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GM to invest $1 billion in U.S. manufacturing, move axle work from Mexico Automotive News / January 17, 2017 General Motors today said it would invest $1 billion in its U.S. manufacturing operations to create or retain 1,500 jobs in this country. GM, in an announcement timed to ease pressure from President-elect Donald Trump, also said it would move production of pickup axles from Mexico to Michigan and create at least 5,000 more U.S. jobs in other parts of its business during the next few years. GM did not say how many of the 1,500 manufacturing jobs would be new as opposed to positions that otherwise would have been outsourced or eliminated without the investment. The company said insourcing axles for the next generation of its full-size pickups, expected to debut in 2018, would create 450 jobs in Michigan. “As the U.S. manufacturing base increases its competitiveness, we are able to further increase our investment, resulting in more jobs for America and better results for our owners,” said GM CEO Mary Barra. “The U.S. is our home market and we are committed to growth that is good for our employees, dealers and suppliers and supports our continued effort to drive shareholder value.” Barra said she expects GM’s financial arm, advanced technologies and other non-manufacturing growth areas to generate more than 5,000 additional U.S. jobs “over the next few years.” Trump indirectly referenced GM’s investment in a series of Twitter posts about 30 minutes after the company’s announcement. “With all of the jobs I am bringing back into the U.S. (even before taking office), with all of the new auto plants coming back into our country and with the massive cost reductions I have negotiated on military purchases and more,” he wrote, “I believe the people are seeing ‘big stuff.’” The news comes three days before Trump’s inauguration and follows similar investment announcements from Ford Motor Co. and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. Trump, in a nationally televised news conference last week, praised those companies and said he hoped GM would follow suit. “I think they will be,” Trump said Jan. 11, though it was unclear whether he had knowledge of GM’s plan or if he was merely encouraging GM to do so. 'Mostly theater' “All of the decisions behind today’s announcement are good business decisions, and they have been in the works for some time," GM spokesman Pat Morrissey said. “There’s no question there is an emphasis on job creation in the U.S. right now. This was good timing for us to share what we are doing, including our ongoing commitment and track record for U.S. investment over the last several years.” The announcement is “mostly theater to play in the news cycle created by President-elect Trump’s tweets,” said industry analyst Michelle Krebs. “These investments and hiring plans have long been in the works and are a continuation of what the company has been doing in recent years -- trying to run a successful, profitable business. The only thing ‘new’ here is GM’s aggressiveness in announcing its plans.” Trump has threatened 35 percent tariffs on vehicles imported to the U.S. from Mexico. In addition to the Detroit 3, he has said Toyota Motor Corp. and BMW should build plants in the U.S. instead of Mexico if they want to sell those vehicles in this country. He told a German newspaper Bild that Germany had an unfair relationship with the U.S. because Germans don’t buy Chevys at the same rate that Mercedes-Benz sells in the U.S. GM dropped the Chevy brand in Europe in 2015 to focus on Opel instead. Latest U.S. investment GM said the investment is on top of $2.9 billion announced for its U.S. operations last year and $21 billion invested in its home country since 2009. In the past four years, it said it has created 25,000 U.S. jobs, including 6,000 hourly manufacturing positions and added nearly $3 billion in annual wages and benefits to the U.S. economy. Barra, who has been chosen to sit on an economic advisory panel to Trump, last week said she was looking forward to showing GM’s contributions to U.S. employment as the new administration considers any new manufacturing policies. “We look forward to having the conversation with the administration and with the president-elect to make sure they understand,” Barra told reporters. “When you look at our industry, and General Motors specifically, of how much we already contribute to jobs and the long-lead aspects of our business, that’s what we want to make sure is understood and we think that voice will be heard as any policy is set.” In addition to its own axle-making jobs, GM said one of its suppliers