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In conversation with Daimler’s Martin Daum Truck News / March 3, 2017 Daum reflects on time leading DTNA as he prepares to take on global responsibilities When Martin Daum got the call from Stuttgart, Germany, asking him to take the recently vacated global position of Member of the Board of Management responsible for Daimler Trucks and Buses, he felt a sense of responsibility to accept. “This was a difficult one,” Daum said today of the decision in a one-on-one interview with Truck News. Daum has led Daimler Trucks North America since 2009 and the company soared to new heights under his leadership. He also spoke often of his love for the North American market and life in the US. “I would say it was the responsibility I feel,” he continued. “It started with a huge vote of confidence from (chairman of the board) Dr. Zetsche and the supervisory board. They said ‘You’re a natural candidate, you have the experience’.” Daum’s varied background includes roles in sales, production, engineering and finance. But what he’s most proud of is the team he assembled in Portland and he credits those people with the growth Daimler achieved in North America under his watch. “We were able to form a really high performing culture in the US and we want that around the globe,” Daum explained. When offered the job, which opened when Dr. Wolfgang Bernhard chose to leave the company citing personal reasons, Daum saw an opportunity to give back to the organization that has entrusted him with so much responsibility over the years. “I worked my entire life for Daimler and I owe the company,” Daum said. “I was given responsibilities, I wondered why they did that at the time. I never failed them so they had confidence in me, but that was pretty courageous. I owe the company; I’m a good soldier.” Most, importantly, however, was the support of Daum’s family. “My wife completely understood,” he said of the opportunity. “I wouldn’t have done it without her full support.” Asked what he was most proud of accomplishing as head of DTNA, Daum said it’s about the “high octane” team he assembled. “Every single person, I would hire again,” he said. Daum also credited the people involved in DTNA’s dealer network. “When I took over, it was a pretty tense relationship (with dealers),” he acknowledged. “They agreed they would have to ramp up their game as we were going to ramp up our game.” He added being on the edge of technology was another contributor to the brand’s growth. “Daimler is uniquely positioned today to be a global powerhouse,” he said, “because we have the strong local brands in every single location – Japan, Brazil, Europe and North America – with their strong own engineering bases. In every one of those four regions, we could live completely independently. But how much more can we do if we link those four individual powerhouses together and benefit from each other, where not every one has to invent everything at the same time?” He cited the US launch of the DT12 automated manual transmission as an example. But while much of the engineering that went into the design of the transmission occurred elsewhere, Daum was adamant production occur on these shores. “That was a huge discussion,” he said about the decision to bring production to Detroit. “It took my whole authority to say, I’m not doing it for the US if I have to import, I want it localized, I want that US label.” At the time, some thought US demand would not exceed 12,000-15,000 units. “I think our capacity at the moment is north of 60,000 and we will need every single one for the North American market. We would love to export it to other Daimler markets but we need it here in our own market,” Daum said. The success of the DT12 rollout is a source of pride for Daum, as it involved taking a technology developed by Daimler elsewhere and quickly and effectively bringing it to the North American market. “It’s a singular event, but it’s a basic example of what we can do with technology,” he said. “We do it in other areas as well and you’ll see more of that. That’s the true power of Daimler globally, to have these strong local branches that can be so much stronger if they work together on a global scale.” Asked about the unprecedented market share DTNA achieved under his leadership, Daum said it was the result of focusing on all areas of the business. If it was just a matter of pounding the table and demanding higher market share, Daum joked, every CEO would just beat the table harder. “For me, market share is the result of great product, of listening to the customer and giving them great service in the market,” Daum said. “To have market share at that level, you have to be good at everything in every market. When I started, I remember in Germany people asking me, where should we attack? I said everywhere. Every place, every segment – vocational, on-highway, day cab, specialized, Canada, Mexico – everywhere. That is the secret. We are not done yet.” As for the transition, Daum took his seat on the board March 1. His replacement in North America has not yet been named, but Daum said the company has many worthy successors to consider. “I can say for sure, we have such an incredibly strong bench that I’m sure we’ll have an incredible and great successor,” Daum said.

New Spicer AdvanTek 40 Axle Ratio Supports Downspeeding Heavy Duty Trucking / March 3, 2017 Dana has added a new axle ratio for the Spicer AdvanTek 40 tandem axle that helps support engine downspeeding for linehaul trucks. The new axle ratio of 2.47:1 allows truck buyers to fine-tune their driveline specifications for an optimized balance of productivity and fuel efficiency, the compamny said. Dana now offers seven different ratios to support engine downspeeding, ranging from 2.26:1 to 2.93:1. The latest ratio is suited for direct-drive versions of the SmartAdvantage Powertrain from Eaton and Cummins. The configuration is recommended for regional-haul applications in a mix of driving environments. The SmartAdvantage Powertrain features the Cummins X15 Efficiency Series engine paired with an Eaton Fuller Advantage 10-speed automated manual transmission. The engine and transmission share critical data, determining the torque required to deliver better drivability and an optimum power level. By using engine downspeeding and leveraging the Cummins X15 engine's low-end torque, many vehicle operators will see a tangible improvement in fuel economy over traditional drivelines, according to Dana. “Dana, Cummins, and Eaton share engineering data in order to fine-tune the powertrain and maximize the benefits of engine downspeeding," said Mark Wallace, executive vice president of Dana and president of Dana Commercial Driveline Technologies. "The Spicer AdvanTEK 40 axle, which is the fastest, lightest, and most efficient axle available, is fully optimized for the best-performing powertrain on the market, delivering a powerful system that manages dynamic challenges resulting from higher torque requirements."

