The Shining 9900ix, International's premium long-nosed conventional, was sitting outside Effingham Truck Sales (ETS) as I drove up. My test ride was attractively decked out with enough stainless and LED lamps to look good anywhere. It's already partway to show truck condition. I had heard good things about this truck, now the grand prize for the Truckload Carriers Association Independent Contractor of the Year, so I had to find out why.

Interior Insider

The cab is roomy, with ample shoulder room to the door, and wide walk-through space between the seats. Full stand-up headroom, 78-inches in the High Rise sleeper, starts right between the seats. A full height optional air deflector fits over the High Rise sleeper, or you can select the slightly heavier Sky Rise with its 96-inch interior height.

Continuing around the sleeper, there's a large three-level shelf stack with a 2-1/2-inch well above it tucked in the passenger side rear corner. There's a closet with a TV cabinet behind the passenger seat. One problem is that there is no catch to hold the cabinet door open. Not a problem driving solo, but when half a team is in the bunk while the other half drives, the door is free to swing without a stop or tie down.

The 37" x 80" mattress was a bit on the firm side, but quite comfortable. The entire bed easily swings up for access to an under-bunk compartment that extends across the entire truck, to allow storage of load locks.

Behind the Wheel

Settling in to the Eagle trim National seat with two adjustable armrests, I found enough adjustments to allow almost anyone to find a comfortable driving position behind the leather and wood trim tilt-and-telescope steering wheel. The dashboard and controls are well laid out, with everything, even my can of pop, easily falling to hand.

Like all long-nose conventionals, forward visibility was limited by the upright hood, but sight lines to both sides and the rear were surprisingly good.

International places its muffler under the cab, with straight pipes running up the cab sides. This lessens weight, and therefore stress, on the cab, and keeps the stacks narrower than the mufflers. Even with the bright stainless heat shields, there was very little obstruction through the mirrors. The muffler does a good job quieting excessive noise from Cummins' Intebrake.

My riding companion, ETS' Larry Welch, had the 9900ix hooked to the dealership's test and demonstration trailer. With 33,000 pounds of paper in the 7,000-pound trailer, we set out to conquer the Interstates. The post-October 2002 Cummins ISX 500 was smooth and immediately responsive. It had no problem with our moderately loaded rig, and because of the flat terrain around Effingham, I didn't attempt any performance comparisons.

But I had ample opportunity to test the ride, stability and what engineers call NVH: noise, vibration and harshness. Welch directed me to a few stretches of road that badly needed repairs, and one parking lot with some deep potholes. I even drove onto the shoulder a few times to hear the rumble strips alongside the road. The long bag air suspension did a fine job of isolating road shock from the cab, while the Goodyear 285/75R24.5 tires worked with the suspension to isolate the noise and feel from the rumble strips. There was intermittent rain, but whether through puddles or on wet roads, the International felt as stable and predictable as it did on dry pavement.

There was an unusual problem with the big Cummins. While it ran beautifully, there were places on its sides where paint was missing and the cast iron had started rusting. Welch said they had seen this on a few Cummins engines, probably due to the fixturing not being removed before the engine was painted. Effingham Truck Sales preps and paints those spots, so their customers never see the defect.

Bottom Line

Some friends of mine drive International conventionals, company spec 9200s and 9400s. They complained about the noise and harsh ride of their trucks. It may be this t ruck's Eagle premium package with more insulation, or perhaps it's a difference in the design of the 9900, but I found this a very quiet, comfortable and predictable truck. It was very easy to drive.

My feelings were echoed by others driving 9900ix Eagles with Pro Sleepers. This was a truck any owner-operator could take pride in.

As an added incentive, now through April, International is offering up to $2,000 toward the down payment of any new 9000i series truck. Check with your dealer for details.

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Fuel Tank: 200-300 gallons total capacity
Steering: Ross, Sheppard
Brakes: Air ABS
Wheelbase: 185 inches to 258 inches

Cab: Conventional Aluminum 130-inch bbc

Interior:

• Lift-up bunk with latch and automatic lighting.
• Removable under-bunk storage tray.
• Dual under-bunk lockbox.
• TV/VCR cabinet behind passenger seat.
• Sleeper control panel with lighting, temperature and blower speed control.

Exterior:

• Chrome-plated grille and headlight bezels
• Full-width Texas-style chrome-plated steel bumper
• Dual external stainless steel air cleaners and available dual cab-mounted exhaust
• Flow-through aero sunshade

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