has committed to moving 100 jobs from Mexico to build unspecified components for the next-generation pickups in Michigan. UAW-GM Vice President Cindy Estrada, in a statement, said the GM announcement stemmed from the company's 2015 union contract agreement. “Today’s announcement continues GM investments that have emerged as a result of the 2015 national bargaining agreement. We are pleased that there will be over $1 billion in new investment for current and future UAW GM members. Through hard work and the quality products we build, UAW-GM members, their families and their communities will benefit. "We will continue to work with GM to bring more product to the United States and enhance the job security of our UAW members." Mexico focus Mexico has been the central focus of Trump’s criticism of GM and other automakers. In a Jan. 3 post on Twitter, Trump said GM should pay a “big border tax” to import Chevrolet Cruze hatchbacks from Mexico. He made that threat just hours before Ford said it was canceling a $1.6 billion plant in Mexico and instead expanding a plant in Michigan. FCA later said it would spend $1 billion to add 2,000 jobs in Michigan and Ohio. Both companies said the decisions were based on market conditions and not directly in response to Trump, but they also have more or less allowed the president-elect to take the credit. Ford said it still plans to move small-car production from Michigan to Mexico, a plan Trump has called “disgraceful.” ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- GM to build axles at Grand Rapids area plant The Detroit News / January 17, 2017 General Motors Co. will build axles for its next-generation full-size pickups at its Grand Rapids components plant, a move that is tied to investment and jobs that the automaker announced more than 18 months ago, according to two sources familiar with the automaker’s plans. The automaker said Tuesday it will add thousands of new jobs in the next few years, including in-sourcing axle work from a supplier that includes work now done in Mexico. GM said the move to operations in Michigan would create 450 U.S. jobs. A GM spokeswoman on Tuesday declined to name the supplier or where or when those jobs would come to the U.S. However, American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc. confirmed Tuesday that it was losing the work. GM in June 2015 announced it would add about 300 new jobs and invest $119 million to produce future vehicle components at its components plant in Wyoming. That investment was part of $5.4 billion GM in April 2015 said it would spend in U.S. plants over three years, creating 650 jobs. One of the sources who asked not to be identified because GM has not announced its plans, said some of the jobs difference at the Grand Rapids plant is the addition of engineering-related salaried positions in Southeast Michigan, including at GM’s Warren Tech Center and its Milford Proving Ground. American Axle announced in July 2015 that it would retain an estimated 75 percent of sales content of the axle and driveshaft work for GM’s next-generation full-size pickup program. The Detroit-based supplier has since updated that figure to retaining 65 percent of that work. It currently builds axles for GM’s full-size pickups at its Three Rivers, Michigan, plant and at its Guanajutato Manufacturing Complex in Mexico. “GM’s announcement confirms our July 2015 announcement where AAM indicated that based on current design and program direction, we expect to retain a majority of the sales content provided to GM for the next generation full-size truck and SUV program,” Chris Son, an American Axle spokesman, said Tuesday. “AAM has covered approximately 90 percent of this expected sales impact of this sourcing transition with new and incremental business wins that will launch in the 2018 to 2020 time frame.” GM’s components plant, operated by its subsidiary GM Components Holdings LLC, has about 530 employees who work on three shifts to produce precision-machined automotive engine components. The automaker on Tuesday said it plans to add 7,000 U.S. jobs in the next few years and invest $1 billion in U.S. plants. The new plant investments will create or retain more than 1,500 jobs, though GM would not say how many would be new. The automaker said it expects more than 5,000 salaried jobs, with a significant portion in southeast Michigan, will come in key growth areas such as with its subsidiary GM Financial and in advanced technology. The announcement comes three days before President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration. He has pressured automakers to add jobs and work in the U.S. instead of shipping work to Mexico.