Today's Trucking / March 4, 2017

Modest upturn now expected for Class 8 demand Sean Kilcarr, Fleet Owner / March 3, 2017 February Class 8 orders up 28% in year-over-year comparisons; the biggest such gain in two years. Analysts are now expecting a “modest upturn: for Class 8 truck orders this year as February orders hit 23,200 units according to one industry research firm and 22,900 units according to another. Those numbers are up 28% versus February 2016, only the third positive year-over-year comparison, and the largest one at that, in the past two years. Weak orders in 2016 and an improving economy should make positive year to year comparisons a monthly occurrence as we move through 2017. “February was another very encouraging month for Class 8 truck orders. Orders have increased for four straight months, indicating the market is making a solid recovery after the second-half slump in 2016,” added Don Ake, FTR’s vice president of commercial vehicles. He said preliminary Class 8 net orders for February hit 22,900 units, exceeding expectations for the second month in a row with orders up 5% from January and 28% from February 2016. This “steady order trend” has now pushed Class 8 production backlogs to over 100,000 units for the first time since June 2016, Ake pointed out. “This order cycle is much flatter and longer than usual, but this is a healthy order total for a February,” he added. “March orders may not decline that much. This is what a turning point looks like.” Though Michael Baudendistel, vice president of the transportation & logistics research group at Stifel Capital Markets, is more cautious concerning the outlook for heavy truck production, he noted in a recent research note that the trends are strong enough for the firm to revise their production forecasts upward. “On their own, Class 8 orders of 23,200 units [in February] do not excite, being below the average 24,615 units ordered per month in the prior six years,” he said. “But, given February orders represented the third consecutive month that has exceeded our expectations – with orders continuing to build sequentially despite general seasonal patterns that would indicate a modest decline – the orders are enough of an impetus for us to increase our 2017 production outlook.” Stifel is boosting its 2017 Class 8 production estimate from 200,000 units to 215,000 units to “better reflect” year-to-date strength in orders and is also raising its 2018 production outlook as well from 230,000 to 245,000 units. “Freight is starting to pick again after sagging some in 2016. Rates are climbing and fleets are feeling much more confident about business going forward,” added FTR’s AKE. “Truck builds and sales should now begin a modest upturn which should continue throughout this year.”

Transport Topics / March 3, 2017 North American Class 8 orders in February reached a 14-month high as they cleared 23,000, and exceeded expectations, analysts said. Net orders were 23,200, up 28% from 18,078 a year earlier. In December 2015, orders hit 28,150. February’s gain was only the third positive year-over-year comparison in the past two years. Weak orders in 2016 and an improving economy should make positive year-to-year comparisons a monthly occurrence as we move through 2017. Expectations were for orders to be about 18,000, wrote Credit Suisse analyst Jamie Cook in a note to investors, and so the February total is “particularly strong.”

