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Truck News / April 24, 2018 Freightliner Trucks today unveiled its EconicSD waste collection truck, a North American offering that focuses on driver comfort and safety. The truck, which was first introduced in Germany in 1998 and updated in 2013, completes the company’s vocational lineup, and as Richard Saward, general manager of vocational and government sales for Freightliner Trucks, said, is built to serve a segment that sees up to 1,400 stops per day in our neighborhoods where safety is a primary concern. “Vocation segments have a direct effect on our everyday lives,” said Saward. “It’s all fun and games until the trash can stays out on the road.” The Freightliner EconicSD is a low-entry COE waste collection truck, equipped with the Detroit DD8 mid-range engine and Detroit Assurance suite safety system. Leveraging the global engineering experience of parent company Daimler AG, the refuse truck has been tailored to meet the needs of the North American customer. “By working closely with our North American waste collection customers and analyzing how we could provide a solution that best benefits their businesses, we recognized the opportunity to adapt the Freightliner EconicSD for this market,” said Roger Nielsen, president and CEO for Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA). “Our customers continually seek to elevate the safety and performance of their waste collection vehicles, and the Freightliner EconicSD is the right solution for the distinct needs of this segment.” More than 125 modifications were made the EconicSD in an effort to meet North American demands. Saward underscored the vehicle’s robust safety offerings during a sneak peak of the truck prior to the April 24 unveil at WasteExpo in Las Vegas. The EconicSD is equipped with a panoramic windshield and low seating position to enhance driver visibility to mitigate incidents with pedestrians, cyclists, and other drivers. “Waste collection vehicles need to navigate tight turns, busy urban streets and suburban neighborhoods, so safety is a critical concern at all times,” added Jeff Allen, senior vice-president, operations and specialty vehicles for DTNA. The mirror system provides an expanded field of vision, and a short wheelbase and aggressive wheel cut delivers better maneuverability for tight residential areas. Detroit Assurance suite also comes with the EconicSD. Standard safety features include active brake assist, adaptive cruise control, and lane departure warning. Optional safety offerings include side guard assist and a built-in camera system with 360-degree views displayed on a flat screen dash monitor. The truck’s cab and chassis are designed and manufactured in Woeth, Germany, with the final assembly being completed in Gaffney, S.C., at the Freightliner Custom Chassis manufacturing facility. “The cab-over-engine design for the North American waste collection market is a unique concept, so collaborating with Heil and McNeilus was critical to ensure a streamlined upfit process and efficiencies from the very beginning,” said Richard Howard, senior vice-president, sales and marketing for DTNA. Driver comfort and safety were also a focus for the Freightliner EconicSD. Its low entry allows for a single 19-inch step to enter the cab, with one more step to the driver’s platform. A kneeling feature also reduces step-in height and a lifting feature improves clearance over objects. The spacious cab comes with an air-suspended driver’s seat, additional seating to accommodate up to three passengers in the high cab model. A digitized instrument cluster displaying key information on an LCD screen on the dash, intuitive steering wheel controls, and a walk-through cab to allow drivers to exit the cab safely are also features of the EconicSD. “Inside and out, every aspect of the Freightliner EconicSD is designed with the customer in mind. We understand what impacts their bottom lines, and as their partners we are driven to create solutions that contribute to their long-term success,” said Howard. “The Freightliner EconicSD is an exceptional solution that we are proud to bring to the North American waste collection market.” The EconicSD is designed to be fully prepped for body builder integration, with a guideline of recommendations. The truck will go into production in October of this year, will be available for order this June, and delivered in April 2019. As for pricing, Saward said, “This will not be the cheapest truck, but it will be the best.” .

