Can anyone really thrash a brand new truck with all the mod cons, fancy ecu things controlling the engine & transmission…■■? I think some of these things are build for ‘idiots’, no gaffer in his right mind trusts a driver 100%…!
I’ve had my share of brand new motors over the years and have without fail mollycoddled them for the first few thousand km. the upside of this has been far less downtime than their “sister” vehicles, the downside being they have never ever pulled as well as aforementioned sister trucks! As I’ve always been paid by the hour though I’ve never considered that an issue tbh.
Juddian:
Chas:
Juddian:
Don’t take long to come up with a list of who’d you’d employ here…and who you wouldn’t touch with a barge pole.You can spot a lorry driver from a thousand paces, and his lorry.
Don’t forget to tell us how you’d do it will you.
As you’ve asked so nicely, with common sense is the answer.
Its a new lorry so unless its an identical replacement for previous the driver will be learning its quirks and idionsyncrasies.
Do let the engine warm up before making it work, don’t thrash it hard nor make it labour at too low revs, let the turbo cool down after a hot run (good practice anyway), allow the engine to run through its rev range regularly but keep away from high end revs for the first few thousand k’s.
Keep an eye on the fluid levels every day, especially engine oil…which a driver will check every single day before start up without fail.
Gradually increase how hard the vehicle is worked until after say 10k kms it should be fine to work it as hard as necessary.
If its auto then ‘assisting’ the gearbox to not rev the engine too much might be useful…as its a Volvo this probably won’t be necessary, other autos frequently send the revs way up for no reason whatsoever at junctions.
Well looked after well driven vehicles don’t break down and look times better than scabby battered never cleaned mingers driven…wrong, aimed… by steering wheel operatives.
All good advice but from what a lot of chaps post here who work for the big firms the training advice seems to be start it and drive straight off and switch it off as soon as you stop.
Dont thrash it, but work it very hard - assuming it has a manual gearbox else there is nothing you can do apart from drive it!!
kr79:
Juddian:
Chas:
Juddian:
Don’t take long to come up with a list of who’d you’d employ here…and who you wouldn’t touch with a barge pole.You can spot a lorry driver from a thousand paces, and his lorry.
Don’t forget to tell us how you’d do it will you.
All good advice but from what a lot of chaps post here who work for the big firms the training advice seems to be start it and drive straight off and switch it off as soon as you stop.
Those firms probably lease everything, it only has to last for its contract R&M period, then goes down to Tilbury/Sheerness for export.
S’funny how the (and age means nothing in this as many older blokes neglect stuff just as badly) real drivers who automatically take a pride in their work and look after their equipment are never out of work for long, someone footing the bills who wants their vehicles to last and be cost effective soon snaps 'em up.
From what you post you take care of your equipment too, you know it pays both in costs and down time, and for what, a few pence of fuel a week, driving the vehicle properly progressively saves fuel constantly more than making up the cupful used for warm up/cooldown.
I can’t drive a stone cold vehicle hard nor switch a hot worked vehicle straight off, buggered if i’m going to start now…and i bet you don’t either… 
I agree as you say they take motors on a 3 year lease so a lot of these issues won’t affect them.
My firm buy new and run them in to the ground. 10 to15 years is the average life of our trucks so a little bit of sympathy does help.
When I started driving you had to have a good relationship
with your truck.
After all you would beg it to start with cries of come on baby.
Or when you were down to a crawl with not many cogs left
you would offer constant encouragement.
And if you were really good to her then she would always
get you home. 
oatcake1967:
When I started driving you had to have a good relationship
with your truck.
After all you would beg it to start with cries of come on baby.
Or when you were down to a crawl with not many cogs left
you would offer constant encouragement.And if you were really good to her then she would always
get you home.
Hiya it wasn’t only me who was daft with some of the old girls i’ve had. wake em up with a little teasing,
help them along the way with a few nice words just to get a days work out of them.
John
I was always told the worst thing for a new hd diesel is idling/light loads.
A lot of savvy farmers/ farm contractors order their new tractors for autumn, and put them straight to work on heavy ploughing etc. It’s supposedly better for a new engine that pottering about the farm with a couple of bales on a trailer. It’s supposed to bed in the rings etc properly.
I understand that some truck manufacturers deliver the trucks with a ‘running-in’ mineral engine oil which actually has slightly inferior anti-wear properties to the recommended oil for the rest of the truck’s life. This helps parts like rings and bores knock the rough edges off each other. It’s important that this oil is changed when specified and not left in the engine for too long.
So my main concern would be to find out when the first service was due, and make sure that it was done on schedule.
3300John:
oatcake1967:
When I started driving you had to have a good relationship
with your truck.
After all you would beg it to start with cries of come on baby.
