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Can Tesla Make Electric Work for Trucking? Seth Clevenger, Transport Topics / November 21, 2017 HAWTHORNE, Calif. — Tesla’s success in the passenger-car arena has changed consumers’ perceptions and pushed the limits of what’s possible with electric cars. Can the company’s new all-electric tractor do the same for the commercial truck market? In a splashy unveiling here Nov. 16, Tesla co-founder and CEO Elon Musk revealed his company’s vision of electric-powered trucking with the Tesla Semi, which is set to enter production in 2019. A few days earlier, Musk proclaimed on Twitter that the truck’s unveiling would “blow your mind clear out of your skull and into an alternate dimension.” Although the skulls of those in attendance remained intact, the excitement was palpable as Musk introduced a zero-emissions truck suitable not only for shorthaul and port drayage, but also regional operation with a maximum range of 500 miles on a full charge. Musk said Tesla will build a network of “Megachargers” across the country that eventually will allow its electric trucks to travel anywhere. But as with any infrastructure initiative, that will take time. Early customers likely will need to rely solely on chargers they install at their own terminals. While buyers of Tesla’s luxury electric cars are willing to pay more for something that is fun and cool, trucking companies make their purchasing decisions based on a more sober assessment of the business case. For fleets to invest in electric vehicles, they will need to see a payback in total cost of ownership. That reality was not lost on Musk. In addition to fuel savings, the Tesla Semi will reduce maintenance costs and vehicle downtime because it does away with the internal combustion engine, transmission and aftertreatment equipment, he said. Musk even guaranteed that the truck’s electric powertrain will not break down for a million miles. However, Tesla has not disclosed how much the vehicle will cost or how much it will weigh. The truck’s battery pack could take a significant bite out of its maximum payload, an important factor for fleets to consider. Driver acceptance also will be essential, and that’s where the Tesla Semi’s radically redesigned cab could make a big difference. The driver’s seat in the Tesla Semi is situated in the center of the cab rather than offset to the left, and the steering wheel is flanked by large touchscreens that display all driver information in lieu of a dashboard. Sitting in that seat, a truck driver might feel like he or she is piloting a spaceship rather than a big rig. One can imagine some longtime truck drivers balking at the vehicle’s interior, but it will likely appeal to younger drivers the industry so desperately needs to attract as it faces an aging workforce and a shortage of qualified drivers. Could the opportunity to sit behind the wheel of one of these trucks entice 20-somethings to take a look at trucking as a potential career path? Quite possibly. While Musk captured the industry’s attention with his truck unveiling, Tesla is far from alone in the push to make electric vehicles feasible for commercial transportation. Startup Nikola Motor Co. is preparing to launch a Class 8 hydrogen-electric truck designed for longhaul operation. Established truck manufacturers such as Daimler Trucks and Navistar Inc. also are jumping into electric power, as is Cummins Inc., the industry’s largest supplier of diesel engines. Given this broad level of investment in electric power, it now seems clear that the real question is not if, but when, significant portions of the trucking industry will begin moving toward electric vehicles. To be clear, diesel still appears to have a long run ahead of it as trucking’s primary fuel, but we may be witnessing the emergence of its eventual successor.

So Vlad, is it true you've been seeing Rossiyana Markovskaya? .

I saw this today: "calling illegal aliens undocumented immigrants is like calling drug dealers unlicensed pharmacists"

Ford may exit some South American markets Automotive News Europe / November 21, 2017 Ford Motor is on the verge of taking dramatic action to turn around its money-losing business in South America, including possibly exiting some markets in the region, a JPMorgan analyst said after meeting with two of the company's top executives. "Ford seems to be working on an out-of-the-box transformational plan to stanch what it deems as unacceptable losses in South America, which we suspect could be announced over the short-term," auto analyst Ryan Brinkman wrote in a note to investors Tuesday. Brinkman said the company may work more closely with rival automakers, "perhaps even via some sort of formal tie-up. It could also entail selective exits from certain markets." Buffeted by economic and political crises in South America, Ford has struggled to earn money in the region. In the first nine months of the year, the automaker lost $587 million in South America, though that was an improvement on 2016 as it boosted revenue on stronger sales and pricing. Still, most of the industry's recovery on the continent is coming from low-margin fleet sales, Brinkman wrote after meeting with CFO Bob Shanks and Jim Farley, president of global markets. General Motors Co. shut down operations in Venezuela this year after the government seized its factory there. Ford "is dedicated to doing whatever it takes to stanch the unacceptable losses in the region," Brinkman wrote.

