kscarbel2

MarketWatch / December 19, 2018 Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has weighed and measured the recent destruction that put the Dow Jones Industrial Average on track for its worst December since 1931, and he appears to have drawn his own conclusions as to the impetus. Mnuchin during a Tuesday interview with Bloomberg News in Washington said that the effect of the financial-crisis-era Volcker rule and high-frequency trading have combined to sap liquidity in the market and insert an unprecedented measure of volatility in assets. The Volcker rule refers to the controversial standards put in place to prohibit banks from trading for their own accounts, in the wake of the 2007-09 financial crisis, while high-frequency trading refers to super-powered computers engineered to execute transactions at lightning-quick speeds, which has become arguably the dominant force in the market over the years since its advent. Fed Gov. Lael Brainard in a speech earlier this month said computer-driven trading in the Treasury market may also be fueling erratic swings, sometimes referred to as flash crashes. Brainard, in contrast to President Donald Trump’s Treasury secretary, said the post-crisis banking laws have not contributed to liquidity problems.

Scania Group Press Release / December 18, 2018 For Scania, it’s always about the details. Even when it comes to Swedish Christmas traditions. That is why we asked one of our skilled engineers craft a new generation Scania truck out of gingerbread. Watch it happen at our research and development lab. .

Jim Park, Today's Trucking / December 11, 2018 TORONTO, Ont. — All the power in the world won’t get you anywhere if your transmission can’t manage it properly. Startability and gradeability are the two key factors in powertrain spec’ing, which means getting the power to the wheels safely — without wrecking the driveline — and having several ratios to keep the truck moving while climbing. In applications where the grades aren’t too severe, 10- and 12-speed transmissions can work even with the heaviest legal loads. When you start pulling 7, 8 and 9% grades with more than 62,500 kg in tow, you simply need more gears. In bygone days, this was the realm of the 5×4 and 6×4 duplex transmission. These were necessary before we had 2,050 lb-ft engines and 18-speed high/low splitter transmissions. The main gearbox had large steps between the gears, and the auxiliary transmission provided the incremental steps between the main gears. The modern 18-speed transmission, manual or automated, offers closer steps between the gears as well as high and low range shifts and a direct and overdrive split in each gear. The result is a transmission with fewer ratios overall — with more even steps between the gears — but much easier to operate. We can get by with fewer gears today thanks to the way engines have evolved, specifically when it comes to changes in their torque curves. Prior to 2000, most engines had distinct peaks to their torque curves, which limited peak torque to a pretty narrow range, sometimes less than 100 rpm. To allow the engine to operate at peak output, we needed lots of gears to keep the engine speed at or close to peak output. Gradually those curves flattened out and torque output increased so trucks could stay in certain gears longer. Today’s torque curves are more like plateaus — flat and broad, often extending through a range of 400 or 500 rpm and sitting way down low in the rpm range. Rather than downshifting through two or three gears when climbing a grade to stay at or close to peak torque, we now need only one or two gears. In Canada, the preferred multi-speed transmission for heavy haulers seems to the Eaton 18 speed. But of you want a high-horsepower engine, you’ll need to go with either Detroit’s DD16 or the Cummins X15 performance variant. For those engines, you’ll need something from Eaton. For years Pierre Aubin, owner of L’Express du Midi, Delson Transport, and Transport Audet of Ste-Catharine, Que., has been spec’ing Eaton 18-speeds behind his 600-hp Cummins engines. Between the three companies, he runs more than 100 B-trains and four-axle flatbeds with payloads of 41,000 and 38,000 kg, respectively. They’re all operating in northern Quebec and on that province’s notorious Cote du Nord, between Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré and Sept-Isles. “That’s no place for an under-spec’d truck, let me tell you,” Aubin says. “You need all the gears and the close ratios on those roads. They are nothing like American highways. When you get to the top of that first hill, you’re looking into the eyes of God.” Most of his 18-speeds are manuals, by the way. He has a few UltraShift Plus automated 18’s and few automated transmissions in his straight-truck tanker fleet. “I do not see the value in spending an additional $8,000 for a less-reliable transmission,” he says. “Those automated transmissions are a pleasure to drive, I’ll admit that, but when they break down they leave you with no options but to call a tow truck.” In contrast, many other Canadian B-train fleets claim they are doing just fine with automated manuals. Winnipeg-based Paul’s Hauling is primarily a fuel hauler using B-train tankers. The company operates throughout Ontario and the four western provinces as well as on the winter roads around Thompson in northern Manitoba and Pickle Lake in northern Ontario. The company’s powertrain spec’ might seem surprising. The newer trucks in the fleet are all 13-litre engines at 1,850 lb-ft and 500 or 505 hp. The transmission spec’ includes