The International ProStar- A GREAT RIDE!

Last week, the Freightliner Century I was assigned to had a capacitor go bad on its Carrier APU. After waiting around for 2 days (and getting breakdown pay, thank God!) they still couldn't get the replacement part they needed.

I then asked about just being assigned to a different truck and they offered me a 2010 International ProStar with about 66,000 miles on it. After I checked it over and verified that it was a truck that was never smoked in (as I'm allergic to cigarette smoke) and in good shape, I 'moved' into it.

The ProStar I'm in now has a 72" sleeper with the highest ceiling available (not a mid-roof), even more storage than a Freightliner with a 'condo' sleeper, and has a very well thought out interior configuration. It has 12-volt lighter plugs and lights everywhere in the bunk, a slide-out desk and drawer on one of the cabinets, plenty of room for my clothes and other stuff, as well as a top bunk that accomodates my mountain bike perfectly.

Up in the '####pit', the CB cubby hole was large enough for my 'big' radio (a Uniden Grant XL with a side mic connect). The dash is well arranged with plenty of storage pockets, and the steering wheel has controls for the cruise, engine brake, headlight interrupt, marker light interrupt, radio volume and tuning, and even the air horn (which baffled me as I'm so used to knowing the location of an air horn cord after being on the road for about 16 years now).

The seats in this truck have several adjustments for lumbar, side and bottom bolsters, and even a 'Back Cycler' that works by constantly inflating and deflating the lumbar supports for improved blood circulation when seated at the wheel for long periods.

On the road, this truck is very quiet and smooth compared to any other truck I've driven (even the extended-hood 'large cars'). Most of us who have driven older International trucks may remember the inherent rough ride they had- that's not the case at all with the ProStar. Besides, the steering is very nimble and the tight turning radius helps when maneuvering in tight areas- it literally turns like a cat chasing its own tail.

The Cummins ISX engine (435 HP, 1,750 Ft. lbs of torque) pulls very well, almost never requiring me to gear down on hills while grossing 80,000 lbs. I haven't been in the mountains out west with this truck yet but I'm confident this engine will play its part in pulling those grades quite well. I'm also averaging 7.2 MPG so far.

Unlike with most other trucks I've driven I don't feel tired at the end of a 600-mile day in a ProStar- that helps my motivation to get a bike ride in before I grab a shower and head to the bunk for the night.

I'm a hard sell on new trucks that are out there nowadays but I can honestly say I really like the ProStar very well.