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Volkswagen Group Press Release / January 14, 2019 The all-electric MAN eTGM is now in use at the Porsche headquarters in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen The tractor-trailer rolls ever so quietly from the Porsche factory in Zuffenhausen and marks the beginning of a new era: With the delivery of the all-electric MAN eTGM to Porsche, the logistics operation of the sports car manufacturer has reached a new level of sustainability. The MAN eTGM is the first such vehicle in Germany that is designed for everyday operations. The emission-free and nearly silent semi-trailer tractor will complement the commercial vehicle fleet used by production logistics in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen. The Porsche headquarters is focused completely at the moment on preparations to produce the first all-electric Porsche. TRATON is committed to facilitating sustainable transportation with efficient, reliable solutions. These solutions include internal combustion engines that use alternative fuels and all-electric drive systems. “By integrating the e-truck into production logistics, Porsche has taken another step toward becoming a zero impact factory,” said Albrecht Reimold, the Member of the Board of Management responsible for production and logistics at Porsche AG. It is Porsche’s ambition as a company to leave behind the smallest possible carbon footprint along the entire value chain. The company must initiate a number of measures and reach a range of milestones on its way to becoming a zero impact factory. As part of its commitment, all of Porsche’s production sites have been only using energy produced from renewable sources since 2016. Porsche is also working to electrify its logistics vehicles – including vans, trucks and forklifts. The first all-electric tractor-trailer represents a quantum leap in the company’s efforts to make its logistic operations sustainable. The battery-powered truck delivered on December 14 in Stuttgart is a MAN eTGM 18.360 4x2 LL, a tractor-trailer combination that can weigh up to 32 tons on the road. Its lithium-ion batteries can store up to 149 kWh and give the eTGM a range of 130 kilometers. With this e-truck for Porsche, MAN is moving along its e-mobility roadmap. Starting in 2019, the company plans to launch a small series of the MAN eTGM that will be tested by various customers. The commercial vehicle specialist will apply the knowledge it has gained at Porsche to this first small series of vehicles that are planned for 2019. Dr. Manuel Marx, the Head of Vehicle Development at MAN, says: “The MAN eTGM represents a huge step in the effort to prepare electric commercial vehicles for series production. It will also show just how well these vehicles can perform on the job every day. The knowledge we gain together with Porsche from regular plant logistics will flow into other vehicles that will be used for customer tests in 2019. We are passionately working on our e-trucks.” The strengths of electric vehicles range from low noise levels and CO2 neutrality to reduced wear and decreased maintenance needs. Thanks to recuperation, that is, the recovery of energy during braking through an alternator, the electric vehicle can decelerate without using mechanical brakes and does not experience any wear on the brakes in the process. The eTGM will be used in logistics operations on a nearly 19-kilometer-long route that runs between the site at Freiburg am Neckar operated by the logistics partner LGI and the Porsche plant in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen. The charging station for the electric truck is also located in Freiberg. It is the first model of the new rapid-charging infrastructure that the joint venture Ionity will operate in the future. For this logistics application, the charging power is designed for a maximum of 150 kWh, enough to recharge the truck for its next 100 kilometers of service in 45 minutes of charging time. This will ensure smooth operations. .

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Renault Trucks Press Release / January 16, 2019 While driving the 2019 Renault Trucks T Range you dominate the road. Indeed, the cabin has new high-standard finishings: carbon dashboard, black leather seats and steering wheel, grey harmony on the roof sky and painting customization of the front grille and mirrors. Equipped with the new engine Euro 6 Step D, new Optivision system with stored databases and Eco Cruise Control, it helps to drive long distances while ensuring the driver the best comfort. .

