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Transport Topics / July 20, 2018 Volvo Trucks North America says its D13TC engine’s turbo compounding unit will add 50 horsepower through waste heat recovery and will improve fuel efficiency by 7.5%. The com­pany believes the technology could reach the same level of market acceptance as its automated transmissions. But not every manufacturer believes turbo compounding is the best way to improve fuel efficiency. John Moore, Volvo Trucks’ product marketing manager for powertrain, told Equipment & Maintenance Update that the turbo compounding unit will raise the engine’s brake thermal efficiency — the amount of energy produced by a gallon of diesel to power the wheels — from 43% to 48%. It does this by capturing energy that would have been lost in the stack or the cooling system and feeding it back into the engine. It is the equivalent of a truck having 1.5 turbochargers, according to Moore. “It’s like a push from behind,” he said. The engine was introduced as part of Volvo’s 2017 greenhouse gas standards-compliant powertrain. The technology is designed to meet the expected 1.2 million-mile life of the engine without requiring extra maintenance, Volvo said. Fleets can expect a payback within the first year of operation, Moore said. The technol-ogy eventually could achieve the same level of 90% market acceptance that automated transmissions eventually reached among the company’s customers, he said. But, that won’t happen immediately. “It’s something different, and this industry, it’s slow to change,” Moore said. “So any time you introduce anything new to any product, people kind of take a back stance and look at it from afar. So we have to do our due diligence to show that this is a premium product.” And what about the other OEMs? Mack Trucks, which like Volvo Trucks is a brand within the Volvo Group, announced last year that turbo compounding would be available with its 2017 MP engines. Its recently announced Mack MP8HE engine uses Mack Energy Recovery Technology, its turbo compounder. The turbo compounder combined with features such as aerodynamic improvements in­cluded in the Mack HE+ package enables Mack Anthem models to improve fuel efficiency by up to 9.5% and qualify for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s SmartWay designation. Detroit uses turbo compounding in its DD16 engine, its largest, to generate up to about 192 pound-feet of torque for Freightliner and Western Star Trucks. Detroit, Freightliner and Western Star are part of Daimler Trucks North America. But Detroit has moved away from turbo compounding in its DD15 engines, which did have the technology prior to the 2014 GHG regulations. According to Brian Daniels, manager of Detroit powertrain and component product marketing, that engine’s 2014 update left out ­turbo compounding and instead relied on its proprietary Detroit Asymmetric Turbocharger, which he said is a simplified, more efficient and more durable design that is 70 pounds lighter. The engine’s turbine housing includes two different-sized scrolls that separate exhaust gas routing for higher recircu­lation and reduced nitrogen oxide emissions, Daniels said. Fuel efficiency is improved through other features, including its variable-­speed water pump, piston design and downspeeding. According to Volvo Trucks, the biggest improvement with turbo compounding occurs in longhaul applications that are downsped, a growing segment that now includes a third of the company’s on-highway sales. With those packages, the torque band is 37% wider, allowing trucks to achieve peak torque at 900 rpm instead of 1,000 and continuing that range up to 1,300 rpm. Across that wide a range, the driver will notice better performance because the truck won’t downshift as often, and it will save fuel, Moore said. The engine will run in 11th gear between 50 and 60 mph. “Our challenge is to create an engine that’s super fuel-efficient yet drives well because it’s two factors there,” he said. “You have to have happy drivers, and you have to have happy owners.” Jack Legler, technical director for American Trucking Associations’ Technology & Maintenance Council, said turbo compounding can be especially effective for fleets that are downspeeding and that the maintenance shouldn’t be too much of a headache. “All you’re doing is boosting on top of boosting on top of boosting,” he said. According to Volvo Trucks’ Moore, waste heat recovery systems such as turbo compounding will be one way truck manufacturers improve fuel efficiency. One potential is using a Rankine cycle system where a fluid would be used to capture some of the energy in a closed system. “The future, everybody’s going to have new technology, and that means different things,” Moore said. “We don’t know exactly what everybody’s going to use, but chances are it’ll be some sort of recovery system to try to take advantage of that wasted heat.” “We feel we’ll be very well positioned in the future with this engine,” Moore said. However, Jim Nachtman, Navistar’s marketing director, heavy-duty product segment, said the company doesn’t have plans to add a turbo compounder to its line of International trucks. Nachtman said manufacturers must ensure new technologies don’t add to a fleet’s maintenance issues, thereby negating any fuel economy gains they offer. “If you add a lot of complexity to a vehicle, there’s a higher propensity for something to fail, and when a fleet tells us that a day of downtime is worth $1,000 to $1,500 per day depending on the fleet, plus the cost of the repair itself, if you save a small amount of fuel economy but incur some extra downtime, in general that is not advantageous to the customer’s bottom line,” Nachtman said. Instead, Navistar intends to continue improving the turbocharger itself, which it sees as a better option. Its turbocharger will look the same, but the geometry will be a little different in order to promote more efficient air flow. The manufacturer is concentrating on other ways to improve engine efficiency — by moving to a low-friction ring pack, low-friction piston skirt coatings and a slower water pump speed, for example. Changing from an 11-blade fan blade to a six-blade version has freed an additional 31 horsepower, while predictive cruise control can improve fuel economy by 1% to 2%. Nachtman said International increased fuel economy 4% to 5% in the 2016-17 model year and increased it 9% with last year’s A26 engine in its LT series in comparison with its N13. “Essentially there’s a limitless number of ways that you can improve fuel economy, and one of our jobs is to find ways that basically deliver the highest return on investment for the customer,” Nachtman said. “We try to come up with the technologies that will give best-in-class fuel economy while retaining the likely easy to service and outstanding uptime characteristics that are required.” Technologies sometimes fail to take root for one reason or another. Legler said he had expected liquefied natural gas to gain a foothold in the U.S. market, but the storage challenges and costs were too prohibitive. Among the other manufacturers, engine maker Cummins does not include turbo compounding in its original equipment specs, the company said. The widespread adoption of turbo compounding will depend on whether the fuel economy gains will justify the various costs, including research costs, Legler said. “Fleets aren’t going to buy anything that doesn’t put something on the bottom line that has a positive, or significant, ROI that’s bigger than their other opportunity costs,” he said. Changes are being driven by market demand as well as future federal GHG regulations affecting trucks in 2021, 2024 and 2027. Of the two, market demand is the more powerful, Legler said. “Freight shippers aren’t going to pay for green just because it’s green,” he said. “They’re going to pay for it because it keeps their shipping costs down unless there’s a cost associated on the other side of it.” Paccar, which makes Peterbilt and Kenworth trucks, declined to comment for this story.