I think yes.

BMT...........Simply the best knowledge base for truck information the world over.

Today, it was announced that the search for MH370 has been cancelled. As a frequent flyer, the disappearance of Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing troubles me. The only thing for sure is the public isn't being told the truth. I doubt it's in the southern Indian Ocean west of Australia. Based on its behavior, someone was flying the plane. Why the 4 hour delay by Malaysia before launching a search? Why were reported and creditable sightings ignored? Last September, when Russian fighter jets turned off their transponders as they flew into Syria in an attempt to avoid detection, our government bragged that U.S. satellites rapidly saw that the aircraft were there. After all, we have the global satellite overage second to none. And yet, during MH370's alleged 7-1/2 hour flight to the unknown, not one satellite for even a minute saw this huge Boeing 777 aircraft ??? Ladies and gentlemen, that is impossible for me to believe.

Family affair Owner/Driver / January 4, 2017 The winner of best rigid at the 2016 Castlemaine Truck Show was the Doria's Dodge The Doria’s operate five trucks full time and have a couple of spares. They had four trucks at the show, the newest being a T404 body truck and the oldest a 34 Dodge. "We mainly cart fruit and vegies out of the markets and then we do some storage and distribution during the day," the Doria’s explained. "We start at midnight and after they finish the market work, we distribute to farms." The T404 was built in the Kenworth factory as a 14-palleter and it has a Cummins ISX 475hp engine. "It has a bit of character to it! It was actually built for a subby that ran for Toll doing their late freight, running up and down to Sydney. "From there, it went to Queensland and then to WA before we bought it. It’s a great truck and being so long gives an unbelievable ride, it’s an amazing truck to drive and is comfortable. "Our colours have always been red but it is too good a condition to paint." The whole family had come up for the show and they were looking forward to a great weekend. Photo gallery - https://www.ownerdriver.com.au/events-news/1612/castlemaine-truck-show-2016-11

Like father, like son Owner/Driver / January 6, 2017 The winner of best rig over 14 years at the 2016 Castlemaine Truck Show was this T601 On Saturday evening, Paul and Dan Askew were still hard at work polishing their Kenworth T601. Paul has owned the 601 for four years and had just finished restoring it from top to bottom. He did the chassis, engine, gearboxes and diffs. "We did the whole lot," Paul says. "It’s an old truck but we like the style. It’s got a 12-litre Detroit under the bonnet and we do local cartage around Melbourne and off the wharf." Paul has been driving for 30 years and been an owner-driver for the last six. This is the second truck that he has bought and it probably won’t be the last with his son Dan mad keen on them. "He is just waiting to get his licence and then he will be behind the wheel," Paul says. "This is the third year I have been here. It is a top weekend to come and have a few beers and chill out. "It’s good to be involved in a great weekend with your mates and have a few drinks and the whole weekend raises money for good causes." .

Owner/Driver / January 17, 2017 Tutt Bryant has led the way for more than 75 years, and choose Isuzu as the truck of choice. Isuzu trucks feature heavily in the Tutt Bryant loading depots and docks across the country. Construction work takes its toll on everything – from the equipment, to the tradies themselves – and only the industry’s best stand the test of time. For over 75 years, Tutt Bryant has weathered the trials and made a real contribution to the growth of Australia's construction industry. From humble beginnings back in 1938, they’ve risen to become one of Australia's largest crane, construction equipment hire and equipment distribution companies, with over 400 staff operating Australia-wide. Tutt Bryant’s general hire division provides some of the nation’s biggest contractors with plant and equipment hire for earthmoving, civil construction, rail maintenance, and mining. Tutt Bryant Fleet Maintenance Manager, Mick Collier, oversees all purchasing for the hire fleet in the southern region, and says Isuzu has been his number one choice since he joined the company in 2001. "Part of my role is to select the best possible equipment for the job, and to maintain it through its whole working life, right up to resale. "The last company I worked for had a wide range of trucks, including Isuzu and their competitors. We found the total cost of the truck life was better with Isuzu – they came out on top with servicing, reliability and re-sale value. "Some of the other states will shop around a little bit, but for us the service network and the whole package Isuzu provides is second to none, and with my previous knowledge, it’s a no-brainer. "In the hire division alone we have 25 Isuzus," Mick said. Mick’s most recent purchases span Isuzu’s light and medium-duty ranges, including two FSRs for water cartage, three of the new award-wining ready to work N Series Servicepack models, two F Series Tippers and an FRR for crane hire. And none of these vehicles gets a cushy lifestyle. "Our transport trucks can do 80,000 kilometres a year and the service vehicles do around 50 to 60,000. "The water cartage trucks don’t travel as far but they do a lot of idle-time work, constantly stopping and starting, so that needs to be taken into consideration too," Mick said. Stop-start work is ‘child’s play’ for Mick’s FSRs, as their Allison Auto 6 speed automatic transmission makes for a quick take off, every time, providing real fuel savings. "We have a mixture of automatic and manual transmissions in the fleet, but we’re starting to lean towards more automatics now for driver comfort and efficiencies. "We find an auto makes it a lot easier for our hire customers – they jump in the vehicle and drive away without having to think about different shift patterns in gearboxes. "And our drivers seem to really like the Isuzus’ reliability and comfort. "On one of the last trucks we purchased, the drivers in our Geelong branch had a lot of input into the buying process and the specialised body, and they’re all very happy with the outcome," Mick said. Cab comfort is covered in the new trucks by an ISRI air suspension driver’s seat, ensuring Mick’s team are kept comfortable on the longer runs, while the Digital Audio Visual Equipment (DAVE) unit with its 6.2" LCD touch screen, DAB+ digital radio and fully integrated Bluetooth, offers crystal clear sound and fingertip control. Mick also opted to add Isuzu Telematics to all of his new vehicles. Isuzu Telematics technology provides a range of operational and safety management efficiencies, such as live vehicle positioning, trip playback, geo-fencing and fleet and engine data information tools. The system also observes driver behaviour such as harsh braking, over acceleration, over revving and fuel usage. It’s all valuable operational information fleet managers like Mick can then utilise to improve fuel economy, implement driver training and create genuine efficiencies. "We have older, aftermarket telematics systems on our bigger trucks and earthmoving equipment that we use extensively and it’s an area we’re keen to utilise more," he said. "Telematics is one of the reasons we’re continuing with Isuzu trucks. We can run them all off Isuzu Telematics and keep an eye on all the trucks on the one system." Mick and his team are on and off commercial worksites constantly, so safety, in every sense of the word, is not only a priority, it’s a must. Mick’s new purchases tick all the boxes on that front and include standard safety features such as driver and passenger airbags along with seatbelt pretensioners, an ECE R29 compliant cab, an ECE-R93 compliant Front Underrun Protection Device (FUPD) and Anti-lock Braking System (ABS). "Safety is a key point these days and it’s a real factor in what we buy," he said. "The Isuzus are very safe and we’re really happy with them – we’ll definitely get more in the future. "We’re looking to expand our tipper and excavator hire, and Isuzu will be our pick when it comes time to buy again." .