I couldn't buy a full-size pickup now. I've never been sold on GM....they don't hold up to commercial use. FCA is finally going to introduce a new pickup line-up, but a financially strapped company will be looking to save a dime from A-to-Z (I would), so I'd sadly avoid Ram (aka. Dodge) despite the superb Cummins ISB and 3.0 VM Motori. With Ford, they've lost their direction in styling, and particularly in engineering and reliability. These three brands all throw excuses at the customer, have you in and out of dealers that lack the manufacturer's support to solve your problem because corporate hasn't actually got it figured out yet due to excessively lean staffing. The Toyota Tundra is old, with poor fuel economy. The Nissan Titan, with its copy styling (nicknamed the Ramverado), is too painful to look at, and has gas guzzling gasoline engines and the unimpressive dated Cummins 5.0 V8.

Photo gallery Exterior - https://product.360che.com/img/c1_s66_b17_s7015_m37891_t31.html Interior - https://product.360che.com/img/c1_s66_b17_s7015_m37891_t32.html Chassis - https://product.360che.com/img/c1_s66_b17_s7015_m37891_t33.html

360 Truck / November 21, 2017 On November 3, the Jiangling Motors/Ford Motor Company truckmaking joint venture JMC Heavy-Duty Vehicle Company introduced the Weilong heavy truck at its Taiyuan City headquarters in the Chinese province of Shanxi. The result of five years of preparation, the truckmaker says the Weilong (Powerful Dragon) is a high-end product offering superb value, quality and operating efficiency. We interviewed the company’s Turkish senior engineer Ozgur Ozfurat to develop a deeper understanding of this new truck. Discerning people can see that the key advantage of the JMC Weilong is the use of Ford Cargo heavy truck core technology. This ensures the Weilong has a proven technology foundation to provide users with a very competitive product. In terms of the driving experience, the JMC Weilong enjoys unparalleled superiority in all aspects. From the dynamic performance, the Ford-licensed JMC engine delivers high torque output at low RPMs. At 900 rpm, torque outputs of up to 2000Nm are available. High engine torque output, accurate shift selection, a variety of “downspeeding” oriented rear axle ratios and tyre sizes resulting in the Weilong having very low fuel consumption. People who have test-driven the 420 horsepower Weilong come away thinking the engine is more like 460 or 480 horsepower. After inheriting the Ford Cargo heavy truck lineage sold on four continents, the Weilong's driving, operability, steering and braking characteristics are optimized to provide excellent driving performance. After a variety of road input testing and high damping modulation, the Weilong's driving comfort is very good and accurate, and excellent steering characteristics result in superior driver control and confidence. Driving in a straight line or a turn, the truck’s electronic braking delivers steady performance. The Weilong’s NVH (Noise/Vibration/Harshness) levels are also excellent. Firstly, engine noise is very low, as if one was not sitting atop a 9 or 13-litre engine. Sound absorbing cab interior materials do their job, and there are no squeaks or rattles owing to high quality fitment of interior trim. At high driving speeds, there is no need to raise one’s voice in conversation. At the same time, JMC’s Weilong also delivers superior stability owing to a well-tuned frame and suspension. In terms of comfort, Weilong offers passenger car-like comfort with supportive 12-position high-back seating, ergonomically-located controls including switches, levers and shift lever. With long-distance journeys in mind, the truck’s interior is a harmonious execution of impressive styling and high quality materials. "In the Weilong’s price range, it has no competition in China’s heavy truck market. There’s simply no other truck on the market like the Weilong, which offers such a high level of standard equipment," Ozfurat said with confidence. At a time when a number of advanced technologies are now common place in heavy trucks, Ozfurat says the JMC Weilong is up to speed offering remote data tracking for individual users and team managers, real-time inspection of location on vehicle maps, maintenance requirements and maintenance cycles, vehicle diagnostic details, driving characteristics, fuel management and remote vehicle control, to assist individual customers and fleets better manage their trucks and operations. Whenever and wherever, team managers can click on a mobile phone or computer to get information about the vehicles they want to know, saving time and reducing costs. In addition, JMC provides customers with a color touch-screen multimedia device, which allows them to view real-time traffic information and determine the shortest and quickest route to delivery. "Furthermore, we are the first truckmaker in China to offer a Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS), which greatly prolongs the service life of tyres, reduces fuel consumption and enhances truck safety," says Ozfurat. The JMC Weilong is based on the third generation global market Ford Cargo. Many truck industry journalists had a chance last September, at Ford’s invitation, to visit its main global heavy truck production base in Turkey and witness the truckmaker’s advanced technology and manufacturing processes. At the same time, Jiangling Motors and Ford Motor Company signed a technical licensing agreement and engineering services contract, providing advanced Ford heavy truck technologies to Jiangling, thus installing a foundation for R&D cooperation and a future product pipeline. "In fact, taking advantage of Ford’s sophisticated global technologies, we are in a position to provide world class truck engineering, development and manufacturing, and implement rigorous project processes," said Ozfurat. He said the JMC Weilong and current global market Ford Cargo share a common vehicle platform and engine platform, and future technology advancements at Ford can also be incorporated into China production at the Jiangling-Ford JMC truckmaking joint venture. .