http://www.hankstruckpictures.com/cf_tribute_90_00s.htm

It’s an extremely sad situation. Sergio is both a wonderful and brilliant thinking human being.

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Fiat Chrysler's new CEO shows company's future is all about Jeep Bloomberg / July 22, 2018 The company is called Fiat Chrysler. But its success depends on another iconic brand: Jeep. That explains why Mike Manley, a 54-year-old Briton, was picked to replace Sergio Marchionne, the automotive icon who was forced to relinquish the post of chief executive officer after 14 years due to the sudden deterioration of his health. Manley has been head of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles' Jeep brand since 2009, the linchpin in the company’s plan to double profit in the next five years. Already, the Jeep and Ram vehicles he oversaw were responsible for 67 percent of total U.S. volume in 2017. Marchionne had been set to retire in April 2019. His unexpected illness accelerated the timeline for a decision on succession that was already seen as a crossroads for the company. Who would run the Italian-American automaker was just the first of a number of pivotal choices -- like whether to remain independent -- facing Chairman John Elkann, heir to the founding Agnelli family. Manley will have a lot on his do-list -- from electrifying FCA's lineup to boosting luxury brands Alfa Romeo and Maserati, to raising the profile of Jeep in China. He also faces the test of meeting rigorous fuel-economy standards in Europe and China. “He’s not a guy with a huge ego. That’s another reason why he will be a good leader,” said Rebecca Lindland, an executive analyst at Kelley Blue Book. “But he certainly has to figure out, make some tough decisions on which brands are struggling, and look at electrification.” The new CEO will start immediately, according to a company statement, underscoring Marchionne’s decline, which prompted the extraordinary board meeting on Saturday. Marchionne, 66, is in worsening health following complications from shoulder surgery, the company said. Manley joined Chrysler in the U.K. in 2000 when the carmaker was part of Daimler. He was named head of Jeep at the start of Fiat’s five-year acquisition, and led the transformation of the iconic American brand into a cash machine. Analysts estimate that Jeep alone could be worth the entire $30 billion market value of Fiat Chrysler. At the April general meeting, Elkann and Marchionne both said that Fiat Chrysler is now strong enough to survive on its own and doesn’t need a partner. Fiat reiterated this view on Saturday, saying Manley and his team will implement the business plan presented on June 1 to assure Fiat Chrysler’s “strong and independent” future. With Manley, Fiat’s board also signaled that the Jeep brand was central to plans going forward. The board passed over two other internal candidates -- Alfredo Altavilla, a close aide to Marchionne and a Fiat veteran who’s overseen operations across the globe and now runs the automaker’s European business, and Chief Financial Officer Richard Palmer, who is well known to Wall Street and helped combine the company’s operations after the merger with Chrysler. Jeep targets Manley had already been tasked with the biggest job of the five-year plan: Doubling Jeep sales volume by 2022 from the 1.4 million vehicles sold last year. He needs a 40 percent jump this year alone to meet the 2018 marker of 2 million set out by Marchionne. The new CEO shares with Marchionne a direct style and and a penchant for casual clothing. He had sidestepped the question of whether he was ready to take the top post, always saying he was fully concentrating on his Jeep job. “If I don’t grow volumes with those opportunities, then we’ll be sitting and having a different conversation next January, won’t we?” Manley said in an interview earlier this year. Rumpled sweaters Marchionne, known for his rumpled sweaters and nonstop work habits, was rivaled only by the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance’s Carlos Ghosn for longevity as an automotive CEO. He was appointed in 2004 as the fifth Fiat chief in a two-year period, He managed to return the carmaker, which had lost more than 6 billion euros ($7 billion) in 2003, to profit in 2005 by cutting costs and laying off workers, and then looked for a partner. With the acquisition of Chrysler completed in 2014, Marchionne gave Fiat the global scale needed to survive. Still, as the world’s seventh-largest automaker, the company may lack the size it needs to compete in an industry being reinvented by the emergence of autonomous driving and electrification. Fiat Chrysler has been facing questions about Marchionne’s health for almost a month -- his last public appearance was June 26, when he spoke at an event in Rome. The company said on July 5 that the CEO underwent an operation on his right shoulder and was expected to require “a short period of convalescence." Filling his shoes won’t be easy. The executive was one of the industry’s most skilled turnaround artists, not only saving Fiat from potential collapse, but later engineering its acquisition of Chrysler, which likely wouldn’t have received U.S. government backing for its 2009 bankruptcy without the involvement of its Italian partner. Marchionne was preparing to slow down but wanted first to complete his plan to rid the carmaker of industrial debt, putting it in position to survive the next industry slump. "I am a fixer. Until something is definitively fixed, I can’t stop," he has said.