Fleet Owner / April 23, 2018 Hagerstown, IN-based Autocar Trucks hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony at its manufacturing plant in Alabama, which the OEM said is now fully operational. The facility was announced last September. The plant is located in a 1 million sq. ft. complex in both Center Point and Birmingham, AL and is expected to create 746 jobs. Autocar said it has hired more than a third of that amount already and is recruiting additional team members across production, engineering, and management roles. Autocar noted it expects to invest $120 million in the Jefferson County plant, where its severe-duty ACX cab-over-engine truck model is built. In related news, the company also announced it will be the first truck manufacturer to offer Cummins' X12 12L diesel engine in the ACX and will begin taking those orders in June. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, Jefferson County Commissioner Joe Knight and Center Point Mayor Tom Henderson attended the ribbon-cutting along with Autocar Chairman Andrew Taitz and President Jim Johnston. "Autocar already has a significant impact on Jefferson County and will continue to do so with this new manufacturing plant," said Gov. Ivey. "Autocar, and its expansion because of its success, is a fantastic representation of our commitment to help businesses not just survive but thrive." Since the plant's announcement last fall, the team there has built trucks for customers in 46 states and provinces, the company said. Helping build the trucks are 54 local companies that Autocar has employed since the announcement. With the plant's announcement, Autocar became Alabama's fourth major motor vehicle OEM assembly plant; Toyota-Mazda has announced a plant in Huntsville, bringing a fifth vehicle OEM to Alabama. "Nine months ago, we set out to bring the production of an American-owned, American-made truck to the great state of Alabama — and to do it not over the course of years, but months," said Autocar Chairman Andrew Taitz during the ceremony. Autocar was founded in 1897 and stakes its claim as the oldest motor vehicle brand in the United States, building the nation's first truck in 1899 and pioneering "many technical innovations" since that are now common in all cars and trucks. Autocar is expected to generate $645.1 million annually, which includes a nearly $229 million annual contribution to Alabama's gross domestic product and $130.1 million in earnings to Alabama households from 2,655 direct and indirect jobs, according to an impact study from the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Alabama's Culverhouse College of Commerce. "The City of Birmingham is proud to be part of the team that brought Autocar to the Birmingham region," said Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin. "The company has had a great impact on the city and our residents. We look forward to the opportunities to come." Center Point Mayor Tom Henderson said the city is also feeling the positive impact from Autocar's move there. "Center Point is proud to have Autocar call our city home," he said. "The rewards of having this company — and any of its suppliers in the future — in our community will be realized for our citizens for many years to come." .

Volvo Trucks North America Head Goes to MAN Heavy Duty Trucking / April 23, 2018 Volvo Trucks North America is on the hunt for a new chef executive after Göran Nyberg resigned to take a position with MAN Truck & Bus. Volvo has appointed Per Carlsson acting president. Carlsson’s appointment is on an interim basis. The company said the recruiting process for a new North American president is already under way. Carlsson previously was senior vice president of strategy and transformation for Volvo Trucks. He has been with Volvo Group for 33 years, inlcuding serving as the president of Volvo Trucks North America from 2008-2009 and as chief operating officer of the group’s North American truck operations from 2010-2011. Nyberg has accepted a position with MAN Truck & Bus as the new executive board member for sales and marketing, effective Sept. 16. He had been with Volvo Group for 25 years, joining the company in 2003. Germany-based MAN is a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG. “We intend to transform the Volkswagen Truck & Bus Group, which MAN is also a part of, into a global champion of the transportation industry," said Andreas Renschler, chairman of the Supervisory Board of MAN Truck & Bus AG and CEO of Volkswagen Truck & Bus, in a statement. "With his international expertise, Göran Nyberg will help to drive this transformation forward at MAN. We are very pleased to welcome him on board in what are exciting times for our company.”