Holly Shively, The Springfield News-Sun / January 17, 2019 SPRINGFIELD — Hundreds of Springfield Navistar employees expecting signing bonuses and other lump sums won’t get the payouts come Thursday. The six-year national deal between the United Auto Workers and major Springfield employer Navistar has become a major point of dispute. UAW representatives have said the contract is ratified since it was approved in December, but Navistar spokeswoman Lyndi McMillan said all contracts at the national and local levels must be ratified before any proposed changes are implemented. Springfield’s local UAW didn’t ratify its local contract and is still in negotiations a day before the employees expect their payouts. Union workers at all seven Navistar locations nationally won’t get the payouts they say they are owed since Navistar doesn’t view the main contract as ratified. “Back in December when we were originally going to ratify the contracts, it was put in there that if the contract was ratified that day in December, we would pay out no later than Jan. 17,” McMillan said. But since the contract isn’t in effect, according to Navistar, the truck manufacturer is operating under an extended version of its former agreement, which expired in October, McMillan said. Once the local contract is ratified and all agreements go into effect, a new date will be set for the payouts. But the UAW national branch in Detroit has said the Springfield agreement has no impact on the main contract. “The UAW position is that the contract is binding and payouts are due on Jan. 17,” said Brian Rothenberg, UAW national spokesman in Detroit. He declined to comment further on what will happen if the payouts aren’t received. Navistar and the Springfield UAW are meeting daily on one or two open issues, McMillan said. The local agreements typically focus on issues such as work rules at each local facility, staffing on the assembly line and similar topics. Local UAW 402 president Chris Blizard refused to comment on the negotiations. “We’re confident that both sides will come to an agreement that’s a win-win for us as a company and as a union,” McMillen said. Highlights of the six-year deal include a $2,000 signing bonus, a $1,000 profit-sharing payout, and a 4-percent lump sum payment for workers this year and 3-percent lump sum payments in 2020 and 2022, according to information from the UAW. The new deal also includes pension plan improvements, the elimination of tiered wages and language to keep the contract intact in case the company is sold or merged. The UAW represents the majority of Navistar’s local workers. There are about 2,000 workers in the facility now and thousands of retirees living in the area. As early as 2010 the company only had 300 workers in its local plant, though. It has made a major turnaround in recent years reporting a net income of $170 million in the third quarter of 2018, up from $37 million the same quarter the previous year. The national agreement covers Navistar Local 6 and 2293 in Melrose Park; Ill., Local 472 in Atlanta; Local 119 in Dallas; Local 1872 in York, Pa. and Local 402 and 658 in Springfield. Local 658 is a clerical unit.

Western Star Trucks Press Release / January 16, 2019 Andy Johnson, Brand Manager for Western Star, explains the many new enhancements made to the WS 4700. .

WASHINGTON (Reuters / 1-15-2019) - United States Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer did not see ANY progress made on structural issues during trade talks with China last week, Republican U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley said on Tuesday. “He (Lighthizer) said that there hasn’t been ANY progress made on structural changes that need to be made,” Grassley said, adding that those issues would include intellectual property, stealing trade secrets and putting pressure on corporations to share information. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ WASHINGTON (Reuters / 1-17-2019) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin discussed lifting some or ALL tariffs imposed on Chinese imports and suggested offering a tariff rollback during trade discussions scheduled for Jan. 30. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Nothing like sending a consistent message......................