Illness ends career of Sergio Marchionne, the CEO who liked to fix things Reuters / July 22, 2018 MILAN -- Sergio Marchionne bowed out on Saturday as one of the auto industry's most demanding and tenacious chief executives, his health in crisis after a career in which he rescued Fiat and Chrysler, two of its most storied brands. Fourteen years after he first took the wheel of Fiat, the gruff 66-year-old was replaced as boss of the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) group he built. He had suffered serious complications from shoulder surgery and his health was worsening, the company said. FCA gave no further details. In Italy, where his turnaround of Fiat earned him legendary status, he was treated like a rock star. The former philosophy student and accountant almost never wore a tie and preferred casual sweaters, half-joking that it saved him time on dressing. A heavy smoker until giving up the habit a year ago, he was known for working extraordinarily long hours before falling ill. He demanded others keep a similarly gruelling schedule, earning him the reputation from friends and foes alike for being stubborn and arrogant. "I feel like I live in a tunnel. He is not just demanding; he wants all your life devoted to him," said one banker who has worked with Marchionne on various deals in recent years. Some could not keep up with his round-the-clock approach. "He emails you at all hours and wants an answer within five minutes, even in the middle of the night. If you don’t answer promptly you lose the mandate," another banker said. "I only started having a life and seeing my family when I stopped working with him." In his last public appearance on June 26, wearing his signature sweater, Marchionne appeared fatigued and out of breath as he presented a Jeep Wrangler to Italy's paramilitary police, the Carabinieri, at a ceremony in Rome. Days later, he went to Switzerland to undergo what FCA described as a shoulder operation. FCA has not said what happened after he left the operating theatre, except that he suffered complications that suddenly worsened on Saturday. In an emergency board meeting on Saturday, FCA chose the head of its Jeep division, Mike Manley, as his successor and voiced "profound sorrow" at Marchionne's condition. Marchionne has done what many thought impossible, most notably his huge gamble just over a decade ago when he set in motion the marriage between the then ailing Fiat with bankrupt U.S. rival Chrysler. It is now the world's seventh-largest carmaker and is debt-free. "Sergio Marchionne's time as CEO of Fiat is already the stuff of legend," Bernstein analyst Max Warburton said earlier this year. His shrewd dealmaking kept investors onboard and earned him accolades, even from competitors. Fiat's value grew more than 11 times, helped by the spin-off of trucks and tractor maker CNH Industrial and sportscar group Ferrari, fuelling expectations of other transformational deals to come. Fixing things "You can argue Sergio has a bad temperament. You can say he is a bad father, as he never spends time with his kids, but you cannot ever question his leadership as a manager. He has done miracles at Fiat," said another a person who worked with him. The son of a carabiniere, Marchionne was born and raised in the impoverished central region of Abruzzo, Italy. His family moved to Toronto when he was 14 to escape what his father viewed as the confines of an Italian society obsessed with status over talent. His background is in finance, not autos, but Marchionne earned kudos for his turnaround skills in 2004-5 when he saved Fiat, Italy’s biggest industrial group with a century of history and a 200,000-strong global workforce, from near bankruptcy. "I like to fix things and to be blunt, Fiat needs a fix right now," he said after his appointment as CEO in 2004. For 14 years he relentlessly pursued those goals, sleeping on the couch of his private plane while jetting between offices in Detroit, Turin and London. A tough negotiator known for getting his way, in 2005 Marchionne forced General Motors to pay Fiat $2 billion not to exercise an option to sell its auto division to the U.S. carmaker. He flattened an inflexible hierarchy, replacing layers of middle management with meritocracy. He took a knife to costs, drastically reducing the number of car platforms, and formed joint ventures to share development and manufacturing. He clinched a partnership with Chrysler before eventually buying out the rest of it in a deal he orchestrated over his Christmas break in 2013, at a Florida beach, in a one-on-one meeting even those close to him were unaware of. He revived Chrysler betting that its Jeep brand should be taken global. Jeep is now Fiat Chrysler's growth engine. He took the bold step to end production of unprofitable sedans in the United States and retool plants to boost output of lucrative SUVs and trucks, a move since emulated by rivals. Known by direct reports in Italy as "il Dottore" and by his U.S. lieutenants as "The Boss", Marchionne ran the executive team with an iron fist, people who work closely with him say. Losing Midas touch? Marchionne has an impressive track record of creating shareholder value, but he has been less successful at delivering a string of recent, ambitious turnarounds. Profitability in Europe is only gradually recovering and FCA has yet to make any significant inroads in China. It has also yet to turn a profit with Alfa Romeo which along with Jeep and Maserati was the focus of the last strategy launched in 2014. Marchionne refused to follow rivals and invest in electrification, before finally making a U-turn as part of a strategy unveiled in June. He also leaves FCA overly reliant on North America, a region expected to come off its peaks soon. Even though his bid to merge with bigger U.S. rival GM to share the costs of making electric and autonomous vehicles was repeatedly rebuffed, Marchionne admitted a merger for FCA was "ultimately inevitable" to be able to compete. "Being small, cute is going to do nothing," he said last year. "Go home, go to a beauty parlour and do something else."

