kscarbel2

You're correct Bob. The truck pictured is a model NO. The Mack N model indeed had the Budd cab that was also used by Ford and others. The truck pictured might be a Memphis Equipment Company conversion. Years ago, they bought many NOs and refurbed them with enclosed cabs.

Video - https://www.facebook.com/FordTrucksInternational/videos/ford-trucks-dakar-2019/168502653830105/

My understanding is, and it appears evident, Volvo doesn't want to supply parts for trucks over 15 years old. Are you working with Nextran?

Braking requirements changed significantly in 2009, resulting in the major introduction of European disc brakes in the US market, as well as larger drum configurations. https://www.iihs.org/iihs/sr/statusreport/article/44/8/4 https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.dot.gov/files/fmvss/121_Stopping_Distance_FR.pdf https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/42362-air-disc-brakes-the-next-stage/?tab=comments#comment-308910

Reuters / December 18, 2018 Truck maker Navistar International Corp on Tuesday reported a 39.3 percent rise in quarterly profit, driven by robust demand for its trucks. Net income attributable to the company rose to $188 million in the fourth quarter ended Oct. 31, from $135 million a year earlier. Earnings per share rose to $1.89 from $1.36 cents per share. The results surpassed Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of six analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of $1.68 per share. Revenue rose 28 percent to $3.32 billion from $2.6 billion. Navistar also raised its fiscal 2019 delivery forecast of Class 6-8 trucks and buses in the United States and Canada to between 395,000 units and 425,000 units, from the 385,000 units to 415,000 units range it forecast earlier. "2018 was a very strong year for the industry, and a breakout year for Navistar," said Troy Clarke, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. "We were the only truck OEM to grow Class 8 share during the year. With the industry's newest product line-up, superior quality and a strong focus on customer uptime, we expect to gain market share in 2019 for the third year in a row."

Jim Park, Today's Trucking / December 13, 2018 TORONTO, Ontario — Big is a relative concept when talking about truck engines. Within the span of my career in the industry, “big” has crept upward from 350 hp back in the early 1980s to 600 hp today. The first trucks I drove in the late 1970s and early 1980s were sub-300 hp models like the Mack ENDT-676 I learned on — it generated 285 hp and a dizzying 1,080 lb-ft of torque — and the “Shiny 290s” I drove at Liquid Cargo Lines. We hauled three- and four-axle tankers with those Cummins NTC 290 engines. Some of the senior drivers at the company had 350-hp engines, but other than bragging rights, there wasn’t much difference between the two. There were bigger engines around at the time, like Caterpillar’s 3408, which was actually a marine and industrial engine. Some owner-operators managed to shoehorn those V8s under their hoods and went down the road with up to 800 horsepower under foot — at little more than two or three miles per US gallon. Mack’s E9 V8 engine was also around at the time, officially cranking out up to 500 hp, but there are accounts of some of these putting 650 hp or more to the wheels … after a few adjustments. Driving back then on hilly Interstate 81 between Syracuse, N.Y., and Scranton, Penn., I spent a lot of time behind a 290 staring at the four-way flashers of other guys with their 290s and 318s. The big dogs with their 500- and 600-hp Cats and Macks would roar by out in the hammer lane, leaving us under clouds of black smoke, wishing we had a little more juice. Wishing we had a little more and actually needing a little more are two different things. It would be hard to argue than any 40-ton American load needs 600 hp. You can build a better case for Canadian trucks that weigh 55,000 kg and more. The debate over big power has been raging for years. Do big engines burn more fuel? Is 600 hp and 2,050 lb-ft more efficient or productive than 500 hp and 1850 lb-ft? Do big engines improve productivity? Are they necessary? We have asked numerous engineers these questions over the years, and the consensus seems to be that the laws of physics demand a certain amount of power to move a certain load at a certain speed. Cruising along a flat section of road at 100 km/h will require X horsepower, let’s say 200, but it’s probably less with today’s advanced aerodynamics. If you travel at 110 km/h you might need 225 horsepower. At 90 km/h, you’ll need only 175. It doesn’t matter how big the engine is, it will still produce only what’s needed to maintain the desired speed. If you increase the weight, you’ll need more power to maintain that speed. If you’re pulling a hill, you’ll need more power to keep the truck moving at that speed. At some point, after dialing in several variables, you run up against the limits of the engine’s ability to maintain road speed on a hill. That’s when the 450s and 500s start losing ground to the 600s. You only pay for the extra power when you use it. Maintaining 100 km/h on a hill with 600 hp will require more fuel than a 450 that can maintain only 80 km/h. Engine power in the real world So much for physics. In the real world, if you have the power, you’ll use it, and yes, fuel economy will suffer. On the other hand, underpowered trucks are frustrating to drive, and might even be dangerous if they impede the flow of traffic. “Try running Hwy. 138 between Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré and Sept-Isles on Quebec’s “Cote du Nord” with a B-train and a 475 engine,” observes Pierre Aubin, owner of L’Express du Midi, Delson Transport, and Transport Audet, of Ste-Catharine, Que. “You’ll be crying.” All of Aubin’s highway trucks are 600 hp and 2,050 lb-ft Cummins X15s, and he make no apologies for his choice of powertrain. “If it wasn’t working for me, I wouldn’t be doing it,” he says emphatically. “We haul heavy loads here in Quebec and you need that power. Do we need 600/2,050 in the U.S.? Of course not, but for equipment utilization, I’m not going to buy two separate fleets of trucks, one for Canada and another for the States.” Next, consider his business case. Overall, his spec’ – a Kenworth W900L with 86-inch studio sleeper, 600/2,050 X15, Eaton 18-speed manual transmission. and generally beefed up frame, crossmembers, driveline, for the heavy work — costs him about $25,000 more up front than a more “typical” spec’. But he claims that comes back two-fold on resale. “I have people calling me from all over Canada wanting to buy my used trucks,” he says. “I never have any problems getting my price because they know the trucks will last 20 years. And drivers love them, which is pretty important today.” In the same vein, Rod Olyowsky, operations manager of Regina-based heavy-hauler Cara Dawn Transport, runs a fleet of 30 heavy-haul trucks, mostly tri-drives, powered by Cummins X15 600/2,050 engines. While about half the work the company does is in the 50-ton range, the rest of it involves big loads, 100- and 150-ton loads into mine sites. For that work, big power is an absolute necessity. “We don’t even worry about weight or fuel economy,” he says. “This business is the polar opposite of the freight business. They fret about things like that, we buy the trucks we need to do a job.” Like Aubin, Cara Dawn could maintain a fleet of lighter trucks for the less-demanding jobs, but it’s hard to make that work on paper. Olyowsky says fuel costs are always a concern, so the company focuses on things they can manage, like idle reduction. “There’s no point worrying about fuel efficiency when you’re pulling 200,000 lb.,” he says. “We can attack that in other ways.” Added truck revenue Meanwhile, at Winnipeg-based Paul’s Hauling, the engine spec’ is very important for a different reason. That company hauls petroleum products in B-trains, and every liter in the tank is money in the bank. They run 13-liter Mack and Detroit engines at 505/1,850 rather than the 600/2,050 Cummins engines because of the weight savings. “We load to gross and every 100 lb. is worth so much in revenue at the end of the year,” says maintenance director Trent Siemens. “Every pound counts. We’d be giving up 400-500 lb. on every load with the bigger engines.” Over the past few years, the company has upped the ratings on its 13-liter engines, going from 485 to 505 hp on some models. Later this year they’ll take delivery of a few Peterbilts with MX13 engines at 510/1,850. That said, Pauls’ spec’ now includes 70-inch sleepers, fridges, and other amenities that drivers crave, and everyone knows how difficult it is to find drivers. “We do consult our drivers on future truck spec’s, and of course they’d love an 550 X15. But they understand the weight issues,” Siemens says. “Given a choice between the bigger sleeper and a bigger engine, they’ll take the sleeper every time.” On the owner-operator front, has anyone ever met one who didn’t want more power? That may not be a fair assessment, but sensible ones will match their equipment to the job, like former highwaySTAR of the Year Rene Robert. He recently spec’d a new Peterbilt 587 for a job hauling magnesium chloride in B-train tanks around Manitoba and Western Canada. His spec’ included a 605/2,050 X15 and an UltraShift MXP automated 18-speed. “There wasn’t much to talk about when I bought the truck. I knew I needed the 605/1,850,” he says. “I have been hauling trains for years and I know what works. I still have a 20-year-old Freightliner with a Cat C15 550 engine. It worked well for me all those years on trains and it’s still in good enough shape to keep and put a driver on. That work is hard on an engine, so you need a big block that will stay together.” He says all things being equal, the fuel economy on the truck is decent, 4.5 mpg (52.3 L/100 km) at 62,500 kg, and the truck does the job well. “I’m not sure what advantage there would be in spec’ing something smaller, even an X15 at 550/1,850. I’d always be wishing I had ordered the bigger one.” Engine Spec'ing Philosophies Thankfully, there are many different philosophies on how best to spec’ a truck and run a trucking company. Some are steeped in the full-aero fuel economy mindset, while others see trucks strictly as a means to an end and will buy whichever model and powertrain makes the most money. Somewhere in all that is the need to match the spec’ to the job. And if the job requires 600 hp, so be it. If a 700-hp engine were available, they’d probably eschew the 600 and buy the bigger one. “Not many fleets spec’ trucks the way I do, and believe me, they should be free to spec’ their trucks anyway they want,” says Aubin. “But I have been doing it this way for 38 years. If it’s the wrong way then I should have gone bankrupt a long time ago.” The line separating big engines from the others is blurring. When you can get more than 500 hp and 1,850 lb-ft from a 13-liter block, there’s not much space between those and the big-block engines delivering 100 additional horses and 200 extra pound-feet. All the newer 13-liter engines on the market now deliver Super-B pulling power, and a surprising number of fleets are successfully using them in just such applications. But as some are fond of saying, “there’s no replacement for displacement.” Currently only two engines deliver the extra power heavy-haulers need, the Performance variant of Cummins’ X15 and Detroit’s DD16. Once you exceed 62,500 kg, as most heavy-haulers do, the need for the addition torque and horsepower is legitimate. It’s no longer a luxury like it might be for the Texas bull-haulers who just like the left lane. Here’s a list of some of the big power options currently available: Engine Disp. HP Torque Dry weight (lb./kg) Cummins X15 Perf 15.0L 485 – 605 1,650 – 2,050 3,152 / 1,430 Cummins X15 Econ 15.0L 400 – 500 1,450 – 1,850 3,152 / 1,430 Detroit DD16 15.6L 500 – 600 1,850 – 2,050 2,837 / 1,287 Detroit DD15 14.8L 400 – 505 1,250 – 1,750 2,718 / 1,233 Detroit DD13 12.8L 350 – 505 1,250 – 1,850 2,487 / 1,128 Mack MP8 13.0L 425 – 505 1,560 – 1,860 2,597 / 1,177 Volvo D13 12.8L 375 – 500 1,450 – 1,850 2,605 / 1,182 Paccar MX13 12.9L 405 – 510 1,450 – 1,850 2,600 / 1,179

