Questions to Ask at Truck Dealerships

It is hard to know what to expect during your first visit to a truck dealership. All truck dealerships are slightly different, but all Freightliner dealerships are dedicated to providing an excellent customer experience. However, it never hurts to be prepared by knowing what questions to ask when visiting truck dealerships. Below are several frequently asked questions that arise at truck dealerships. Be sure to go over these questions when visiting your local Freightliner dealership to get the most out of your visit.

1. Can I test drive the vehicle that I want to purchase?

If the semi-truck is on the lot, then absolutely! Most truck dealerships have a variety of on-highway trucks available for test drives. Due to the customized nature of vocational trucks, dealerships may not have every vocational truck on the lot, but contact your local Freightliner dealership to find out what trucks are available for a test drive. If the truck isn’t on the lot, there are other opportunities to drive the truck as many truck OEMs will also have ride and drive events or demo programs that dealerships can take potential or current customers to as well.

2. How loud is it inside the cab of a truck?

The inside of a 2015 Freightliner Cascadia has a noise level of 57.5 decibels to 67.5 decibels when the truck is in motion. Our advanced engineering allows the Cascadia to provide 50% less vibration noise than our competitors.

3. How wide is this cab compared to other truck cabs?

The Cascadia Evolution boasts one of the largest cabs in the industry today. Cab configurations for the Cascadia Evolution include 48” Mid-Roof XT, 60” Mid-Roof XT, and 72” Mid-Roof XT and 60” and 72” Raise Roof options. Wide cabs improve on comfort, visibility, and reduces driver fatigue.

4. What safety features does this truck have?

The main safety features to look for are…

• Wheel and tire safety
• Skirted trailers & underride guard protection
• Air pressure braking
• Active & passive safety
• Active break assist
• Adaptive cruise control
• Radar equipment

5.  What is the resale value of the truck?

If you are buying a new truck, it is important to understand the potential resale value of the truck when you reach 500,000, 600,000, etc. miles. This factors into your real cost of ownership and dealerships can provide you with this data upon request. Currently, the Cascadia and Cascadia Evolution has the highest resale value in the industry.

These are questions that all truck dealerships should expect from their customers and be equipped to answer. Before visiting the truck dealership, make a list of all the questions that you have about the truck and the purchasing process. This will allow you to organize your thoughts and ensure that all of your questions are answered. After visiting the truck dealership, you will be on the road in no time!