Car & Driver / March 2017 Pickup trucks have evolved quite a bit over the last 20 years. No longer are they dedicated tools of tradesmen or simply haulers of horses. They have created their own luxury segment so decidedly American that you have to tip your hat to whomever at Ford first said, “You know, I think the F-150 needs an interior nicer than a Lincoln.” Although we’re guessing the green light wasn’t illuminated until someone crunched the numbers and said, “And would you look at the margins?” One result is that the newest F-150 isn’t just a 10Best Trucks and SUVs winner, it’s good compared with any vehicle. Granted, towering above other traffic in the Caribou-accented leather interior of our King Ranch edition test model leaves no question as to whether you’re in a pickup, but this truck’s ride (on 55-series, 20-inch tires) is nothing short of astonishing. Both the Ford and the Ram 1500 deliver amazing ride quality, but the F-150’s tuning is even more impressive given our test truck’s higher payload capacity (1526 pounds versus 1262 for a recent Ram 1500 we tested). The greater the difference between a truck’s empty and fully loaded weight, the firmer and more jarring the unloaded ride usually is. But that isn’t the case with the F-150—attentive damper and spring tuning is evident and appreciated with every pothole, expansion joint, and speed bump traversed. EcoBoost, Take Two Headlining the changes for 2017 is a new powertrain combo. Replacing the original twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 is a gen-two unit of identical displacement and turbocharger count. This V-6 now employs port fuel injectors to bolster partial-load efficiency while direct fuel injectors do the work under full load. Max power is up by 10 ponies to 375, and peak torque jumps from 420 lb-ft to 470 at 3500 rpm. That output is routed through a new 10-speed automatic transmission co-developed with General Motors. Together, the new engine and transmission option added $1000 to the tab for our King Ranch. With 10 gears from which to choose, this powertrain sees minor increases in its EPA ratings, gaining 2 mpg in the city and 1 mpg on the highway over its 2016 counterpart, to 17 and 21 mpg. Unlike some nine-speed transmissions, this 10-speed will hold top gear while cruising on the highway at 65 mph. In our 75-mph, 200-mile highway fuel-economy test, this F-150 returned 19 mpg, 2 mpg short of its EPA highway estimate. During its stay with us, it averaged 15 mpg overall, which is about par for most of the modern, big-engined half-tons we’ve tested. In the vast majority of driving scenarios, the gearbox shifts through cogs so smoothly you won’t notice unless you happen to be staring at the gear indicator flanking the speedometer. The only time we felt some wonky shifting was during deliberate stabs at the throttle, when the transmission acted as if it were caught out between gears, a situation we intentionally provoked to see how the new transmission would interpret our commands. It’s an outcome few F-150 owners this side of a Raptor driver will ever experience. At the track, the new truck sprinted to 60 mph in 5.7 seconds, one-tenth quicker than the previous F-150, and broke the quarter-mile tape in 14.4 seconds at 97 mph, 0.2 second and 2 mph improvements. Credit both the engine and the 10-speed, which shuffled gears like a blackjack dealer. At the track we also discovered just how easy the F-150 is on the ears, with a noise level of 67 decibels at a 70-mph cruise. To put that into perspective, our long-term BMW 740i generates 68 decibels at the same speed. Big Truck, Big Price Today’s big pickups come with equally big price tags, and the F-series is no exception. A 3.5-liter EcoBoost SuperCrew 4x4 starts at $40,645, and that’s in work-truck XL trim. Jumping past the XLT and Lariat trim levels to the King Ranch requires another $16,040. Our test example also came with a $3780 equipment package consisting of inflatable rear seatbelts, upgraded front bucket seats, blind-spot monitoring, cross-traffic alert and trailer-tow monitoring, a deployable tailgate step, power running boards, 20-inch aluminum wheels, automatic high-beams, and rain-sensing wipers. The truck seen here was further enriched by a $895 towing package (netting the clever backup assistant and a 10,700-pound tow rating—although other configurations can reach 11,500), a panoramic sunroof for $1295, adaptive cruise control and forward-collision warning ($1250), a 36-gallon fuel tank for $445 (making for 680 miles of highway range), the $440 automatic parking feature, the $990 Technology package (lane-keeping assist and a 360-degree camera view), and a spray-in bedliner ($495), among other sweeteners. All in, our F-series was a $65,120 pickup. Some of the options we could do without, particularly the panoramic sunroof because it diminishes the payload capacity, but others, like the 360-degree camera, are seriously useful in myriad everyday situations. Despite what Ford’s board members might wish, daily driving a pickup isn’t for everyone. They’re a pain to maneuver through crowded parking lots, they’re expensive to operate, and they’re huge. But at least with trucks like this F-150, the driver doesn’t get banged around on a quick trip to the market or on an hour-long commute. Like we said: evolved. Photo gallery - http://www.caranddriver.com/photo-gallery/2017-ford-f-150-king-ranch-instrumented-test

Car & Driver / March 3, 2017 General Motors has officially agreed to sell its Opel and Vauxhall brands to the PSA Group as the Detroit automaker attempts to stanch more than a decade of staggering losses in Europe. According to a report by Reuters, the PSA Group (Peugeot and Citroën) approved the deal Friday, weeks after admitting it was seeking to buy the German and British brands that GM has owned for 86 and 91 years, respectively. GM and PSA are expected to announce the deal on Monday, and have resolved their competitive issues in China and the problem of Opel’s billions in pension liabilities. It is unclear whether the sale indicates GM would essentially give up the Europe market. GM Europe, primarily the Opel and Vauxhall brands, has lost money for 16 consecutive years. Cadillac has close to zero market share in Europe, and as of last year Chevrolet no longer sells any cars in Europe aside from the Corvette. Whether GM sells the Opel Vauxhall entirely (as Ford sold 100 percent of Jaguar and Land Rover to Tata) or completes a merger that would let it retain a stake in PSA, the two former GM brands will inevitably face aggressive cost-cutting measures that will further shed jobs, close factories, and shrink model lineups. In March 2012, GM took a 7 percent stake in PSA, and the two automakers continued to share product development even after GM announced it was selling that stake in December 2013. GM took full control of Vauxhall in 1925. Save for World War II when the German government seized control, Opel has been continuously owned by GM since 1931. Recently, Opel has been a key source of models for Buick; it’s unclear whether that arrangement will continue.

You need to connect with Bullhusk (Ernie). The 12.8-litre MBE4000 is a Daimler OM460. I'm not that familiar with it. In the global market back then, Mercedes-Benz used the 12-litre OM457 inline six, 12-litre OM501 V-6 and 15.9-litre OM502 V-8.