Limited run of suicide-door Lincoln Continentals coming next summer Michael Martinez, Automotive News / December 17, 2018 DETROIT — Nine months after promising dealers it would bring back suicide doors on its Continental sedan, Lincoln on Monday confirmed the vehicles will be in showrooms next summer as part of a very limited run for the nameplate's 80th anniversary. The 2019 "Continental Coach Door Edition" will have a wheelbase 6 inches longer than the standard sedan to accommodate the same type of rear-hinged doors that were first offered on the vehicle in 1961. It's an effort by executives to leverage the brand's glory years and spark interest in a vehicle whose U.S. sales have fallen dramatically since re-entering the market only a little more than two years ago. Lincoln said it would make just 80 suicide-door Continentals for the 2019 model year. It will also make a "limited" number of 2020 model year vehicles, although it declined to provide a number. Lincoln plans to sell the suicide-door models for more than $100,000 each, but specific pricing wasn't announced. The base model starts at $47,140 ($46,145 plus $995 destination and delivery). "This Lincoln Continental echoes a design that captured the hearts of car enthusiasts around the world," Joy Falotico, Lincoln Motor Co. president, said in a statement. "It's something bespoke or unique only Lincoln can offer in a thoroughly modern way." Coach doors, also known as suicide doors, date back to many pre-World War II vehicles. Lincoln was considering them as recently as 2007, Automotive News reported at the time. It was a source of tension among designers then. Conventional rear doors won out during the process because they were deemed more feasible for a production vehicle. Now, though, designers say the doors help show off the vehicle's lush interior, which will include a pass-through console features a stowable tray table with a tablet holder and wireless charging pad. "People appreciate elegance and glamor," Lincoln's design director, David Woodhouse, said in a statement. "And they want the easiest way to get in and out of a vehicle. These doors answer to both." The vehicle will be powered by a 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-6 engine and will be available only in a high-end Black Label trim. Continental sales have plummeted 30 percent this year through November, and its U.S. future may be in doubt, although it continues to be a hot seller in China. Lincoln produces the vehicle alongside the Ford Mustang in Flat Rock, Mich., where it plans to eliminate one of two daily shifts in the spring. Photo gallery - https://www.autonews.com/gallery/cars-concepts/lincoln-continental-suicide-doors .

Steering gears no longer available for a model year 2000 truck? Incredible. The Volvo 15-year parts rule rings true. Are reman units still available from the OEM manufacturer - Sheppard? (https://www.rhsheppard.com/contact/) For example, your 392 series Sheppard (20QC4328M), what did the folks at Sheppard technical support say? ..........1-800-274-7437 20QC378AM Sheppard 292SP6 20QC4328AM Sheppard 392SBX