U.S. Big Trucks End Year Up 3.5% Class 8 sales fall 0.2% in 2017 while all other classes post gains. Wards Auto / January 12, 2019 U.S. medium- and heavy-duty truck sales hit 43,534 in December, 24.3% above year-ago’s 36,365. With seven months of consecutive year-over-year gains, big trucks ended the year at 415,042 units, 3.5% ahead of like-2016’s 400,996. Class 8 sales posted a 48.5% gain, a third December best, to 22,355. The push wasn’t enough to equal last year’s total of 192,662, with 2017 falling 0.2% short to 192,252. Segment leader Freightliner almost doubled its volume, reaching 8,504 deliveries and accounting for a 38.0% market share. Volvo was the only truck maker in the group to underperform in December, down 12.8%, outweighing sister brand Mack’s 5.8% gain. That left Volvo Truck down 4.5% for the month. Medium-duty truck sales totaled 21,179, a 6.1% bump compared with year-ago’s 20,736, ending the year up 6.9% at 222,790 deliveries. All medium-duty classes exceeded 2016 sales, topped by Class 4’s 30.7% increase to 18,690 deliveries. Class 7 deliveries jumped 14.1% with large volume gains from Freightliner (+27.9%), Ford (+65.2%) and Kenworth (26.6%). Freightliner accounted for a 46.7% market share for the year and ended 2.5% above year-ago with 29,256 units. Class 6 was the only sector to finish below year-ago. Deliveries totaled 5,385 units, down 5.0%. Segment-leader Ford was the main downward force, with sales plummeting 39.3% from 2,883 units to 1,685. Runner-up Freightliner’s 49.0% bounce to 1,640 units wasn’t enough to offset Ford’s decline. Chevrolet’s LCF entered Class 6 for the first time in December with 7 units. Freightliner also clinched the No.1 spot in this class for the year with a 32.9% market share. Class 5 pulled off a 3.7% gain thanks to Ford’s 10.0% jump to 4,846 units and Hino’s 79.1% spike to 564. These gains offset FCA’s 15.0% plunge to 1,705 units. Ford held the No.1 spot in the class all year long, ending with a 63.0% market share and 9.9% gain over 2016. Class 4 continued to outperform any other class with demand jumping 30.3% to 2,328 trucks. Last month marked the best December since 2009 when 2,519 trucks were delivered. Hino was the only truck maker to decline, falling 8.5% below last year with 104 units. Mitsubishi Fuso saw the greatest improvement, soaring 710.0% from 15 to 117 units. For the year, Ford claimed first place with a 24.3% rise in sales and a 15.4% market share. With domestics and imports climbing 700.6% and 469.2%, respectively, GM grew from a 1.7% market share in 2016 to 9.3% in 2017. .

Jim, this is my barometer. There "should be" a publication that states fleet sales in the US, but I'm not sure. http://subscribers.wardsintelligence.com/data-center

Russian truckmaker Tonar introduces new ore train Autoreview RU / December 18, 2019 Tonar continues to expand its range, in which off-road dump trucks constitute an important part. Recently, the company’s newest dump truck giant has just come out for testing. The eight-axle combination with a total weight of almost two hundred metric tons and a length of twenty-eight meters is designed to carry 127 tons of ore. The all-wheel drive Tonar model 7502 6x6 tractor is nine meters long and over four meters tall. Under the hood is a 19-liter 760 horsepower Cummins QSK diesel engine paired with an Allison automatic transmission. The suspension and axles, produced by Tonar, are based on Chinese Hande’s designs - 13 tons in front and two 25 tons in rear. Tires are size 14.00 R25, and the two fuel tanks each have a capacity of of 610 liters. The cargo is transported in two nine-meter steel side-dump trailers with Penta hydraulics. It’s an Australian market B-Train design, with the first semi-trailer also has a saddle on which the second rests. Tonar’s future plans include a six-link 400-ton road-train. .

KrAZ Trucks Press Release / December 27, 2018 On the nights of December 25-26, KrAZ off-road trucks were called into help to people trapped during snowstorm on road Zolotonosha-Kremenchug near the village of Lipovoye. The call for help came from officials of Poltava region SES. Snowstorm and high wind paralyzed traffic, causing traffic jams, as a result, many cars and trucks have been hit by snowstorm. About 200 vehicles became trapped in snowdrifts on the border of Cherkassy and Poltava regions, and KrAZ vehicle and workers have been engaged in relief efforts. It turned out that SES does not have enough vehicles for response, for this reason, vehicles of outside organizations including those of KrAZ Trucks have been used for relief efforts. Drivers from the KrAZ R&D center operating KrAZ-6322 trucks and KrAZ-Fiona armored vehicles sent for relief efforts assisted in recovery operations on Kiev road as part of rescue team. According to them, the last trip was made to deliver people to warming centres set up in hotels and schools of the nearby villages of Lipovoye and Sviatilovka. KrAZ off road vehicles are being used currently for recovery of vehicles to clear up traffic jams. It is worth nothing that not only KrAZ vehicles with snow clearing and salt spreading equipment annually take the heat in relief efforts. Special vehicles of rescue services, military units and “KrAZ” company used for recovery have much job to tackle with. And it is no surprise as KrAZ trucks have been designed for use in harsh environmental conditions. KrAZ Trucks manufactures a wide range of modern vehicles for various applications. At customer’s request, they are often all-year-round vehicles equipped with easily mountable/removable snow clearing equipment. .

