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Cadillac puts diesels on hold Jens Meiners, Automotive News / September 15, 2018 SEATTLE — Cadillac has put diesel engine development on the back burner, citing the industry's rapid shift to electric vehicles. Cadillac President Steve Carlisle, speaking last week at the XT4 compact crossover launch here, said the brand is re-evaluating diesel technology. "We have been working on diesel, but the markets may be changing more quickly than we anticipated," he said. "Going forward, we will focus on electrification." Cadillac had been working on four- and six-cylinder diesel engines for several years as part of its push into Europe, and had planned to offer diesel-powered models in the U.S. as well. The XT4 was to have been offered with a diesel by 2020 or before, and Cadillac had expected to launch diesel engines in more models. This may still happen, but for now, Carlisle confirmed the program is on hold. In 2015, the Volkswagen diesel scandal caught Cadillac flat-footed, but executives felt it had progressed too far to kill the program. It hit another snag last year when General Motors sold Opel, a development partner for the engines. But despite delays, the program continued. Now the strategy is under intense scrutiny. Still, Carlisle maintained that diesel engines will play a role in the auto business, especially in trucks, for a long time. The future of the diesel in the U.S. is uncertain. Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche and Mercedes-Benz have pulled their offerings, but BMW continues to sell diesels. Diesel models have been launched by Jaguar Land Rover, and Kia and Mazda have announced diesels. GM sells the Chevrolet Cruze and Equinox, as well as the GMC Terrain, with diesel engines.

But your SARs are much more substantial, higher quality trucks.

Eric Berard, Today's Trucking / September 13, 2018 MISSISSAUGA, Ont. — Being in the pole position allows you to be ahead of the pack. Yet earning such an enviable spot takes a lot of work, brainstorming, and the open-mindedness to surround yourself only with skilled support. Nick Knapp understood those demands. As director of field operations for KTI, a sub-contracting company for utility authorities such as power or telephone companies around Georgetown, Conn., Knapp knew he could optimize the tasks of digging post holes, water vacuuming, rock hammering, pole planting and stabilizing, and aerial wire rigging. He just needed a super all-in-one utility truck to replace the multiple units he was using for this variety of tasks. After a couple of preliminary sketches on proverbial cocktail napkins, Knapp – who runs the family business with his dad, Ed — reached out to body builders in the northeastern U.S., looking as far afield as the Midwest to find someone who could make his vision a reality. The Americans he spoke to basically said it was impossible. “They felt this truck was so out of the box, nobody wanted to touch it. They wanted to sell us a product that was already built and packaged because no one was interested in taking on that big of a product and not knowing if the end result would even be something that would work,” says Knapp. Browsing the web, he found Drive Products in a Mississauga, Ont. “They had no problem with taking on the project. So we sent them up the rig,” he says. At that stage, the “rig” was a T800 Kenworth cab chassis truck with a Cummins ISX15 500V (500 hp and 1,850 lb-ft of torque @ 1,200 rpm) coupled to an 18-speed Eaton-Fuller manual transmission, explains John Diodati, Drive Products’ operations director. But a lot of work still had to be done, because Knapp’s wish list was quite extensive. He needed hydraulics for the auger, crane and other tools. And compressed air to run the hammer if a rock formation prevented regular auger drilling, to vacuum unwanted water from pole holes into an onboard 500-US-gallon tank, and to power the tamps used to firmly hold the poles in place. “To get a compressor that big [1,000 cubic feet per minute], with that much power, it would be gigantic. What Drive Products did was, instead of buying a complete unit, [they] bought the air module with no motor. Normally they come attached with a gigantic diesel motor. They took the power directly from the motor of the truck through the split-shaft PTO and the transfer case to power the air compressor. It saves me more than 50% of deck space,” Knapp said. Eliminating the additional engine to power the Atlas Copco compressor also saved a lot of weight on this mighty machine that weighs in at 76,000 lb. Installing a third rear axle bumped the truck’s GVW from 60,000 to 80,000 lb. A Canadian crew of a dozen hands-on workers and three engineers took care of installing two OMSI transfer cases, the aerial bucket, a custom driveline, hydraulics, and a water tank among other features, says Diodati. Ensuring proper driveline angles was one of the biggest technical challenges to overcome. The unique truck’s versatility – it’s also equipped with four outriggers and a 60,000-lb. winch at the rear – realizes substantial savings. “I can go out with one driver-operator and a ground man. Two men and this truck can do the same job as it would normally take a minimum of four men, all of which would need to have a CDL. Also, by eliminating all those other trucks, now I’m only paying for insurance, registration and taxes on one vehicle versus four or five trucks,” Knapp says. In addition to the optimized productivity, he points out that maintenance is simpler and cheaper with only one power unit to take care of, even if the initial purchase price can be “a shocker”. Additional units are planned, says self-taught designer Knapp, who dubbed his heavyweight baby “Canada Super Digger”. “There will definitely be more to come, now that we got all the quirks worked out of the engineering side,” he says, adding that discussions are underway about patents since more utility professionals could well be interested in buying Canada Super Diggers. .