As the F-150 got bigger and pricier, Ford saw an opening Michael Martinez, Automotive News / December 17, 2017 DETROIT — To understand why Ford is reviving the Ranger mid-size pickup after an eight-year hiatus in the U.S., look no further than its big brother, the full-size F-150. Executives say there was no eureka moment that spurred the Ranger’s return, but the business case became obvious when the first aluminum-bodied F-150 was built in November 2014. The 13th- generation pickup was 2 inches wider than its predecessor, and it came with a bigger price tag, too. For years, Ford used the F-150 as the rationale for not selling the Ranger in this country, arguing it didn’t want to cannibalize sales of the best-selling F series, which generates the bulk of its global profits. But by the time the latest generation debuted, the F-150 had simply grown too large and too expensive for some buyers, and Ford would much prefer they get behind the wheel of a Ranger than go to the Chevrolet dealer down the street. “It was pretty clear to us there was a price band and a size that would fit under the F-150,” says Ford’s president of global operations Joe Hinrichs. “We knew we needed to work to make the business case.” That work got going in earnest in 2015, when company officials identified an opportunity to convert the Ford Focus plant in Wayne, Mich., to build body-on-frame pickups and utilities instead of low-margin cars. Since the Ranger alone wouldn’t fill the sprawling Michigan Assembly Plant, executives chose to bring back another storied nameplate to pair with it: the Bronco SUV. The desire to build the Ranger and Bronco in a renovated Michigan Assembly became a key bargaining chip that fall in negotiations with the UAW. Days before Thanksgiving, union members ratified the agreement and secured the Ranger’s return. Different billing Three years later, the Ranger, due in showrooms next month, is joining a suddenly crowded midsize segment. Ford is billing the Ranger as a rugged lifestyle vehicle that’s comfortable on sand, dirt or rocks and can ferry buyers — and their gear — on weekend camping trips or excursions to the beach. It’s a big shift from the yeomanlike F-150 that’s more suited for construction sites or lumberyards. “Our research says the buyer isn’t someone who wants an F-150 and can only afford a Ranger; they want something different,” Mark LaNeve, Ford’s vice president of U.S. marketing, sales and service, said in an interview. “We felt Ranger would be much more of a personal-use, adventure product. It became a relatively easy decision.” The midsize pickup segment has rebounded drastically since Ford closed its Ranger plant in St. Paul, Minn., in December 2011. It has more than doubled in size since 2014, to more than half a million vehicles this year, and is up 16 percent this year through November after rising less than 1 percent in 2017. The long-dominant Toyota Tacoma is closing out its fourth consecutive year of gains, and General Motors, which bowed out only for a brief period, has sold some 600,000 Chevy Colorados and GMC Canyons in the Ranger’s absence. Ford also will face competition from the upcoming Jeep Gladiator, which is similarly aimed at adventure-ready buyers. “We’re about to enter a golden era for lifestyle trucks,” Chase Disher, chief analyst at Autolist, said in a November study about the segment. IHS Markit predicts only modest growth in the segment into the next decade to just over 600,000 vehicles, according to analyst Stephanie Brinley, which means the players would be fighting over existing buyers more than attracting new ones. “The majority of the growth has already happened,” Brinley said. “Organic growth is not going to be easy at this point.” The previous Ranger was regularly among the segment’s top sellers and No. 1 as recently as 2004. Ranger sales routinely totaled more than 300,000 a year in the 1990s before fading in the early 2000s. Ford says it built 7 million Rangers from 1982 through 2011 and will lean on the nameplate’s history to help sell the new model. Autolist says the Ranger is still the second-most recognized midsize pickup behind the Tacoma, despite being out of the market for so long. If the new Ranger is to be successful, Brinley says, it likely will have to steal share largely from the Tacoma, the oldest product in the segment. Ford believes it has a good chance of conquest, saying that nearly 80 percent of early hand-raisers for the Ranger don’t own a Ford vehicle today. LaNeve said he’s not concerned about Ford’s late re-entry relative to GM and is confident the arrival of the Ranger and Gladiator should drive more growth. “You are going to continue to see proliferation in this segment,” LaNeve said. “This won’t be the end.” Watching GM LaNeve, a sales executive at GM before coming to Ford in 2015, said the decision to bring back the Ranger was further cemented by looking at what his former employer did with the Colorado and Canyon. LaNeve said the prior-generation pickups significantly ate into sales of the full-size Chevy Silverado, but that hasn’t been the case with the revived versions. “When they came back in, what was affirming to us is that we didn’t see in the data cannibalization of their full-size truck nearly to the degree before,” he said. “That was affirmation of our own market data.” The F series has been the nation’s best-selling truck for 41 straight years, and the price of the F-150 has been steadily inching up. Ford sold more than 72,000 F-series pickups in November at an average transaction price of roughly $42,000, LaNeve said. The upcoming Ranger, meanwhile, will start at $25,395 and top out at over $40,000. That’s about the same as the segment-leading Toyota Tacoma, which starts at $26,595 for the 2019 model, but more than GM’s midsize duo. Pricing starts at $21,495 for the 2019 Colorado and $22,095 for the Canyon. All prices include shipping. Although consumers are receptive to the high-priced vehicles — Lariat, King Ranch, Platinum, Limited and Raptor account for roughly one-third of F-150 sales — rising prices overall for the vehicle have pushed some buyers out of the market, Hinrichs admitted. And then there was the issue of size. Some pickups are so massive, they barely fit in standard parking spaces. “Customers want something that’s ‘garage-able,’?” Hinrichs said. “We feel really confident the Ranger buyer is different than the F-150 buyer.” That buyer, Ford believes, craves off-road performance and capability. The Ranger’s turbocharged 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine will be able to tow and haul more than the V-6 gasoline offerings from its rivals, Ford says. Simpler configurations It will come in just three trim levels: XL, XLT and Lariat. Ford will sell two-door SuperCab and four-door SuperCrew configurations, with each offered in either two-wheel drive or four-wheel drive. An off-road FX4 package will be offered across all trims. Although those options add up, the Ranger is available in a fraction of the myriad ways an F-150 can be ordered. Interior and exterior designs on the Ranger have been changed to give the truck a more rugged look for U.S. buyers compared with the overseas model. It has a mostly steel body and axles made by Dana Inc., which also supplies the Jeep Wrangler. “We’re fairly confident Ranger’s going to be a big success,” Chad Callander, the truck’s marketing manager, said during a media drive of the truck in San Diego last week. “We intentionally designed and built this Ranger so that it would have capability. We wanted to make sure what we were bringing back to the marketplace could live up to the ‘Built Ford Tough’ promise.” .

Reuss' charge: Reposition GM Michael Wayland / December 17, 2018 DETROIT — As General Motors braces for a shifting industry landscape, its most difficult assignment may fall to Mark Reuss, the 55-year-old mechanical engineer and road racer who leads the company's far-flung Global Product Group. Reuss has launched a restructuring of his operations, a vast network with 32,000 employees that includes r&d, engineering, design, safety, quality and product planning. His charge is to focus significantly more resources on autonomous and electrified vehicles — particularly battery-electrics — while streamlining GM's army of engineers. The changes — effective Jan. 1 — include expanded duties for Reuss' top lieutenants as the company prepares to launch at least 20 battery-electric or fuel-cell-powered vehicles globally by 2023. The restructuring is meant to better align the company's "priorities and accelerate our EV and AV development," said GM spokesman Mike Albano. As with product czars across the industry, Reuss is working to keep traditional models updated while pivoting toward a new reality — in GM's case, an all-electric future with "zero crashes, zero emissions, zero congestion." He's also shifting GM's vehicle lineup away from cars to crossovers, SUVs and pickups to align with customer demand. "Reuss has got a challenge because consumers are still not buying into EVs yet," said Stephanie Brinley, principal automotive analyst at IHS Markit. "That's a balancing act a lot of companies are having to sort through right now." The product development overhaul is connected to a multibillion-dollar restructuring announced by CEO Mary Barra last month. The companywide makeover could lead to the elimination of roughly 14,000 employees, including 15 percent of the automaker's North American salaried work force. It could potentially lead to closure of as many as seven plants around the world, including five in North America. GM began head-count reductions last month for salaried contract workers after a voluntary buyout offer to 18,000 employees did not yield enough participants to hit the automaker's cost-cutting objectives. Broader cuts to the salaried work force are expected in January. The company has not provided specifics on the number of cuts, but it is expected to be in the thousands. The staff reductions will be followed by an end to production at three assembly plants and two powertrain facilities in North America throughout 2019 — potentially putting nearly 6,000 blue-collar workers in the U.S. and Canada on indefinite layoffs. Redesigning engineering The revamp of GM's Global Product Group includes more integration of the Global Propulsion Systems unit — the former GM Powertrain division — with other product group divisions. It also realigns priorities and responsibilities of senior leaders. At least five vice presidents — half of Reuss' direct reports — will get expanded responsibility for electric and autonomous vehicles. Dan Nicholson, global head of propulsion systems, will add oversight of electronic software and controls on all vehicles as well as responsibility for hardware development for EVs, including batteries and motors. The changes affect such established GM engineering executives as Al Oppenheiser, longtime lead engineer of the Chevrolet Camaro, who will become a chief engineer focused on electric products. Killing sedans Reuss, a 35-year GM veteran and son of former GM President Lloyd Reuss, is expected to focus on new or redesigned crossovers, SUVs and pickups ahead of the larger push for electrification that will follow the expected debut of a next-generation EV platform in 2021. The new EVs are planned to fill white space as the company ends production of six cars in 2019 — the Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac CT6, Cadillac XTS, Chevrolet Impala, Chevrolet Cruze and Chevrolet Volt — for the North American market. Those six have, on average, accounted for 46 percent of GM's U.S. car sales since 2012. But sales of the nameplates have been nearly cut in half during that same period. The LaCrosse and CT6 will continue in China, while Cruze production continues in Mexico, China and Brazil for sales outside North America. Production of the XTS in China is expected to end in the next year or so. Production in other markets could allow GM to import the vehicles in the event of a market shift back to cars. However, analysts don't believe GM would make such a move anytime soon. It's unclear whether GM plans to continue using the Volt's Voltec plug-in hybrid system with extended-range capabilities. GM had been expected to use the technology in other vehicles, including a small crossover. However, those plans may have changed after the automaker announced in September 2017 its vision for a zero-emission future. GM has faced outside pressure regarding its work force reduction and plan to shift focus to EVs. President Donald Trump last week said he doesn't believe the EV shift will succeed, and he asserted a new trade deal will make it harder for the company to move work out of the U.S. "They've changed the whole model of General Motors," he said in an interview with Fox News. "They've gone to all-electric. All-electric is not going to work. ... It's wonderful to have it as a percentage of your cars, but going into this model ... I think is a mistake." ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Reuss’ lieutenants General Motors is realigning responsibilities of senior leaders inside its Global Product Group to reflect new electrification duties. Among the changes: Dan Nicholson, VP of global propulsion systems, becomes VP of electrical controls, software and electronic hardware, overseeing software and controls on all vehicles. He’ll also be responsible for electric vehicle hardware development, including batteries and motors. Ken Kelzer, VP of global vehicle components and subsystems, becomes VP of global hardware components and subsystems. Jim Hentschel, VP of global product integrity, becomes VP of global integration and systems. Ken Morris, VP of global product programs, retains his title and adds propulsion responsibilities. Doug Park, VP of global electric and autonomous vehicles, retains his title and adds responsibilities for the emerging technologies. .

