Uploaded July 2021 | Updated September 2026, 2 days ago
With only a handful of Leach Millenium front loaders left I can think of off the top of my head, I thought I'd dedicate one of the last ones in regular service its own video! As Isaac and I found out back when we first ventured up to Tahoe in January, TTSD has an extremely diverse front load fleet, with this single Leach Millenium (C57) being the most interesting odd ball of the bunch. It is a 13 speed manual transmission like the other 6 of our Peterbilts from the era, and is typically sent out to dump 6 yard bins that the pickups fill up on route, along with the occasional route with a carry can. Luckily for me, I found out pretty soon after starting here that C57 is assigned to dump my Monday route. Of course, I had to jump on the opportunity to get some video!
Since receiving my CDL permit I have been able to get a feel for driving several of the trucks here and each one is its own different beast, this Leach Millenium being no exception. The transmission acts pretty similarly to our other stick shifts, however the most significant oddities surface when it comes to operating this truck. You'll notice how much throttle it needs to lift the bins, as it can barely lift an empty one at idle. I quickly found out that you need to keep around 1500-1600 RPMs to lift a fully loaded bin, and even push 2000 if you really want to get it moving. When you want to pack, even 2000 RPM will get you a crawling packer blade, and in my experience, verging on 2500 will be a little more tolerable however it's probably not the best for the wear and stress on the engine. When you do get it revving into the higher RPMs though, it is a pretty cool sound hearing the engine fan kick on.
Despite how cool and rare this truck is, I can't say it's the best choice for the route it's on. If packing construction debris, I heard it can barely fit 7 or 8 of our 6 yarders in before it has to dump. With normal residential waste, it usually packs out after ten 6yds on average, and maybe 11 or 12 on a good day if you take the time to really pack it. Being that Monday's are heaviest along the North Lake, and I can usually fit 35-50 stops in one bin, for reference, on average this truck can only fit in just over 500 residential stops.
Needless to say I hope you guys enjoy this video, and huge shoutout to Miguel for being an awesome coworker and a pro at dumping those bins!
With only a handful of Leach Millenium front loaders left I can think of off the top of my head, I thought I'd dedicate one of the last ones in regular service its own video! As Isaac and I found out back when we first ventured up to Tahoe in January, TTSD has an extremely diverse front load fleet, with this single Leach Millenium (C57) being the most interesting odd ball of the bunch. It is a 13 speed manual transmission like the other 6 of our Peterbilts from the era, and is typically sent out to dump 6 yard bins that the pickups fill up on route, along with the occasional route with a carry can. Luckily for me, I found out pretty soon after starting here that C57 is assigned to dump my Monday route. Of course, I had to jump on the opportunity to get some video!
Since receiving my CDL permit I have been able to get a feel for driving several of the trucks here and each one is its own different beast, this Leach Millenium being no exception. The transmission acts pretty similarly to our other stick shifts, however the most significant oddities surface when it comes to operating this truck. You'll notice how much throttle it needs to lift the bins, as it can barely lift an empty one at idle. I quickly found out that you need to keep around 1500-1600 RPMs to lift a fully loaded bin, and even push 2000 if you really want to get it moving. When you want to pack, even 2000 RPM will get you a crawling packer blade, and in my experience, verging on 2500 will be a little more tolerable however it's probably not the best for the wear and stress on the engine. When you do get it revving into the higher RPMs though, it is a pretty cool sound hearing the engine fan kick on.
Despite how cool and rare this truck is, I can't say it's the best choice for the route it's on. If packing construction debris, I heard it can barely fit 7 or 8 of our 6 yarders in before it has to dump. With normal residential waste, it usually packs out after ten 6yds on average, and maybe 11 or 12 on a good day if you take the time to really pack it. Being that Monday's are heaviest along the North Lake, and I can usually fit 35-50 stops in one bin, for reference, on average this truck can only fit in just over 500 residential stops.
Needless to say I hope you guys enjoy this video, and huge shoutout to Miguel for being an awesome coworker and a pro at dumping those bins!