Ford Cargo's cousin? Jiangling Weilong wide body exposure Gou Shengzu, 360 Truck / July 21, 2018 Since the debut of the Jiangling (JMC) “Weilong” (Veyron) heavy tractor in Shanghai in April 2017, a product of the Ford-JMC joint venture, the truck has been a hot topic in truck circles. Since the current models of the Jiangling Veyron are all narrow-body cabs, it seems a little regrettable for most people. However, on July 19th, we received news that a number of brand new Jiangling heavy trucks were conducting undisguised road tests in Chongqing (aka. Chungking). Could it be that the wide-body version is coming? After a few phone calls, we headed to Chongqing to see the new Jiangling wide-body 6x4 tractor. Yes, this is the new generation JH62X Jiangling tractor based on the all-new global market H62X Ford Cargo. Based on my understanding, the new generation Jiangling heavy tractor features a 420 horsepower as standard, with a 470 horsepower rating as an option. If the previous Jiangling narrow-body model looks like a muscular man, then this new generation is more like the handsome European and American tough guys. Just the right lines outline a more three-dimensional silhouette, and the side waistline is the finishing touch. Of course, I think everyone is more concerned about what has changed in the wide-body cab. Let's look at a few pictures with you. I believe that everyone has found that the wide-body version of the cab has undergone a large-scale adjustment, especially in terms of "space", which is two completely different styles than before. The central control of the wide-body model is completely different from the previously ceremonial button layout. Moreover, the previously controversial sleeper has also undergone new adjustments. In terms of powertrain, The new truck ushers in a new upgrade in the power. The new engine series is designated JX6D13, and is derived from Ford technology. Just like the new Ford H62X tractor that was exposed in Europe recently, the new generation of Jiangling tractors is full of European touches, and has obvious differences with most China domestic heavy tractors. One area that has undergone significant change is the layout [packaging] of the chassis. Currently, the vehicles are being tested in Jiulongpo, Chongqing. We’ll bring you more more detailed introduction as we follow the JH62X’s development. .

No. Rather, it comes out of the global truck sales marketing budget.