Or when you were down to a crawl with not many cogs left
you would offer constant encouragement.And if you were really good to her then she would always
get you home.Hiya it wasn’t only me who was daft with some of the old girls i’ve had. wake em up with a little teasing,
help them along the way with a few nice words just to get a days work out of them.
John
I remember lighting small fires under the sump and the diesel tank
whilst lashings of easy start were applied and when she kicked in
the yard would be blanked out in white smoke till the old girl
cleared her throat. Happy days 
I’m currently driving a brand new Volvo 18t rigid. It’s impossible to thrash cos’ it’s an auto and changes up way before the red. Not that I would these days! 
Can’t idle ours you loose fuel bonus,have to hammer them as time critical deliveries and get your ■■■ kicked if late,after 15 hrs I just want to de-camp and zb off home,not sit round letting the oil run round the turbo for x amount of time,lease trucks so after 3 yrs someone else’s problem,do keep interior clean as best I can,but fleet truck so if other 90 drivers can’t be assed difficult
But, what about the burning diesel rag on a stick over the air intake?
Always a worry that it might get dragged into the engine…
I never saw a truck started that way, but best not to ask about the MF135 tractor…
GasGas:
But, what about the burning diesel rag on a stick over the air intake?Always a worry that it might get dragged into the engine…
I never saw a truck started that way, but best not to ask about the MF135 tractor…
Now you are showing your age 
The 135 generally started OK, it was the 35 with the 23c engine which you had to tow around the country to get started
GasGas:
I was always told the worst thing for a new hd diesel is idling/light loads.A lot of savvy farmers/ farm contractors order their new tractors for autumn, and put them straight to work on heavy ploughing etc. It’s supposedly better for a new engine that pottering about the farm with a couple of bales on a trailer. It’s supposed to bed in the rings etc properly.
Your right in that a diesel engine should be pulled down through heavy work but not revved the arse off in the opening weeks, they used to talk of glazing the bores.
Lusk:
GasGas:
But, what about the burning diesel rag on a stick over the air intake?Always a worry that it might get dragged into the engine…
I never saw a truck started that way, but best not to ask about the MF135 tractor…
Now you are showing your age
Oh yes, that wretched tractor. I know they usually started Ok, but mine didn’t.
The oil pressure would start off above max and slowly decline through the working day too.
And the wonderful three-speed gearbox. It was just like a five-speed gearbox only with second and fourth gears missing.
And the seat had broken so was welded directly to the back axle.
A diesel with EDC will not suffer from being laboured as much as a pre electronic engine. The old ones used to flood the bores with diesel and a new engine with as yet unseated rings would have that diesel into the sump where it would cause bearing wear.
The best way is to drive it how you usually drive, but try to get it working as much as possible, it needs heat to get the rings to seat, so make it work. The heavier the load and the hillier the terrain the better it will be.
As for revving it cold or shutting it straight off when hot, you shouldn’t do that to any engine, old or new.
GasGas:
Lusk:
GasGas:
But, what about the burning diesel rag on a stick over the air intake?Always a worry that it might get dragged into the engine…
I never saw a truck started that way, but best not to ask about the MF135 tractor…
Now you are showing your age
Oh yes, that wretched tractor. I know they usually started Ok, but mine didn’t.
The oil pressure would start off above max and slowly decline through the working day too.
And the wonderful three-speed gearbox. It was just like a five-speed gearbox only with second and fourth gears missing.
And the seat had broken so was welded directly to the back axle.
Dont forget the high and low making it a six speed gearbox Happy days
Sounds like you youngsters never had the pleasure of swinging a Standard Fordson for a couple of hours. And that was in the summer- very few of them were ever worked in winter time. 
The “rag-on-a-stick” cold start was never a problem. If you kept the throttle open a bit the burnt bits went straight through the engine and out of the exhaust. As did the wad of burning log sheets. 
I remember sitting in the passenger seat of an old AEC holding a flaming piece of rolled up newspaper over the venturi while me dad was on the button. Alright till I let go of the paper … the ■■■■■■■ started though. Another time, same motor, he’d left a Valor heater in the cab, anyone remember the old column parrafin heaters ? Inevitably it must have fallen arse over and got the ropes smouldering. Nice timber framed cab caught light. Still drove it back to CM&S at Boreham Wood to get the sack.
Back on topic. It’s true that engines etc don’t need so much care as they used to when they’re new, but it’s a good point about putting in a cheaper oil at first. It’s what I’ve always done after a rebuild and yes, pottering about too gently can glaze the bores up. That don’t mean I’d belt one about. As a young bloke I worked for a bloke in south London repairing Jags. When hooray henry came in with his string back driving gloves and flat cap telling us “the old gals not feeling too well” Tommy would send me off to Kingston by pass to give it a good leathering. I loved it and the ‘old gal’ came back like new after having the crap blown out of it.