Let's be clear. York Corrugating only produced (stamped) the radiator shells for Mack. They did not chrome them. That was done by a third party.

KrAZ Trucks Press Release / December 7, 2018 The KrAZ-6510ТЕ Christmas Truck in National Colors An all-wheel-drive KrAZ model 6510ТЕ tractor was patriotically painted in Ukraine’s national colors to deliver the New Years’ Tree to the capital. The powerful KrAZ 6510 6x6 is engineered to tackle any severe service job assignment carrying oversize heavy loads both on and off road. . .

Indianapolis Star / December 13, 2018 Two-year-old Evan Brenneman burst into his parents' bedroom around 3 a.m. Thursday. "Thursday," he exclaimed. "Garbage truck." Thursday is garbage day, which means the big orange truck he's enamored by is going to stop at their Plainfield home, said his mother, Natalie Brenneman. But this week, Evan got a surprise when the orange truck stopped by: a backpack full of Ray's Trash Service swag and a hug from his favorite trash man, James Bullock. Evan has been fascinated by anything with wheels since he was about 9 months old, Brenneman said, but his interest in the trash truck grew last spring and summer. "We can hear it coming down the road, so he would run to the window and watch it," she said. Eventually, they were waiting outside every Thursday to greet the truck from the porch. Then, Evan wanted to meet the trash men. "One day, James popped out and said, 'Hey do you want to come see the truck?'" Brenneman said. Their friendship has continued to blossom. Evan has Prader-Willi Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that tricks the body into believing it is constantly hungry. Ray's Trash Service has twice sponsored the family's annual walk to raise awareness and funding for PWS research, Brenneman said. And when Evan, who turns 3 next week, recently celebrated his birthday, Bullock's family joined in the festivities. "It was so funny, because Evan was just thrilled that he was there. He was his favorite party guest," Brenneman said. However, there was one downside. "He was disappointed that James did not bring the garbage truck with him to the party." It's been special to watch her son make a new friend, Brenneman said. "Oh my gosh, my heart bursts every time," she said. "... I know he’s in the middle of his work day and probably wants to get it done quickly, but he stops and talks to Evan. He always gets down on his level, looks him in the eye, gives him a hug, offers him a high-five." "It’s just so great that he pauses to talk with us and to spend a little time with Evan.” Video - https://www.indystar.com/story/news/2018/12/13/rays-trash-service-driver-surprises-2-year-old-backpack-full-gifts/2304320002/

Give the folks at Watt's Mack (BMT website provider) a call at 1-888-304-6225 and ask about a 4MF426AP4.

The DAF (Paccar) engine, as composed in DAF trucks in Europe (Euro 6 emissions), is a high-performing, reliable and durable engine. I can promise you that no DAF operators in Europe would disagree with me. The US operators I know are generally satisfied. They all note that Paccar charges a premium for Cummins power.

No Ted, you're thinking of Volvo's "Tandem Axle Lift". The one truck is a 6x4, and the other a 6x2 with a tag axle. These are nice trucks. You name it, you can get it. Drum, disc or wedge brakes. Steel spring or air spring. Tag or pusher auxiliary axles.

Iveco Trucks Australia Press Release / December 10, 2018 One of Australia’s leading concrete and construction materials company, Hanson, has taken delivery of the first of 82 ACCO 8x4 agitators, which will be deployed to sites across metropolitan Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia. The new trucks are part of a fleet rejuvenation program replacing older ACCO models along with several other brand trucks. Hanson’s National Procurement Manager, Neil McDermott, said the ACCO range is a proven performer in the industry and was selected because it provides several key performance benefits. “In terms of tare weight, what the ACCO offers is very attractive,” Neil said. “The lower the tare weight, the better it is from a fleet efficiency and business perspective.” All of the new trucks are fitted with 7.5 cubic metre bowls from Mixers Australia and ATT, and feature 340 hp engines, automatic transmission, front airbag suspension, rear rubber block suspension, and importantly for the application, Electronic Stability Control. Given the time-sensitive nature of concrete delivery, all vehicles are also equipped with Trimble tracking and dispatch software, which helps manage the product delivery cycle by automatically updating dispatchers on location and status of the vehicles in real-time. Neil said that aside from seeking efficiency, safety was another prime considering for Hanson and more broadly across the concrete industry. “It’s a high centre of gravity application and couple this with the fact that the mixing bowl is rotating – if not driven correctly, concrete trucks can be prone to instability,” he said. “A safety feature such as ESC isn’t a substitute for careful driving but it’s an important piece of technology that reduces the likelihood of a rollover.” The new ACCOs will remain in service for 13 to 14 years – the first eight years of their working life will be in a metropolitan environment, after which they’ll be relocated to regional and rural areas which are normally a little easier on the equipment thanks to less stop and start work and a reduced overall workload. Neil said it has been good for Hanson to re-establish a relationship with IVECO, after several years of purchasing competitor products. “We bought solely IVECO for many years before making a change to try some other products,” he said. “Hanson had been keen to use ACCOs again and to build on our earlier partnership. We are also pleased to be supporting Australian manufacturing and boosting local employment through this latest purchase.” As ACCOs are a familiar vehicle on the Hanson fleet, the company’s drivers have responded well to the latest model, according to Neil. “Our drivers comment favourably; with the front airbag suspension they’re a comfortable truck, are easy to get in and out of, and the cab over configuration provides excellent visibility and manoeuvrability on the work site,” he said. The first batch of the new ACCOs is already operating, with the remainder expected to be delivered within the first quarter of 2019. Depending on where they’re located, the trucks will be maintained by IVECO Dealerships, Hanson’s in-house technicians or mobile mechanical contractors. .

Isuzu Trucks Australia / December 4, 2018 The Isuzu NPS is the original light truck 4x4. With 2-pedal AMT the bar has been lifted and emergency services, mining and exploration applications are even better served by Australia's number one truck - Isuzu. .

Isuzu Trucks Australia / December 4, 2018 .