VW Board Is Preparing Next Steps for Truck Unit Listing Bloomberg / September 14, 2018 Volkswagen AG’s board is working toward a decision to list its heavy-truck division, a move that would generate fresh funds for its bid to challenge global leaders Daimler AG and Volvo AB, according to people familiar with the matter. VW’s supervisory board plans to discuss the matter early next week, and the truck unit will host a capital markets day later in the week at the sidelines of the commercial-vehicle show in Hanover, Germany, said the people, who asked not to be identified as the talks aren’t public. VW intends to list the truck unit’s shares next year, but the exact timing will depend on market conditions, they said. While Volkswagen hasn’t formally mandated banks yet, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Bank of America Corp. are in a good position to become global coordinators for Traton’s listing, according to people familiar with the matter. Volkswagen may also hire a third lead bank on the transaction, another person said. Representatives for VW and the banks declined to comment. The trucks business has a value of about 28.5 billion euros ($33.3 billion), according to Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Michael Dean. It generated revenue of about 24 billion euros last year, with Europe accounting for 73 percent of sales. During a recent meeting with investors in London, VW Chief Financial Officer Frank Witter’s tone concerning the IPO “was far more reserved due to the sharp revision of trucks multiples,” Evercore ISI analyst Arndt Ellinghorst said in a note to clients last week. The threat of trade barriers and lower cyclical demand for the vehicles has hurt the division’s valuation. VW shares rose 2.3 percent to 142 euros in Frankfurt trading at 3:37 p.m. The stock has declined 16 percent this year. Structural Shift The business has been turned into a stock corporation and was renamed Traton AG this year to clearly distinguish it from VW’s larger passenger-car division. Key VW stakeholders -- including the German state of Lower Saxony, VW’s second-largest shareholder with a 20 percent stake, and the company’s powerful labor unions -- have backed the project. VW will retain a controlling stake in Traton. The IPO of the unit -- which comprises the highly profitable Swedish Scania brand, Germany’s MAN truck and bus marque as well as a business in Brazil -- marks the most significant structural shift for VW so far as it undergoes a major overhaul. New Chief Executive Officer Herbert Diess is working to make the world’s largest automaker less centralized and more agile by 2025 to tackle a seismic industry shift toward electric vehicles and new digital services. Bigger Payload German rival Daimler AG is adopting a new corporate structure as well that will grant its truck business more independence, but executives have remained tight-lipped so far about a possible IPO. VW trucks chief Andreas Renschler has been the key driver behind the manufacturer’s intensified effort to improve cooperation between Scania and MAN and expand his division’s footprint outside Europe. He joined Volkswagen in 2015 after almost a decade of running Daimler’s truck unit, the world’s biggest commercial-vehicle manufacturer by revenue. A successful share sale would generate funds for Renschler’s push to catch up with rivals in terms of global reach. Earlier this year the manufacturer signed a cooperation agreement with Toyota Motor Corp.’s Hino division and the company is also looking to increase its presence in China. Compared to Daimler, which owns the Freightliner truck brand, or Volvo, which builds Mack models, the VW division has only recently gained a foothold in North America, with the purchase two years ago of a stake in U.S. peer Navistar International Corp. The company said in April that lifting the stake in Navistar, including a possible acquisition, would be an option.