AVL is an Austrian contract designer (you may have heard of UK-based Ricardo, another one). AVL designed the current Ford 6.7L Powerstroke, and does a great deal of (behind the scenes) work for auto and truck makers around the world. https://www.avl.com/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AVL_(engineering_company)

RT / November 21, 2017 French truck drivers have blocked traffic at border crossings with Italy, Belgium, Spain and Germany to protest EU regulations which they say fail to protect their jobs from a cheaper Eastern European workforce. The drivers blocked the Frejus tunnel in Modane before dawn Tuesday, with 200 trucks gathering at the crossing with Italy at some point. The same amount of lorries organized a blockade at the border crossing into Rekkem, Belgium. The protesters let cars pass but prevented access to all trucks, with the traffic jam there stretching some 10 kilometers. Traffic on the main motorway from the French city of Lille to Ghent in Belgium was also disrupted. Similar actions took place at crossings into Germany and Spain, while on the Luxembourg border, truckers drove slow to obstruct traffic. The protests, which lasted for several hours before the trucks cleared the way, were “a warning for Europe,” Pascal Goument of the CFTC union said as cited by AFP. The French truckers are unhappy with the manner in which their president renegotiated the Posted Workers Directive with EU. During talks in October, Emmanuel Macron, reached a compromise with Brussels to cut the time a foreign worker can be posted abroad to 12 months, with a possible half-year extension at the request of the employer. However, under pressure from Poland, Hungary and Spain, the road transport sector wasn’t included in the deal. Five trucker unions demanded a meeting with Macron Tuesday to discuss the issue, saying that French drivers are facing unfair competition from their cheaper EU colleagues, who pay taxes and social charges at home and cope without free meals and lodging. “Widening gaps in pay and conditions endanger French firms and workers,” Pascal Favre of the FO union told Reuters. “[There are] those who work for lower pay because they spend more time behind the wheel on jobs the French do not do because of unfair competition,” he said. French drivers demand "equal work for equal pay – right now, not in 10 years," thundered Patrick Blaise of the CFDT union. Antoine Fatiga of the CGT union said, "We don't want drivers to be slaves on the road.” When drivers from Poland, Hungary and elsewhere “come to work here for two times less than us, we struggle to keep our work." .