New Zealand Trucking / July 2018 This month’s Top Truck award is fitting recognition of one man’s hard work and determination, turning his one-truck owner-driver operation into a major logistics organisation, built on relationships and meeting customer requirements. Les Harrison started his working career leaving school aged 15, to face the university of life and hard knocks. His first job was at the Horotiu Freezing Works where he stayed for 15 years. It was an opportunity to purchase a small truck from Davies Transport and run as an owner-driver for them that allowed Les to finally fulfil his childhood dream of driving trucks. After five years Les could see opportunities to pursue, so made the decision to go it alone. Discussions with a local building supply company in 1999 led to Les acquiring their crane truck, and with the assistance of his eldest son, Mark, he began managing their client deliveries. The best part of two decades later, Les Harrison Transport Group has evolved into an organisation with a team of hardworking individuals equipped with a modern fleet that includes all manner of crane trucks, container transporters, swing lifts, heavy haulage transporters, as well as curtainsiders, including this month’s Top Truck. Mike Stephens has been appointed driver of the big 9-axle H-plated Isuzu 530 CYJ. Mike is a man a lot like Les who has a passion for trucks and driving that goes back to childhood. Mike’s driving career started out with early mornings as a NZ Herald delivery van driver for Len Mason on Auckland’s North Shore. Len then offered Mike a step up helping him gain his class 2 licence, and from there moving on to a small 4x2 that handled magazine delivery duties. Wanting to try his hand at slightly bigger gear, Mike spent time with a couple of well-known Auckland earthmoving companies where he experienced 6x2 rigid tippers as well as tipulators. However, it was a miserable Auckland winter’s day when Mike decided he was over playing in the mud, and started investigating other opportunities. This decision led him to the mighty Waikato and into the cab of a Volvo curtainside truck and trailer unit. After a year, and with change in the wind, Mike spent a day cold-calling Waikato-based transport companies. A call back from Les Harrison and a conversation between the two men had Mike in the driver’s seat near immediately. Now four years later Mike is loving the challenges and variety that he experiences on a daily basis as a driver at Les Harrison Transport. The big Isuzu is powered by the company ’s 15.6 litre 6WG1TCS motor rated at 395kW (530hp), matched to the MUX16 AMT. “ There is never a dull day on the job here,” said Mike, “and I really enjoy the ability to get out of town and see the country, and the privilege of piloting this rig just makes it that much sweeter.” About as sweet as a win on the paddock for the Mike’s mighty Mooloos we would think? .

Kenworth Trucks Australia / July 17, 2018 At Kenworth, protecting the driver, vehicle, payload and other road users against unexpected hazards, has always been a paramount consideration. .

Isuzu Trucks Australia / July 19, 2018 .

Diesel News Australia / July 2018 The question on the lips for many Mack enthusiasts in Australia is when does Mack Anthem arrive in Australia? “The date for Anthem in Australia is still fluid for us,” says Dean Bestwick, Vice President, Mack Sales Australia.. “As soon as I can get the quality secure. The key is securing the quality. Most of it has been validated already on North American roads, so we’ve got a good platform to go to the next level. “We need to ensure the flexibility in the cab and sleeper are not compromised in our rough conditions, because we will also be putting Anthem components on some of our bigger models at higher gross combined masses (GCM). “Within our project, the scope for us is not just the Anthem model. The scope is to integrate the sleeper across our other models. What it gives us is the sleeper and dashboard across the range. “We know the cooling’s fine. It’s the peripheries we have to work on. Our driveline has been as solid as a rock since 2007. The base MP8, MP10 and the mDrive are now awesome. It’s the peripheries, like little brackets and things like that. We won’t deliver anything which compromises on our quality. If I have to prolong development to maintain quality, we will.” The basic components around the driveline to be used in Australia are the heaviest duty version used in the US. Mack in Australia will get major components such as the complete knock down (CKD) form for the Anthem sleeper components, but all of the trim will be done by Mack in Australia. Overall labour content will go up but basic component prices will come down. Dean is confident the new model will not jeopardise Mack’s current Australian Made status. “The bonnets and the sleeper cabs will be coming in, but we will still make our Superliner, Trident and Metroliner bonnets locally,” says Dean. “They won’t change.” As to timing, Dean suggests the most probable date for the release is sometime in 2020. This would be a launch for the Anthem model itself but also the introduction of elements from Anthem elsewhere in the Mack range. “There are some things which can’t be rushed,” says Dean. “When you hook strain gauges up on a chassis, you have got to get some kilometres up.” All of these things take time and, meanwhile Kenworth have clear water with their current high roof sleeper, with the T610 design likely to appear in a similar form in both T4 and T9 models in the near future. It has taken some time for Mack to get to the point where they genuinely have a highway option that fits the bill. Now they have come up with a design that looks like the real thing. There have been many Mack enthusiasts champing at the bit looking for a better sleeper cabin on the Mack. Importantly, with the arrival of the Anthem product and design, Mack will now be in the mix as an option for so many more applications. The short BBC B-double prime mover market is one in which every truck manufacturer needs to play. The Anthem model and the introduction of Anthem architecture elsewhere in the range will see Mack become a viable contender in areas in which it has struggled in the past. .