Fleet Owner / September 12, 2018 The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has exempted motor carriers and drivers involved in Hurricane Florence relief efforts in 13 states and the District of Columbia from Hours of Service and other parts of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations, or FMCSRs, in an extended regional emergency declaration. The declaration includes Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. The exemption covers Parts 390 through 399 of the FMCSRs, which includes HOS rules, general safety rules, maintenance requirements, and more. "Such emergency is in response to Hurricane Florence and its anticipated effects on people and property, including the immediate threat to human life or public welfare from high winds, heavy rains, high surf, storm surge and flooding," FMCSA stated in its announcement. The exemption specifically applies to motor carriers and drivers providing direct assistance for the emergency in the affected states and jurisdictions in direct support of relief efforts related to Hurricane Florence. Providing "direct assistance" means: —Supporting emergency relief efforts transporting supplies, equipment, fuel and people into and from the affected states and jurisdictions, or —Providing other assistance in the form of emergency services during the emergency in the affected states and jurisdictions from Hurricane Florence. The exemption no longer applies when: —A driver or commercial motor vehicle is used in interstate commerce to transport cargo or to provide services not directly supporting the emergency relief effort, or —When the motor carrier dispatches a driver or commercial motor vehicle to another location to begin operations in commerce.

Transport Topics / September 14, 2018 Volkswagen AG’s board is working toward a decision to list its heavy-truck division, a move that would generate fresh funds for its bid to challenge global leaders Daimler AG and Volvo AB, according to people familiar with the matter. VW’s supervisory board plans to discuss the matter early the week of Sept. 17, and the truck unit will host a capital markets day later in the week at the sidelines of the commercial vehicle show in Hanover, Germany, said the people, who asked not to be identified as the talks aren’t public. VW intends to list the truck unit’s shares next year, but the timing will depend on market conditions, they said. While Volkswagen hasn’t formally mandated banks yet, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Bank of America Corp. are in a good position to become global coordinators for Traton’s listing, according to people familiar with the matter. Volkswagen also may hire a third lead bank on the transaction, another person said. Representatives for VW and the banks declined to comment. The business has been turned into a stock corporation and was renamed Traton AG this year to clearly distinguish it from VW’s larger passenger-car division. Key VW stakeholders — including the German state of Lower Saxony, VW’s second-largest shareholder with a 20% stake, and the company’s powerful labor unions — have backed the project. The initial public offering of the unit — which is made up of the highly profitable Swedish Scania brand, Germany’s MAN truck and bus marque as well as a business in Brazil — marks the most significant structural shift for VW so far as it undergoes a major overhaul. New CEO Herbert Diess is working to make the world’s largest automaker less centralized and more agile by 2025 to tackle a seismic industry shift toward electric vehicles and new digital services. German rival Daimler AG is adopting a new corporate structure as well that will grant its truck business more independence, but executives have remained tight-lipped so far about a possible IPO. VW trucks chief Andreas Renschler has been the key driver behind the manufacturer’s intensified effort to improve cooperation between Scania and MAN and expand his division’s footprint outside Europe. He joined Volkswagen in 2015 after almost a decade of running Daimler’s truck unit, the world’s biggest commercial-vehicle manufacturer by revenue. A successful share sale would generate funds for Renschler’s push to catch up with rivals in terms of global reach. Earlier this year, the manufacturer signed a cooperation agreement with Toyota Motor Corp.’s Hino division, and the company also is looking to increase its presence in China. Compared with Daimler, which owns the Freightliner truck brand, or Volvo, which builds Mack models, the VW division only recently has gained a foothold in North America, with the purchase two years ago of a stake in U.S. peer Navistar International Corp. The company said in April that lifting the stake in Navistar, including a possible acquisition, would be an option.

Meritor expands options for P600 planetary axles Trailer-Body Builders / September 14, 2018 Meritor recently made its award-winning P600 planetary axles available with optional five-planet wheel-ends and the ability to configure the axles for use with a central tire inflation system (CTIS). The optional five-planet wheel-ends allow a 20 percent higher gross combined axle weight rating (GCWR) over the four-planet version and feature integrated cooling technology to reduce axle operating temperatures. With CTIS configuration, drivers can maintain and adjust tire pressure for enhanced performance in varying conditions. “Heavy-haul customers are embracing the P600 series axles for outstanding performance, capabilities and best-in-class features,” said Steven Luepke, director of off-highway for Meritor. “Five-planet wheel-ends and CTIS compatibility reinforce Meritor’s continued development of solutions for heavy-haul, oilfield, logging and mining applications.” San Francisco-based Bigge Crane and Rigging Co, one of the largest crane rental, crane sales and project services companies in the country, installed Meritor P600 tandem axles on several heavy-haul tractors to maximize capacity and reduce total cost of ownership, Meritor said. “The five-planet P600 axles work seamlessly with our existing trucks and powertrains, making the integration process efficient,” said Vaughn Hersey, senior project engineer for Bigge Crane and Rigging Co. “Meritor has clearly demonstrated its understanding of the particular needs that are inherent to heavy-transport projects, and we’re pleased with the performance, power and durability we’ve seen.” Recognized as a 2015 Top 20 Product by Heavy-Duty Trucking, the P600 tridem configuration was also named one of OEM Off-Highway magazine’s Top 10 New Products of 2017 − the only axle to receive this recognition. . .

