VOLVO VN / VHD / VAH

Drivers handbook QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE

PV776-22014970

FOREWORD
This quick reference guide details basic information for operating your VN, VHD or VAH vehicle. Please keep this guide in the vehicle at all times. Note: Illustrations in this guide are used for reference only and may differ slightly from the actual vehicle. However, key components addressed in this document are represented as accurately as possible. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Volvo Trucks North America should be informed immediately if you believe the vehicle has a defect that could cause a crash, injury or death. Contact NHTSA by calling the Auto Safety Hotline at 1(888) 327-4236, by writing to NHTSA, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, DC 20590, by TTY at 1 (800) 424-9153, or by visiting their website at www.nhtsa.dot.gov.

Volvo Trucks North America, a division of Volvo Group North America, Inc. Greensboro, NC USA
2012 Volvo Group North America, Inc., Greensboro, NC USA All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of Volvo Trucks North America, a division of Volvo Group North America, Inc.

contents
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 - 6 Cab Doors, Door Locks and Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-11 Panel Arrangement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Instrument Panel Gauge Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Panel A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Panel B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 -15 Panel C . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Panel D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Panel E . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 I-Shift Transmission Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 - 21 Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 - 23 Bluetooth Hands-Free Phone Mode (Optional Feature) . . . . . . . 24 Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Miscellaneous Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

starting the engine

Start Procedure
For cold weather starting, refer to the VN/VHD/VAH operators manual. The following starting and operating procedures should be followed for all engines. For more information about the design and function of a nonVOLVO engine, refer to the operators manual from the engine manufacturer. Before starting the engine, see Instruments and Controls section (pages 1223) for detailed information on how the gauges and tell-tales work.

DANGER
DO NOT use ether or other combustible starting aids in any VOLVO engine. Doing so could cause a fire or explosion resulting in severe property damage, serious personal injury or death.

DANGER
Never operate the starter without first placing the transmission in neutral or depressing the clutch pedal. Failure to so could result in the unintentional movement of the vehicle resulting in property damage, personal injury or death.
STARTING THE ENGINE

starting the engine

1. Before starting the engine, perform the engine pre-trip inspection and daily maintenance checks. For more information on the pre-trip inspection, refer to the VN/VHD/VAH operators manual. 2. Make sure the parking brakes are engaged. 3. Place the transmission in neutral or depress the clutch pedal.

CAUTION
DO NOT crank the engine for more than 30 seconds at a time. Wait two minutes after each try to allow the starter to cool. Failure to follow these instructions could cause starter damage.

NOTE: Some starters are equipped with starter protection. If the engine is running and the starter temperature is too high, or the transmission is not in neutral, or the clutch pedal is not depressed, starter engagement is inhibited. When the key is turned to the start position, there is a one-second delay before the starter is engaged. NOTE: The starter will not operate if the PTO is engaged. 4. Turn on the ignition with the switch key. Some tell-tales will come on in a routine check that shows the bulbs and systems are OK. If any of the telltales remain on, that function of the vehicle may not be operable. DO NOT operate the vehicle until the problem is repaired. For an explanation of the tell-tales, refer to the VN/VHD/VAH operators manual. 5. Turn the key to the start position. Release key as soon as the engine has started. For the VOLVO engine, the preheater can be engaged to assist starting in cold temperatures.

STARTING THE ENGINE

starting the engine

CAUTION
If at start-up, or any time thereafter, the oil pressure gauge indicates a drop in oil pressure, shut the engine down immediately. Failure to stop the engine may cause major engine damage.

6. When the engine has started, it takes a while to send lubricating oil to all bearings and shafts and between pistons and liners. Wait for the oil pressure gauge to settle at a normal level, then gradually increase engine speed. Continue to increase speed slowly as the engine warms up. Check all gauges during warm-up. 7. During warm-up, apply load gradually until the oil temperature reaches 60C (140F). To move a loaded vehicle, the minimum coolant temperature must be approximately 50C (120F).

Engine Break-In
Engines are tested on dynamometers before being shipped from the manufacturer. In most applications, the engine can be put to work immediately, but the operator should be extra observant of the operating conditions shown on the gauges during the initial 100 hours or 5,000 Km (3,000 miles). A more frequent check of the engine compartment for fluid leaks, fluid levels and fastener tightness is also recommended during the break-in period.
STARTING THE ENGINE

cab doors, door locks and keys

Keys
The cab doors can be locked and unlocked with the same key used for the ignition. Keyless remote entry is also available. Keys can be made to fit just one vehicle or all the vehicles in a VOLVO fleet. The key fits in the door lock in either orientation. Insert the key and turn it turn counterclockwise to unlock the door, or clockwise to lock it.