I don't know the man personally, but I agree with a lot of his thoughts shared on those videos. Some people here don't care for him, but I thought all deserved to know that he was a veteran, and a decorated one at that. I just thought to throw in that FYI about him. Now changing gears a bit, did you read this? I'm just sharing. Whereas Stone walked into the Army recruiting office, enlisted and requested combat duty in Vietnam, it appears "suspect" that Trump, like many sons of wealthy and connected parents, was found a way out of it. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/02/us/politics/donald-trump-draft-record.html Back in 1968, at the age of 22, Donald J. Trump seemed the picture of health. He stood 6 feet 2 inches with an athletic build; had played football, tennis and squash; and was taking up golf. His medical history was unblemished, aside from a routine appendectomy when he was 10. But after he graduated from college in the spring of 1968, making him eligible to be drafted and sent to Vietnam, he received a diagnosis that would change his path: bone spurs in his heels. The diagnosis resulted in a coveted 1-Y medical deferment that fall, exempting him from military service as the United States was undertaking huge troop deployments to Southeast Asia, inducting about 300,000 men into the military that year. The deferment was one of five Mr. Trump received during Vietnam. The others were for education.

The story we're getting doesn't add up, on the surface of things. I suspect what actually happened is a different tale. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “The contacts that our Russian ambassador was making and continues to make, I can say only one thing: Ambassadors are appointed to maintain relations with the host country,” says Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. “Relations are maintained.” . Russia's top diplomat at center of Trump controversy Associated Press / March 2, 2017 The Trump administration's back-to-back controversies over its Russian ties now have at least one thing in common: Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. Moscow's top diplomat in the U.S. has become the Kevin Bacon of the Trump White House's Russia imbroglio. A Washington fixture with a sprawling network, he has emerged as the central figure in the investigations into Trump advisers' connections with Russia. In a matter of weeks, contact with Kislyak led to the firing of a top adviser to the president and, on Thursday, prompted calls for the attorney general to resign. Separately, a White House official confirmed Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and ousted national security adviser Michael Flynn met with Kislyak at TrumpTower in December for what the official called a brief courtesy meeting. Flynn was pushed out of the White House last month after officials said he misled Vice President Mike Pence about whether he and the ambassador had discussed U.S. sanctions against Russia in a phone call. At issue Thursday were two meetings between Sessions and Kislyak — one in July and another in September, at the height of concern over Russia's involvement in hacking of Democratic officials' emails accounts. Intelligence officials have since concluded Moscow ordered the hacks to tilt the election toward Trump. In his confirmation hearing, the Alabama Republican denied having contact with any Russian officials, neglecting to mention the meetings with Kislyak. Although the White House dismissed the revelation as part of a political witch hunt, Sessions' former colleagues took the omission seriously. At the urging of some in his own party, Sessions recused himself from the Department of Justice's investigation. Still, Democrats called for him to step down. Observers note Kislyak is a somewhat unlikely figure to cause controversy. Over the course of a long diplomatic career, he's led the life of a somewhat typical global envoy — making himself a reliable presence on the circuit of receptions, teas and forums that make up the calendar of any ambassador. Kislyak, who was appointed to his post in 2008, is regularly spotted walking around town, heading to and from meetings. Early in his tenure, he often opened the doors of the Russian Embassy, hosting dinners for foreign policy professionals, Pentagon officials, journalists and Capitol Hill staffers. Those who have attended the events describe him as a gracious and amiable diplomat, although perhaps not as polished — nor as confrontational — as his more famous boss, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. In 2015, when Kislyak invited a group of Washington-based journalists, including one from the Associated Press, to the Russian Embassy for tea, he used the meeting to push warmer relations between the two nations — despite the conflict over Russia's seizure of Crimea and the crisis in Ukraine. Kislyak framed U.S.-Russian relations as salvageable and hoped specifically to combat what he considered cartoonish, anti-Russian depictions of his government in the American press. At a press conference where he recused himself from the investigation into the Trump campaign's ties with Russia, Sessions said he discussed a number of things with Kislyak, including counterterrorism. He said the meeting became confrontational when the discussion turned to Ukraine. Kislyak, 66, has bounced between the United States and Russia for most of his long career. His first foreign posting was to New York where he worked at the Soviet delegation at the United Nations in the early 1980s. He spent the following years as the first secretary and then councilor at the Soviet Embassy in Washington before returning to Moscow in 1989, where he took a succession of senior jobs at the Foreign Ministry. He did a stint as Russian ambassador to Belgium and simultaneously served as Moscow's envoy at NATO. He then returned to Moscow to serve as a deputy foreign minister, overseeing relations with the United States and arms control issues before being sent to Washington. Kislyak's contacts have sparked questions about his role or involvement in the hacking, questions that are difficult to answer. The U.S. and Russia, along with many other countries, have made it a practice to separate their top diplomats from espionage activities, although it is not uncommon for an intelligence agent to operate under the cover of a senior-level diplomat. Foreign diplomats to the United States likely expect that their activities will be monitored by U.S. authorities in the same manner that American diplomats are monitored in countries like Russia. Russian ambassadors most likely are aware of the intelligence agents operating under diplomatic cover, but are not believed to part of the security services themselves. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on Thursday ridiculed the claims of Kislyak's involvement in espionage as "total disinformation" and part of efforts to sway public opinion. "I'll open a military secret for you: It's the diplomats' jobs to have contacts in the country they are posted to," she said sarcastically. "It's their obligation to meet with officials and members of the political establishment."