The lead US truckmaker partnering with the lead global carmaker. Noteworthy.

Toyota, 3 partners to launch hydrogen fuel cell freight project Anisa Jibrell, Automotive News / September 14, 2018 Toyota Motor North America is partnering with the Port of Los Angeles, Kenworth and Shell to launch a zero-emission, hydrogen fuel cell freight project under which it will supply powertrains and provide operational support. Toyota and Kenworth, owned by Paccar Inc., of Bellevue, Wash., will develop 10 zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell trucks, the automaker said Friday in a statement. The automaker will provide fuel cell stacks and tanks, batteries and the electric motors that will be used in Kenworth's Class 8 trucks, Toyota spokesman Brian Lyons told Automotive News. The Port of Los Angeles said Friday that it was preliminarily awarded $41 million from the California Air Resources Board for the project, which is expected to reduce emissions by 465 metric tons of greenhouse gases. The cost of the project's first phase is $82.6 million, 50.2 percent of which will be funded by the partners. According to the grant application, the project will provide "direct localized emission reductions in designated disadvantaged communities" in the Los Angeles area, including Ontario and Wilmington, Calif., and the surrounding communities of San Pedro and Long Beach, Calif. Toyota Logistics Services will operate zero-emission forklifts and oversee Toyota Transport, which will operate the hydrogen fuel cell trucks, the application says. The proposal was developed by the four partners, but the Port of Los Angeles is listed as the lead applicant. The second phase of the project involves setting up two hydrogen fuel stations, operated by Shell, in Ontario and Wilmington. The new stations, along with three at Toyota operations around Los Angeles, will create a fueling network to transport goods from "shore to store." The last phase entails the use of zero-emission technology in off-road and warehouse equipment. For example, two zero-emission yard tractors will be used at the Port of Hueneme about 65 miles northwest of Los Angeles. The partners expect CARB to officially award the grant by year end, Lyons said. The project is in line with Toyota's plans to cut carbon dioxide emissions from its Toyota Logistics center at the Port of Long Beach by 2050. In July at the CAR Management Briefing Seminars in Traverse City, Mich., the automaker unveiled a second generation of its proposed hydrogen fuel cell semitruck, known as Project Portal 2.0. .

Mark, will you be attending the BMT Investors winter retreat conference in Rio next January?

The fleets may hold trucks longer, but I predict no longer than 5 years. I expect most fleets to lean more and more on warranty, replacing trucks at the end of the warranty period. The used truck buyer will be seeing nicer offerings, as in Europe.

Yes, the 16.2-litre was offered in the TGX. . .

Interesting spec.....beautiful truck.

NAV is one of the BMT Fund's* major holdings. The board expects it to outperform through 2019. * Closed to new investors.

