The Freightliner 122SD and Detroit DD16 Engine: A Match Made in Log Truck Heaven
Freightliner Trucks Severe Duty Newsletter
Ottawa Forest Products is a 25-year-old pallet company that operates in Ironwood, Mich. They have a fleet of 16 trucks, including two Freightliner Coronados and two Freightliner 122SDs.
The company has a combination of loader trucks and log trucks that haul raw product to the mill, where they produce wood pallet stock for their customers. About 80 percent of their deliveries are in Wisconsin and Minnesota, but they service customers as far away as Pennsylvania.
“Up in Michigan, our weather is similar to Canada’s,” said Lee Cummings, the dispatch and trucking coordinator at Ottawa Forest Products. “Usually we get about 250 inches of average snowfall. Our trucks are going off road in mud, snow, ice, and sand — you name it, we’ve probably seen it. The biggest thing I’ve noticed with our Freightliner trucks is their Detroit® power. They have very good handling and are very stable with that kind of load.”
In terms of loads, the 122SD Wisconsin loader truck can haul 98,000 pounds, and the 122SD Michigan log truck is legal at 164,000 pounds with a Detroit® DD16® engine. The Detroit DD16 is the biggest, toughest, most powerful on-highway engine Detroit has ever produced. It delivers up to 2050 lb-ft torque and 600 hp while offering fuel efficiency and reliability.
Another selling point for Cummings on the Freightliner 122SD is the excellent customer service from Mark Arndt of Truck Country, the Wausau Freightliner dealer.
“I’m at the age where the emblem on the hood doesn’t matter so much, it’s the service,” said Cummings. “Mark always keeps an extra truck on the lot for us and gives it to my driver when we have a maintenance issue so he can get reloaded. Buying a new truck with a warranty is great, but downtime and maintenance are your killer, so it’s all about the customer service.”
Ottawa Forest Products' 122SD log trucks.
“Up in Michigan, our weather is similar to Canada’s. Usually we get about 250 inches of average snowfall. Our trucks are going off road in mud, snow, ice, and sand — you name it, we’ve probably seen it. The biggest thing I’ve noticed with our Freightliner trucks is their power. They have very good handling and are very stable with that kind of load.”
– Lee Cummings, dispatch and trucking coordinator at Ottawa Forest Products