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VW’s $18.6 Billion Truck IPO to Test CEO’s Overhaul Plan Christoph Rauwald, Bloomberg / June 14, 2019 Volkswagen AG valued its heavy-trucks business at as much as $18.6 billion in a planned initial public offering that will test CEO Herbert Diess’ ambition of overhauling the carmaking behemoth. The manufacturer intends to offer stock in Traton SE, which sells MAN and Scania AB vehicles, for between 27 euros ($30) to 33 ($37) euros per share, it said in a statement June 13, valuing the division at 13.5 billion euros ($15.16 million) to 16.5 billion euros ($18.6 millon). It’s set to be one of the year’s largest European public offerings. While trade jitters and a slowing global economy have weighed on recent IPO deals, industrial companies such as Switzerland’s Stadler Rail AG and Germany’s Knorr-Bremse AG, which listed in October, have fared well. Listing Traton is management’s highest-profile most notable move in a push to make the world’s largest automobile manufacturer more agile, which includes potential plans to shed assets, seek co-ops and freeing up units to make decisions. Diess is considering selling operations that build ship engines and large transmissions while teaming with Ford Motor Co. on vans and likely electric and autonomous cars. While seeking to allocate investments more efficiently, the moves also are aimed at increasing the stock price and giving VW more financial flexibility. The company has committed to spending 44 billion euros ($49 billion) through 2023 on electric and connected cars, with the payoff likely years away leaving the company’s valuation to trail the broader market. VW’s plans for Traton and with Ford will help create “currency” for the upcoming phase of industry consolidation, Diess told a gathering of top executives June 13. In the truck division alone, VW plans to challenge industry leaders Daimler AG and Volvo Group in markets such as North America and China. This may include potentially boosting its 16.8% stake in U.S. peer Navistar International Corp. “This IPO represents a much needed ‘first step’ structural change at VW as the management team seeks to unlock value during a period of significant and transformational industry changes,” Evercore ISI analyst Arndt Ellinghorst said in a note. Volkswagen shares trade at 6.2 times earnings, compared with an average multiple of 16.1 for Germany’s Dax Index companies. Global stocks have struggled in recent weeks as trade frictions jeopardize global economic growth. VW has been working toward a listing of Traton for more than three years, reviving plans last month that were shelved earlier in the year. “We are now all set for the decisive phase,” VW Chief Financial Officer Frank Witter said in the statement. “The IPO is driven by the aim to create value for our stakeholders.” VW is targeting proceeds from the IPO of as much as 1.9 billion euros ($2.13 billion). The proposed price range follows Volkswagen’s announcement this month of a public listing for its wholly owned Traton subsidiary in Frankfurt and Stockholm. The base offer will be 50 million shares, with a possible over-allotment of as many as 7.5 million shares, subject to the use of a so-called green-shoe option for rights to additional stock, VW said. Trading is set to start June 28, and the company is targeting a free float of 10-11.5% of Traton’s shares. During the IPO’s marketing, investors will focus on Traton’s intentions for its stake in Navistar and its strategy in China, where it has no production joint venture such as Volvo and Daimler, Jefferies analysts led by Graham Phillips said in a note. Diess, who took over the job a little more than a year ago, on June 13 addressed 500 top executives near VW’s corporate headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany, and stressed the urgency of his push to make the transportation giant less centralized and more agile to navigate an unprecedented industry transformation. Besides Swedish heavy-truck specialist Scania and Germany’s MAN, the unit includes a smaller operation in Brazil that sells VW-branded commercial vehicles for emerging markets. The offer period for the share sale is set to begin June 17 and end June 27.

https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/34637-mack-people-and-trucks-tackle-the-eye-of-a-‘storm’/ https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/42258-rd822sx/

Autocar Trucks Press Release / June 14, 2019 .

Autocar Trucks Press Release / June 13, 2019 Atlantic Petroleum was dominant in Pennsylvania and naturally was a loyal Autocar customer. This tough 1932 Autocar model 2G was probably delivering a load of White Flash brand gasoline, which ran about 18 cents/gallon. .