Trump Administration Plans Reconsideration of Auto-Emission Standards Bloomberg / March 4, 2017 The Trump administration plans to open the door to a possible reconsideration of greenhouse gas emission standards for cars and light trucks [medium/heavy trucks?] that has been sought by automakers. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the final days of the Obama administration decided to lock in the emissions standards through 2025 that had been negotiated with the industry in 2011. That decision will be withdrawn for reconsideration as early as next week. It will be one of a series of actions taken by the Trump administration recently to reconsider or reverse Obama-era regulations opposed by industry. On Thursday, the EPA effectively abandoned work to develop a rule clamping down on methane releases from oil and gas wells and the Department of Transportation (DOT) suspended work on a regulation requiring airlines to disclose fees for checking bags. Trump also just directed his agencies to rescind and rewrite an Obama-era environmental rule governing water pollution, after criticism from ranchers, farmers and developers. Eighteen auto industry executives sent a letter to Trump last month, asking him to reinstate the review of fuel economy regulations. The EPA’s decision in January to end the review came more than a year before deadline, which automakers say prematurely ended a promised debate over standards that they argue are costly and could jeopardize employment amid low gasoline prices and limited sales of hybrids and electric cars. The companies and then-President Barack Obama had struck a deal in 2011 to double average fuel economy of vehicles to 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025, with the caveat that a mid-term review would determine whether the standards for the final years of the program were feasible. Just a week before Trump took office, the EPA said it had concluded its review more than a year ahead of schedule and the rules didn’t need to be changed. Automakers disagreed, saying falling gasoline prices have squelched demand for the most fuel-efficient vehicles, making achieving the standards more difficult. The plea from the executives came after Trump made the auto industry a major focus of his first days as president. After a Jan. 24 meeting with auto executives, Trump vowed to ease regulatory burdens to lure more car factories to the U.S., calling environmental rules “out of control.” Mid-term Evaluation The withdrawal could come as early as next week in the form of a joint notice from EPA and the Transportation Department. As a result, a “midterm evaluation” of the efficiency standards through 2025 would resume, potentially leading to relaxation of the standards sought by automakers. If the EPA revisits the mid-term review, it won’t necessarily come to a different conclusion than the one reached in Obama’s final days in office. That decision was the culmination of an evaluation that began last summer with the publication of a more than 1,200-page Technical Assessment Report that examined costs, technology effectiveness and other aspects of the standards. Association of Global Automakers spokeswoman Annemarie Pender said the trade group, which represents 12 automakers including Toyota, Honda, Nissan and Hyundai, has not received a formal response to its Feb. 21 letter asking the EPA to withdraw the decision. Environmental Push Earlier Friday, a coalition of environmental groups including the Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Council and Union of Concerned Scientists issued a joint statement urging the vehicle standards be maintained. “EPA’s clean car standards are driving unprecedented reductions in carbon pollution and saving drivers money at the pump,” Natural Resources Defense Council President Rhea Suh said in a statement. “Strong standards have been a critical factor in the auto industry’s recovery from financial distress, so it makes no sense to reverse this progress. EPA should stay the course and look to the future, to protect our climate and the workers developing clean car technologies.” To change the standards, EPA must produce a new rule to replace the current one including notice and comment and raising the potential of a court challenge by environmental groups.

"Business as usual is just not an option anymore," Chao said. "Everyone can agree that our country can no longer take decades to build a new bridge or a new road, a new highway or airport." So in another words, Washington wants to persuade the American people to give up on a properly functioning government which is capable of using our tax dollars to build a bridge in an efficient and timely manner. Chao wants us to accept that our government is broken and irreparable, thus we must go for "Plan B", that being public-private partnerships. Evidently, after channeling our money to overseas "foreign aid" (e.g. $38 billion to Israel), financial support for undocumented (aka. illegal) immigrants living in the US, and a wide range of pork barrel projects, there's not enough of our tax money left to build any bridges and roads.

Transportation Secretary Chao Calls for Private Infrastructure Funding Bloomberg / March 2, 2017 U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao said her office was exploring new ways to finance President Donald Trump’s proposed $1 trillion infrastructure upgrade, including through public-private partnerships. Speaking at an American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials event in Washington Wednesday, Chao offered no specifics about the type of projects that would be prioritized by the administration, or how they would be funded. But she said the department was exploring ways to unleash private investment, and said barriers that hinder public-private infrastructure partnerships need to be removed. "Business as usual is just not an option anymore," Chao said. "Everyone can agree that our country can no longer take decades to build a new bridge or a new road, a new highway or airport." Chao’s second speech since taking taking office on Jan. 31 echoed infrastructure themes of Trump’s congressional address Tuesday night. He reiterated a campaign trail pledge for significant infrastructure investments, saying "the time has come for a new program of national rebuilding." Trump said he would to ask Congress to approve a plan for $1 trillion in infrastructure spending financed by public and private capital. Chao also urged officials to streamline permitting, environmental reviews and other hangups that can slow projects. The Transportation department plans to "revisit" a number of proposed and final rules as part of the president’s bid to cut red tape, she said.