DANGER
To lessen the chance of being thrown from the vehicle in the event of an accident, always lock the doors and wear the safety belt while driving. Failure to do so can cause serious personal injury or death in the event of an accident.

Keyless Remote Entry

1. Press the remote button once to unlock driver side. Press twice to unlock both doors.
CAB DOORS, DOOR LOCKS AND KEYS

2. Press the remote button once to lock doors. Note: The vehicle is delivered with two identical keys. Additional keys may be ordered through your authorized VOLVO Truck dealer. ler.

cab doors, door locks and keys

Door Locks
The door locks are mechanically or electronically operated. The lock is activated by the key from outside the truck, or by the door lock handle from inside. With mechanical locks, only one door can be locked and unlocked at a time. With electronic locks, both doors can be locked and unlocked by the key or by the inner door lock handle on the drivers and passengers sides. Note: Neither door can be locked while it is still open. The door must be closed for the lock to work.

Mechanical Locks
With mechanical locks, to lock either door from inside the cab, push the door lock handle forward. The handle will stay in place, indicating the door is locked. It can be unlocked without opening the door by moving the door lock handle to the middle position. Pull the handle back to unlock the door. Push the handle forward to lock the door.

CAB DOORS, DOOR LOCKS AND KEYS

cab doors, door locks and keys

Electronic Locks
With electronic locks, to lock both doors from inside the cab, push the door lock handle forward on either door. The handle will stay in place, indicating the door is locked. Either door can be unlocked without opening the door by moving the door lock handle to the middle position. Each door must be unlocked individually from inside the cab. To unlock the doors using the key, insert the key in either door lock. Turn the key to the unlock position to unlock that door (1). To unlock both doors, turn the key to the unlock position (1), turn the key to the lock position (2) and turn the key to the unlock position (3).

CAB DOORS, DOOR LOCKS AND KEYS

cab doors, door locks and keys

Door Operation
Each door has a position lock that enables the door to remain open in two different positions. An indented bar holds the door partially open at approximately 30 and fully open at approximately 85.

To close the door from the inside, place your hand in the handhold and pull the door toward you.

To close the door from the outside, place your hand against the door lock area and push the door shut.

CAB DOORS, DOOR LOCKS AND KEYS

CAUTION
DO NOT shut the door by pushing on the door panel. Doing so may distort the door panel metal.

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cab doors, door locks and keys

Power Door Locks
(Optional)
Power door locks are operated by a remote control l button located on the control panel on the drivers door. Press button 1 (shown on panel diagram) to lock both doors, or press button 2 to unlock them. In the event of a power failure, the electrical lock system reverts back to a mechanical system.

1 2

Central Locking
The central locking feature is operated using a remote control button located on the drivers door control panel. There is no alarm in this unit. The central locking unit allows the driver to control the vehicles door locks electronically for convenience and increased personal safety.

Unlock Doors Using Remote Control

To unlock the drivers door, press the UNLOCK button. The side indicators will flash. To unlock the passenger door, press the UNLOCK button again. The side indicators will flash.
CAB DOORS, DOOR LOCKS AND KEYS

Lock Doors Using Remote Control

Press the LOCK button. The side indicators will flash.

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PANEL ARRANGEMENT
Your view from the driver seat will look similar to the illustrations shown on page 13. The layout is designed to provide the operator with a good view of the gauges and controls, which are placed within easy reach. The instrument panel, as shown in the drawing, is broken down into five sections. For easy identification we refer to them, from left to right, as Panels A, B, C, D and E. Note: This guide shows instruments and controls available for this vehicle at the time of publication. Depending on options, your vehicle may not have all the instruments and controls shown, and they may not be in the same position.

PANEL ARRANGEMENT

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INSTRUMENT PANEL GAUGE LAYOUT

Panel arrangement, showing location of Panels A, B, C, D and E.