Clifford Atiyeh, Car & Driver / June 15, 2019 A vote to unionize the Tennessee plant would have been the first for a foreign automaker in the U.S. But there's a bigger story behind the UAW than just a campaign. UPDATE 9:50 p.m.: According to a statement from the UAW that denounced VW's "brutal campaign of fear and misinformation," employees at VW’s Chattanooga plant have voted against joining the UAW for the second time in five years. It will be another year before a new election can be called. Final numbers were not yet available. Friday marks the final day for Volkswagen Chattanooga employees to vote for representation in the United Auto Workers as the union, just two months after its vice president pleaded guilty to federal corruption charges, attempts to continue to win a decades-long fight to get union representation into foreign automakers' plants. The vote, which was last held in 2014 and rejected 712 to 626, started Wednesday and includes 1700 full-time hourly employees out of the total 3800. The remaining, ineligible employees are either salaried or contract workers. The UAW claims "legal obstruction and anti-worker activity" by Volkswagen, which, aside from joint ventures in China that are partly controlled by the state, operates its only non-union factory in Tennessee. The UAW established Local 42 several months after plant workers voted against representation and alleged interference in the election by Tennessee politicians, which led VW in November of that year to allow several labor organizations into the plant if they met a membership threshold. It's unclear how many VW employees UAW Local 42 represents, but the union filed a petition in April with the National Labor Relations Board to hold a second vote. The results will either make Volkswagen the first and only foreign-owned U.S.. plant to formally unionize, or not. Tennessee is one of 28 states with a Right to Work law, which mandates that a union cannot require employee membership—and with it the payment of dues and tacit approval of the union's political lobbying—as a condition of employment. Governor Bill Lee hasn't been as vocal a critic as former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, who said she was kicking unions with her high heels. Lee told VW employees earlier this year that a "direct relationship" between a company and its employees is the best working environment. Previously, the UAW alleged that Tennessee, under former governor Bill Halsam, had predicated $300 million in state tax incentives on VW's blocking union representation. That allegation remains unproven. But while pro-union advocates claim the region's conservative politicians are buying into corporate donations and squashing blue-collar worker rights, the UAW also stands accused of cozy relationships with politicians on the other side of the aisle who have done little to bolster the union's declining membership and failed to intervene in its multimillion-dollar scandal with Fiat Chrysler. Federal prosecutors in 2017 brought fraud and conspiracy charges against FCA labor relations chief Alphons Iacobelli and several UAW officials for siphoning millions of dollars—paid in large part by UAW member dues—into lavish vacations, cars, plane tickets, and jeweled $37,000 pens. Iacobelli is serving more than five years in prison while another FCA labor employee, Nancy Johnson, is serving a year. Former UAW vice president Norwood Jewell pled guilty in April to accepting tens of thousands of dollars' worth of meals and golf expenses from FCA. He faces up to 18 months in prison. Former vice president General Holiefield was also targeted for funneling more than $260,000 to pay off his mortgage and another $200,000 to buy furniture and jewelry but escaped the charges since he died in 2015. His widow, Monica Morgan, is serving 18 months in prison. Virdell King, a UAW leader who helped negotiate FCA contracts in 2011 and 2015, served two months in prison. The UAW has never gained a foothold into any wholly foreign-owned U.S. plant—not at Volkswagen, and not BMW, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru, Toyota, or Volvo. National UAW membership, which stood at 1.5 million in 1979, now claims just 430,000, and that number is bolstered by the inclusion of non-auto workers such as casino employees. The UAW itself blames NAFTA—which President Bill Clinton championed in the 1990s—for shifting hundreds of thousands of jobs to Mexico, which pays only a fraction of the $30-per-hour wage that more senior line workers receive before including benefits. That's in part true, but the UAW's most successful labor contracts—which guaranteed lifetime medical payments for retirees, among other unsustainable pension benefits—helped push General Motors and Chrysler into bankruptcy by 2009. Compare the Big Three automakers, which continue to fire thousands of UAW workers at a time and then rehire them years later in a relentless boom-and-bust cycle, to Honda, which never in its 36-year manufacturing history in the U.S. has resorted to layoffs. Non-union employment seems to work, or else it wouldn't have. Pay and benefits at VW top out at an estimated $23.50 per hour. Taxes and cost of living in the Midwestern and Southern states are significantly lower than metropolitan areas where such factories, such as GM's plant outside Baltimore, cease to be profitable. In the end, it's up to VW workers—and any auto worker employed by so many successful foreign manufacturers—to decide if the UAW is worth their own money.

