Camp Freightliner

When we were at the 2015 Tampa RV Supershow, Freightliner had a display under a large tent.  Since it's the company that manufactures the chassis for the motorhome we wanted, we stopped by to see what it was all about.

The centerpiece of their tent was a large XCR chassis.  I pointed out to my wife that, like the one we were going to get, it had a tag axle, side radiator, and a few other features.  A Freightliner rep walked over and asked us what kind of coach we had.  When we told him that we were planning to get a Newmar Dutch Star 4369, he smiled, placed a hand on the chassis and said "this is the one!".

It was amazing to look at "our" coach without any house on it.  Not even the framework that serves as the basement was added - it was just a bunch of rails, tanks, and a big diesel engine in the rear.  Up front were some pedals and a steering wheel sticking up - and not much else.  We walked around it for almost an hour asking questions about the gas tanks, tires, engine and more.

At one point, my wife wandered over to a table where they had some brochures.  She loves to pick up reading material, so it wasn't surprising when she returned with a paper and started talking to me about "Camp Freightliner".  The surprise was when she told me that she wanted to go!

Camp Freightliner is, and I quote from their web site, "a comprehensive and captivating two-day training session in Gaffney, S.C., to learn more about the benefits of driving a motorhome built on an FCCC chassis. Topics include the air brake system, electrical system, maintenance intervals, weight distribution and vehicle storage, plus much more. This is not a hands-on workshop, but we will spend time at a bare chassis, allowing you to become more familiar with the features."

It's important to us to learn everything about the place that we'll be calling home for most of the year, and so we really want to attend one of the camps.  They offer them several times each year and you can make reservations online.  The best time to make reservations for the next year is in October of the previous year.  They fill up fast.

During the two-day workshop, they will feed you lunch.  You can also schedule service on your chassis (oil change, tire rotations, corner weighing, etc.) while you're there attending the camp.  Six miles away is the Spartanburg KOA, a large campground with full hook-ups and pull-thru sites.   They'll even pick you up at your camp site and drive you to Camp Freightliner each day about 7:30 am.  After the first day of camp, their Customer Support group hosts a dinner at 5:30 so you can mingle and meet people that work there.

They also offer a second workshop called Camp Freightliner II.  It's not scheduled at the same time (or even immediately following) the two-day camp, and they don't have as many available dates.  This camp is intended for people who want to spend time with a service technician while they work - and ask all the questions they care to ask.

The price for Camp Freightliner is $175 for one person and $225 for a couple.  Camp Freightliner II is $100 per person.

We've definitely decided to go in 2016 and will be attending six months after we get our coach. We've already made reservations for the class on October 17th and 18th. That way, we can get to the KOA on a Sunday, attend the workshop and dinner on Monday, and have our rig's six-month service on Tuesday while we're in class.  Nice!  

Everything you need to know can be found on the Camp Freightliner web site.