New Zealand Trucking / December 2018 New Zealand Trucking contributor John Heron was driving trucks in Darwin when tropical Cyclone Tracy struck on Christmas Eve 1974. He told Faye Lougher what it was like to be living directly in its path, and the role the cyclone played in shaping his life’s journey. John had lived in Australia since the late 1960s working as a jack-of-all-trades for Simon Transport of Toowoomba, based in Darwin. “It was wet season and Christmas, and the buffalo hunters can’t shoot because the plains are too wet,” John says. “I quit Simon’s in the wet season and I was helping the buffalo company shift things into town.” John says it had been blowing most of the day, but the full force really hit about 6pm. “We were watching The Untouchables on a black and white TV. The lounge we were in had big windows and out past that was the flight path for the airport. Just before the power went out, we could hear this noise and we looked at each other and said ‘shit’. A BOAC VC10 crossed just outside the window – we could see the people in the plane. The wheels were up and the pilot was giving it full noise and trying to get off the ground. He was so far off course it was not funny. This was just outside the window and I will never forget it.” Later that night John went to bed in his caravan, but after its roof caved in he thought it was time to get out and he went to check how everyone else was. “It was pretty scary, things were banging and crashing and you couldn’t see anything. I climbed the outside stairs to the front door of the house and got it open but couldn’t understand why it was still piddling down with rain. I shone my torch up into the blackness and found there was no roof.” John searched the house but initially couldn’t find anyone. “I went back downstairs and they were all hiding in the downstairs toilet and shower. Nine of us and a dog spent the night there, listening to the storm raging on, with timber and iron from houses crashing against the wall. The house was wrecked upstairs – it even pulled the wallpaper off the walls.” The eye of the cyclone went through during the night and in the morning when the wind dropped they ventured outside to assess the damage. “I had never seen such devastation; there was not a house left standing,” says John. “My nice new, custom-built caravan was now upside down on top of two cars that had been in the neighbour’s garage. Everywhere you looked there was rubbish and the roads were impassable.” Anyone who has been to Darwin, even recently, knows just how remote Australia’s northern-most city is when it comes to access by land. Even in today’s world the relief effort required following such an event would be a mammoth undertaking. John says the first week they were on their own as help was more than 2000 miles [3200kms] away, but being a truck driver in the outback with a bunch of buffalo hunters meant they could take care of themselves. “Water was the main problem, but a neighbour’s swimming pool was cleaned up for fresh water.” John says everyone pulled together to start with; they had no other choice. “Civil Defence was non-existent, everyone was looking after themselves. We didn’t know what was going on, we only realised something was happening when the army and navy started arriving.” A total of 66 people were killed and many more were injured, and 70% of the homes were destroyed. John says the biggest air evacuation in Australian history began, with more than 40,000 people evacuated from Darwin. “The RNZAF was there for about a fortnight, but they could only land in daylight. Communications were limited as the incoming planes and ground staff only had hand-held radios. When the planes were on final approach to Darwin Airport they would call up on the hand-held and get people who were clearing the airport to move so the planes could land. There were no other communications with the ground as all radar and radio was destroyed. There were civilian aircraft as well as military Starlifters, and the civilian airlines broke a record for carrying passengers.” There was also the largest concentration of Australian naval ships since the Second World War anchored in Darwin Harbour. John stayed and helped with the clean up, then was offered a truck to take a load of damaged copper solar panels and fittings, with three cars on top, to Adelaide, about 2200 miles [3540kms] south of Darwin. “The truck was a Diamond Reo 6x4 with a 250hp Cummins diesel and a 13-speed Roadranger gearbox, pulling two 38-foot [11.5m] trailers. It was hard yakka as the truck had suffered some damage in the cyclone, with a cracked windscreen, broken mirror, a whack in the passenger’s door and the batteries were cracked. The Cummins had a decompression lever so I put a wire on it so I could work it from inside the cab.” The US Army built the road from Darwin to just south of Alice Springs during the Second World War, and while it was bitumen, John says it was only 12 feet [3.6m] wide with big drop-offs. “Darwin to Katherine is just over 200 miles [320kms], but the road is slow and winding, up and down as it goes through tropical rain forests. After Katherine the road is a lot flatter and faster as you start to cross the great outback plains. The road was very busy as the Government had every road train it could get to shift emergency supplies to Darwin.” John says it took him two full days to get just north of Alice Springs and by then it was late at night so he camped in the truck on the side of the road. The following morning he headed into Alice for breakfast and to check the truck over before heading for the South Australian border. “It was not long before I hit the dirt road and had just over 700 miles [1126kms] of dirt to go. The corrugations in the dirt were bad with the extra traffic, and the two graders working the 700 miles couldn’t keep up. I had to keep the Diamond above 40mph [64kph] so it could ride across the top of the corrugations.” Another few hours sleep on the side of the road and then John was bound for Coober Pedy, where he says the only bit of bitumen was the main street. “I fuelled up and checked the truck and had a shower and a feed, but wonder why I bothered as half an hour down the road it was so hot, about 100°F-plus [37°C] and some of the dust came in the cab and stuck to my sweaty skin and turned to mud, and I was as dirty as I was before I showered.” Next stop was Pimba, and then Port Augusta. “I made good time so my first drop was the Holden panel van that was on top. They lifted the van with a spreader frame, and as they swung it off my truck, bugger me, it slipped in the frame and hit the deck from 15 feet [about 4.5m] nose first and it rolled onto its roof. It was a write-off as the chassis was bent. This panel van had gone through Cyclone Tracy without getting a mark on it, and I carried it for more than 2200 miles [3540kms] over one of the roughest roads in Australia without putting a mark on it, and they dropped it. If that wasn’t bad enough, it was COD and I had to collect the freight on the van.” After unloading the rest of his freight the following day, John made the slow return trip. He stayed on in Darwin for about a year and says the rebuild, like Christchurch, was slow. “I’d been home to New Zealand for a trip and when I got back to Darwin I started getting depressed. Basically I didn’t have a lot; I’d lost my caravan and everything in it.” John decided to move back to New Zealand and went straight back to truck driving. “RFL had an ad in the paper and I was one of 108 who applied for the job. I enjoyed the life, you were your own boss.” He started off in RFL’s Johnsonville yard doing local work, and then when a line haul driver left he applied for that job. The new role took him as far north as Auckland and as far south as Dunedin. “We were pretty lucky guys in those days, we did a lot of work for Watties. Anything that was under temperature control, such as frozen foods, meat and ice cream.” John stayed with RFL for 11 years before heading in an entirely different direction, buying a garden and pet centre in Paraparaumu with his partner, Pat. “It was the oldest garden centre on the coast. I had a little truck to do my own work and I also did casual work for others.” In his youth John had attended Flock House, an agricultural and farm training school in Bulls, so after leaving the garden centre he and Pat went farming. “At the time we were leasing 100 acres of motorway land while we decided what we were doing. We were there five years and then bought a farm out the back of Feilding. We initially had about 130 acres but grew it by taking on leases, and had about 600 at our peak.” After driving for so many years, John says farming was a challenge. “I don’t think I enjoyed it as much when I was younger, but I do now. I was the one who did all the building and work on fences and the digger and so on, and Pat looked after the genetics and the animals. We had to help each other at times.” The farm had the largest herd of purebred Texan Longhorns in New Zealand, but after the devastating Manawatu floods in 2004 John says they were virtually bankrupted. “I got a job with John Mills of Halcombe and I drove for him. The road was blocked so they had to come and pick me up and drop me off at night. Pat was working two jobs, and I had odd jobs driving bits and pieces.” John says while he enjoyed farming, for a long time he did miss driving for a living. “Not now – I’m 71 and have bad arthritis. I’m okay once I am in the seat but it’s the getting in and out. The arthritis came from an accident at RFL where I was run off the road. I was in an A-train and it did a somersault and I spent two and a half hours pinned by my knees.” Now semi-retired, John and his son Cameron are restoring a 1980 Kenworth W924 first owned by Colin Hunter of Hunter Brothers Rotorua. A nasty piece of work Christmas time is a special time, especially in Darwin, the capital of Australia’s Northern Territory. In Darwin it’s not only the festive time it is for most of us, but also a time of remembrance. Forty-four years ago this Christmas Eve Tropical Cyclone Tracy tore the city apart, destroying 70% of the houses, killing 66, and leaving 25,000 of the 47,000 inhabitants homeless, with nothing but the clothes they stood in. In the wake of her overnight rampage was AUS$837 million worth of damage (AUS$6.4 billion in today’s dollars). Tracy is the second-most compact Tropical Cyclone recorded, with gale force winds extending only 48km (30 miles) from her centre. But she lacked nothing when it came to punch, with winds in the 205km/h range sustained for up to a minute, and 175km/h winds lasting 10 minutes at times. .