VW aims to raise $2B from truck unit IPO Bloomberg-Reuters / June 14, 2019 FRANKFURT -- Volkswagen Group aims to raise up to 1.9 billion euros ($2.1 billion) by floating a stake of at least 10 percent in its Traton trucks unit later this month, its second attempt to bring the business to market. VW intends to offer stock in Traton, which sells MAN and Scania vehicles, for 27 euros to 33 euros each, it said in a statement Thursday. The sale values the division at 13.5 billion euros to 16.5 billion euros ($18.6 billion). VW plans to invest proceeds in transforming its auto production as it readies the launch of dozens of electric vehicles over the coming years and deepens an alliance with Ford Motor. It is also seeking to capitalize on the premium that truck stocks command over automakers to create an acquisition currency, having earlier shown interest in potentially boosting its 16.8 percent stake in U.S.-based truck maker Navistar. Management denies that a Navistar deal is in immediate prospect, but such a move would fit with a broader pivot by VW toward the United States to balance its reliance on China, where it sells half its cars. Besides Swedish heavy-truck specialist Scania and Germany’s MAN, Traton includes a smaller operation in Brazil that sells VW-branded commercial vehicles for emerging markets. Management test VW surprised investors last month when it revived its effort to float Traton just weeks after shelving the plan in March. The sale will mark a litmus test not only for IPO demand in a European stock market that turned in its worst month in 3 1/2 years during May, but also for the ability of VW's management to push through deeper structural change. "We are now all set for the decisive phase," VW Chief Financial Officer Frank Witter said in the statement. "The IPO is driven by the aim to create value for our stakeholders." The base offer will be 50 million shares, with a possible over-allotment of as many as 7.5 million shares, subject to the use of a so-called green-shoe option for rights to additional stock, VW said. Trading is set to start on June 28 and the company is targeting a free float of 10 percent to 11.5 percent of Traton’s shares, scaling back earlier ambitions to list up to a quarter of the unit. The offer period for the share sale is set to begin on June 17 and end on June 27. VW CEO Herbert Diess, who took over the job a little more than a year ago, earlier Thursday addressed 500 top executives near VW’s corporate headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany, and stressed the urgency of his push to make the transportation giant less centralized and more agile to navigate an unprecedented industry transformation.

The mirrors are produced in China by a German-Chinese joint venture called Shanghai Mekra Lang. Paccar has a large purchasing (sourcing) office in Shanghai. Many American companies including Hendrickson, John Deere and of course Ford and GM have purchasing offices in China. I have sourced China production Mekra mirrors without issues, though from another Mekra JV in China.

Matt Cole, Commercial Carrier Journal (CCJ) / June 11, 2019 More than 4,000 Kenworth and Peterbilt trucks are included in a recall prompted by a potential mirror issue that was announced recently by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The recall from Paccar includes approximately 4,051 model year 2020 Peterbilt 520 and 579 and Kenworth T680, T880 and W990 tractors. In the affected trucks, the mirror glass may detach from the mirror carrier plate due to a lack of adhesion. If the mirror glass detaches, it would cause reduced visibility for the driver, as well as a road hazard for other vehicles. Paccar has notified owners of affected trucks, and dealers will inspect the upper mirror glass and mirror housing, replacing if necessary. Kenworth owners can contact Paccar customer service at 1-425-828-5888 with recall number 19KWC, and Peterbilt owners can call 1-940-591-4220 with recall number 19PBC. NHTSA’s recall number is 19V-340.

Ford recalls 1.2 million Explorers for suspension issue Danielle Szatkowski, Automotive News / June 12, 2019 Ford Motor Co. on Wednesday said it is recalling 1.2 million Explorers in North America to fix a problem with the rear suspension that dates to the vehicle's redesign from a traditional SUV into a unibody crossover in 2010. Ford also issued a recall for 123,000 previous-generation F-150s because transmission calibration software used during a February recall failed to resolve the problem. Ford, in a regulatory filing, said it expects the Explorer recall to cost about $180 million. It did not give estimated costs for the F-150 recall or two other recalls covering a total of 16,300 vehicles announced Wednesday. One of the smaller recalls is to fix substandard welding in Econoline vans that are often used for school buses and ambulances. The 2011-17 Explorers being recalled were built at the Chicago Assembly Plant from May 2010 through January 2017. Ford said the vehicles could experience a fracture in the rear suspension toe link that could reduce steering control and increase the risk of a crash. Ford said one customer reported hitting a curb due to a broken toe link, but it's not aware of any injuries related to the defect. In addition to the 1.2 million Explorers in the U.S., the recall covers about 28,000 in Canada and Mexico. Ford built about 1.6 million Explorers during the covered time frame. A separate recall issued Wednesday covers a similar problem with rear suspension toe links on 12,000 vehicles in Canada. Vehicles affected by that recall are the 2009-15 Lincoln MKS, 2009-17 Ford Flex and 2010-17 Ford Taurus and Lincoln MKT. Ford said it's aware of one report of a crash with minor injuries. The repair for both suspension toe link recalls involves replacing the left and right toe links with a forged toe link and aligning the rear suspension. The F-150 recall is for certain 2013 models with 5.0-liter and 6.2-liter gasoline engines that had the powertrain control module software reprogrammed in a previous recall fix. Ford said vehicles without the complete recall fix calibration remain at risk for unintended transmission downshift due to intermittent output speed sensor failure. The transmission could downshift to first gear without warning, potentially causing the driver to lose control and crash. Any F-150s that didn't have the previous recall fix are not affected and will receive updated software under the February recall program. Ford said it's not aware of any accidents or injuries related to the issue. The recall covers 107,850 F-150s in the U.S. and 15,200 in Canada. The Econoline recall covers 4,300 vans with 5.4-liter engines from the 2009 through 2016 model years. Ford said a capacitive discharge weld within a coast clutch component in the transmission could fail and possibly immobilize the vehicle. Dealers are being instructed to replace the coast clutch cylinder and the single-engaging coast one-way clutch with a dual-engaging one-way clutch.