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Commercial Carrier Journal (CCJ) / January 16, 2019 Volvo Group Venture Capital AB on Wednesday announced its investment in Philadelphia-based Momentum Dynamics Inc – a provider of high-power wireless charging capabilities for electric vehicles. Momentum Dynamics develops and commercializes high-power inductive charging for the automotive and transportation industries, suitable for commercial electric, autonomous and connected vehicles. Volvo Group Venture Capital Vice President Per Adamsson says Momentum Dynamics’ technology and competence within inductive bi-directional transmission of electrical energy and information safely through air, water and ice will fit the harsh conditions under which our customers operate. “High capacity charging up to 300 kW for trucks, buses, construction equipment, industrial and marine applications will support the electrified transition,” he adds. Wireless electric charging allows any type of vehicle to automatically and without supervision connect to the electrical power grid without the use of wires or cables. Without the need for a driver to plug in their vehicle to a charging station, automatic and bi-directional “electric fueling” may occur frequently and opportunistically – resulting in efficient use of battery capacity, longer driving ranges and improved uptime. Momentum Dynamics is conducting pilots in Europe and North America with both fleets and vehicle manufacturers of cars, buses, trucks and trains.

Nikola Moves Closer to Marketing Hydrogen-Electric Trucks Roger Gilroy, Transport Topics / January 16, 2019 LAS VEGAS — Nikola Motor Co. founder and CEO Trevor Milton said two key customers — private fleet Anheuser-Busch Cos. and truckload carrier U.S. Xpress Enterprises — will begin fleet tests of Nikola’s zero-emisssions hydrogen-electric Class 8 trucks by the end of the year, as the first shoots of the necessary fueling infrastructure are emerging in Phoenix. Milton spoke with Transport Topics in an exclusive interview here Jan. 8 during CES, the world’s largest technology event. “I wanted to redesign everything from the ground up. I can’t do that if I keep a lot of the same stuff that is on trucks right now,” Milton said. “We are just lucky that we started a long time ago so we are ahead of everyone. We developed our own fuel cell, our own batteries — they are more energy dense than any other battery on the market in the world.” Nikola’s battery is almost 400 watt-hours per liter, he said, calling that 50% to 70% more energy dense than rival batteries. Its 240-kilowatt fuel cell is the biggest he knows of, and there are two on board his Class 8 trucks. Andrew Lund, chief engineer in the product development office at Toyota Motor North America Inc., told TT he wished Nikola well. “They are a very interesting company. Certainly they are going to produce heavy-duty trucks. So in one way they are competitors. But I view them as more of a partner in, really, growing hydrogen infrastructure. Their announced plan is to build hydrogen stations across North America. I would want them to be successful because that would bring about the hydrogen society that Toyota has believed in for so many years.” Milton said his company plans to build 700 hydrogen fueling stations in the United States over the next seven years. The first 14 stations will be up and running by 2021, according to the company, which is based in Phoenix, where two stations are being built and each of which will produce more than 1,000 kilograms of hydrogen. “Then we go to stations that produce 24,000 kilograms a day. We focus mainly on dominating the hydrogen-production side, and the truck is a catalyst to drive the cost of the hydrogen down. Our hope is we can share stations with Daimler or others that are interested, like Hyundai,” Milton said. In September, Hyundai Motor Co., in cooperation with H2 Energy, will provide 1,000 hydrogen-electric heavy-duty electric trucks to the Swiss commercial vehicle market, to be delivered beginning this year through 2023. News reports said the South Korean truck maker could bring its hydrogen trucks to the United States. A day-cab version of the Nikola truck for North America plus its flat-face, heavy-duty truck intended for the European market will be on display April 16-17 in Phoenix during an event the company calls Nikola World. “That’s when the whole world gets to see the production truck, a beautiful, stunning truck,” Milton said. “So what we have done now is proven out that the truck works, the components function together, the aerodynamics of the truck work. The cab, the body, all that’s done. That’s the hardest part. It took five years to do, to actually make all the systems fully function together.” As of early January, 2,500 people had reserved to attend the event, he said. At the same time, Milton said he is looking forward to competing against the North American arm of Daimler Trucks, the world’s largest truck maker. Daimler Trucks North America is the leader in Class 8 U.S. retail sales. “They have their own fuel cell, although they have tens of billions of dollars invested in diesel so they can’t scrap it. They have to transition out of [diesel] over 10 years. They will be right there alongside of us,” Milton said. “Once we do it and prove it, and they see the model working, Daimler will come right in. But there is enough room. I actually welcome it. When Daimler comes in, the world takes notice and they know it’s legit.” Kenworth Truck Co., a unit of Paccar Inc., and Toyota announced at CES they are collaborating to develop 10 hydrogen-electric tractors for drayage operations in the Los Angeles basin — with Toyota’s hydrogen fuel cell technology going into Kenworth’s T680 trucks. Milton referred to the effort as “research and development.” Nikola has about 11,000 orders for its truck. .