NAV earnings conference call 6-Sep-18 https://finance.yahoo.com/news/edited-transcript-nav-earnings-conference-181746949.html The alliance with Volkswagen Truck & Bus, now the TRATON Group, proceeds according to plan as we progress with the procurement joint venture and settle in on an array of exciting technology projects. Given Q3 performance and the strong truck market, we will again increase guidance for 2018. And Walter will provide the details in a minute. And last but not least, although we normally talk about the coming year on the December call, I'd like to provide some early insight. We are bullish on 2019, and we believe that it will look a lot like 2018 with Class 6 to 8 trucks and buses in our core markets coming in, in a range of 385,000 to 415,000 units. Class 8 was in those numbers in the range of 255,000 to 285,000 trucks. First, let's talk orders. GDP growth in Q2 was 4.1%, the strongest quarter since Q3 of 2014. In July, the Consumer Confidence Index rose to 127.4, the highest level since 2000. And year-to-date, the ISM Purchasing Managers Index is well above 50, the highest level since 2004. These conditions support fleet utilization, higher freight rates and improved carrier profits. Look, it's just a great time to be in the truck business. July was a record month for Class 8 orders at over 52,000 units. These numbers have created industry backlogs into Q2 of 2019. So we're now questioning if all these orders will be built. Are customers placing orders with several OEMs, ready to cancel one if the other is delivered first? Or how many orders are placeholders or slots reserved for stock units that can be moved out or canceled at a later date? These are all good questions. Look, at Navistar, we attempt to manage the reporting of orders as accurately as possible. July was a good order month for us as well. We don't expect a lot of cancellations. Let me tell you why. In the third quarter, our core market net orders were up 90% year-over-year. July was Navistar's highest order receipt month in more than a decade. Navistar's order share grew to 18%. At the end of Q3, Navistar is the only OEM to have grown Class 8 retail share during the fiscal year. In the third quarter, we achieved strong year-over-year growth in Class 8 heavy retail market share, thanks to the performance of the LT Series on highway truck and the 12.4-liter A26 engine. The company's share of the 13-liter heavy registrations more than doubled year-over-year through June 2018. And this did not detract from the company's 15-liter share, which also grew during that time frame. July was the first big month for orders for the new MV Series medium-duty truck as many dealers sold down the old DuraStar and now need to restock. The MV is generating real excitement. And through July, our order receipts in medium were up by a percentage point year-to-date and the July order share in Class 6 and 7 was 38%. So we took in a lot of orders in Q3, July in particular, yet incidental order cancellations have remained very stable for the last 18 months, and we don't see it changing much going forward. We expect to build the units in our backlog. In summary, the current strong economy and order backlog support a strong truck market for the remainder of the year and well into 2019. And although Q3 performance is impacted by supplier constraints, we continue to monitor the supply base very closely to avoid major disruptions. We are expecting a strong Q4. And as such, we're increasing guidance. The LT and the LT with the A26 is gaining share in the market. Our order share in the new MV medium truck is growing and all International trucks are delivering the best uptime for our customers that anyone can remember. And now we're taking orders for the new Class 4/5 CV Series, which launches before the end of the calendar year. We believe 2019 will be another very good year for the industry and for Navistar. Navistar President & CEO Troy Clarke

Efficient haulage.

Scania Group Press Release / September 14, 2018 Spanish car manufacturer SEAT and its logistics partner Grupo Sesé have teamed up to assess the advantages of operating 31.7-metre-long tractor and trailer combinations. The tests, which are taking place at SEAT’s factory near Barcelona and in Zaragoza, see a Scania R 580 tractor unit pulling two 13.6-metre trailers, thus increasing the payload to 70 tonnes. The SEAT and the haulage company will evaluate performance and the benefits in reducing emissions, increasing efficiency and enhancing road safety. SEAT hopes that the tractor-trailer combination to reduce carbon emissions by 20 percent and logistics costs by 25 percent. Potentially enormous advantages “This has the capacity to reduce the number of trucks circulating by half and that gives enormous advantages in terms of sustainability, environment, safety and efficiency,” says Dr Christian Vollmer, Vice President for Production and Logistics at SEAT. Additionally, the twin trailers are well suited for use in intermodal transport solutions, since freight trains are designed to operate at maximum performance with trailers of 13.6 metres. The 31.7-metre tests continue SEAT and Grupo Sesé’s track record of introducing long tractor and trailer combinations to Spain. It’s just two years since the duo started using 25.5-metre long tractor and trailer combinations in the country, until now the longest vehicles driving on Spanish roads. Scania’s pioneering example The Scania Transport Laboratory – which carries out transport assignments between Scania’s production plants – pioneered 31.7-metre tractor and trailer operations in 2015. Each day, two extra-long trucks travel nearly 600 kilometres from the company’s main production plant in Södertälje to Malmö en route to Scania’s plant in the Netherlands. “The concept works very well and is beneficial for both the environment and the traffic situation,” reports Managing Director Jan Björklund, Scania Transport Laboratory. “With a payload of approximately 73 tonnes, we save 25 percent in fuel costs with the same percentage reduction in CO2 emissions.” .

Scania Group Press Release / September 13, 2018 Welcome to Scania Driver Competitions Europe 2018/2019. Find out more at scania.com/driver-competitions .

Can someone please tell me why illegal immigrants are being allowed into the country??? .