Eaton UltraShift Plus and Mack mDrive, and the most recent delivery from Freightliner included the DT12 transmission. “The latest bunch of Cascadias we ordered from Freightliner were equipped with the DT12,” says Trent Siemens, director of maintenance at Paul’s Hauling. “We had been testing a few for about a year and Freightliner was watching them closely. They have now approved the transmission for our application with the DD13 engine at 505/1,850.” Daimler’s current brochure shows the maximum gross vehicle weight for the DT12 is 130,000 lb. (58,500 kg), so this application suggests it’s capable of even more with engineering approval. “We do not tell the OEMs specifically what we want. They give us what they feel is best for the application given our weight and terrain and the rest of our operating conditions,” Siemens says. The fleet also took recent delivery a few Peterbilts with Paccar MX13 engines at 510/1,850 and Eaton UltraShift automated 18-speeds. Later this year they will take delivery of some Mack Anthems with similarly spec’d MP8 engines and the new 13-speed mDrive HD transmissions. While smaller-displacement engines and proprietary “on-highway” transmissions keep turning up in fairly demanding applications, don’t count on seeing many of them in really heavy haul applications like the fleets that haul overweight loads with specialized equipment. For that crowd, it’s Eaton’s RT-series 18-speed manual transmissions or the Ultrashift Plus MXP automated 18-speed — or even a two-stick 5×4 or 6×4 setup. With 100-ton loads, the need for gears and tons of torque and horsepower are pretty obvious. While much of the on-road driving portion of those trips might be done with a lesser setup, it’s often the last few miles of a trip that dictate the spec’, says Rod Olyowsky, operations manager of Regina-based heavy-hauler Cara Dawn Transport. “More than half or our revenue comes from loads weighing 100,000 lb. or more,” he says. “We haul all over North America, but the most challenging jobs see us hauling into mine sites in southeastern British Columbia. They usually aren’t located a few miles from a freeway off ramp. They are often at the top of a 10- or 20-mile long 9% grade.” Cara Dawn runs mostly tri-drive tractors in the west with 600-hp/2,050 lb-ft engines mated to 18-speed transmissions, “We still have a few duplex 5×4 transmissions as well,” says Olyowsky. “Sometimes even those are barely enough.” Many of the older drivers who work in that sector are leery of the automated manual transmissions, but the UltraShifts are making their way into the business. “There’s a big difference between 140,000-lb. GVW and 280,000 to 300,000-lb. GVW on a 9% grade,” says Olyowsky. “The drivers prefer to be in control of what the equipment is doing.” Of course, a lot of drivers said that about 80,000-lb. GVW trucks when the Eaton’s AutoShift first emerged 20 years ago. It’s taken some time, but now many of those drivers won’t leave the yard with anything but an automated transmission. More options than ever Canadian fleets that operate six-and seven-axle combinations now have transmission and engine choices they may not have considered in the past. Transmission choices for really heavy applications are still quite limited, but the mid-weight market between 47,000 and 57,000 kg is now opening up to the 12-speed offerings. Gross weight may be less of a factor than it previously was, but the terrain you operate on will still be the determining factor for your transmission spec’. Along with the traditional 18-speed offerings from Eaton, we now see Volvo’s I-Shift and Mack’s mDrive HD providing additional ratios for heavy haul and severe service. These offer up to 14 forward gears with astonishingly low creeper ratios for specialty applications like pouring curbs and sidewalks by concrete mixers. They are also more than capable of handling some high-GVW on-highway applications if not 100,000-kg loads of mining equipment on the side of a mountain. Transmissions don’t care which engine is producing the torque, so with ratings mostly exceeding 2,050 lb-ft, most of the 12-speed transmissions can now handle big power. Neither Volvo or Mack offer an engine producing more than 1,860 lb-ft, so there’s obviously some redundancy in those transmissions. Daimler’s DT12 is also rated for 2,050 lb-ft, and it’s allowed in applications up to 130,000 lb. (58,500 kg) with a dual-plate clutch and approval from engineering. Here are a few choices worth considering. Allison TC10 Speeds: 10 forward / 2 reverse Torque rating: 1,850 lb-ft Gear Ratios Overdrive: 7.40 – 0.86 Dry weight: 1,074 lb. / 487 kg Detroit DT12 Speeds: 12 forward / 4 reverse Torque Rating: 2,050 lb-ft Gear Ratios Direct Drive: 14.93 – 1 Overdrive: 11.67 – 0.78 Dry Weight 518 – 639 lb. / 233 – 287 kg Eaton UltraShift Plus MXP (Multipurpose Extreme Performance) Speeds: 18 forward / 4 reverse Gear Ratios A-ratio: 16.70 – 0.73 B-ratio: 19.73 – 0.73 Torque rating: 1,650 – 2,250 lb-ft Dry weight: 978 lb. / 444 kg Eaton RT-18 Manual Speeds: 18 forward / 4 reverse Gear Ratios B-ratio: 14.4 – 0.73 Torque rating: 2,250 lb-ft Dry weight: 716 lb. / 324 kg Mack mDrive HD Speeds: 12, 13, 14 forward / 2 reverse Torque rating: 2,060 lb-ft Gear Ratios Direct Drive: 19.38 – 1 Overdrive: 17.58 – 0.78 Dry weight: 687 lb. / 312 kg Mack Maxitorque ES manual Speeds: 18 forward / 3 reverse Torque rating: 2,100 lb.-ft. Gear ratios: 16.42 – 0.71 Dry weight: 798 lb. / 359 kg Volvo I-Shift Speeds: 12, 13, 14 forward / 2-6 reverse Gear ratios: 11.73 – 0.78 Torque Rating: 2,300 lb-ft Dry weight: 720 / 324 kg