Hacker gained access to customer data at 130 dealerships Jackie Charniga, Automotive News / June 12, 2019 DealerBuilt, an Iowa dealership software provider, reached a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission Wednesday over a 2016 breach of customer data that allowed a hacker to gain access to the personal information of about 12.5 million consumers stored by 130 dealership clients. The dealership management system provider agreed to a settlement with the FTC over the attack and will "take steps to better protect the data it collects," the FTC said. The agency said in a statement that LightYear Dealer Technologies, known commercially as DealerBuilt, failed to properly encrypt sensitive data and conduct necessary vulnerability and penetration testing. The breach will be resolved with a final consent agreement, which won't be made public unless it is accepted by the FTC. As part of the proposed consent agreement, DealerBuilt is required to implement a security program in accordance with the Safeguards Rule, and is prohibited from handling consumer data until the program is in place. The settlement also requires the company to obtain third-party assessments of its security program every two years. The FTC does not have authority to seek monetary penalties for an initial violation, but if the company violates the settlement, the commission could seek civil penalties of up to $42,530 per violation. According to the complaint, DealerBuilt failed to protect the sensitive customer data, despite those resources being "readily available and relatively low-cost" to the provider. DealerBuilt sells dealership management systems and data processing systems. Detected by dealer The breach, which occurred over 10 days, took place in DealerBuilt's backup database beginning in late October 2016. "The hacker downloaded the personal information of more than 69,000 consumers, including their Social Security numbers, driver's license numbers, and birthdates, as well as wage and financial information," the FTC said in the statement. In the complaint, the FTC said the hacker attacked DealerBuilt's system "multiple times, downloading the personal information of 69,283 consumers, the entire backup directories of five customers." The breach was detected by a DealerBuilt auto dealer customer, who had found customers' data online. "The settlement with DealerBuilt imposes more specific security requirements and requires company executives to take more responsibility for order compliance, while also strengthening the third party assessor's accountability and providing the FTC with additional tools for oversight," FTC Chairman Joe Simons said in the statement. Safeguards Rule violation The FTC alleges that the data DealerBuilt collected was stored and transmitted in clear text, in violation of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act's Safeguards Rule, which requires encryption of sensitive data. Data also was stored without access controls or authentication protections, also deemed necessary under the rule. The FTC considers DealerBuilt's activities an example of unfair practices. DMS systems typically store private and public consumer data, including but not limited to names, addresses, birth dates, credit information and Social Security numbers. The software also contains similarly sensitive information about dealership employees, such as payroll data and bank account information, according to the statement. The complaint also alleges that a DealerBuilt employee "connected a storage device to the company's backup network without ensuring that it was securely configured, leaving an insecure connection for 18 months." Additionally, the FTC alleges DealerBuilt never conducted vulnerability or penetration testing; drafting, implementing or maintaining a written security policy; or provided training for employees.

The Autocar website finally mentions the DC-64R under "News". https://www.autocartruck.com/news/ However, the DC-64R is still not listed under "Trucks" (models). https://www.autocartruck.com/trucks/

Volvo Group delivers first Mack Defense dump truck to US Army Heavy Duty Trucking (HDT) / June 11, 2019 The U.S. Army took delivery of the first five Mack Granite model-based M917A3 heavy-dump trucks (HDT) from Volvo subsidiary Mack Defense. Leadership from Mack Defense presented the keys to officials with the U.S. Army during a ceremony that included several representatives of local and state elected officials. Beginning in July, the trucks will enter up to 40 weeks of durability testing at the U.S. Army’s Aberdeen Test Center in Maryland. The Army first solicited bids for the M917 HDT program in 2017, seeking to develop the next generation of HDTs with increased occupant protection levels, higher payload, and improved mobility. Mack Defense was awarded the contract in May 2018 and will produce armor-capable or armored HDTs with deliveries through May 2025. The Mack Defense M917A3 HDT is based on the civilian Mack Granite model, one of the top-selling construction trucks in North America, according to Mack. To meet the Army's needs, Mack Defense engineers added heavier-duty rear axles, all-wheel drive, and increased suspension ride height. .