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INSTRUMENT PANEL GAUGE LAYOUT

PANEL A
1. Light Control Panel 2. Instrument Cluster 3. Trailer Air Supply 4. Tractor Parking Brake

PANEL A & B

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PANEL B
5. Inter-Wheel Differential Lock 6. Inter-Axle Differential Lock 7. VN: Idle Management Indicator Lamp (ISX ICON) or Optional Switch or Electronically Controlled Suspension (ECS) On/Off or Lift Axle #1 (Pusher) 8. VN: Optional Switch or Electronically Controlled Suspension (ECS) Up/Down 9. Auxiliary #1 10. VN: Auxiliary #2 or Temp-A-Start (TAS) Indicator Lamps 11. VN: Auxiliary #3 or Temp-A-Start (TAS) On/Off 12. Secondary Gauge Cluster 13. Secondary Gauge Cluster 14. Engine Brake or I-Shift Eco-Roll 15. VN: Engine Brake Mode Select (ISX) or I-Shift Hill Start Assist 16. VN: Fifth Wheel Touch Lock (Unlock) 17. Marker Interrupt or Secondary Gauge Cluster 18. Optional Switch or Secondary Gauge Cluster
PANEL B

19. Traction Control 20. Suspension Dump 21. Fifth Wheel Slide or Engine Inside/Outside Air Control 22. Air Vent 23. Radio 24. Fan Speed 25. Recirculation 26. Air Distribution 27. AC ON/OFF 28. Temperature Knob 29. Trailer Hand Brake Control

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PANEL C
30. VN: Optional Switch or Passenger Window Lift 31. Water in Fuel (Purge Switch) 32. Optional Switch or AUX/USB Port 33. VN: Sleeper Fan Speed 34. VN: Optional Switch or Beacon Lamps

PANEL C

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PANEL D
35. Back-of-Cab Light 36. Optional Switch 37. Optional Switch or Power Take-Off (PTO) 38. VN: Overhead Bunk Lamp or Passenger Side Mirror In/Out 39. VN: Side Mirror Heat or Power Take-Off (PTO)

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PANEL D

PANEL E
40. AC Inverter 120 V 41. Optional Switch 42. Optional Switch 43. Power Outlet 44. Microphone p

Note: Before driving this vehicle, locate the various instruments and controls and become familiar with their operation. After starting and while driving, be sure the instrument readings are normal. Note: The instruments and controls shown were available for this vehicle at the time of publication. Depending on the options selected, not all gauges and tell-tales may be used in all vehicles. Note: The dash layout is the same for all VOLVO vehicles. However, the switches and certain switch positions are different depending on vehicle options specified.
PANEL E

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I-SHIFT TRANSMISSION FEATURES

Gear Selector
Note: The I-Shift transmission is available with optional features. Customerrequested options are available. Contact your VOLVO Truck dealer for more information about standard and optional features. I-Shift transmission optional feature packages can be upgraded to add additional benefits.

Gear Selectors
Two gear selectors are available with the I-Shift transmission: Premium and Basic. The gear selector is attached to the drivers seat. There are four gear selector positions: R, N, D and M. When the gear lever is in the R position, the reverse gears are engaged. The N position places the transmission in neutral. The D position is the automatic drive mode. With the Premium gear selector, the M position allows the operator to manually select the operating and starting gear. With the Basic gear selector, the M position holds the current operating gear and puts the transmission in first gear when starting from a stop.

Basic Gear Selector Shown n

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I-SHIFT TRANSMISSION FEATURES

I-SHIFT TRANSMISSION FEATURES

Gear Selector Movement
The gear selector lock must be depressed to move the gear lever from the N position. The gear lever can be moved from the R position to N, back and forth between the D and M positions, and from the D position to N without pressing the gear selector lock. 1. Gear Lever 2. Economy/Performance Button (Premium gear selector only) 3. Gear Selector Lock 4. Manual Gear Selection Buttons (Premium gear selector only) 5. Fold Button

I-SHIFT TRANSMISSION FEATURES

Premium Gear Selector Shown

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I-SHIFT TRANSMISSION FEATURES

Premium Gear Selector
With the Premium gear selector, the manual gear selection buttons allow the operator to manually select the operating gear in both the automatic and manual driving modes. Also, the operator can use the manual gear selection buttons to select the vehicle start gear and the idle driving gear. Premium gear selectors have an Economy/Performance button. The transmission is in Economy mode when the vehicle is started. Press the E/P button to enable Performance mode. Note: If the E/P parameter is disabled then the Performance mode cannot be engaged. From the N position the gear lever can be folded to the horizontal position by depressing the Fold button on the top of the lever. It is not necessary to press the Fold button again to return the gear lever to the vertical position. The gear lever is in the N position when returned to the vertical position.

