Yes, this is true. I think what I was really surprised by are the flames; which, when combined with the armour, make them very dangerous. Not knowing the numbers off-hand, it seems like flames do more damage in this game. I have learned many lessons so far, some of them are what you describe- don't go toe to toe, 2xMG, sniper, mines... lessons that were abundant in CoH2, but became apparent extremely early in this game, with this unit.
Flamer in Coh3 not only deal more DMG but also better range than COH 1/2. That why Guastatori squad is Shocktroop wet dream, 2 Flamer + Trap + AT sachel made them all in 1 package.
But the Krad is not really good for this anymore since it requires 35 ammo now. So you need to cap points before even upgrading, which takes a while. So eventually, you will only cap front line points that then give extra resources.
35 ammo mean You need to change the the capping route. instead of traight up for fuel, just go ammo point first.
Simple that is.