Geoff Middleton, Truck Sales Australia / July 20, 2018 We take a couple of loaded UD Quons on a great drive through northern NSW to Brisbane If there’s a good way to give a truck a workout on a day run, the trip from Tamworth to Brisbane via the New England Highway would have to rank highly. Most would know it’s a run of about 570 clicks and it has a good swag of varying terrain to really get your teeth into and give a truck a solid workout. And that’s precisely where we took the new UD Quon for this test. On hand we had a pair of Quon GW 26 460s. One was set up with a tri-axle trailer while the other was a tipper with a three-axle dog. Both were loaded to a GCM of 41 tonnes. We first saw the new Quon at last year’s Brisbane Truck Show in a ‘soft’ release. It was then fully released in November with trucks turning up on our roads from December. From there it has gone from strength to strength in the marketplace, with wide acceptance across a broad range of applications in the heavy trucking sector. According to Vice President of UD Trucks Australia, Mark Strambi, who we spoke to prior to our drive, the Quon fits neatly into many roles including tipper and dog, tautliner, refrigerated trucks, and B-doubles with GCMs up to about 60 tonnes. Nuts and bolts The Quon is powered by an 11-litre six-cylinder turbo-diesel developing up to 460hp and 2200Nm of torque. This drives through a 12-speed ESCOT VI automated transmission. As part of the Volvo Group, UD has been able to dip into the European manufacturer’s parts bin and come up with some outstanding safety and convenience features. Not the least of which is the radar cruise control – in fact, the Quon has two cruise controls you can choose from, the regular cruise that all know, or what the company calls Traffic Eye cruise control. Traffic Eye is a radar-controlled cruise that lets the driver set the speed as well as the distance between the truck and the vehicle in front. If the vehicle in front slows, so will the Quon; as the vehicle speeds up again, the Traffic Eye will detect this and speed up to the nominated speed again. It’s very handy and, combined with the automated transmission, takes a lot of pressure off the driver. The switch gear for the Traffic Eye Cruise is all on the right-hand side of the four-spoke steering wheel where it’s easy and intuitive to use. The Quon is also fitted with lane-departure warning which alerts the driver if he has wandered out of his lane without indicating. This can be cancelled also by a switch on the right-hand side of the wheel although, if you’re driving properly, you shouldn’t have to cancel it… Another big safety tick is the Quon's braking system, which features discs all round. According to Strambi, the Quon is the first Japanese heavy-duty truck to have disc brakes on all axles. The brakes are mated to an ABS system that also has UD’s Emergency Braking System that will pull you up under full brakes if the Traffic Eye system detects that you’re too close to the vehicle in front and you’re about to have a crash. Traffic Eye will warn you that you are close without intervening, but if you don’t take action, it will. UD is also offering its stability control, which goes under the acronym of UDSC. If the UDSC sensor detects conditions where the truck could become unstable, such as tight bends or slippery road surfaces, the system applies control appropriate to engine 2output and braking power to each wheel to maintain stability. In combinations, all these systems make the Quon a very safe truck indeed. Inside So what does it all mean? It’s all very well to have a safe truck that’s going to protect you, but it’s of no use if it’s uncomfortable and nobody wants to drive it. Not so with the Quon. Step up into the cab and you find a very Euro-looking cab for a Japanese vehicle. The ambience is inviting with the wrap-around dash dominated by a four-spoke wheel which, in the case of our prime mover, was leather wrapped with wood highlights. The buttons on the wheel are well spaced and semi-flush with the spokes. To the left is the shifter for the ESCOT VI transmission with the park brake behind. The HVAC controls are above the gearshift and the screen for navigation and audio etc is beautifully integrated above that. The main instrument panel is really well laid out with the speedo and tacho flanking the central five-inch screen which is controlled using the switches on the right-hand side of the steering wheel. This screen flashes up all manner of information to the driver and it is arranged in a logical and easy-to-read manner. Below is another screen giving info about cruise control, gear position and a readout for the four-position auxiliary brake. There are cup holders within easy reach and storage abounds. Vision is excellent from the driver’s perch and the mirrors are comprehensive, and heated. Overall, the Quon’s cabin is a really nice place to work. And it's comfortable, ergonomically sound and has the feeling that it will last. On the road On our particular winter’s morning, in Tamworth we were up early and out of town before six. It was dark with a few showers that, although not enough to wipe the grimaces from the farmers’ faces, was enough to make visibility poor and the road as greasy as a pork chop. Thankfully, the standard lights on the Quon are excellent LED jobs that put out a bright, white light and cut through the dark and light up the road ahead better than just about anything we’ve driven lately. Our prime mover was hooked to a tri-axle trailer and though we could feel the load and the rig's 41-tonne GCM, the Quon had no trouble getting up to speed and cruising along out of Tamworth. Some of the steep climbs up to our breakfast stop at Guyra had us down to 10th or so but still holding reasonable speeds of around 60km/h. The retarder worked well down the hills and I soon got a feel for it and figured out how many of the four stages I needed to help us slow for descents or towns. I could also down-shift using the buttons on the side of the gearshift and hold the box in gears if needed, but really the auto trans was remarkably effective when left to its own devices. From Guyra we had a quick 270km or so to Warwick where we grabbed a coffee and topped off the tanks before the short 150km hop to Brisbane. Cunningham’s Gap is a great test for any truck whether you’re going up or down, and the Quon took it in its stride on the way down. I held it back in seventh gear with the retarder maxed out, and I barely had to touch the service brakes to get us safely down the hill. Then it was onto the flat stuff and the cruise on the Cunningham Highway and the motorway into Volvo’s home base at Wacol. The feedback we got from the telemetry told us that the trip took just over eight hours (we weren’t rushing and had a leisurely breakfast and a coffee and fuel stop). Our average speed was 71km/h and we used 49.61 litres/100km – that's a smidge over 2.0km/litre. It was a good workout for the two trucks with the truck and dog using slightly less fuel at 46.68 litres/100km (2.14km/litre). Both handled the trip with relative ease, and we got to the other end feeling fresh and unstressed. The highlights of these trucks for me were certainly the comfort level and the ease of driving. The auto transmission works beautifully with the 11-litre engine, and in combination with the retarder means the driver can sit back and relax in the comfort of the climate-controlled cab. The only gripe I did have was the intrusion of the thermo fan into the quiet ambience of the cabin, which is probably speaking volumes to how well insulated the cabin actually is. Overall, it was a thoroughly enjoyable drive in a decidedly un-Japanese Japanese truck. Specifications: UD Quon 26 460 Engine: GH11TD Description: In-line six-cylinder turbo-diesel with intercooler Displacement: 10,837cc Transmission: UD ESCOT VI, 12-speed automated manual Front suspension: Parabolic leaf spring Rear suspension: Eight air bag electronically controlled or parabolic leaf spring with rubber cushion Front axle: 8200kg Rear Axle: 21,000kg (air bag suspension) Axle ratio: 4.13 or 4.50 Brakes: Disc brakes all round with 430mm rotors, Electronic Braking System (EBS) Fuel: 400 litre aluminium tank with optional 200 litres on RHS Tyres: 295/80R22.5 (front) 11R22.5 (rear) Cab: Sleeper .

