Q: Give us the background on your new VNL, the one you are calling Purple Haze II.

A: “It's the new VNL 860 sleeper. It has the I-Torque spec with the big gun, the sledgehammer engine. It has the D13 Turbo Compound with a 500 hp/1,950 lb-ft. rating and it's a beast. It's just flat out a beast. I’ve driven a lot of high horsepower engines, and this thing is something special for sure.”

Q: For the last couple of years you were driving a legacy VNL sleeper, Purple Haze I. How does the horsepower in II compare to your previous VNL?

A: “Purple haze I is a 455 hp/1,850 lb-ft. and it gets very decent fuel efficiency. But this new truck is so fun to drive, and it gets even better mileage. So, it’s kind of surprising that this is so efficient and I mean it pulls, it really pulls well.”

Q: How long have you had this truck and how many miles have you put on it so far?

A: “Just about a month at this point and we’ve got over 10,000 miles on it right now. So, it's not even broken in yet. The runs we’re making are for general van freight. The loads are all over the board weight-wise, most of the stuff has been in the eastern United States so far. A lot of time spent in Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. That means a lot of hills but with this engine I’m able to maintain some higher speeds, with cruise often set at 70 miles an hour. We’ve had gross weights up to 79,850 lbs., and all the way down to 37,000 lbs. As you’d expect with general freight, it can be all over the board.”

Q: Talk about the early results you're getting on fuel efficiency with the new vehicle.

A: “Over the first 10,000 miles, I'm just a touch under 12 miles a gallon average. It's really kind of mind blowing how fuel efficient this thing is and how strong it runs. You’d ordinarily never equate the two. Typically, you think if it’s fuel efficient it's going to be pretty lackluster in the hills. Vice versa, if it's good in the hills you're not going to get any fuel efficiency out of it. Between the I-Torque package with the gearing and the transmission, plus the wizardry that they worked on this engine with the 500/1,950 rating, it truly puts a smile on your face and money in the bank.”

Q: You’ve had some fun moments driving it already.

A: “ I’ve had some pretty interesting runs over Mount Eagle in Tennessee where I’m running beside some of these large “cars” with their stainless-steel reefers, spread axles, and eight-inch exhaust pipes. The last time there were three of them and we all hit the hill right at the same time. I just put it out in the passing lane, and I left those guys nearly sitting still. I was right at 79,000 lbs. gross and I'm assuming that they were right in that same range. I don't know what they had for engines in those trucks, but I could hear them winding up. What I've learned is that compared to the I-Torque package in the I-Shift transmission, traditional gearing is at a distinct disadvantage when you get into hills. They may even have more horsepower than I do, but the gearing puts them off the torque curve. They’re essentially gear bound at the point when I’m just starting to hit my stride. They're blowing right off the torque curve, and I just go right on by them. I have to admit it's kind of fun running that route going up to Nashville from Atlanta with all those hills and I’m still getting well north of nine miles a gallon on that leg.”

Q: Beyond the pulling power, what are some of the other things that have stood out to you in your first weeks with the new VNL?

A: “ Mine has the adaptive loading 6x2 configuration. So, it's a lift axle with the lift in front of the drive axle. I do have the GRAS (Global Rear Air Suspension) system on it, making this truck a six-bag air ride. There are two airbags on the lift axle and four on the drive axle. The drive axle has left and right leveling valves. Overall, the truck ride is just absolutely incredible. I always thought the legacy model was very good.

“They redesigned the front suspension, so it has longer parabolic leaf springs. I will flat out tell you: these longer parabolic leaf springs offer a better ride than an air ride front axle with much better handling. You have much better road feel. They've done a really nice job with it.

“The aerodynamics also make the ride very quiet and safer. Between the new mirrors and the slope of the windshield there’s just so much less wind noise. The curvature of the windshield also eliminates a blind spot around the a-pillar and that makes it easier when I’m pulling out at crossroads.”

Q: What kind of expectations do you have for the truck moving forward?

A: “ I've only got 10,000 miles out here so far, this is just the break-in period. But it’s been extremely impressive right out of the box. I was hoping to maybe get to 11 miles a gallon at some point and I'm already smashing that. We like to see a full season on the truck, with it running in the winter and through the spring and fall. That gives us all the variations and exposure to weather. But I can tell you having been in multiple new trucks over the years, this just knocks all of them…including the original Purple Haze…right out of the box. It's only gonna get better from here.”