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I-SHIFT TRANSMISSION FEATURES

Cruise control
DANGER
DO NOT use the cruise control in heavy traffic, with ice/snow on the road or during other unfavorable conditions. Doing so may lead to loss of vehicle control, causing a vehicle crash, personal injury or death.

Engaging Cruise Control

To engage and set desired speed while driving: 1. Set the cruise control switch to ON. 2. When the desired vehicle speed has been reached, momentarily press in the SET+ or SET switch on the end of the lever. The vehicle will continue at that speed. 3. To increase speed, press the SET+ switch. A momentary press of the switch (half-second or less) will increase vehicle speed in small increments. Hold down the switch (more than a half-second) to increase vehicle speed quickly. The vehicle speed will increase as long as the SET+ switch is pressed (speed will not increase above the maximum programmed speed). Release the switch when the desired speed has been reached. The new set speed will be the vehicle speed when the switch is released. 4. To decrease speed, press the SET switch. A momentary press of the switch (half-second or less) will reduce vehicle speed in small increments.

CRUISE CONTROL

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Cruise control
Hold down the switch (more than a half-second) to reduce vehicle speed quickly. The vehicle speed will decrease as long as the SET switch is pressed (speed will not decrease below the minimum programmed speed). Release the switch when the desired speed has been reached. The new set speed will be the vehicle speed when the switch is released. Note: The cruise control cannot be engaged at speeds below approximately 18 mph (30 Km/h).

Disengaging
The cruise control will disengage if the brake is depressed or if the cruise control switch is set to OFF. If the ignition key is turned back to the accessories position (I), the cruise control system will be disengaged. If configured to do so, the cruise control will remain engaged if the clutch pedal is depressed for short durations (to allow shifting while in cruise control). However, if the clutch pedal is depressed for an extended period (typically greater than 5 seconds), cruise control will be disengaged.

Resuming Vehicle Speed

The previously selected cruise speed is retained in memory. When the cruise control switch is pushed to the RESUME position, the vehicle resumes the previously set speed (provided vehicle speed exceeds approximately 10 mph (15 Km/h) when the switch is pressed, and the speed is not higher than the maximum programmed speed).

Acceleration
CRUISE CONTROL

Momentary acceleration (passing another vehicle, for example) does not interrupt cruise control operation. After passing, release the accelerator and let the vehicle slow to cruise control speed. The previously set speed will then be maintained without having to set the switch to RESUME.

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BLUETOOTH PHONE MODE

Bluetooth Hands-Free Phone Mode (Optional Feature)
The radio is designed to work with mobile phones that support the Bluetooth Hands-Free Profile 1.5. Other Bluetooth-capable mobile phones may also work with the radio.

To connect a mobile phone to the radio through Bluetooth, the following steps must be completed on the radio: 1. Activate the Bluetooth function 2. Add the phone Note: Corresponding steps must be taken on the mobile phone. An added phone will be stored in memory for quick access when connecting again at a later time.

BLUETOOTH PHONE MODE

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steering wheel controls

Left-Hand Controls
Headlamp Interrupt (Top) Marker Interrupt (Bottom) When either interrupt switch is pressed, the corresponding lights toggle from their current state. (If OFF, they change to ON; if ON, they change to OFF.) When pressed for more than 3 seconds, the lights revert to the initial state.

Right-Hand Controls
Radio Controls Phone/Bluetooth Controls Press + (up) or (down) to change the radio volume. (left) or (right) Press the switch to change radio stations. The radio will seek the next station with a strong signal. The Phone/Bluetooth option allows the driver to sync a mobile phone with the vehicles speaker system via Bluetooth. The two buttons for this option are located above the radio control button. To answer an incoming phone call, press the button with the green phone. To end a phone call in progress, press the button with the red phone.

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STEERING WHEEL CONTROLS

MISCELLANEOUS SWITCHES
Horn Switches
Electric and air horns are standard equipment. They are operated by buttons on the steering wheel or by pressing the center pad. The center pad (airbag cover) can be pressed anywhere around the edge to engage the air horn. 1. Air Horn 2. Electric Horn (city horn)

MISCELLANEOUS SWITCHES

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Volvo Trucks
www.volvotrucks.com
Volvo Trucks North America PO Box 26115 Greensboro, NC 27402-6115 Volvo Trucks Canada 2100 Derry Road West, Suite 410 Mississauga, Ontario L5N 0B3

2012 Volvo Group North America, LLC PV776-22014970