MythBusters Debunks Big Rig Myths

I'm a big fan of the Discovery Channel's show MythBusters so I was excited to see Freightliner's Cascadia featured on the big rig episode that aired Wednesday, June 6.The show will repeat throughout the month of June, so check your local listings to catch hosts Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman trying to prove or debunk popular urban legends about big rigs.

Filmed on Freightliner's test track in Madras, Oregon, the MythBusters crew investigated whether car drivers can save fuel by cruising in the downdraft behind a truck. My father always swore this was true and closely-- and, I always thought, unsafely -- tailed big rigs whenever he hit the freeway. Imitating the popular 1980s TV show Knight Rider, the crew also tested whether a car could reverse out of a moving truck trailer, do a 180, and speed away. Don't miss the "Exploding Tyre of Death" in which Adam and Jamie risk their lives to find out if an exploding truck tire can kill!

Freightliner's aerodynamic Cascadia, rack and pinion steering, and Freightliner's state-of-the art wind tunnel -- big enough to accommodate Class 8 trucks -- are featured in the show. Freightliner is the only manufacturer of heavy duty trucks with rack and pinionsteering,

Visit the Discovery Channel's website for more of MythBuster's wacky tests with big rigs and to check broadcast dates. Next airing is scheduled for Sunday, June 10 at 7 p.m.