Autocar's New Conventional Truck to Get Bodies on Assembly Line Heavy Duty Trucking (HDT) / June 11, 2019 Autocar announced it is mounting directly on its new conventional Autocar DC truck production line. The company said this is an “unprecedented” change to the model of refuse truck production, bringing together the two main components – the chassis and the body -- and treating the truck as one complete tool. Autocar calls this process the Ultimate Power of One and said refuse truck operators will experience several significant benefits from this innovation. “We’ve always known that improving the integration of our refuse truck chassis and refuse bodies is essential to reducing our customers’ downtime,” explained James Johnston, president of Autocar. “So flawless integration is a key aspect of our Always Up mission. We decided to take responsibility for building the truck as one compete tool. When we engineer the truck as a complete tool and mount body components right on the Autocar production line, we call that ‘Power of One’.” Autocar introduced Power of One integration on the ACX cabover truck recently, and data reported by truck operators for the first 90 days in service shows a substantial improvement in uptime and reliability, the company said. The Power of One integrated trucks also demonstrated cost savings not only from avoided repairs but also from other downtime-related costs such as lost driver hours and towing that were eliminated, Autocar said. As a result, the company said it will offer Power of One integration with all refuse body manufacturers. Enhanced safety is another benefit of Autocar’s Power of One integration, according to the company. Since the whole system – chassis plus body – is pre-engineered and then assembled as one complete tool, Autocar’s finished trucks comply with all FMVSS and EPA regulations when they roll off the assembly line. This is one more aspect of the Always Up model that Autocar said differentiates it from other truck brands which typically are modified with specialty bodies after they are built, increasing the risk of noncompliance with safety standards and other government regulations. According to Autocar, the Ultimate Power of One process starts with engineering each truck based on that specific customer’s needs and working closely with the selected body company’s engineers. All the body components are then installed during Autocar’s production process. So all the electrical harnesses are installed together, eliminating the risk of splices, loose connectors, or drilled access holes. Body components are huck-bolted onto the frame rails in the precisely correct locations, not welded, avoiding misplacement and damage to the rails. Autocar will also fully mount tarp systems and lighting kits, so when the truck rolls out of the Autocar factory it can go to work immediately. “Building trucks with the Power of One process is a game-changer for our customers," said Eric Schwartz, managing director of Autocar Trucks. "They tell us they have experienced a significant improvement in uptime for the Power of One trucks already in service. There’s another benefit that the Ultimate Power of One takes ever further: We are able to deliver ready-to-work truck months faster than ever before. In fact, for trucks ordered now, we are committing to deliver completed trucks in calendar [year] 2019.” Autocar offers the DC-64R with a wide range of Ultimate Power of One specifications. Roll-off hoists are available with 60,000- and 75,000-lb. capacities for 22- and 24-foot-long dumpsters. Telescopic, single-forward, and single-rearward-mounted cylinder configurations are also available. The DC-64R can be engineered with a rear-cab guard and with or without pusher axles, as the customer’s needs require. All are installed on Autocar’s production line. .

