right hand drive.
I was speaking to a Portuguese driver only last night about the Axor, he drives a LHD model and has nothing but praise for the driving position.
I think the problem is that the driving position of Left hand drive vehicles isn’t fully copied over to Right hand drive, thus all the money and development time spent on ergonomics is totally undone.
Unless we get a vehicle specifically designed for Right hand drive, I don’t see the problem improving as we will always be an afterthought.
Alex
axor axor axor!driven a good variety of trucks over the years,good,bad,and ugly.but this thing has cost me £250 chiropractors fees.weve half a fleet of them(25)soon to be a whole fleet 
drivers tall and short complain of no leg room,back ache,sciatica type pains,and a general discomfort for a good while after driving them!had the good luck of a man tga(rental unit)did an 8hr drive in it,absolutely no aches or pains,so its not me fallin to bits anyway 
the newer units are auto,so no clutch,with a revised dash,but still the same seating position.horribly cheap n nasty fleet truck.
Although I have never driven the Axor. There seems to be a serious H&S issue relating to the right hand drive Merc. If drivers are so uncomfortable with the seating positions etc and are complaining of ,in some cases severe pain then driving safely may be compromised making the truck not fit for purpose.
All these drivers cannot be wrong. I have noticed on reading the posts regarding the Axor that 99% of drivers keep coming up with the same problems with the truck.
Therefore the issue must be bought to light and Mercedes be told.
If the present cases of severe back and leg problems persist and the diagnosis is that the Axor is the disease. Then a remedy and treatment must be put in place.
Mercedes may well find themselves fighting multlple lawsuits for injuries sustained when driving the Axor.
whooshwhoosh:
axor axor axor!driven a good variety of trucks over the years,good,bad,and ugly.but this thing has cost me £250 chiropractors fees.weve half a fleet of them(25)soon to be a whole fleet
drivers tall and short complain of no leg room,back ache,sciatica type pains,and a general discomfort for a good while after driving them!had the good luck of a man tga(rental unit)did an 8hr drive in it,absolutely no aches or pains,so its not me fallin to bits anyway
chiropractor bills are a bugger, especially since your only in there for like 5/10 mins and your spending anything between 30 and 50 quid a session. im just lucky my g/fs mother is one otherwise id be crioppled by now with pain or very skint.
ive driven an axor once and it wasnt bad but i only spent a few hours driving it so i couldnt really comment much on doing an 8 hour shift.scanias are just as bad, well the p cabs anyway.
best seat ive ever sat in surprisingly was in an 02 foden,well it was a daf seat in it but i found that comfy.
Armrests, thats what all trucks should have. My Scania is not the most comfortable truck in the world, in fact after a long stint I almost lose the ability to walk! Pus as has also been mentioned, the seat padding is very thin, on my previous one 2 very hard lumps of plastic had come through the seat.
ive no problem with the scania at all and im 6 ft and 17 stone. now the axor well… when ive done agency work ive been very tempted when given the keys to an axor to jump in the car and go home again. but scanias 4 seris and 3 seris and the new r- series dont give me any trouble at all. i could do with more leg room but thats the same with every truck i drive.
i dont really worry about the trucks noawdays i just count me blessings i was’nt driving 20 years ago.
Im 6’6" have driven various trucks in my life the Axor is a pile of ■■■ for driver comfort the seat is far too narrow and gets in the way when you are in bed you have to put the seat forward which is a total pain, the seats are rock hard too after a while it feels like you have been sitting on a rock and they dont go back far enough.
I drove a Scania P cab for many years and all i could see was the sun visor but apart from the left leg having nowhere to go when cruising and being crushed by the centre console the bunk was good and the seat was comfortable.
I am now driving a Daf something or other rigid it comes as satandard with NO AIR or suspension on the seat so I asked my boss for an aair seazrt and they fitter this piece of junk uk.youtube.com/watch?v=QuD5BLmlgEk the garage have tried to fix it, but say its a manufacturing fault. Which is hurting my back as I corner I have to hang on to handles to stay upright, the garage say thats the way it should be so i cant get it fixed.
Volvo make the most comfortable seats and trucks in my opinion.
being 6ft 4 and 18+ stone i have always had trouble finding a comfortable driving psoition, even in cars. the most comfortable i have found is in a DAF that is just superb now i know how to have the seat. the best for adjustment is the MAN with the three buttons for the lumbar supprt and that did help a lot but the seat and steering wheel just wouldnt be comfortable together. the Volvo was a pain in the arse until i did manage to get a comfortable position but had to move it to get the top bunk down so spent another 10 minutes in the morning getting it right again. scania’s are a pile of ■■■ for me, just cant get comfy doesnt matter how i adjust them! never driven an axor but from this forum would never want to!
my vote goes to DAF for the most comfortable driving position (and the beds are the most comfy as well)
i drive a 57 plate axor ( does sound like backsore) and its an auto with the optional Gammer comfort seat.
its 100% better than the early versions. but its still not perfect.
the steering wheel sits ever so slightly to the right and even the comfort seat is not the best imo.
the seat back is still one piece 
. when im sitting all nice and comfortable the seat back comes away from my back just below shoulder blade level and the headrest is nowhere near my head. merc should take a look at a volvo seat and have a two piece back.
a headrest should touch your head, should,nt it ■■?
Volvo seats dont go back far enough,i had to ram the seat back a few times to get it past the rail stoppers. The Actros is fine but you have to sit high due to the pedals being at a funny angle,this was the case on the TGA’s and Axors i drove aswell so it must be a German thing.
I drive a Volvo FM and I have to agree with Ellies Dad…the seat doesn’t go back far enough (I’m 5’11") and also the air powered lumber support isn’t in the right place for me. I find I have to move around on longer drives just to keep my lower back from getting stiff.
Other than that, it’s a comfy motor, the steering wheel adjustment is very good, but IMO it’s better in a Scania.
My Actross (08 plate) has no air in for adjustment to your back positions. I like to vary my seating position quite often so i don’t get ‘stuck’ in one position. Some days seat up high, another day seat back…you get the picture.
I’m in a105 the seats great once its set up to suit, in fact I would rather sleep in it than the bunk at the end of the day 