Volvo VNL Offers Restful Night, On-Road Performance
VTNA Demonstrates Truck Features With Live Driving Tests
Key Takeaways:
- Volvo hosted a five-truck ride-along to showcase the VNL's on-road performance and interior amenities.
- For overnight stays, design direction centered on easy access to living space controls such as the audio system as well as the battery-powered temperature control system.
- During test track driving, company representatives showcased the truck’s safety suite, specifically active braking, lane assist, cruise control and dynamic steering.
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MOUNTVILLE, S.C. — A restful night in the sleeper berth after covering a long stretch of road is an everyday goal for most truck drivers, and mirrors the real-world experience that Volvo Trucks North America offered journalists during an immersive road trip in its recently updated Volvo VNL on-highway tractor.
The truck maker hosted press Sept. 22-23 on a roughly 100-mile five-truck ride-along convoy from here to Charlotte, N.C., to showcase the truck’s on-road performance and interior amenities, as well as the comfort aims VTNA designed into the truck’s sleeper berth area.
“We have interviewed thousands of customers,” said Magnus Koeck, VTNA vice president of strategy, marketing and brand management. “We have now a very versatile setup. You can easily convert the Murphy bed and then you do an office setup.”
The entire cabin interior was designed around driver comfort, the company noted, with much of the focus being on visibility, seat comfort, climate controls and the bunk. Testing with professional truck drivers also brought forth small quality-of-life improvements such as more convenient storage and hooks where trash bags can be hung.
The VNL 860 interior during the overnight stay in its sleeper cab. (Connor D. Wolf/Transport Topics)
For overnight stays, design direction centered on easy access to living space controls such as the audio system as well as the battery-powered temperature control system. During a night spent in the sleeper, access proved to be straightforward and easy.
“This is what they value and this is what we developed,” Koeck said. “By doing that, we hope that our customers will attract good drivers.”
During test track driving, company representatives showcased the truck’s safety suite, specifically active braking, lane assist, cruise control and dynamic steering. The tests centered on VNL pulling a 53-foot trailer with a combined gross weight of 71,000 pounds. The 3.7-mile-long track offered straightaways that allowed the truck to reach the facility’s maximum speed limit of 65 mph.
The interior of the VNL 860. (Connor D. Wolf/Transport Topics)
Product Marketing Manager Chris Stadler rode along in the passenger seat as this reporter tested the lane keep assist system under the controlled test track environment. The truck was permitted to drift toward a traffic median, triggering an alert followed by a slight shift of the steering wheel to return the truck to the lane.
“The radar and the camera will pick up the lanes, measure the lanes [and] when the driver starts drifting from side to side, or maybe going over the lanes, it’ll alert them and also push them back into lane with a slight nudge,” Stadler said.
A second demonstration on a separate track covered safety features including forward-collision mitigation. This involved having a test driver in a separate vehicle pull ahead of the truck to demonstrate how adaptive cruise control reacts to stop-and-go traffic. The test vehicle stopped short, and the system worked as designed as the truck safely stopped.
“This is a true North American-developed product and 90% of it is new,” said Koeck. “This is the platform for all our future trucks.” (Connor D. Wolf/Transport Topics)
“You’ll be able to see — when we’re using the cruise control — exactly how far away that vehicle is from you,” said Madeline Sullivan, safety product marketing manager at VTNA. “The truck goes through a series of alerts to let you know you’re driving a little bit too close, and then if you take no action, it’ll eventually start to give you some audible alerts and then brakes.”
The driving demonstrations were held on closed tracks at the Michelin Laurens Proving Grounds. The testing and convoy drive took place in clear weather conditions. Traffic was light during the real-world drive.
The redesigned VNL 860 truck launched last year as the first new VTNA platform since 1993. “This is a true North American-developed product and 90% of it is new,” said Koeck. “This is the platform for all our future trucks.”
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