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Freightliner = Daimler Group. Available with either Detroit Diesel or Cummins.
The truck dealership that I work at has done a bunch of gliders. 2012 model trucks with '99-01 Cat C-15s. Probably the most reliable engine ever put in a truck. From a business standpoint, you are right, slowmover: gliders are the way to go. Brand new trucks with engines from a reliable/fuel efficient year - N14s (as long as you don't over-work them or they will die a catastrophic death), Series 60s and 3406E/C-15s. Stay clear of early ISXs - they are horrible.
However, building a glider because is it business savvy is much like fishing for killer whales off the coast of Japan to make money: neither are exactly earth-friendly. These engines produce biblical amounts of NOx and there is good reason that the EPA has gradually mandated emission stringency to the point where allowable NOx is virtually zero.
This forum is not only about saving fuel, but about being good stewards of God's green earth, and there has to be a balance between the two. I would argue that the answer does not lie in keeping old technology running to save a buck. Sure, newer technology has recently been prohibitively unreliable to say the least, but it will get better.
It's rather a moot point, though. I have my doubts that gliders will be available for much longer before the EPA puts a stop to it.
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