Transport Topics / April 23, 2018 Göran Nyberg, the president of Volvo Trucks North America, has moved to Volkswagen AG’s European subsidiary MAN Truck & Bus, spurring Volvo to name a veteran to fill Nyberg’s role on an acting basis. Nyberg will be an executive board member for sales and marketing at MAN Truck & Bus, charged with leading the truck manufacturer as it evolves from an original equipment manufacturer of commercial trucks. “Göran Nyberg’s knowledge of the industry spans a number of years and, along with his international experience and clear customer focus, makes him a real asset to our management team,” said Joachim Drees, CEO of MAN Truck & Bus. Drees said that Nyberg will lead MAN’s shift to “providing intelligent and sustainable transportation solutions” from a purely commercial truck OEM. In 2017, Volvo Group reported record global sales of $42.5 billion worldwide, and its North American Volvo Truck division last year recorded orders of 51,693, a 56% increase over 33,221 in 2016. Volvo is the second-biggest truck manufacturer with North American brands Mack Trucks and Volvo Trucks North America. In response to Nyberg’s move, VTNA on April 23 appointed Per Carlsson acting president. Carlsson has been with Volvo Group for 33 years and served as head of VTNA from 2008 to 2009 and as chief information officer for the unit from 2010 to 2011. Volvo said it has begun a search for a new president of the division. Nyberg originally was appointed president of sales and marketing for VTNA in 2012. He had been with Volvo Group since 2003, including as managing director of its United Kingdom division. Nyberg succeeds Heinz-Jurgen Low, who was named board member of sales and marketing at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles at the start of this year.

No thanks, Ford says to 9-speed offered by GM Michael Martinez, Automotive News / April 23, 2018 DETROIT — The idea was to get two new transmissions for the price of one. In today's world, cost savings trump even the fiercest rivalry, especially with stricter government-imposed fuel economy standards looming. Ford Motor Co. agreed to develop a 10-speed gearbox for rear-wheel-drive vehicles such as the F-150 and Mustang and let General Motors use it, too. And GM, in turn, would share with Ford a nine-speed designed to make its front-wheel-drive crossovers and cars smoother and more efficient. But Ford didn't get quite the result it anticipated from the arrangement, signed five years ago this month. It has elected not to use GM's nine-speed transmission out of the box, opting instead for a series of new eight-speed transmissions on vehicles such as the Ford Edge, Ford Transit Connect and Lincoln Nautilus. The first of those is based off the nine-speed, dropping one of the gears. The second eight-speed, for higher-performance vehicles such as the upcoming Edge ST and V-6 version of the Nautilus, adapts a six-speed that was co-developed with GM as part of a 2002 tie-up. A third eight-speed is expected for smaller, lower-torque vehicles. GM's nine-speed didn't provide enough of a fuel economy improvement to justify the added cost and weight of an extra gear, Ford said. "Typically, if anyone gave me a transmission that didn't require much work, outside of tuning it for a specific vehicle, I would take it and run," Dave Sullivan, analyst with AutoPacific Inc., told Automotive News. "It's a lot of design work after the fact to come up with their own flavor. It shows there might be some different schools of thought in terms of transmission efficiency." GM, meanwhile, has said the nine-speed adds refinement, giving its vehicles a more premium feel. It has launched the nine-speed and 10-speed transmissions on a number of vehicles. The shift underscores the different strategies the nation's two largest automakers are taking with their powertrain development, even amid their collaboration. Minimal gains GM began rolling out the nine-speed gearbox in 2016, but fuel economy gains were minimal or nonexistent. The 2017 Chevrolet Malibu, for example, delivered just 1 mpg more in highway driving than the previous generation with an eight-speed transmission — up to 33 mpg from 32 mpg. The China-built Buick Envision, which switched to the nine-speed from a six-speed for the 2019 model year, achieves 1 mpg less on the highway — 25 mpg, down from 26 mpg, according to EPA estimates. "I don't know if it necessarily delivers for all applications," Sullivan said. GM, though, contends that the nine-speed offers a better driving experience than the eight-speed it replaced. "We've engineered our nine-speeds for even more refined shifts," GM spokesman Tom Read said in a statement. "Smaller steps between gears in a nine vs. an eight-speed enable smoother shifts for customers." The automaker said the new transmission has a wider gear ratio than the old eight-speed, providing benefits in off-the-line acceleration and highway cruising. "The smaller steps between the gears, compared to the eight-speed, enable smooth, almost imperceptible upshifts for excellent refinement," Dan Nicholson, GM's vice president for global propulsion systems, said when the 2017 Malibu was introduced. "No matter the engine torque or vehicle speed, the 9T50 is always in the perfect gear." More power Ford made the decision to switch from the nine-speed to an eight-speed before GM began using it on any production vehicles, according to a source with knowledge of the automaker's product planning. Ford hasn't revealed fuel economy figures for the first vehicles with the new eight-speed gearboxes, but its engineers believe they can achieve everything GM is getting out of its nine-speed with one less gear. "The small efficiency benefit did not justify the added weight and cost of an extra clutch and gear," Ford spokesman Mike Levine said in a statement to Automotive News. Ford has made vehicle lightweighting a top priority since it redesigned the F-150 with an aluminum body for the 2015 model year. Although transmissions have long development cycles and the eight-speeds were in the works well before Jim Hackett took over as CEO last year, the decision to take a different, more efficient route mirrors his mandates to cut costs and focus on "operational fitness." In October, Hackett called for a $14 billion reduction in costs through 2022, with plans to cut $10 billion in incremental material outlays and reduce engineering costs by $4 billion over the next five years. But the transmission switch also is about performance, at a time when Ford is creating a broad portfolio of sportier and high-horsepower vehicles. By adapting the six-speed from the 2002 GM alliance, Ford hopes to get more torque and power. The Nautilus, when equipped with a 2.7-liter V-6 engine, will get 335 hp, Ford said, while the Edge ST, which gets a specially tuned 2.7-liter V-6, will generate 335 hp and 380 pound-feet of torque. The higher-volume eight-speed gearbox, based off GM's nine-speed, will power the mainstream Edge, Nautilus and Transit Connect. The 2019 Transit Connect, which goes on sale this fall, will come standard with a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder gasoline engine mated to the eight-speed transmission. A 1.5-liter diesel, also paired with the eight-speed gearbox, is optional and is expected to get 30 mpg highway, Ford said.