Caterpillar sued by shareholder after federal raid Reuters / March 3, 2017 Caterpillar Inc was sued on Friday for allegedly deceiving shareholders about its business, one day after federal law enforcers raided three of its buildings in connection with a probe into the heavy machinery manufacturer's offshore tax practices. In a complaint filed in Chicago federal court, Jacob Newman accused Caterpillar of defrauding him and other shareholders in regulatory filings by touting its commitment to good ethics, while concealing how it "unlawfully used foreign subsidiaries" to avoid paying billions of dollars of U.S. taxes. Shares of Caterpillar fell 4.3 percent on Thursday, wiping out more than $2.4 billion of the Peoria, Illinois-based company's market value. The company said it believed the raid by officials from agencies including the Internal Revenue Service's criminal investigation division, the Department of Commerce and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp was connected with an IRS probe related to a Swiss parts unit, Caterpillar SARL. Caterpillar has been fighting an IRS demand that it pay $2 billion in taxes and penalties for shifting profit to the Swiss unit to lessen its U.S. tax bill. Newman is seeking unspecified damages in his proposed class-action lawsuit on behalf of Caterpillar investors from Feb. 19, 2013 through March 1. The lawsuit also names Caterpillar Chief Executive Jim Umpleby, Chairman Douglas Oberhelman and Chief Financial Officer Bradley Halverson as defendants. Oberhelman preceded Umpleby as chief executive. The case is Newman v. Caterpillar Inc et al, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois, No. 17-01713.

If you want good quality seats that incorporate the latest technology, specify Sears seating. They are a Mack brand factory option. http://www.searsseating.com/product-category/truck-seats/ In a Paccar product, specify Grammer - http://www.gramag.com/

Prime Mover Magazine / March 2, 2017 Melbourne-based bulk haulage specialist, Burdett's, has expanded its operations, adding new equipment to its fleet for a new service partnership with horticulture materials manufacturer, Van Schaik's Bio Gro. According to Burdett's Group Managing Director, Andrew Burdett, the transport company will be running the Victorian section of Bio Gro's transport operations, hauling raw materials such as growing and mulching mediums, soil amendments and biological growth stimulants. "It is proving to be a great partnership with another proudly family owned, Australian company," Burdett said. To carry out the work, Burdett's has purchased three high volume B-double tipper combinations with a 130m3 capacity from Bio Gro, and upgraded two prime movers to new Mack Superliners from CMV Truck and Bus in Dandenong. The new Burdett's Superliners run on the MP10 engine, boasting 685hp and 2,300 lb-ft torque, and are among the first to be commissioned with the new Mack air suspension, disc brakes and the new Mack [Volvo*] 2370 axle. "The new suspension gives us a better ride quality and for the first time we have a full Mack drivetrain from bumper to bumper," said Burdett. "We've always bought our Macks from CMV Dandenong, which understands our bulk haulage task and helps us make sure we get the right gear to get the job done. "We will be upgrading more of our trailers over the next month with new high volume B-doubles to keep pace with Bio Gro's growing business." * Volvo 2370A axle - http://segotn12827.rds.volvo.com/STPIFiles/Volvo/FactSheet/RTS2370A_Eng_05_1858096.pdf Volvo 2370B axle - http://productinfo.vtc.volvo.se/files/pdf/hi/RTS2370B_Eng_02_1128920.pdf .