Are Traton and Navistar Signaling Something Big in the Works? Jack Roberts, Heavy Duty Trucking (HDT) / May 30, 2019 We’ve been hearing since the IAA Commercial Vehicle Show in Hannover, Germany, last year that Traton, Volkswagen’s newly created global truck and bus business unit, is aiming for an initial public stock offering sometime this summer. There have been a couple of hiccups with that plan. In March, VW announced it was putting the IPO on hold, presumably while the company sorted a few things out. The complexities of managing, promoting and enhancing multiple truck and bus brands on every continent cannot be overstated. But things must have gone well, because just a couple of weeks ago, Traton announced the IPO was back on track and proceeding accordingly. Meanwhile, on this side of the Atlantic, Navistar announced this week that after more than a decade of legal battles, it is moving ahead in settling a number of class action lawsuits brought by customers who bought its EGR-only MaxxForce diesel engines. The MaxxForce design featured exhaust gas recirculation as its primary emissions reduction mechanism. That worked well enough for the initial round of diesel particulate and NOx reduction regulations implemented by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resource Board. However, to meet the even more stringent 2010 emissions regulations, all other North American diesel engine manufacturers went with selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technology. Navistar, for a variety of reasons, elected to essentially double down on EGR technology for 2010 MaxxForce engines, with decidedly poor results. The extra heat generated by the beefed-up EGR system, coupled with air management problems, led to reliability problems and customer revolts that threatened the health of the sole surviving business unit left from the massive International Harvester Company. However, a new management team fought back and slowly, but steadily, began to turn the beleaguered truck maker’s fortunes around. But it wasn’t until Navistar and Volkswagen entered into a partnership agreement – along with a healthy influx of cash from Wolfsburg, Germany – that many industry observers finally felt Navistar was going to weather the storm. The lingering MaxxForce suit has been a millstone around Navistar’s neck for years, so it's no wonder the company wants to resolve this issue, freeing it up to finally move on to new era of products and technology. But there may be more to the picture than that. Volkswagen – and now Traton – have made it clear for years that it intends to go toe-to-toe with the two other global heavyweight truck and bus manufacturers – Daimler and Volvo. Moreover, the company has said repeatedly that having a robust, competitive Class 8 product in North America – which is still the largest heavy-duty commercial vehicle market in the world – is absolutely integral to that plan. And obviously, Traton’s contender in North America is Navistar. Many industry observers see it as likely that eventually, Traton will follow the trail blazed by Volvo and Daimler to get into the North American Class 8 game: Acquire an established OEM, and then begin integrating its proprietary engine and powertrain technologies into the vehicles as new designs come off the drawing board. Volvo and Daimler were doing so in a time when many Americans were uncomfortable with the idea of “foreign” technology in their trucks. And so they slowly undertook those gradual technology introductions over with decades-long introduction and familiarization strategies. Today, global technology in heavy trucks is considered a given. Which means Traton, when it finally decides to go all-in on Navistar, will be able to initiate a vastly accelerated adoption curve for its technology, which will certainly shake the North American truck market up and be fascinating to see unfold in real time. (And in fact, the two companies are already working together on designing the next generation of powertrains, including electric.) So – are the recent moves by Traton and Navistar simply two companies taking care of business? Or are they harbingers of something bigger yet to come? Time will tell. But it’s going to be interesting to see what the next moves from both OEMs will be.

2020 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel Dethrones Chevrolet's Duramax Diesel with 480 LB-FT of Torque Andrew Wendler, Car & Driver / June 10, 2019 Ram fires back in the half-ton diesel truck wars with a revised 3.0-liter turbo-diesel V-6. Rated at 480 lb-ft of torque, the 2020 Ram 1500's EcoDiesel model tops the Chevy Silverado's diesel by 20 lb-ft and the Ford F-150's Power Stroke diesel by 40 lb-ft. The Ram EcoDiesel will be available across the entire 2020 half-ton lineup including the Ram Rebel. While fuel economy numbers have not yet been released, Ram is swaggering that its turbocharged 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V-6 will also be the most efficient in the half-ton diesel class. Well that didn't take long. Less than three weeks after Chevrolet announced that its 420-lb-ft, 3.0-liter turbodiesel Duramax inline-six would finally see the light of day under the hood of the 2020 Silverado half-ton pickup, Ram has staged a torque coup d'état and retakes the throne with an updated version of its turbocharged 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V-6 rated at 480 lb-ft. Not only 14 percent more powerful, it now reaches full torque output at 1600 rpm, 400 rpm lower than the previous version. That means a max tow rating of 12,560 pounds when properly equipped. The Ford F-150 Power Stroke diesel is rated to tug 11,400 pounds, while the Silverado half-ton diesel is slated to earn a 9700-pound tow rating. Ram says the 2020 EcoDiesel will be in showrooms in the fourth quarter of 2019. Ram is referring to the latest EcoDiesel engine as the third-generation model due to its myriad upgrades. Redesigned cylinder head and intake ports are said to improve both swirl and flow of the incoming air, the aluminum pistons have been redesigned and use thinner rings and a low-friction coating on the wrist pin and side skirts, the compression ratio has been increased slightly from 16.0:1 to 16.5:1, and the high-pressure injectors have been redesigned for optimal operation with the new combustion chamber. To further reduce noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH), the wrist pins are now slightly offset by about 0.1 inch. Externally, an updated exhaust-gas recirculation system features a new dual-loop design (high and low-pressure circuits), the added low-pressure loop drawing exhaust gasses downstream of the particulate filter to maximize efficiency, in turn increasing fuel economy. A new water-cooled turbocharger with variable geometry aims to improve efficiency and responsiveness, the lower portion of the two-piece oil sump uses a lightweight sandwiched polymer/metal material that further reduces NVH and the dual vacuum pump system now uses electric and a new mechanical low-friction pump with new blades said to increase overall efficiency. The compacted-graphite iron block and forged-steel connecting rods and crankshaft provide the strength and durability required by diesel engines. Built by the FCA-owned VM Motori in Ferrara, Italy, Ram's 3.0-liter EcoDiesel has always been a bit of wild card in the segment (you can find a storyline of the EcoDiesel's history here), and in addition to bragging rights, we're thinking the updates are long overdue. . .