Today's Trucking / September 13, 2018 MONTREAL, Que. — While walking the grounds of a small truck show earlier this summer, I spotted this gorgeous red Kenworth along one of the rows of trucks and immediately did a double take. It wasn’t the big 76-inch sleeper that caught my eye, but the set-forward steer axle and squat brawny frontal profile of a T880S. Kenworth offers the T880S variant as a vocational chassis mostly for heavy operators like those in the ready-mix sector who need the extra few inches of axle spacing to meet bridge law requirements in some American states. I didn’t expect to see one here in Canada and I really didn’t expect to see one equipped with a 76-inch sleeper, rigged for on-highway operation. Kenworth says there are only a couple like it and they are both believed to be in Quebec. It’s not often we get what reporters call a scoop on a test drive story, but this test drive is just that: it’s the first time you’ll read about this unique package that I’m predicting soon won’t be so unique. I, and Daniel Paquette, the business development manager at Kenworth Montreal who spec’d the truck, think this will become a popular alternative to the T680 and T880 in some of the more severe Canadian applications where aerodynamics takes a back seat to ruggedness. It was spec’d for a potential tank-hauling customer. Tank trailers typically have a shallow king pin setting, as did the four-axle flatdeck trailer we tested the truck with in Montreal in mid-September. We axle-weighed the load before we left the yard and got the following results — steer axle, 5,120 kg; drive axles, 16,200 kg; trailer axles, 30,820 kg. We were comfortably under the limits all around, but a set-back steer axle might have scaled a bit heavier. According to Paquette, the main reason for putting that truck together was that folks just like the look of the thing. He says he had several requests from his customers to bring one into Montreal so they could have a closer look. “They like the tough, brawny look of the short hood and the set-forward axle,” he told me. I can’t say I disagree Paquette’s customers. (And a thank-you is in order here to Pierre Aubin of L’Express du Midi of Ste-Catherine, Que., for loaning us the flatdeck load of drywall for the test drive. It was a real treat to get a Canadian-weight load to test drive a Canadian-weight truck.) As highway trucks go, this one is a curious mix of rugged and comfortable. It’s spec’d with most of the top-of-the-line driver comfort items like the Diamond VIT interior, swiveling passenger seat and swing-out table, drawer-type fridge, and wiring for a microwave and an inverter. It has the Extreme Temp insulation package as well as a cab heater. Up front we get the full gauge package, and premium seats. In short, just about everything a well-appointed over-the-road truck would have. And under all that is a robust chassis where the heavier components are closer to the top of the list in the data book, like the 2,132,000-lb. RBM frame, heavy-duty crossmembers, 14,600-lb. front suspension, and a 46,000-lb. rear suspension with heavy-duty air springs. The truck is powered by a Paccar MX13 engine cranking out a whopping 510 hp and 1,850 lb-ft of torque. Paquette told me that many of his customers who run loads similar to our test load and even larger B-train loads prefer the 545- and 600-hp Cummins X15 engines with 2,050 lb-ft of torque, but engineering can’t squeeze a red engine beneath the short T880S hood. Still, with it’s million-mile B10 life, two-year, 400,000 km warranty, and a 300-lb. slimmer profile, the MX13 offers a lot in return for what it gives up. Our test drive took us over the Mercier Bridge, and the new bridge over the Beauharnois Canal on Autoroute 30. Both bridges have pretty good grades and forced me to downshift with the MX13, but I suspect I’d have to make that downshift even with the beefier 15-liter engine. The 18-speed transmission gives the driver plenty of latitude to keep the engine where you want it for road speed and torque. On the road Two features of the T880S struck me before we had even left L’Express du Midi’s yard: the maneuverability and the visibility. From the driver’s seat the hood is almost invisible. That provides unprecedented visibility close to the hood, where pedestrians, bicycles and small cars like to hide. The top of the hood at the center is barely chest high, so anyone over four feet tall would be easily seen by the driver. On the right side, just ahead of the A pillar where tall flat hoods and air cleaners once lived, the view down to the side is very good. At a light with a car sitting alongside, the roof was hidden behind the pillar, but the hood and trunk were clearly visible. Score another point for the short, slanted hood. The wheel cut was a bit shy of 50 degrees, Paquette says, owing to the bulkier-than-usual TRW TAS 85 steering box, which is rated for 16,000 lb. It provided wonderfully solid steering at low speeds and out on the highway. My personal feeling is that set-back steer axles can wander a little, but this set-forward axle tracked the lanes like the truck was on rails. Construction on the Mercier Bridge has the lanes narrowed to about 10 feet, so precise steering was pretty welcome there. I tracked right across the bridge about six inches from the barriers on the right with no stress at all. Importantly, I don’t think Paquette was terribly worried either, sitting on the right-hand side and looking out over the abyss. Being a Kenworth, the interior was remarkably quiet. There was no wind noise coming in from around the doors, the engine and transmission noise — aside from those annoying grinding sounds that came up every now and then — was very tame, and even pleasant. It’s funny how fast you get used to some things. Most of the trucks I’ve driven lately have had downsped powertrains, meaning that engine speed at 105 km/h is in the 1,200 rpm range. This truck, with it’s 3.91:1 axle ratio, clearly spec’d for Quebec’s higher weight allowances, was turning about 1,450 at 95 km/h. It seemed fast to me, but that put it right at the upper limit of the MX13’s peak torque band (1,000-1,450 rpm). Given the weight we were pulling, I had to move fast to downshift as it began slipping down lower in the torque band. You lose momentum pretty quickly on a 3% grade at a gross weight of 51,000 kg. In those harder pulls, a rather noisy engine fan spoiled the atmosphere a couple of times. The truck has a 1,330 square-inch rad and a Horton on/off fan, which was obviously adequate for most of the driving we did. Maybe I’m just too used to the light American loads where engines don’t even break a sweat. I’ve saved the best for last here. The ride quality of this truck was sublime. The quality of the ride with the trailer on was unassailable — as solid and sure-footed as you’d expect, but more so. We had to bobtail from Kenworth’s headquarters in Saint-Laurent over to Ste.-Catharine to grab the trailer. That route takes you over some pretty rotten roads, but the suspension really took them in stride. I’m not enough of an engineer to explain it, but I put it down to having the suspension points at the extreme ends of the chassis — there’s no overhanging weight to keep the springs bouncing. It could also be the heavy front and rear suspensions, which you might be inclined to think would provide a rougher ride. I’d call it a stiff ride, but as smooth as I’ve ever felt in a big truck on deteriorating highways. As well, the cab suspension air springs and shocks sit six to eight inches outboard of the frame rails. That wide stance helps discourage cab sway, which can also lead to a wandering steering wheel. It may sound like I’m gushing about this T880S, but I’m not. There’s a lot of good stuff going on here, such as the large rear deck with wide unobstructed access from the right and left sides, even though it sits on a relatively tight 244-inch wheelbase. Or the ease of opening the hood, and the vast amount of space technicians have once they get around the set-forward front wheel. It was a pleasure driving this fairly unique truck for a few hours, and as I indicated earlier, I think we’ll soon see many more of these on Canadian highways. For fans of set-forward axle tractors, it’s a really nice compromise from the long-hood W900. And other people will tell you, it’s just got a certain look. .