Diesel News Australia / December 2018 Here we see a video about women changing trucking. If they are, it is a slow and painful process, working through the male domination which characterises our industry. This video first appeared on the SBS news show, The Feed. There may not be a significant amount of women working on the front line in trucking but there are changes a foot and these pioneering women represent a vanguard for many more to come. The trucking culture in Australia can be a daunting and unwelcoming place at times, but we are suffering a drastic driver shortage. We should be welcoming keen people wanting to get into our industry with open arms. We cannot afford to let things remain as they are today. More women in the industry will change the culture within fleets, but perhaps it’s about time there was a change. We are nearly twenty years into the 21st century and working with a mid-twentieth century mind-set. These women are being pioneers at the moment, but it will need a lot more females to follow them to make a realistic difference in the trucking industry culture. They all talk about having to deal with men in the workplace and the issues which can arise. We can only encourage more of their kind to get onboard and move the trucking industry forward. .

An American Truck and Also Clearly a Modern Truck Diesel News Australia / December 2018 Looking at the International ProStar as it re-enters the Australian truck market, this is clearly an American truck and also clearly a modern truck, but there are also enough cues to the traditional design of trucks, to keep a retro feel. The US, it seems, will never move away from the maxi-brake, no matter how old hat it becomes. A modern electronic switch can have just as many failsafe systems. However, this is what the conservative US truck driver likes, and also what a lot of conservative truckies in Australia also hang onto. Just look at the dominance of Kenworth in the heavy vehicle market to demonstrate how strong the sentiment is for a traditional style. Outwardly, the ProStar doesn’t have a look which suggests the traditional aspect of the truck. It is a swept back aerodynamic design which has been shaped to save fuel, and it clearly does. The LED lights make for a contemporary look to go with the clean lines. However, the vertical bars in the grille suggest past designs and the mirrors are hardly cutting edge, although they do have an aerodynamic shape. There is a vertical exhaust up the back of the cabin, but it is masked by the high sleeper and the aero kit on the trailing edge of the cabin. The interior is modern with the sweeping grey lines of the 21st century. The controls are from an older generation. The dials and switches are the standard US style, plus there’s the maxis, which will never change. The entertainment system has a large bright and modern style, most likely a retrofit in Australia. The instruments straight in front of the driver sit on a white background and are well arranged in a semi-circle but hardly contemporary. The LCD information screen is small and positioned low down with minimal information, the gear engaged, a trip meter, odometer and the outside temperature. Expecting more from a truck like the ProStar is to misunderstand where it comes from. This truck was designed by Navistar to compete directly with the all-conquering Freightliner Cascadia in the US market. It needed to be light cheap and fuel efficient to suit the big fleets of North America who chase low fuel consumption above anything else. In the US, the ProStar, now named the LT, is usually fitted with a 13 litre International engine and sold as a basic spec in large numbers. The Navistar team based in Dandenong in Victoria have taken the elements available to them in the International catalogue and come up with a truck which gets close to where the Aussie truck buyer wants to be. The driveline is familiar and capable of handling the job. The cabin is well-designed and a comfortable place to spend the night. The bunk in a B-double prime mover is rarely spacious, but International have done their best with the dimensions available. The design seems to be sensible and pragmatic, with items like the fold-away controller for the AMT. This truck is a good solid performer. It works well without fuss and is predictable. The ride is excellent with the Primaax air suspension making the best of rough roads like the uncompleted sections of the Pacific Highway. It has the North American look without the disadvantages like non-integrated sleeper or high levels of wind drag. This is not a hero truck, in the US the LoneStar does that job for International, and that model is not coming here any time soon. This is the hardworking prime mover which will ply the highways day and night and it has the driveline to do the job with minimal fuss. .