General Motors Heritage Center / April 2018 Designed under the direction of William L. Mitchell, GM Design Vice President, the Pegasus was built as a "design concept" study from a production 1970 Pontiac Firebird. The front end, grille and fender vents were inspired by Ferrari designs. Enzo Ferrari contributed a 365 GTB/4 V12 engine to the project. The engine was mated to a Ferrari 5-speed transmission and a GM posi-traction rear axle. The 4-wheel disc brakes were from a Corvette, the wire wheels were from Borrani and the exhaust system, mufflers and instrument panel gauges were from Ferrari. .

No longer available thru Mack Trucks Australia ?

Truck TV Australia / March 29, 2018 More than 100 trucks rolled up for the 2018 Tooradin Truck Show and Tractor Pull on January 20. Owner//Driver checks out the rigs on show at this year's Tooradin Tractor Pull and Truck Show, and chats with some of the attendees including Paul and Tom Donnelly from Donnelly's Garden Supplies, Mace Savage from Hambly Haulage, and Aaron Plunkett and Nick Humphreys from Plunkett Crane Trucks. .

Truck TV Australia / March 22, 2018 The 2017 Rotary Castlemaine Truck Show, held on November 25 and 26, attracted the biggest and best rigs from Victoria and beyond. A huge number of trucks attended the Adtrans-sponsored 2017 Rotary Castlemaine Truck Show on November 25 and 26. Among the many truck owners and drivers in attendance, Owner//Driver caught up with Steve Dimit from Dimit's Orchard in Shepparton, who brought along a Kenworth Legend 900. Jake Howard from Shalyn's Transport in Lockwood and Graham 'Junior' Atherton from JJ Leech and Sons, Castlemaine, were also in attendance. Jake drove a 2016 Freightliner Coronado, while Graham was behind the wheel of a Kenworth K200. .