Particularly compared with the problematic 6.0-litre Powerstroke (Navistar VT365 with HEUI fuel injection), the current AVL-designed 6.7 has delivered good service for most operators. That said, I'd rather have the 6.7L Cummins ISB. As I said before, if one could order a Ford pickup with the Cummins ISB and Allison 1000 Series transmission, you'd be good to go.

They do. Jim, you should go to the IAA commercial truck show in Hannover, Germany next year. You'd be shocked.

Commercial Motor / November 21, 2017 Animal feed provider Thompsons of York has taken delivery of its first trucks from Renault - three high specification Renault Range T520.26 6x2 tag axle tractor units with sleeper cabs. The vehicles, supplied by Thompson Commercials (Hull), come with Alcoa aluminium wheels, 24-litre fridges, Kelsa top light bars with six spot lights, leather steering wheels and leather Recaro seats. They will pull Fruehauf triaxle tipping trailers with Priden/Alibulk auxiliary equipment and make bulk agricultural deliveries to farms within a 100-mile radius. Transport manager, SteveRoom, said: “The delivery of raw materials into Thompsons is outsourced, and from big fleets to one-man bands, all of those operators with Renault trucks spoke highly of them and would get another one. "Some of these men are what I would call ‘very hard to please’ so if they’re happy with Renault Trucks then they must be good.” Room said reliability and first-class dealer back-up are key factors for Thompsons of York when buying new vehicles. “The Thompson Commercials salesman, Dale Arnott, is very good and easy to get on with; he gives the strong impression that he cares, which makes a lot of difference”, he said. “Most of our drops would be okay with a mid-lift, but I went for a tag axle as it gives more manoeuvrability and grip and gets into places easier than a standard tractor unit. This is especially important when going in and out of farmland that has more challenging muddy ground.” .

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Scania Group Press Release / November 21, 2017 Scania Top Team is back! The competition to find the best service technicians in the Scania network is under way again. Between now and December 2018, service technicians from all over the world will put their practical and theoretical skills to the test in national, regional and world finals. Top Team has come a long way since its start in 1989. At first it was a purely Swedish event, but soon the competition captured the imagination of other Nordic countries; later it spread into the rest of Europe, and in recent years it has become a truly global challenge. One man who is as excited as any of the 2017/18 competitors is Harald Cederberg, Director for Technical Training at the ScaniaAcademy. As head of the Top Team jury, Cederberg has followed the competition’s development through the years. 8,000 competitors Cederberg first became involved with Top Team in 2003. Since then he has seen it grow to an event comprising 8,000 competitors from 70 countries, grouped into Europe, Asia/Oceania and Latin America/Africa. “The event benefits Scania in two ways,” he says. “It’s about the teams being able to build up their competencies as service technicians, and it’s about building the Scania brand so we can attract new talent.” It also gives some well-deserved attention to some unsung heroes in the Scania network. “Part of this is to shine a light on the service technicians, as they are core to the service organization,” Cederberg says. “These are the people who meet the customer and add value to the customer every day.” .

That is a nice looking dump (tipper) body.

In this photo, you can see the new H62X cab is a genuine "full-width" European level cab. H62X represents very serious intentions and investment on Ford's part. Well done. .