Bears warn bleak scenario is taking shape MarketWatch / June 10, 2019 Why are stocks busting out all of a sudden? Last week, tariffs on Mexico increased the chances that the Fed would cut rates. Investors obviously like that. So, stocks rallied. This week, Trump backs off those same tariffs. Investors apparently like that, too. Stocks again are rallying. “The market wanted to go up. I don’t think it mattered what happened. We just use these things as a reason after the fact to look smart,” the CEO of the New York City-based investment advisory firm wrote. “That’s how it works. It’s not meant to be intellectually satisfying. It’s meant to take money away from people who think they can explain things. Worst traders and managers I know are the guys with answers for all this stuff.” “The macro and micro economic data continue to deteriorate,” Morgan Stanley’s chief investment officer Mike Wilson wrote, pointing to weak durable goods orders, disappointing capital spending, soggy retail earnings, lackluster freight shipments, and a “very soft” jobs number as evidence of an economy running on fumes. “This raises the risk of my core view playing out — that companies will do whatever it takes to protect margins,” Wilson wrote. “And while labor is the last lever they pull, they will use it if they need to.” Don’t be so quick to blame U.S.-China trade tensions, either, he said. “The economy was already slowing and escalation potentially makes things worse.” And if you’re waiting for a lower interest rates to ignite a rally... don’t. “A rate cut after a long hiking cycle tends to be negative for stocks, in contrast to a pause like in January, which is typically positive,” Wilson said. “I’ve been vocal about the likelihood of U.S. earnings and the economic cycle disappointing this year. Specifically, I’ve argued that the second half recovery many companies have promised and investors expect is unlikely to materialize.” Wilson is looking for GDP to hit the skids in the second half.

Ford's director of global strategic design resigns Michael Martinez, Automotive News / June 9, 2019 DETROIT -- David Woodhouse, Ford Motor Co.'s director of global strategic design who was instrumental in crafting the Lincoln luxury brand's latest styling, has resigned from the company. It's unclear why he left. In a Facebook post on Friday, Woodhouse, 50, said it was a "difficult decision," especially considering his personal investment in Lincoln. "Ending a long-standing relationship with a corporation is just like ending a personal relationship multiplied by the number of wonderful friends and colleagues," he wrote. A Lincoln spokeswoman said Woodhouse "elected to leave the company" but gave no other details. Woodhouse worked at Ford in a number of roles since joining the Premier Automotive Group, the company's onetime stable of luxury brands that included Lincoln, Volvo, Jaguar and Land Rover, in 1999, according to his LinkedIn profile. He added the title of director of global strategic design, in addition to duties as director of Lincoln design, in July 2017, shortly after Jim Hackett took over as Ford CEO. As part of the overhaul of Ford's design team at the time, Joel Piaskowski, Ford of Europe's design director, was named global director of Ford design, overseeing cars and crossovers. Woodhouse, Lincoln's design director since 2013, helped turn around the once-moribund brand with new styling centered around a philosophy the company labels "quiet flight." Woodhouse previously was chief designer in Ford's strategic design studios in London and California and was part of the team behind the Lincoln C Concept presented at the 2009 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The Ford Shelby GR1, Ford Airstream, Ford Reflex, Lincoln Continental Concept, Lincoln Mk9 Coupe and Lincoln Aviator Concept are among the key vehicles Woodhouse had a hand in styling. According to his LinkedIn profile, he was an assistant chief designer with Cadillac in Europe for less than a year starting in late 1998, where he helped craft the Cadillac Imaj concept. Woodhouse began his automotive career with BMW.

Full-size Ford Bronco test mule spotted. .

