Question:
I see many forum members (here and elsewhere) that call them "Freightshakers" and "Frightliners", or whatever else. Are those trucks really that bad? Or, are there any other tractors that are worse?

Answer:
Freightliners, from the get go, have been nothing but a fleet truck, and in that capacity they do fine. As with any thing it is how well they are maintained is how long they are gonna last. Under the hood there is no real difference between a KW, Pete, or Freightliner.
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Freightliner condos have more storage capacity and overall 'living' room than most other trucks on the market.

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The correct answer is...
Are Petes really that good?

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I used to repair trucks for a living, and the Freightliners built after 1991 leave a lot to be desired in terms of quality .
If I was offered a job that had me driving a pre-1992 Freightliner that was well-maintained, I wouldn't complain. The newer ones make me think that YUGO is building trucks now, but with the Freightliner name .
Many of the newer Freightliners have lots of electrical problems that can result in fires.Not liable for any information posted.

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I cannot speak for the other model Freightliners, however both the late model Century and Columbia I have driven left a few things to be desired in terms of driver comfort.
What stands out most about the Century was the constant attention and steering corrections required to the steering... this gets very tiresome after a while. The truck had a tendency to wander all over the road. Yes, the alignment and tires were fine.
I have vivid memories of a trip back to Canada through upper New York state in a snow storm. Defroster and wiper system could not keep up with the load. I had to stop ever few miles to clear the snow & ice buildup from around the wipers and lower windshield/upper hood area.
The best features of that Columbia was the CAT under the hood and the outdoor temperature gauge which was extremely handy that particular trip. The temp was hovering just above freezing... when it started to drop just below I figured the fun was about to start. Sure enough, 4-wheelers all over the place slippin' and sliddin' along with a few rigs jackknifed.
An outdoor temp gauge is the best thing since sliced bread since it gives you a heads up to adjust your driving BEFORE you start having problems.
BTW, since this is the newbie forum... one doesn't need to have a Freightliner to get either of these.

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most if not all of freightliners problems can be attributed to being put together too fast. The try to crank those things off the assembly line like Butternut does hamburger buns.
Hopefully now that orders for them have slowed considerably, since so many of the major fleets, now arte going with Volvos and other makes the quality will come up a bit.
Most of the trucks I have driven were 1996-2001 Freightliners and I never noticed any big problems with them. Mostly is was minor annoyances due to a lack of fit and finish of body and trim parts and pieces.
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Despite being annoying, Paula is actually a very perceptive person (except when it comes to me).
Here is the straight poop from someone who knows----because i've been "around the block" (several times) and thus have driven many companies' junk:
The only real problem with freightliner is the loose steering. i have counted the number of corrections per mile----around 27. So if you do say 550 to 600 miles per day , you're making at least 14,850 to 16,200 steering corrections per day!!! And you wonder why you're so tired.
Now, a freightliner could be equipped with a good steering box that provides tight steering as i have driven one that was spec'd by people who care---FedEx Freight. Most of today's fleet managers are 'in space."
O.K., we've got that out of the way.
A) a "minor" annoyance which is common to freightliners is that they are very noisy on the inside because managers don't care about you. This also means that it will be extremely hot in the summer and really cold in the winter. Poor to non-existent insulation.
B) Yes, the fit and finish, both inside and out is of poorer quality than FIAT(which is as low as you can get) and YUGO(Yugo is a fiat design), but who cares? It's not like it's your truck.
Now, since underneath all that cheap plastic, the mechanicals are basically the same as any other truck out there, they(freightliner) are, for the most part, pretty dependable.

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paula as been in it for a year and left,there dependable chad like
any other truck
my friend as a pete he's always at the shop,eating tires,a/c problems
water coming in the doors,and windshield.
the thing you must understand about freightliner,is that many fleets bought
them and spec them the way they wanted
there's many way to spec a truck,i dont have neither does my friends
any loose in the steering,weve spec our truck,silencer package,full gage
packages,some thing fleet dont do
now kenworth t 2000 is coming to be a fleet truck,you will see drivers
say what junk there saying there driving,when you have a fleet
buyer that just got out of school,or lost is management job at lise watier
and spec a truck,you get what you have
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Stay on topic boys... it is about Freightliners not me.
You start a new post by clicking on the 'new topic' button on the left side. Enter the appropriate subject title and gossip away.
I seem to have added a second bobblehead to my collection.

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good then you can use it for yourself...................
not much to do in rouyn noranda,but check the fly's go by
tap tap paula
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Have been driving an 04 Freightliner Columbia for the last few weeks and I can tell you I was longing for the 94 model International that we used in school. Very noisy even when there is no wind blowing. Visability is hampered by the thick windshield corner posts and although the condo is large it is not thought out very well. Not enough lite switches for the sleeper and the top bunk lacks any cubby space in the bunk area. I trained in a Super 10 so I thought all the gear rubbing was a learning curve thing until I saw the trouble my trainer was having as well. After talking to several drivers came to find out that there is a flaw in the transmission which causes you to shift at eratic RPM's . Took the truck to Freightliner yesterday and confirmed the transmission problem and they kept the truck. (only has 20,000 mi. on the hub) The service manager said he expects a recall. Just so happend that it was the last day of company training, and was assigned an 03 International. Looking forward to being able to hear the radio without turning it up full blast......

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Pakie, make like a fleur-de-lys and blow.
In the meantime I'll leave you alone, it seems rather unfair to take on someone with such a low comprehension level and use of the English language.
You go be a bull in someone else's china cabinet.
Have a nice day.

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OKNewbie, I hear ya! I'm an Owner-Operator, and I have a '98 International Eagle. I parked it for a while in 2003 when fuel prices shot up, and was running team at the time. We went to work for LandSpan and we were assigned a 2001 Freightliner Classic XL Condo- it only had 1/3 the miles that my International had on it at the time, but what a big pile of CRAP ! Rattles, water leaks, electrical poblems, and the ride quality SUCKED !
As soon as the fuel prices appeared to be inching down a bit, I was GLAD to get back in my old International and enjoy my nice sound system and the quiet ride again ! At close to 900,000 miles now, I still enjoy driving it, and plan to keep running it for a long time . Engine overhaul on the ol' Detroit? Hasn't shown a sign of needing it !Not liable for any information posted.

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Freightliners are the bottom of the barrel as far as desireable trucks go in my book.
They are uncomfortable to drive, as the ergonomics are horrible, and nothing on the dash is convenient to see/reach.
Quality is bad. I currently drive a 03 Columbia, and the wind blows through the doors almost unimpeded, the windshield leaks when it rains, the doors, dash, and cabinets in the sleeper constantly rattle, and wind/engine noise in the cab is high. To say nothing of the crappy radio Freightliner puts in-can't pick up a 100KW station unless I am within 10 miles of it.
Ride quality is horrible. I have had both the cab and chassis suspension adjusted to no avail. On washboard roads, the whole truck skitters across the lane.
You purists will sneer, but Freightliners are garbage from the moment they leave the factory. Give me back my Volvo 770.