US ending temporary permits for 60,000 Haitians Associated Press / November 21, 2017 WASHINGTON — The Trump administration said Monday it is ending a temporary residency permit program that has allowed almost 60,000 citizens from Haiti to live and work in the United States since a 2010 powerful earthquake shook the Caribbean nation. The Homeland Security Department said conditions in Haiti have improved significantly, so the benefit will be extended one last time — until July 2019 — to give Haitians time to prepare to return home. "Since the 2010 earthquake, the number of displaced people in Haiti has decreased by 97 percent," the department said. "Haiti is able to safely receive traditional levels of returned citizens." Advocates and members of Congress from both parties had asked the Trump administration for an 18-month extension of the program, known as Temporary Protected Status. Haitian President Jovenel Moise's government also requested the extension. While Haiti has made advances spurred by international aid since the quake, the Caribbean nation remains one of the poorest in the world. More than 2.5 million people, roughly a quarter of the population, live on less than $1.23 a day, which authorities there consider extreme poverty [Not our problem....life is what you make it]. The United Nations last month ended a peacekeeping mission in Haiti that, at its peak, included more than 10,000 troops. Its new mission is comprised of about 1,300 international civilian police officers and 350 civilians who will help the country try to reform a deeply troubled justice system. The Homeland Security Department made its announcement 60 days before temporary status for the Haitians is set to expire. In May, the agency extended the program for only six months instead of the customary 18, and urged Haitians under the program to get their affairs in order and prepare to go home. The temporary status covers some 435,000 people from nine countries effected by natural disasters or war, who came to the U.S. legally or otherwise. Days after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake hit Haiti in January 2010, President Obama granted the 18-month protection status for Haitians in America who would otherwise have to go home. Obama renewed it every time it ran out. Monday's decision doesn't affect thousands of Haitians who were taken in by Brazil and other South American countries after the earthquake and began making their way to the United States last year. U.S. Customs and Border Protection says 6,424 Haitians showed up at border crossings with Mexico during the 12-month period ended Sept. 30, up from only 334 a year earlier. They were generally paroled to live in the United States on humanitarian grounds [Throwing established immigration policy to the curb]. Since taking office, Trump has ended temporary permit programs for Sudan and Nicaragua. Trump has postponed until next July a decision on how to deal with a similar program for 86,000 residents from Honduras. Maryland Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen, along with fellow Democrat Dianne Feinstein of California, last week unveiled new legislation to protect undocumented [illegal] immigrants living under temporary protected status. It would make immigrants under the program eligible to apply for legal permanent residency after three years.

Tesla receives orders from four companies for electric truck Neil Abt, Fleet Owner / November 18, 2017 At least four companies have publicly confirmed having placed preorders for Tesla’s heavy-duty electric truck. The companies, J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Walmart, Meijer Inc., and Loblaw have each paid the $5,000-a-truck deposit price for the trucks Tesla CEO Elon Musk said will be ready in 2019. J.B. Hunt said in a statement it has reserved “multiple” trucks and plans to deploy them on the West Coast within its Intermodal and Dedicated Contract Services units. “Reserving Tesla trucks marks an important step in our efforts to implement industry-changing technology,” said John Roberts, president and CEO. “We believe electric trucks will be most beneficial on local and dray routes, and we look forward to utilizing this new, sustainable technology.” Walmart said it preordered 15 of the Tesla Semis, with five for its U.S. operations and the other 10 for Canada. "We are excited to be among the first to pilot this new heavy-duty electric vehicle," the company said in a statement to CNBC. Canadian grocery chain Loblaw Cos. told Reuters it had placed an order for 25 of the trucks. The company has intentions of transitioning to a completely electric vehicle fleet by 2030. Another grocer and discount retailer, Meijer Inc., told Bloomberg News it would test four Tesla Semis. The company current has a fleet of 250 trucks. Ryder System told the Wall Street Journal it will place an initial order with Tesla, but did not disclose details. While these firms received immediately publicity for these orders, executives with Hirschbach Motor Lines and Daseke Inc. have said the 500-mile range on a single charge would prevent it from considering the trucks at this early stage.

It's noteworthy that the book was written in 2008.

That.....is very painful to look at. The former CAT truck designers and Tonka would be impressed though.

Conspiracy theorists can rest at ease. You were right all along. Competing with the R/U/DM design proposal was the B Model II concept, seen here undergoing grueling endurance testing at the former Mack Trucks Engineering, Development & Test Center. This would have been the Mack vocational chassis for the 1970s, 80s and mid-90s. .

Note the seat is a Grammer. Not a cheap seat. Grammer and Recaro are the two leading global truck seat manufacturers. Grammer is standard-fit in North American Paccar trucks.

Ford Trucks Press Release / November 20, 2017 The seat in your Ford Cargo truck is designed to comfortably support you at all times. Ford Trucks and You – "Sharing the Load" At Ford Trucks, we’re serious about trucking. It's why we designed the new 2017 Cargo heavy truck range from the ground up to meet your needs and expectations. See your authorized Ford heavy truck dealer for details. .