Seth Clevenger, Transport Topics / December 14, 2018 Battery-Powered CVs Could Represent Trucking's Future, But Many Questions — and Hurdles — Remain As electric vehicle technology becomes increasingly viable for commercial trucking, fleets and manufacturers are preparing to put the first generation of battery-electric trucks on the road. Although diesel likely will remain trucking’s primary fuel for decades to come, particularly for longhaul operations, the introduction of these electric-powered trucks will represent the industry’s first steps toward a future beyond the internal combustion engine. It also will mark perhaps the biggest change in trucking equipment since the motor vehicle replaced the horse and carriage. In the near-term, electric trucks will be lim­ited to specific applications that are well-suited to the technology, and many questions about their capabilities will remain ­unanswered until these vehicles log significant miles in real-world trucking operations. But established industry leaders and new technology developers are taking on this electrification challenge. All of the major global truck manufacturers and many of their key suppliers are investing in electric vehicle technology as they prepare to compete in this emerging segment of the truck market. Some already have begun to introduce their first medium- and heavy-duty battery-electric models, with series production set to begin within the next few years. At the same time, startups and new players in the truck manufacturing business are looking to jump into the industry with electric-­powered trucks of their own. Despite the crowded field of electric-truck developers, Daimler Trucks North America CEO Roger Nielsen said the focus at this stage should not be on rushing to market or securing preorders, but on gaining knowledge and building customers’ confidence in this technology. “I don’t want to get caught in some kind of race,” Nielsen said during a media roundtable in October. “What we’re trying to do is get the most experience that we can.” DTNA recently hosted executives from 30 of its fleet customers to drive its first battery-electric models and discuss potential use cases for those vehicles, as well as key factors such as charging infrastructure, government financial incentives, route planning and maintenance. Although electric vehicles represent a path to zero-emission trucking and huge fuel savings for fleets, applications will be limited at first, and several hurdles remain for adoption. Early models are designed primarily for shorthaul applications such as urban pickup and delivery, refuse trucks and port drayage. Opportunities for regional routes may be next, perhaps followed at some point by longhaul operations, but battery technology will need to continue to improve to reduce weight and extend vehicle range. The industry also will need to establish adequate charging infrastructure to support these vehicles. Battery-electric trucks represent an entirely different vehicle architecture, one that no longer relies on an internal combustion engine or diesel emission-control systems. In ­theory, this could reduce vehicle downtime and maintenance costs, but the technology still is largely untested in the rigors of the commercial trucking environment. At the same time, fleets will continue to evaluate other alternative fuels. Some developers are investing in hydrogen fuel-cell technology as a way to extend the range of electric trucks. Meanwhile, compressed natural gas remains the most widespread alternative to diesel available on the market today. And diesel, of course, isn’t going away any time soon. The maturity of diesel technology and the flexibility afforded by its existing fueling infrastructure mean that diesel likely will remain the dominant fuel for longhaul trucking for many years, especially for irregular routes. The First Generation of Electric Trucks Early iterations of medium- and heavy-duty electric vehicles already are beginning to enter the commercial trucking industry, with market availability and series production just a few years away. In June, DTNA unveiled battery-­electric versions of its flagship heavy-duty Freightliner Cascadia and medium-­duty M2 model. The truck maker said it plans to begin series production of the ­eCascadia and eM2 in 2021. To help pave the way for those product launches, DTNA has partnered with two of its fleet customers — Penske Truck Leasing and NFI Industries — to place 30 of those vehicles in the field for testing in real-world operations. Penske, which was set to receive 10 ­eCascadias and 10 eM2s, plans to put those vehicles in the hands of its lease customers, who will use them to deliver actual freight in local and regional applications. Bill Combs, director of fleet connectivity at Penske Truck Leasing, said the company expects “nonstop learning from the minute we start running them.” “There’s an expectation from our customers that we be ahead of a lot of these technologies,” he said. While it’s hard to tell how quickly electric trucks will become successful, the emergence of these vehicles is “probably one of the biggest changes in trucking in decades,” Combs added. Volvo Trucks, meanwhile, has announced that it will begin deploying all-electric trucks in California next year with plans to commercialize them in North America in 2020. Volvo will introduce its demonstration trucks through a partnership with California’s South Coast Air Quality Management District, which has received a preliminary award of $44.8 million for the project from the California Air Resources Board. Volvo Trucks President Claes Nilsson described the project as an important step toward the company’s vision of zero-emission trucking. “We are convinced that electrified truck transport will be a key driver of sustainable transports, and we’re proud to contribute the Volvo Group’s expertise to this innovative public-private partnership,” he said. Earlier this year, Volvo introduced two electric models for the European market that it intends to begin selling next year. Meanwhile, Mack Trucks plans to supply a fully electric Mack LR refuse truck to the New York City Department of Sanitation for testing in 2019. Paccar Inc. also is testing electric vehicle technologies through its operating companies, Kenworth Truck Co. and Peterbilt Motors Co. Kenworth has introduced electric-powered prototypes based on its T680 model. One of those trucks is equipped with hydrogen fuel-cell technology, while another uses a hybrid system that combines battery-electric propulsion with a CNG engine to extend the vehicle’s range. Peterbilt has displayed an all-electric version of its Model 579 built through a collaboration with TransPower, a supplier of zero-emission truck systems. Navistar Inc., which builds International brand trucks, has announced plans to introduce a medium-duty electric model as its first entry in this emerging segment. That vehicle, an electric Class 6 or 7 box truck for pickup and delivery applications, will be based on the International MV Series and have a range of 100 to 120 miles, said Darren Gosbee, vice president of powertrain and advanced engineering. Port drayage operations also have become “a significant area of interest” for Navistar’s electric truck development work, but that application will require a different battery pack and a range of 120 to 150 miles, Gosbee said. That truck would be based on the RH Series. Navistar plans to seed the market with some electric trucks by the end of 2019 and then roll out a larger number of vehicles to the marketplace by the end of 2020, Gosbee said. However, the truck maker has not focused its efforts on developing a heavy-duty electric tractor for longhaul applications. “The battery technology, we believe, has to go through another revolution of development to be able to get to a point where the energy density of the battery is there,” Gosbee said. “The coast-to-coast Class 8 sleeper, I think, is a long way from being electrified purely as a battery-electric vehicle.” The industry’s established manufacturers and suppliers are not alone in the pursuit of commercial vehicle electrification. New players in the truck-making business have showcased their own electric models and have helped spark a conversation about the potential for zero-­emission trucking. Startup truck manufacturer Nikola Motor Co. was the first out of the gate with the unveiling of its Class 8 hydrogen-electric Nikola One sleeper model in late 2016. The company later introduced a day cab version, the Nikola Two, and a cabover for the European market, the Nikola Tre. Nikola has said it plans to launch field tests of its hydrogen-electric trucks in 2019. The electric-truck conversation gained additional energy in late 2017 when electric car maker Tesla Inc. trumpeted its entry into the commercial truck segment with the introduction of its battery-electric Tesla Semi. At the vehicle’s unveiling, co-founder and CEO Elon Musk said production was planned for 2019. Thor Trucks, another startup, also plans to begin manufacturing battery-electric Class 8 trucks starting next year. When electric trucks reach the market, their residual value will be an important consideration for fleets. Nielsen said DTNA’s fleet customers don’t expect to change their trade cycles when they begin adding battery-electric trucks to their fleets. Much like newer diesel models, customers should expect an improvement in energy efficiency year over year, and they will want to take advantage of those improvements rather than holding on to their existing vehicles, he said. But it also will be important that the trucks maintain their value on the used market. “Residual value and retention of the value through the life of the vehicle is at the top of the list,” Nielsen said. A New Vehicle Architecture In the early stages of the electric truck market, while sales volumes still are low, developers and suppliers will strike a balance between optimizing vehicle efficiency and utilizing existing components and designs that already have been developed, said Jason Roycht, vice president of Bosch’s commercial vehicle and off-road business unit in North America. “It’s not about optimal efficiency just yet,” he said. “It’s about a balance of how much do I need to spend in development to get it to market, how much is my cost basis for it, and can I make a total cost of ownership argument for my vehicle. So you’ll see a lot of different approaches.” For example, truck manufacturers gen­erally are developing electric trucks that use the same chassis as their existing diesel models, rather than creating brand-new vehicles from the ground up. Engineering costs also are guiding the design of electric powertrains. The easiest approach is to simply add an electric motor to a traditional axle, Roycht said. “That’s not necessarily the most efficient approach to that problem, but it might be efficient enough for the application.” Over time, as developers focus more on maximizing efficiency, electric vehicle designs will shift toward electric motors on wheels, he said. Navistar’s Gosbee shared a similar perspective. Because the initial market and sales volumes for electric trucks will be limited, the easiest approach will be to take an existing model and modify it with an electric propulsion system, he said. “That is not truly optimized,” Gosbee said. “There is going to be a lot more opportunity for optimization as the volumes for e-mobility comes up. We will have a stronger business case to design and develop electric vehicles from the ground up.” Diesel-Electric Hybrids Unlike the passenger car market, most truck manufacturers generally have been moving directly to all-electric or hydrogen-electric vehicles rather than investing heavily in the intermediate step of diesel-electric hybrids. Earlier this year, Martin Daum, head of Daimler’s global truck and bus division, said he is “not a big fan” of hybrids. “To me, a hybrid gives you the worst of both worlds,” he said. “You still have to fulfill all the regulations on exhaust for any given diesel truck,” and then you add the challenges of introducing battery-electric technology. Paccar business unit DAF Trucks, however, showcased a diesel-electric hybrid alongside two fully electric models this fall at the IAA Commercial Vehicles show in Hanover, Germany. Others also see potential for hybrids in certain use cases. Johannes-Joerg Rueger, president of Bosch’s global commercial vehicles business, said he sees hybrids as a viable option, particularly for vehicles that enter the inner city. “For the last mile, being able to drive fully electric would certainly be a plus,” Rueger said in an interview at IAA. “It comes with a cost but would offer some additional options.” Developing a Charging Network For battery-electric vehicles to work in trucking, they will need adequate charging infrastructure. Early electric trucks may simply recharge at their home terminals, but the potential for these vehicles to expand into longer routes will depend on a broader network of charging stations. Daimler’s Daum described this infrastructure issue as a “chicken-and-egg problem.” Higher vehicle volumes would support infrastructure investment, and broad availability of charging stations would support vehicle sales, but the question is which will come first. “With electric, you still have to choose your routes very carefully,” Daum said. “Predictability is important.” Work currently is underway to develop charging standards for heavy-duty electric vehicles. A number of truck manufacturers, suppliers, energy companies and other players in the transportation industry have joined the Charging Interface Initiative, or CharIn, an association focused on establishing a worldwide standard for electric vehicle-charging infrastructure. Meanwhile, fueling providers already are thinking about how to serve the nascent electric truck market. Trillium CNG, best known for its more than 200 public and private CNG fueling stations, is moving toward a more diversified energy approach as its fleet customers begin to explore battery-electric and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles. “Each fuel will have its own strengths and weaknesses, or trade-offs, and all of our customers have their own unique goals,” said Bill Cashmareck, managing director of Trillium, which was acquired by Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores in 2016. Trillium is expanding into electrification through a partnership with EV Connect, an electric vehicle-charging firm, to establish light-duty charging sites at four Love’s locations in California. The goal, Cashmareck said, is to gain more experience and data to ultimately introduce more light-duty EV chargers to the motoring public, then help “bridge the gap for Class 8, when it comes.” Ultimately, plans for a heavy-duty charging network will be shaped by factors such as the range and battery capacity of the electric trucks that reach the market, he said. Another variable that fleets and charging providers will need to consider is the cost of electricity and the potential for demand charges from power companies that could put the whole operation into the red. Cashmareck suggested that large electric vehicle fleets could consider a different option: establishing a closed-loop charging system that doesn’t rely on the power grid. He said Trillium is developing a vehicle charging system that would produce on-site power from generators, turbines and potentially solar energy, thus allowing customers to take power generation into their own hands and reduce or even eliminate utility charges. That concept could work at a public truck stop or at a customer’s private lot, Cashmareck said. “We think we’re coming up with some innovative solutions for the EV market if fleets choose to go that way.” Emission Regulations and Incentives While trucking companies consider the potential business cases for adding electric trucks to their fleets, these vehicles also will help truck manufacturers meet tighter emission regulations in the coming decade. By introducing zero-emission electric trucks to their product lineups, OEMs will gain a leg up on the Phase 2 greenhouse-gas emission and fuel economy standards issued in 2016 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Under that rule, new medium- and heavy-duty vehicles and engines will need to comply with increasingly strict carbon dioxide emission limits in 2021, 2024 and 2027. By selling even small volumes of zero-emission electric trucks, OEMs can bring down their corporate fuel-economy average while banking credits for exceeding emission standards. “There’s a lot of incentive to overcomply,” said Glen Kedzie, energy and environmental counsel at American Trucking Associations. “When the milestones are more stringent in the future, if you are having a more difficult time hitting the targets, you can dip into your credit piggy bank.” He added, “They’re going up a mountain, and the mountain gets steeper the higher they go.” Navistar’s Gosbee also cited the compliance benefits of electric trucks as greenhouse gas standards tighten in the years ahead. By adding electric vehicles to their product lineups, OEMs will have more flexibility to sell other trucks with features that aren’t as greenhouse gas-friendly, he said. Beyond regulatory compliance, fleets also can take advantage of financial incentives to purchase electric trucks, particularly in California and at major seaports such as the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Telematics in the Electric Fleet The introduction of electric trucks also will mark a new frontier for commercial vehicle telematics. New metrics such as battery state of charge and battery health will become important data sets for managers of electric truck fleets. Trucking telematics vendor Geotab has taken steps to prepare for that future through its recent acquisition of FleetCarma, a technology supplier for electric fleets. “We strongly believe that electric vehicles are the future,” said Scott Sutarik, Geotab’s associate vice president for commercial vehicle solutions. He described the FleetCarma acquisition as “an excellent opportunity for Geotab to really supercharge our efforts in the electric space.” FleetCarma has focused mostly on light-duty electric vehicles, but is preparing to serve the emerging medium- and heavy-duty electric truck market as well. Matt Stevens, FleetCarma’s CEO, said many elements of onboard technology for electric trucks will carry over from diesel models, such as electronic logging of drivers’ hours of service. But managing battery-charge levels and coordinating vehicle recharging will add a new layer of complexity for logistics planners. “There is an intense requirement to become an energy manager, which is completely new,” Stevens said. “It’s not how you ever had to think about liquid fuel management. The economics can truly be phenomenal if you do it right, but it is a very different skill set that requires very different tools.” Telematics will become an integral part of the “fueling” experience, he said, because the data will enable fleet managers to determine whether an electric truck can make another delivery based on its state of charge, and to monitor if and to what degree the battery’s capacity is degrading over time. FleetCarma also provides a managed charging service designed to guarantee every vehicle is charged by the start of its shift, while synchronizing charging times in a way that reduces peak demand. That “smart charging” approach can dramatically cut electricity costs, which Stevens said can make the difference between being competitive and being out of business. Telematics also can support fleets’ electric-vehicle purchase decisions through suitability assessments, Stevens added. By analyzing data from a company’s existing diesel fleet, FleetCarma can offer recommendations on the best ways to deploy electric trucks within those operations. A Menu of Fuel Choices Bosch’s Rueger predicted that commercial transportation in inner cities “will more or less become electric over time,” but the added weight of the batteries will make electric trucks impractical for longhaul. However, Bosch does see potential for hydrogen fuel cell-powered trucks in longhaul applications. “I believe it’s a very interesting option,” Rueger said. Bosch is supplying its eAxle electric drive system to Nikola, which is developing not only hydrogen-electric trucks but also a hydrogen fueling network to support the vehicles. Rueger said these hydrogen-electric trucks have the potential to capture part of the North American market, but other routes would need to be served by other technologies. “That’s why we believe that eventually fuel cells will be part of the equation, one of the solutions, but not the only one,” he said. Any future technology, including electric trucks and fuel cells, will need to prove itself and compete with what is in the market now. “Diesels have a long history and have proven maturity for longhaul,” Rueger said. “For the whole logistics segment, reliability is the most important factor. In our logistics chains today, we are so tight that it needs to work.” As fleets begin testing the first wave of electric trucks in their freight operations, the industry soon will learn more about the strengths and weaknesses of these vehicles. The results of those early deployments will provide a clearer picture of where and when this technology will be ready to transport its share of the world’s freight. .