Daimler Press Release / March 1, 2017 Three digital solutions in one sweep: launch of Truck Data Center, Mercedes-Benz Uptime and FleetBoard Manager from March 2017 Truck Data Center: the brain of the connected truck Mercedes-Benz Uptime: significant increase in vehicle availability thanks to connectivity, extensively piloted since 2013 New FleetBoard Manager: useful information on the vehicle fleet available at any time from an app – simple, fast and free Stuttgart – The Truck Data Center launches on 1 March 2017, thereby allowing the introduction of new digital services from Mercedes-Benz Trucks: the revolutionary service product Mercedes-Benz Uptime and the new FleetBoard Manager app. Both services require installation of the Truck Data Center in the truck. Unveiled at the 2016 International Motor Show for Commercial Vehicles, the "Truck Data Center" connectivity module will in future form the brain of the connected truck across all brands at Daimler Trucks. It continuously monitors the status of the vehicle systems, in addition to sending and receiving data in real-time. From 1 March 2017, it will be available in all heavy-duty trucks from Mercedes-Benz. Mercedes-Benz Uptime represents the intelligent and, above all, predictive connectivity of vehicle, Mercedes-Benz Service and the customer's transport company. Fully automatic in-service diagnostics continuously monitor the status of the vehicle systems in real-time and allow the early detection of critical states. This makes it possible to prevent breakdowns and other unscheduled repairs while further optimising scheduled workshop visits. The service will be available both individually and in combination with all other Mercedes-Benz service contracts. The new FleetBoard Manager app will in future offer all Mercedes-Benz customers a simple, fast and free entry into connectivity. The app for smartphones provides useful, free information on the vehicle fleet, such as its capacity utilisation over the course of a week or the positions of individual vehicles, and also identifies potential cost-savings. Truck Data Center: the centrepiece of the connected truck Approximately the size of a DIN A5 sheet, the Truck Data Center connectivity module will in future be installed across all brands at Daimler Trucks on the basis of the internationally standardised electrics/electronics architecture. The module is installed as standard in the Mercedes-Benz Actros. It receives data from the truck's sensors, cameras, etc. and analyses this information for many different applications. As the interface for all connectivity services, it is also responsible for the truck's external communications: like a modern smartphone, the Truck Data Center communicates in real-time via Bluetooth, 3G signal or GPS with the infrastructure, other vehicles and other entities involved in the logistics process. Standardisation of the Truck Data Center is combined with maximum adaptability to regional customers' requirements by means of the software and apps: in future, the Truck Data Center will form the basis for existing connectivity solutions from Daimler Trucks as well as the telematics systems of FleetBoard and Detroit Connect. Mercedes-Benz Uptime: significant increase in vehicle availability thanks to connectivity Ahead of the launch, Mercedes-Benz Uptime was extensively piloted in a three-year trial in 1400 trucks in 16 fleets in Germany, Great Britain, Austria and Poland. Mercedes-Benz Uptime continuously monitors the status of the vehicle systems in real-time via the new Truck Data Center. Within a matter of seconds, the data are interpreted, critical states detected and specific action recommendations issued. If they signal a need for maintenance or repair, Mercedes-Benz Service immediately assists the customer with a tailor-made solution optimally matched to the current trip planning and vehicle condition. For the customer, this makes it significantly easier to plan workshop visits and vehicle availability. Prevention of breakdowns: When a truck is at an acute risk of breakdown, the Mercedes-Benz Customer Assistance Center (CAC) in Maastricht, Netherlands, is informed immediately. The CAC then phones the specified contact at the customer's company. The employees at the CAC inform the customer of the identified repair needs and the necessary actions in order to prevent a breakdown. If an immediate repair is required, the CAC will help to arrange a workshop appointment optimally matched to the customer's vehicle route and transport assignment. The CAC first checks that the required resources are available at the workshop so that the vehicle can be repaired without delay. This prevents a possible breakdown, the vehicle is quickly repaired and the transport assignment can be completed on schedule. Efficient repair and maintenance management: Identified at an early stage, maintenance and repair requirements are automatically reported to the Mercedes-Benz service partner selected by the customer. The personal customer adviser bundles the upcoming maintenance and repair needs and actively contacts the customer with a suggested date for the work. Real-time transparency on the condition of the vehicles allows the workshop to make ideal preparations for the customer's visit - ordering the required parts in good time, scheduling workshop capacity and writing out the repair job. Real-time support for customer’s service works: information and specific action recommendations for upcoming repairs that the customer can easily carry out for themselves are always made available to the customer in a timely manner via the Mercedes-Benz Uptime customer portal. The fleet manager or driver can intervene immediately to avoid unnecessary workshop visits and repair costs. Since the 2016 International Motor Show for Commercial Vehicles, Mercedes-Benz Uptime has been available for all new Actros, Arocs and Antos trucks in twelve European markets (Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland). Further countries will be added in the course of time. From 1 March 2017, vehicles will be delivered to customers with the Mercedes-Benz Uptime service activated. The service requires installation of the Truck Data Center. New FleetBoard Manager: useful information on the vehicle fleet available at any time from an app – simple, fast and free From 20 March 2017, FleetBoard will offer Mercedes-Benz Trucks customers a simple, fast and free entry into connectivity. This is made possible by the new FleetBoard Manager. Use of the app requires installation of the Truck Data Center in the Mercedes-Benz Actros. The FleetBoard Manager provides customers with useful information on their fleet, such as the total number of kilometres driven in the past seven days as well as a comparison with the previous seven days. It also shows which vehicles have driven the longest and shortest total distances. This data enables customers to see exactly how fleet capacity has been used over the course of a week. Alongside the number of kilometres driven, it also shows the fleet's average fuel consumption. It also shows the vehicles with the highest and lowest fuel consumption. This gives customers an insight into the spread between mileage and fuel consumption between the vehicles. At fleet level, the app also shows the percentage of how economically the vehicles perform when on the road. The overview is shown in the form of a simple cluster of scores that is very straightforward to understand. FleetBoard uses these data to calculate the percentage saving in fuel that could be achieved across the whole fleet by targeted driver training – important information that can help to identify further potential cost-savings. The app also reveals how eco-friendly the fleet is, as well as the level of its CO2 emissions. This is where predictive driving plays an important role in highlighting ways in which to lastingly improve fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. The FleetBoard Manager also enables customers to see the positions of individual vehicles. Further features, such as the Mercedes-Benz Uptime lite-Widget, will gradually be added to the FleetBoard Manager by regular software updates. Mercedes-Benz Uptime lite will be available free of charge to all customers and provides information on necessary service operations on selected operating fluids and wear parts on the vehicle (e.g. oil level, bulbs, air filter, brake pads, etc.). This information provides an initial idea of how vehicle connectivity can facilitate the repair and maintenance management of a fleet. The FleetBoard Manager app will be available free of charge from 20 March 2017 for Android (Google Play Store) and iOS (App Store). .