Roger Gilroy, Transport Topics / January 16, 2019 Single-digit increases defined U.S. retail sales of medium-duty trucks in December and for the full year compared with year-ago periods, WardsAuto.com reported. Sales of Class 4-7 trucks reached 22,045 in December, up 4.1% compared with 21,179 a year earlier. Year-to-date, sales rose 6.5% to 237,303 compared with the 2017 total of 222,790. “We are still in an expansion cycle in the medium-duty space. We have just had very moderate, sustainable growth since 2010,” one analyst said. Municipal fleets have been one of the dark-horse growth drivers over the past year, he said. “There was quite a bit of pent-up demand as a result of the housing bubble implosion [in the earlier Great Recession],” he said. “That demand, quite honestly, is still getting worked out, but it is probably about at the end of its run.” Rising real estate values have pumped money into government coffers. “That facilitated clearing the backlog of demand,” he added. Sales of Class 7 trucks were up 1.4% for the month and 3.6% for the year — posting totals, respectively, of 5,519 and 63,828. Class 6 sales were the exception to the modest gains. All truck makers but one in the crowded space posted increases for the full year. These sales rose 10.1% in December and climbed 12.9% for the 12 months — to 5,913 and 71,626, respectively. The biggest year-over-year gain in Class 6 sales occurred at International, a unit of Navistar Inc. It saw sales climb to 16,118 compared with 13,232 a year earlier. “So many of these medium-duty vehicles are service-based. If you look at the economy this year, just the top line, the service portion of the economy actually outperformed goods-based performance,” the analyst said. Sales of Class 4-5 trucks inched up 2.4% in December to 10,613 and 4.2% in the 12-month period to 97,715. .

Social media had a good laugh, but Winnie wasn't really banned. As in all countries politics in China can be ruthless......this is nothing. The world's largest truck market makes China an obvious global market focus for Scania. I learned early on that the western media either gets it wrong or wants to create a story for the readers back home who are gullible about the Middle Kingdom. .

The genius of John Bogle in 9 quotes MarketWatch / November 25, 2018 Diversification: "Don't look for the needle in the haystack. Just buy the haystack." Expenses: "The grim irony of investing is that we investors as a group not only don't get what we pay for, we get precisely what we don't pay for." Market timing: "The idea that a bell rings to signal when investors should get into or out of the market is simply not credible. After nearly 50 years in this business, I do not know of anybody who has done it successfully and consistently." Trading volume: "In recent years, annual trading in stocks — necessarily creating, by reason of the transaction costs involved, negative value for traders — averaged some $33 trillion. But capital formation — that is, directing fresh investment capital to its highest and best uses, such as new businesses, new technology, medical breakthroughs, and modern plant and equipment for existing business — averaged some $250 billion. Put another way, speculation represented about 99.2% of the activities of our equity market system, with capital formation accounting for 0.8%." Index funds: "The index fund is a sensible, serviceable method for obtaining the market's rate of return with absolutely no effort and minimal expense. Index funds eliminate the risks of individual stocks, market sectors and manager selection, leaving only stock market risk." Investing simplified: "Investing is not nearly as difficult as it looks. Successful investing involves doing a few things right and avoiding serious mistakes." Time and patience: "Time is your friend; impulse is your enemy." Stock-market risk: "If you have trouble imagining a 20% loss in the stock market, you shouldn't be in stocks." Trusting brokers: "It's amazing how difficult it is for a man to understand something if he's paid a small fortune not to understand it."