Truck Sales Australia / July 20, 2018 Big fleet order for Queensland contract Cleanaway Waste Management Limited is Australia’s largest total waste management solutions company, employing over 5500 people across Australia. The company recently took delivery of 18 new Scania 6x4 prime movers (six G 480s and 12 R 560 V8s) to service a new contract with a major council in Queensland, to transport general waste from four recovery stations to landfill sites. In order to meet the conditions of the contract, Cleanaway needed prime movers capable of managing the 22-tonne payloads for the single trailer rear ejectors, and the 33-tonne payloads for the high-volume side tipper B-double trailers. The criteria for the prime mover selection included reliability, flexibility of the trucks to undertake a wide variety of tasks, plus allow for an increase in payload as the amount of waste increases over time, in line with population growth. According to Cleanaway’s Doug Hughes, Scania was able to meet the critical criteria, which also included a one-stop shop for servicing and maintaining the new trailers as well as the trucks. “We wanted trucks that were capable of coping with growth, flexible enough to run different trailer set ups if we need, and also have a conveniently located servicing outlet, as we planned to have the servicing of trailers and trucks completed at the same time,” Mr Hughes said. “We have specified trucks that are able to pull single, B-double or A-double trailers if needed, and they are powerful and capable. They are also comfortable, which is important for our drivers.” “For the G 480s pulling the single rear ejector trailers, the drivers need to exit the vehicle for loading and unloading, so easy access is important for them. The drivers in the R 560 V8s can operate the side loaders from inside the vehicles, including the powered roll-tarps,” he said. Safety was also a priority for Cleanaway, so the trucks have a full suite of features including Electronic Stability Program, Advanced Emergency Braking and Lane Departure Warning. “These vehicles will be on the road approximately 10 hours a day Monday to Friday with some operating on Saturdays, and the volume of material to be transported to landfill sites is consistent, so we need the vehicles to have high availability,” Mr Hughes said. “We don’t travel significant distances annually, perhaps 100,000km at most per vehicle per year, but the trucks will be in stop-start traffic when loaded, plus the PTOs will be working hard to run the hydraulics of the rear-ejector rams or the side tippers. We anticipate an eight-year working life for the vehicles. “We have chosen higher capacity trailers than have been used previously which will give us some additional flexibility with the benefit of fewer journeys each day to transport the waste,” Mr Hughes said. “One of the attractions of Scania was the Driver Support System that scores the drivers on their driving smoothness and anticipation. We are also using the Scania Communicator and vehicle monitoring system to be able to analyse how the vehicles are being used and how well the drivers are performing. “There has been positive feedback from the drivers on the star rating system on the dashboard, and we can see a direct correlation between the ability to provide performance feedback to drivers where needed, and a reduction in fuel use and wear and tear, which leads to a cost improvement,” he said. According to Ben Arthur, Cleanaway’s Alliance Operations Manager who will manage the new contract, Scania trucks have already proven themselves to be solid, stable and reliable work vehicles for other waste removal contracts the company undertakes in South-East Queensland. “The Cleanaway fleet in SE QLD is considerable, including lighter units for kerbside collections. We utilise some Scanias already for heavy duty hook lift, and front loader services,” Mr Arthur said. “The Scanias perform very well. They are very reliable, and solidly built, and well suited to heavyweight work applications.” According to Steven Alberse, Scania National Fleet Manager, the selection of Scania prime movers for the contract makes a lot of sense. “Around the world Scania is a significant partner with waste transport companies at all levels, from rear load, front load or hook lift collection to bulk industrial waste transport. Our trucks are engineered to cope with these payloads and duty-cycles, and we are confident the 18 new trucks will serve Cleanaway very well in Queensland,” he said. .