Navistar's Clarke Calls 2018 a 'Breakout Year' in Financial Results Heavy Duty Trucking (HDT) / December 18, 2018 Navistar International announced its fourth quarter 2018 financial results, reporting a net income of $188 million, up $53 million from the same quarter last year. For the whole fiscal year, Navistar reported a net income of $340 million, way up from just $30 million in net income for fiscal year 2017. Fourth quarter adjusted EBITDA increased 20% to $322 million, compared to $268 million one year ago. Fiscal year 2018 adjusted EBITDA saw a 42% increase to $826 million from $582 million in 2017. Full-year adjusted EBITDA margins increased to 8.1% up from 6.8% for 2017. This marks the sixth consecutive year of annual growth in adjusted EBITDA on both a dollar and percentage basis for the company. "2018 was a very strong year for the industry, and a breakout year for Navistar," said Troy Clarke, chairman, president and CEO. "We were the only truck OEM to grow Class 8 share during the year. With the industry's newest product lineup, superior quality, and a strong focus on customer uptime, we expect to gain market share in 2019 for the third year in a row." Revenues in the quarter increased 28%, to $3.3 billion, compared to fourth quarter 2017. The revenue increase was largely driven by a 45% increase in the company's "Core" volumes, which represent its sales of Class 6-8 trucks and buses in the United States and Canada. For the Class 8 retail market alone, Navistar’s share grew to 13.5% in fiscal year 2018 versus 11.8% in fiscal year 2017. For 2019, Navistar provided industry and financial guidance. The company expects retail deliveries of Class 6-8 trucks and buses in North America to be 295,000 to 425,000 units, with Class 8 truck deliveries making up 265,000 to 295,000 units. Revenues are expected to be between $10.75 billion and $11.25 billion and adjusted EBITDA is expected to be between $850 million and $900 million. "While we expect 2019 to be another strong year for Navistar and the industry, it's important to recognize that Navistar as an investment is much more than just a cycle play," said Clarke. "As our ongoing improvements demonstrate, the company also has strong opportunities to benefit by recapturing market share, growing parts revenue, improving margins, generating free cash flow and further de-risking the balance sheet." .

Reuters / December 18, 2018 Navistar International Corp reported a better-than-expected quarterly profit and raised its truck delivery forecast for 2019 on Tuesday, sending its shares up about 20 percent. The company has gained traction from a robust U.S. economy and is seeing strong freight demand drive sales of its high-margin, heavy trucks that haul goods across the country. The company's shares rose as much as 19.5 percent to $28.50 in morning trade, their biggest percentage gain in two years. Navistar said it plans to deliver more of its long-haul Class 8 trucks - used by the rigs that transport freight across America's highways - next year, as hauliers rush to replace older vehicles with more fuel-efficient ones. Production for these trucks is expected to rise 5 percent to 335,000 units in 2019, according to ACT Research, the industry body tracking the commercial vehicle market. Lisle, Illinois-based Navistar said it now expects to deliver between 265,000 and 295,000 of its Class 8 vehicles in 2019, from the 255,000 units to 285,000 units range it forecast earlier. The company said 2019 is shaping up as another very good year. "Class 8 sales remain well above replacement demand ... and volumes grew 60 percent, well above the industry growth rate of 36 percent," Navistar Chief Executive Officer Troy Clarke said on a post-earnings call. Navistar said volumes next year would get a boost from its recent launches in the Class 4 and Class 5 category. It expects to deliver between 395,000 and 425,000 units of Class 6-8 vehicles in 2019, from an earlier 385,000 units to 415,000 units range. The company also raised its 2019 EBITDA guidance to between $850 million and $900 million, from an earlier forecast of $775 million to $825 million. Revenue in the truck business, Navistar's biggest, rose 75.8 percent to $197 million in the fourth quarter ended Oct. 31. The company expects its 2019 revenue to be between $10.75 billion and $11.25 billion. Net income attributable to the company rose 39 percent to $188 million. Earnings per share rose to $1.89 from $1.36 per share, beating analysts' average expectation of $1.71. Navistar's revenue rose to $3.32 billion from $2.6 billion, also beating estimates.

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. .