In 2017, Wards Auto says 192,252 heavy trucks were sold in the US. China is the world's largest heavy truck market, almost four times US sales.

Volvo Trucks Develops Autonomous Vehicle Called Vera Transport Topics / September 13, 2018 Volvo Trucks, the manufacturing arm of Volvo Group, underscored its commitment to offering autonomous commercial vehicles in the near future with the announcement recently that it has developed a self-driving, battery-electric, tractor-like unit it calls Vera. Vera is low and sleek, has no space for a driver, and hooks up to a trailer using a fifth wheel and a kingpin. Vera is intended to pull freight in ports, factory areas and large logistics centers where high volume loads are highly repetitive and cover short distances — but additional uses are possible. In the near future, Volvo Trucks’ transport solution will be further developed together with selected customers in prioritized applications, according to a company release. The Gothenburg, Sweden-based truck maker is the second largest in the world, and its other technologies first developed in Europe have migrated to its U.S. brands. For example, its I-Shift automated manual transmission that now has 90% penetration at Volvo Trucks North America, and the platooning technology VTNA demonstrated in June in North Carolina with FedEx Corp. “The full potential of the transport industry is yet to be seen. Everything suggests that the global need for transportation will continue to significantly increase in the coming decade,” said Volvo Trucks President Claes Nilsson in a statement. Growing world population and increasing urbanization are leading to significant challenges to solve environmental issues such as congestion, pollution and noise. Rising consumption, the fast growth of e-commerce and the widespread shortage of drivers put higher demands on efficient transport solutions, according to Volvo. “If we are to meet this demand in a sustainable and efficient way, we must find new solutions. In order to secure a smoothly functioning goods-flow system we also need to exploit existing infrastructure better than currently,” Nilsson said. “The transport system we are developing can be an important complement to today’s solutions and can help meet many of the challenges faced by society, transport companies and transport buyers.” The autonomous electric vehicles will be linked to a cloud service and a transport control center, and equipped with sophisticated systems for autonomous driving — but Volvo did not immediately supply any specific details. They are designed to locate their current position to within centimeters, monitor in detail and analyze what is happening with other road users, such as at intersections, and then respond with high accuracy. The transport control center will continuously monitor the progress of each Vera and monitor each vehicle’s position, the batteries’ charge, load content, service requirements and a number of other parameters. Similar to an industrial production process, Vera’s speed and progress are tailored to avoid unnecessary waiting and to increase delivery precision. In this way Volvo believes it will be possible to minimize waste in the form of buffer stocks of trucks, and increase availability. Vehicles that operate on the same route also will cooperate to create optimal flow. “Our system can be seen as an extension of the advanced logistics solutions that many industries already apply today. Since we use autonomous vehicles with no exhaust emissions and low noise, their operation can take place at any time of day or night,” said Mikael Karlsson, vice president of autonomous solutions at Volvo Trucks. “The solution utilizes existing road infrastructure and load carriers, making it easier to recoup costs and allowing for integration with existing operations.” .