360Che / December 14, 2018 The Qingdao division of FAW Truck Company recently introduced new Euro-6 emissions powertrains in its flagship JH6 heavy tractor. FAW Group Proprietary Engines The 13-litre CA6DM3 engine produced by FAW Group’s Wuxi Diesel subsidiary is available in Euro-6 spec rated at 500 and 560 horsepower. In addition, the 11-litre CA6DM2 is available in Euro-6 spec rated at 420, 440 and 460 horsepower. Vendor-Supplied Engines The 13-litre Weichai WP13 is available in Euro-6 spec rated at 510, 550 and 580 horsepower. Also, the 10-litre Weichai WP10 is available in Euro-6 spec rated at 375 and 400 horsepower. .

Renault Trucks Press Release / December 12, 2018 Renault Trucks presents the 2019 version of its Distribution range, Renault Trucks D and D Wide. The new versions of the vehicles feature improved aerodynamics and driver comfort, together with new Euro 6 Step D engines. The combination of this new equipment and engine improvements produce fuel savings of up to 7% compared with the previous generation. Euro 6 Step D motorisation The DTI 5, DTI 8 and DTI 11 engines already comply with the Euro 6 Step D regulation due to take effect on 1 September 2019. The Renault Trucks D and D Wide motorisations have been updated and now feature a new-generation particulate filter. To optimise fuel consumption, the DTI 5 and DTI 8 engines have been fitted with new engine software. The full range of auxiliaries has also been redesigned, with the Renault Trucks D and D Wide featuring a new oil cooling system and a low-flow water pump. Optimised aerodynamics The work recently performed by Renault Trucks on its experimental Urban Lab 2 vehicle has proven that optimisation of aerodynamics is one of the key levers for reducing both the fuel consumption and CO2 emissions of distribution vehicles, especially when operated in peri-urban environments. To improve airflow therefore, and thus significantly reduce fuel consumption, the aerodynamics of the Renault Trucks D and D Wide have been optimised. In the 2019 version, they have been fitted with new lateral deflectors, as well as a new adjustable roof-mounted deflector, which can be adapted to suit all types of bodies, thanks to its 12 setting positions. Safety and driving comfort For increased safety and driving comfort, the Renault Trucks D and D Wide are now fitted with new driver-assistance systems. The adaptive cruise control (ACC) automatically maintains a minimum distance behind the vehicle ahead for smoother driving in heavy traffic, whilst also reducing driver fatigue. The adjustable speed limiter (ASL) is also an integral feature. Controls for both systems are positioned within easy driver reach, thereby leading to safer and more efficient driving. The combination of these improvements and new equipment enable customers to achieve a 7% reduction in fuel consumption compared to the previous generation. Renault Trucks D and D Wide 2019 are available for order now. They are Biodiesel compatible (up to 100%) and are also available in a CNG version. .