John Bogle, Vanguard founder and investing legend, dies at 89 MarketWatch / January 16, 2018 John C. Bogle, the father of the retail index fund and an outspoken champion for low-cost investing that won him heroic status among individual investors, died Wednesday. He was 89. Bogle founded the Vanguard Group, the mutual fund behemoth known for inexpensive mutual funds that track a market index rather than trying to beat it. Vanguard is now a giant of the asset-management industry that has shifted toward the passive style of investing and saved trillions of dollars for investors in the process. “Jack Bogle made an impact on not only the entire investment industry, but more importantly, on the lives of countless individuals saving for their futures or their children’s futures,” Vanguard Chief Executive Tim Buckley said in a news release Wednesday afternoon that confirmed Bogle’s death. “He was a tremendously intelligent, driven and talented visionary whose ideas completely changed the way we invest. We are honored to continue his legacy of giving every investor ‘a fair shake.’” Bogle formed Vanguard in 1974 and it began operations the next year. As of Sept. 30, 2018, it had about $5.3 trillion in global funds under management, according to the company. When Bogle first launched a fund tracking the S&P 500 index SPX, +0.22% at a low cost to investors in 1976, he called it “the Vanguard experiment,” but it was widely derided as “Bogle’s folly.” Known then as the First Index Investment Trust, its initial underwriting collected just $11 million; it is now known as the Vanguard 500 Index Fund VFINX, +0.22% , and has $441 billion in assets, Vanguard noted Wednesday. “Don’t look for the needle in the haystack. Just buy the haystack,” Bogle famously said of the passive-investing approach. Beyond convincing the investment community that index funds were worthwhile, Bogle also pushed Vanguard to offer the funds directly to consumers, avoiding brokers. Vanguard said Wednesday that the approach has saved shareholders hundreds of millions of dollars in sales commissions. Vanguard says its average expense ratio is 0.11%. Bogle remained at the helm of Vanguard until stepping down in 1996. He stayed in the public eye, however, making speeches and commenting on the markets. In 1999, Bogle created the Bogle Financial Markets Resource Center, which he ran as president until his death. “Presumably you are accumulating money now and putting money away for the future. Do not, under any circumstances, stop doing that. That is the first rule. Don’t stop investing,” Bogle told MarketWatch in 2017, when asked for general rules for investing. “The second rule is, particularly for the younger people in the world: A good solid market decline is a blessing. You’ll be buying — if you invest each month — stocks at lower and lower prices. Don’t be antagonized by that; use that as an opportunity of a lifetime.”

Isn't Watts still offering the 41MR439 main cab harness, manufactured by Fargo, the original Mack supplier?

62QS179P2.......give Watt's Mack a call. The P2 version has a key lock. The non-locking P1 version was long ago NLA. If you also need the catch, that's a 62QS136P2.

Look guys, it's very late and I've got the flu. Yes, an electric lift pump is an available option, as it is with most global truckmakers. To meet the US market price point, Volvo apparently doesn't offer it there. Never ever had an issue with the Ultra-Liner's cab jack. The MH was also available with an optional air actuated cab lift pump (supplier Power Packer now offers electric as well). I'm also partial to the Cruise-Liner (despite its many shortcomings), and both F and G models. There are very good reasons why COE design is the global standard, but to each his own.

Plastic shell?

To each his own....... In my mind, COEs are beautiful, and some of the most attractive were/are produced by decades-long former Mack partner Scania.

The original Scania V8, and the Mack ENDT865/866, all launched in 1969, were born together. Continually evolved forward, today's advanced Scania V8 is altogether different, but proudly carries on the spirit of the Mack V8.