VDR Truck Racing - http://www.vdrtruckracing.com/

Dieciocho Ruedas / July 18, 2018 Ford Trucks will enter the Dakar 2019 with two 4x4 Cargo trucks developed by Belgian team VDR Truck Racing. For the first time ever, Ford Motor Company will participated in the Dakar rally in the trucks category. Ford and Belgium's VDR Truck Racing team are working together on the construction of two specially prepared 4x4 Ford Cargo trucks that will participate in the under-10 liter engine displacement category. In other words, these Ford Cargos will compete head on with Japan's Hino team. The project is being overseen by Ford Turkey, where the Cargo is produced for Europe, Middle East and Asia. By January 2019, the two Ford Cargo race trucks will be in Peru to compete in the Dakar rally. The 9-liter engine that Ford will use is its own proprietary unit developed and manufactured at Ford-Otosan in Turkey. The race version of the 9-liter Ecotorq is expected to be rated around 700 horsepower. The Ford-sponsored truck racing team will consist of 2 race trucks plus 4x4 Ford Transit and 6x6 Cargo support vehicles. Ford's presence in the 2019 Dakar rally is related to the truckmaker's worldwide expansion of its heavy truck range with the new flagship H62X making its global debut at the IAA show in September. .

International Trucks Press Release / July 19, 2018 Welcome to the new International Truck. This is uptime, like never before. .

Matt Cole, Commercial Carrier Journal (CCJ) / July 19, 2018 Daimler Trucks North America is recalling more than 18,000 model year 2018-2019 Freightliner Cascadia tractors for an issue with the brake calipers, according to documents from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. According to NHTSA, the brake caliper mounting bolts on approximately 18,105 Cascadias manufactured between Jan. 2, 2017, and May 19, 2018, may not have been properly tightened, which could result in the caliper detaching. This would reduce braking performance and increase the risk of a crash. Daimler says it will begin notifying owners on Aug. 13, and dealers will inspect the brake caliper mounting bolts and tighten if necessary for free. DTNA estimates that 25 percent of the recalled trucks have the defect. Owners of affected rigs can contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712 with recall number FL-775. NHTSA’s recall number is 18V-411.

Fleet Owner / July 18, 2018 The first electric refuse trucks to operate in the Pacific Northwest region are on their way to Seattle, according to BYD (Build Your Dreams), which made the announcement this week. Two of BYD’s 8R Class-8 battery-electric refuse trucks, fitted with New Way Viper Rear Loader refuse bodies, will be delivered to Recology in Seattle for use in residential solid waste pick up. BYD says its zero-emission battery-electric Class-8 truck chassis boasts optimal efficiency with regenerative braking and best-in-class power and torque. The electric trucks are quiet and clean, the OEM adds, which has an immediate impact on quality of life for the communities they serve. “We are excited to be the first to deploy electric refuse trucks to the Pacific Northwest region, demonstrating that clean, zero-emissions technology is the smart, sustainable choice for heavy industry,” said BYD Motors President, Stella Li. New Way, a family-owned business since 1971, manufactures a complete line of refuse equipment including the Viper mid-compaction Rear Loader bodies in Scranton, IA. With outside cylinders and operating valve, New Way’s streamlined Viper design offers increased efficiency, safety and value. “By combining the innovative design of our Viper Rear Loader body with BYD’s zero-emissions battery-electric technology, we can produce the most efficient and sustainable refuse truck available on the market today,” said Don Ross, New Way Vice President of Sales and Marketing. Recology, an employee-owned company with more than 100 years’ experience in the waste industry, provides service to communities up and down the West Coast. The Recology mission represents a fundamental shift from traditional waste management to resource recovery. The vision at Recology is to create a world without waste by developing and discovering sustainable resource recovery practices that can be implemented globally. Recology’s electric trucks will serve customers in the City of Seattle and mark an important step in realizing climate impacts that address the region’s growing need to prioritize resiliency. Especially for collection services that require heavy-duty trucks to frequent roads in these communities on a daily basis, electric trucks present a sustainable solution that both Recology and its customers can feel good about. “Together with our industry partners, BYD and New Way, we can be a catalyst to affect positive, sustainable change, setting the stage for what a 21st century refuse truck should look like,” said Derek Ruckman, vice president and group manager in the Pacific Northwest at Recology. The electric refuse trucks are scheduled to be delivered in the first half of 2019. .