Transport Engineer / June 5, 2019 Scottish waste management business Barr has added five more Volvo trucks to its fleet, after its first Volvo vehicles “rewrote the book” on reliability and service. Supplied by dealer Volvo Truck and Bus Centre North & Scotland, the Killoch, Ayrshire-based operator’s new additions are two FM tractor units, two FM hooklift rigids and an FE rigid skiploader. The pair of FM 6x2 pusher axle tractor units feature Volvo’s 13-litre engine producing 454bhp, I-Shift automated transmission systems, sleeper cabs with air kits and sliding fifth wheels. Vertical exhaust stacks were also specified. The FM 8x4 day cab rigids come in 8x4 configuration, this time with 415bhp versions of the D13K engine and I-Shift gearboxes. The 32-tonne chassis are fitted with Multilift XR26T.55 hooklift bodies, supplied and fitted by Hiab Scotland. Completing the line-up is a Volvo FE 4x2 rigid with Hiab skip gear. This 18-tonner is powered by a 247bhp D8K engine connected to a nine-speed manual gearbox. Gordon Whiteford, Barr’s operations director, says: “Our first Volvo tractor units rewrote the book on reliability and back-up. There was no downtime to report and the back-up service was excellent. The servicing schedules are carried out either on back shifts or night shifts, and that lets us maximise the trucks’ productivity levels.” He adds: “Another plus is that Hiab Scotland travels to the Volvo dealerpoint for any bodywork servicing or maintenance, making the depot a real one-stop shop. The whole experience has been a very positive learning curve for us.” All five vehicles are supplied on five-year, full-service contract hire, and the operator’s 10-strong fleet is now 100% Volvo. .

Transport Engineer / June 4, 2019 Food supplier Apetito has taken delivery of its first Volvo vehicles, acquiring six new FH tractors as part of a three-year fleet replacement programme for trunking operations. The operator supplies food to the health and social care sectors, delivering to hospitals, care homes and community service providers across the UK, and the new vehicles are based at its main distribution centre in Portbury, Bristol. Jon Jackson, the operator’s training, safety and logistics manager, says: “All our vehicles operate out of Bristol, but they will go as far as Motherwell and many points in between. As such we undertook extensive research, including a three-week loan of an FH-500 for fuel benchmarking, before settling on Volvo.” Supplied by dealer Truck and Bus Wales and West, the 6x2 fixed pusher axle, medium height tractors units are equipped with front steel, rear air suspension systems. Powered by a D13K Euro VI engine producing a maximum of 494bhp, the 3,900mm wheelbase units also feature 12-speed I-Shift automated transmission systems and Globetrotter XL Cabs. The high-spec cabs feature leather trims, electrically-controlled air conditioning systems and height-adjustable, foldable top bunks. The vehicles are expected to clock up 200,000km a year and are supplied on three-year Volvo Gold R&M contracts. .

Transport Engineer / May 31, 2019 Liverpool-based scaffolding business George Roberts (North West) has taken delivery of three Mercedes-Benz Arocs 8x2 rigids, replacing three 6x2 models after four years’ reliable service. Supplied by dealer Roanza Truck & Van, the new additions are fitted with dropside bodies by PPS Commercials, of Bury, and Fassi 485 cranes with a maximum outreach of more than 28m. All are 3246 models with 10.7-litre straight-six engines, producing 450bhp and driving through PowerShift automated transmissions. Two of the trucks have ClassicSpace M day cabs; the other has a StreamSpace sleeper. They line up alongside another three six-wheelers and are George Roberts’ first four-axled delivery trucks. The operator is upgrading its fleet from 26- to 32-tonners meet increased customer demand, and a growth in the number of larger contracts requiring deliveries of heavier loads. “In terms of performance and reliability, our Mercedes-Benz trucks have always been superb. They’re also well-appointed and popular with our drivers,” says transport manager Andy Roscoe. “If a scaffolding delivery is late an entire construction site can grind to a halt, so it’s crucial that our vehicles are up to the task. Experience has taught us that Mercedes-Benz trucks can be relied on to deliver on time, every time.” The new trucks are supplied on contract hire through Mercedes-Benz Finance. .

The Autocar website "still" does not mention the new DC-64R. What in the world??? https://www.autocartruck.com/trucks/

Autocar Trucks Press Release / June 7, 2019 Have you seen the new Autocar DC-64R conventional work truck? It's all Autocar DNA and purpose-built for refuse. Click here to have an Autocar refuse expert in your area contact you about putting this state of the art truck to work for you: www.autocartruck.com/my-new-truck #AutocarDC #AlwaysUp .

Ford Trucks International / June 7, 2019 Like every product that rolls off our assembly line, each Ecotorq 13 engine is produced with the utmost workmanship and quality! .