Did you know that DAF has its own museum in Eindhoven? You can read this and more facts about DAF in this blog article.
In this blog article you’ll read:
- Museum
- Meaning of DAF
- Best DAF mechanic in Europe
- DAF Connect
- PACCAR
- DAF LF, CF and XF
- Silent mode
- Driver instruction manuals
- Driver Challenge
- 3x Truck of the Year in th United Kingdom
1 | Museum
DAF has in the Netherlands in Eindhoven, its own museum where you can see, among other things, oldtimers of DAF, trucks, but also cars. The museum is located in Eindhoven and open from Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00. In addition, there’s an interactive educational program called ‘Trucknasium‘, in which everything about trucks can be learned. This program is for second and third year vmbo-t, havo and vwo students, but also for groups 7 and 8 of elementary school.
2 | Meaning of DAF
DAF was founded in 1928 by Hub van Doorne, who started making products for Philips and the Municipality of Eindhoven, among others. The company grew rapidly, partly thanks to the innovative, lightweight trailers developed by Hub: Van Doorne’s Aanhangwagen Fabriek (trailer factory, abbreviated to DAF) was born. When the first trucks left the factory in 1948, Hub’s childhood dream came true and DAF became the abbreviation for Van Doorne’s Automobiel Fabriek. By the end of 2019, DAF has already built nearly 1.3 million trucks and about 200 trucks roll off the assembly line every day, finding their way around the globe. In Europe, 1 in 6 trucks is a DAF. In the Netherlands and England, it is even 1 in 3.
3 | Best DAF mechanic in Europe
DAF has an award especially for its mechanics. Every other year DAF looks at who is its best mechanic across Europe. In national finals and then in an international test, the finalists have to prove their skills by applying them in theoretical and practical assignments related to vehicle systems and engines.
4 | DAF Connect
With the DAF Connect platform, you can see the performance of your fleet anywhere and anytime. So you know in a flash how drivers, logistics processes and the trucks are doing. For example, you can see what the vehicle availability is, where these vehicles are located, how much fuel they are consuming and what the technical status of the truck is. What’s more, DAF Connect actively helps you schedule maintenance and repairs.
5 | PACCAR
DAF has been part of Seattle-based PACCAR since the 1990s. In addition to DAF, PACCAR also carries the American brands Kenworth and Peterbilt. The engines that DAF develops in Eindhoven for its own trucks are also used in the trucks of Peterbilt and Kenworth. In addition, the ‘DAF LF’ is offered by Peterbilt as the ‘Peterbilt 220’. In the development of alternative drivelines (such as electric, hybrid and hydrogen) the three brands are working particularly closely together.
6 | DAF LF, CF and XF
DAF has 3 series: the LF, CF, and XF. Each series is suitable for a different purpose. The LF is the smallest of the three and has the shortest turning radius of any truck on the market. This makes it popular for transport and in urban areas, although it’s also used for medium-distance goods transport. The CF is an all-rounder and is used for regional, national and international (distribution) transport, but it’s also suitable for rough terrain. The XF has the largest cabin in the market and is mainly used for long distances and heavy transport.
7 | Silent mode
DAF has a silent mode on all 3 of its series. This mode ensures the production of less noise: the noise trucks make in this mode is below 71 decibels. This is useful for areas where a noise limit applies. The Silent mode is activated with a button on the dashboard. This mode then limits the torque and engine speed. It also encapsulates the engine to maximize noise attenuation.
8 | Driver instruction manuals
DAF has instruction manuals specifically for drivers, so they can quickly become familiar with how their DAF truck works. DAF also organizes training courses for drivers, to get more out of their vehicle, through more efficient fuel consumption and gaining knowledge of all the functions of their DAF.
9 | Driver Challenge
The biannually held DAF Driver Challenge, tests who is the best truck driver in the world. In 2019, national competitions were first held in 30 countries with more than 1,000 participants, all of whom had already survived an initial selection round. The final was in Luxembourg at the Goodyear circuit, where only the 18 best contestants could compete.
10 | 3x Truck of the Year in the United Kingdom
In 2019, the DAF LF has been named truck of the year in the UK for the 3rd consecutive time. This happened during the annual Commercial Fleet Awards. The 2019 manufacturer of the year award also went to DAF Trucks. The judging for this was done by having readers of Commercial Fleet magazine vote, which includes professionals from the UK transport industry.
View the range of DAF tractor units on TrucksNL
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