Owner-Driver / April 20, 2018 A dinner and road run at Gundagai in June will raise funds for a permanent truck museum. A Grey Ghost or two are likely to take part in the 2018 Sylvia’s Gap Road Run on Sunday morning, June 10. Old and new trucks and cars will leave from the showgrounds at Gundagai, New South Wales, and travel along Sylvia’s Gap Road before returning to the showgrounds. Bypassed from the Hume Highway in 1983, Sylvia’s cutting is now on private property, but the owners will open the gates for the run. The road run is held annually as part of the Australian Road Transport Heritage Centre (ARTHC) Gundagai fundraising weekend which also includes a fundraising dinner on Saturday night, June 9. Bookings are essential for the dinner which will feature a guest speaker and an auction to raise funds for a larger, permanent truck museum at Gundagai. The ARTHC has chosen ‘Express Freight of Yesteryear’ for this year’s theme. All ARTHC supporters are invited to attend the weekend’s activities, but former express drivers will be especially welcome. Colin Southwell of Wyee, NSW, carted overnight express freight in the 1970s and plans to attend the Gundagai weekend. He joined Kwikasair in 1973 and spent six years driving Grey Ghosts, usually between Sydney and Yass. Produced at Kenworth’s Bayswater factory, the K125s were the first Kenworths built in Australia. The trucks and their drivers have earned a place in Australian trucking lore. "Apparently now we're legends," Colin laughs. "Some people hated us, but I think it was mostly jealousy because of the pay rate. We were getting pretty well paid and there was no physical work. When you got into the depot, you just got out of your truck." If the Grey Ghosts are restored in time, watching them drive through Sylvia’s Cutting will be a highlight of the ARTHC event. For more information about the ARTHC Gundagai weekend visit www.arthc.com.au or the ‘Australian Road Transport Heritage Centre, Gundagai – ARTHC’ Facebook page.

Owner-Driver / April 11, 2018 The inaugural two-day Calder Convoy Classic Truck Run will run from Calder Park to Red Cliffs from May 19. The success of events such as Crawlin’ The Hume and Haulin’ The Hume have inspired the Mildura-based Tractor Restoration and Appreciation Club of Sunraysia (TRACS) to launch the 2018 Calder Convoy Classic Truck Run. The inaugural Calder Highway event will take place over May 19 and 20, running between Calder Park and Red Cliffs near Mildura. Rob Mansell, one of six people which the TRACS committee designated to organise the event, says the Calder Highway previous travelled through towns such as Gisborne, Woodend, Kyneton and Malmsbury. "Market trucks especially used to run up and down the Calder Highway. A lot of them would then go north to Bendigo and Echuca or wherever," Rob says. "The freeway now is pretty well between Melbourne and Bendigo and all the towns have been bypassed." Rob says the Calder Convoy Classic Truck Run will depart the BP Calder Northbound BP, near the Calder Park Thunderdome, on May 19 around 9am. "We’ll travel through the towns that have all been cut off," he continues. "When we get to Charlton, around 3 or 4 in the afternoon, we’ll go to the showground where the footy club will have their bar open and they’ll put a dinner on for us that night." Rob says, after breakfast on the Sunday, the convoy will continue onto Red Cliffs where TRACS will put on an evening barbecue. "We’ll perhaps do something on Monday if there are enough people, or they can turn around and go home from Charlton." Rob says there are over 20 vehicles locked in for the convoy so far, with entries closing at the end of April. "We’re not expecting people to get their entries in until the last minute like they usually do," he says. "We’re thinking after Crawlin’ the Hume (April 14 to 15) is where we’ll get more. A lot of people will get that out of the way and get their entries in." Trucks participating must be 25 years or older, although newer trucks can take part providing they’re hauling a truck in the vintage category. Rob, however, is planning to have more than one truck in the convoy – a 1990 UD, a KB5 International as well as his R190 International. "I had to take the radiator out of the R190 to get it fixed and I’m hoping to get it in," he says. "Either way, I was going to take two trucks anyway. If I have the 190, which shouldn’t be a real issue, I’ll put my favourite trailer on the back, fully tarped with a few empty bins on it. "And I’ll put my KB5 International on the back of the UD." Rob says, depending on the turnout, the event could turn into a biennial or annual event. For more information on the Calder Convoy Classic Truck Run, click here.