Crain’s Detroit Business / September 13, 2018 Tenneco Inc's shareholders approved proposals needed for the company's $5.4 billion acquisition of longtime auto parts competitor Federal-Mogul from billionaire investor Carl Icahn. The company said in a statement on Wednesday that the deal has received all necessary regulatory approvals, and they expect it to close Oct. 1. The acquisition is a step toward their ultimate goal of separating back into two new public companies -- one focused on replacement auto parts and the other on powertrain technology. Now, both companies compete in both sectors. The companies said in April that split is expected to happen in the first half of next year. Lake Forest, Ill.-based Tenneco plans to pay for the acquisition with $800 million in cash, about 30 million Tenneco shares and the assumption of debt. Tenneco said the three proposals passed with more than 90 percent of shares voted in favor. After the combined companies split up again, it's expected that headquarters for each company will remain in the Detroit and Chicago areas. The deal marks a payoff for Icahn, who bought up Federal-Mogul debt before the company's 2001 bankruptcy. That debt converted to ownership as part of the company's exit from bankruptcy years later. He increased his stake over time, eventually taking full ownership of the company in 2017 in a roughly $300 million deal after nearly a year of posturing with Federal-Mogul's shareholders. Tenneco posted $9.27 billion in total revenue in fiscal 2017 and reported net income of $274 million. Together, General Motors and Ford Motor Co. comprised more than a quarter of the company's sales last year. Federal-Mogul posted $7.43 billion in total sales in 2016 and $82 million in net income, the latest year available. In 2015 it had a $110 million loss, and a $168 million loss in 2014. None of Federal-Mogul's customers in 2016 accounted for more than 10 percent of its overall revenue, the company said in its annual report. The companies generated a combined $13.67 billion in direct sales with automakers during the 2017 calendar year, not including their vast aftermarket parts businesses, according to the Automotive News list of the top 100 global suppliers. Tenneco ranked No. 32 on that list while Federal-Mogul came in at No. 43. .

GM to recall 1.2M pickups, SUVs for steering problem Michael Wayland, Automotive News / September 13, 2018 DETROIT -- General Motors is recalling more than 1.2 million full-size pickups and SUVs globally because of a potential steering problem that could increase the risk of a crash. The automaker says the electric power steering on the affected vehicles can fail momentarily during a drop in voltage and suddenly return, mainly during low-speed maneuvers such as turning. If electric power steering assist is lost and then suddenly returns, the driver may have difficulty steering the vehicle, according to GM. All affected vehicles are from the 2015 model year. In the U.S., which represents more than 1 million of the affected vehicles, the recall campaign includes: Chevrolet Silverado (450,711) and GMC Sierra 1500 (186,083) pickups and Chevy Tahoe (145,198), Chevy Suburban (79,505), Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV (45,270) and GMC Yukon and Yukon XL (109,151) SUVs. Nearly 96,000 potentially defective vehicles were sold in Canada. GM, according to company spokesman Tom Wilkinson, is aware of 30 accidents resulting in two injuries because of the defect. No deaths have been reported, he said. The automaker recalled some 2014 model trucks last year for the same problem, including 800,000 Chevy and GMC full-size pickups. The full-size SUVs were not recalled, as they were previous-generation and the problem was not occurring in those models, according to Wilkinson. If power steering assist is lost, a driver information center message may alert the driver to an electric power steering problem. Also, other electrical subsystems may shut down at the same time or just before the event, which could temporarily disable the radio, Stabilitrack stability control system, driver information center, chimes, door-lock cycling, air conditioning or cruise control. GM will notify owners of the affected vehicles and dealers will update the electric power steering module software for free. No date has been set for the recall to begin but Wilkinson said dealers have the updated software packages to fix the problem. He encouraged customers to call their dealers to schedule an appointment.