Scania Group Press Release / March 2, 2017 . .

Mack brand Press Release / March 2, 2017 TransPremier expands 14 miles of the I-4 highway in Orlando, Florida with 65,000 tons of asphalt. .

UAE to get 1,085 refurbished MaxxPro MRAPs IHS Jane's Defence Weekly / March 1, 2017 The US Department of Defense announced on 28 February that it has awarded a USD440 million contract to Navistar Defense to "reset and upgrade" 1,085 surplus MaxxPro mine-resistant ambush protected vehicles (MRAPs) for the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The work is expected to be completed by 31 March 2019. The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced in September 2014 that the UAE had requested 3,360 [free] MaxxPro MRAPs in various configurations, 1,150 BAE Systems Caiman MRAPs, 44 Oshkosh MRAP All-Terrain Vehicles (M-ATVs), and 15 MRAP recovery vehicles of an unspecified type. The DSCA's Excess Defense Articles database states that 488 Caimans, 29 MaxxPros, and 15 MRAP recovery vehicles were subsequently delivered.

Your dealer is right, but you have to also weigh in the dramatically higher parts pricing level policy of the Volvo regime, as that is going to haunt you.

Have you contacted your Mack dealer? In the days of Mack Trucks, they would order you the correct book from Mack Service Publications.

Transport Topics / March 2, 2017 The business world could evolve in an orderly, incremental fashion over the next dozen or so years, or it could bound off unexpectedly in a way that startles and flummoxes most people. Navistar International Corp. Chairman and CEO Troy Clarke said here that he has a sneaking feeling it will be the latter option, and he urged a group of fleet maintenance directors to prepare for that possibility. “How do we claim a piece of the future, no matter what it is? I think the changes we see are not going to be small and incremental,” Clarke said in a March 1 speech to the Technology & Maintenance Council of American Trucking Associations. Navistar’s CEO since 2013, Clarke said he sees several freight transportation trends converging in North America and Europe and that companies that can master those changes should do better than those that don’t. More people are moving to cities or large metropolitan areas and insist upon a certain level of clean air, he said. Therefore, he anticipates the growth of heavily populated low or zero-emission zones that will need a lot of goods. Related to population growth, Clarke said in his 28-minute speech, highway congestion will continue to increase, wasting ever-larger chunks of people’s time. He cited some congestion figures from ATA. A third important trend is the expectation that electricity will remain plentiful with a stable price that might even dip a little. Combining these three thoughts, Clarke said it is quite possible that electric trucks will play a much bigger role in U.S. transportation. “Are we rapidly reaching an inflection point for electric trucks?” Clarke asked. By 2030, he said, we could see highly automated and efficient diesel-powered trucks making linehaul moves among major regional hubs. After freight is offloaded at a hub, it would be transferred to smaller hybrid-electric or pure electric trucks for final delivery. Much of this will be helped, he said, by expected improvements in lithium-ion batteries. Clarke warned about the dangers of entrenched success, saying it leads to protectiveness of the status quo and resistance to necessary change. Once there were great manufacturers of wind-powered cargo ships, steam engines and horse-drawn buggies, and what were the names of these great companies, he asked. “Nobody knows and nobody cares,” he said. While mainly looking forward to 2030, Clarke also looked back to 2004, noting the powerful force of disruption the world has seen. Some of the most important names then were BlackBerry, Motorola, Nokia and Ericsson. In contrast, he said, some firms that were not well-known or performing a different service then were Google, YouTube, Netflix and Facebook.

Overdrive / March 2, 2017 The 35th annual Shell Rotella SuperRigs competition will be held May 18-20 in Tulsa, Okla., with a theme of “Titans of Tulsa,” Shell announced. The event will be held at the Exchange Center at Expo Square, located near I-44, Highway 51 and Highway 244. The SuperRigs competition is open for active working trucks to compete for cash and prizes upwards of $25,000. Twelve drivers at the event will have their trucks selected to be featured in the 2018 Shell Rotella SuperRigs calendar. Judging will take place between 7:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, May 18 and 19, and between 7:30 and 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 20. Judging takes about 20 minutes and contestants do not need to be present to win. Trucks will be judged in four categories – Best of Show, Tractor, Tractor-Trailer Combo and Classic. In addition to the truck show, there will be the annual truck parade, along with a fireworks show and live entertainment, the Rotella Road Show, a barbecue pit and more.