Diesel News Australia / April 2018 Jim Miller, Executive Director of Statewide Refrigerated Transport (SRT) Logistics, one of Tasmania’s three largest truck operators, is a die-hard Caterpillar fan who is not afraid to declare he’d still be buying Caterpillar-powered Freightliner Argosys if this was a viable or, indeed, possible option. However, back in 2011, when the company needed extra trucks to service its new contracts with Woolworths and Statewide Independent Wholesalers, it was trialling some European brands, including a number of Scania R560 prime movers slotted into the mix. In something of a surprise to the SRT Logistics team, the V8-powered Scania matched or beat its rivals on key criteria such as on-road performance, fuel consumption, driver comfort and price competitiveness. Safety equipment and availability of a suite of advanced electronic systems such as Lane Departure Warning, Adaptive Cruise Control, Downhill Speed Control, plus the fully automated two-pedal Opticruise transmission and Scania retarder all helped sway the decision in Scania’s favour. Added to that was a high level of driver acceptance, which is a vitally important aspect for SRT Logistics. The upshot was that the company bought a batch of eight R560s in 2012 and a further two the following year. On the first aspect, SRT Logistics driver Tracey Johnson is happy to sing the praises of the R560 she drives between Hobart and Launceston. “I wasn’t aware of Scania’s in truck Driver Support system at first, but we had Scania driver trainer Allan McDonald over and he showed us how to use the system to improve our fuel economy,” says Tracey. “So I really set about using the training in the new truck. It is challenging and you have to be on your mettle because if you do something wrong, it takes one or two points off the driver’s score and then you have to do the right thing quite a few times before it adds a point. “My goal is 96 per cent, which is pretty hard because we have a lot of hills down here. It’s not so good in town because if you have to stop for a car or traffic light, your score’s gone. But out on the highway, you can really utilise it by backing off early before the crest of a long, steady downgrade and letting gravity glide you along.” Tracey’s hard work in keeping her driving score at 96 per cent is obviously paying dividends, with the R560’s fuel economy readout averaging 1.7km/l (58.8l/100km) pulling a B-double set with an average gross combination mass (GCM) of 50 tonnes. And as this is one of the newest trucks in the fleet with only 30,000km up, this figure should improve as mileage accrues. In fact, according to Jim, the original R560s that have done around 1.3 million kilometres are achieving up to 2.1km/l (47.6l/100km) doing the same work. .

Cost. Daimler learned how to create essentially the same performance without that added complexity.

I always liked the green and red parts packaging colors of the Bridgewater, New Jersey parts distribution center era. Sorry, I don’t have access to my old service bulletins which list the service pistons and their engine model application.

Western Star Press Release / April 13, 2018

Western Star Press Release / April 3, 2018

Volvo Trucks North America (VTNA) Press Release / April 4, 2018 The Volvo D13TC has been completely redesigned to work at low engine RPM and provide maximum fuel efficiency through extreme downspeeding - giving you an engine that helps improve fuel economy without sacrificing performance. .

Peterbilt Motors Press Release / April 20, 2018 Model 520 Demonstration Vehicle with a fully electric drivetrain - emits zero emissions in a quiet manner, which is ideal for neighborhood communities where these trucks operate. .

DAF Trucks Press Release / April 18, 2018 The trucks of van de Brug, specialist in tanker transportation, have been driving through Europe for 55 years. The blue and white fleet consists mainly out of DAFs. "A strategic choice", says co-owner Evert van de Brug. "The quality of the vehicles and the service is great. And with the new generation CF and XF, DAF really sets the new standard." .

Liebherr Press Release / April 18, 2018 The Liebherr T 284 mining truck represents Liebherr’s advancement of the successful T 282 C. It continues to be the lightest (lowest empty vehicle weight) and most capable (highest payload) ultra-class mining truck, while offering reduced fuel consumption, delivering over 4,000 hp. .