Big Rigs / January 16, 2017 Fines for minor spillages under the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL), towns complaining, arguments over liability for spillage between livestock carriers and primary producers. It's all a bit of a mess. We're talking about effluent, that mix of faeces and urine - cow, pig and sheep sh*t! New South Wales is hitting livestock carriers hard with $550 fines for dropping small amounts of effluent. These fines do not come under environmental or council legislation but under the improper restraint clauses of the HVNL. The future is clear, no matter how ridiculous it might be, effluent management systems for livestock hauliers are coming for all Australia, even if some years down the track for more remote regions. Industry associations like the Australian Livestock and Rural Transporters Association (ALRTA) and its state subsidiaries are jockeying to stem the surge towards national law by invoking the sharing of liability for effluent spillage "up the chain” within COR legislation. After all, "it's not our effluent”, one association member told Big Rigs, saying that the client owned the livestock and therefore any forthcoming effluent. The ALRTA says it has successfully argued to the Queensland Parliamentary Transport and Utilities Committee that the application of chain of responsibility laws to effluent control must be clarified. The Queensland Minister for transport has directed the NTC to clarify the matter within the next 12 months. "We are putting all options on the table including a full exemption under the Heavy Vehicle National Law.” Graham Hoare from Martin's transport is the south-east Queensland delegate for the LRTAQ and he said many livestock transporters are trying to keep ahead of the game, especially close to the metropolitan areas of south-east Queensland. "All the abattoirs and meatworks are in the Brisbane area and while we have fitted effluent tanks there is nowhere to empty them before we come into the metropolitan area,” he told Big Rigs. Mr Hoare agrees that the RMS in New South Wales is savage on effluent and said Queensland operators are trying to be proactive before legislation moves on the issue. All new livestock trailers must be fitted with effluent tanks "but we need somewhere to empty the tanks, like near the new Toowoomba bypass. That would be ideal”. While Mr Hoare says the industry is responding, the government and councils need to keep up and match the operator's investments in effluent facilities. "We want to lead the way and we are looking at the example of New Zealand to find out ways around this problem.” Mr Hoare said cattle producers and feed lot management are not buying into the liability of effluent, saying once the cattle are on the truck, it's the operator's responsibility. CEO of the Australian Livestock and Rural Transport Association based in Canberra is Matthew Munro. He said effluent control is a core part of the livestock transport process. He said the root cause locks in to the chain of responsibility and a cattle producer providing cattle to a transporter is an integral link in the chain. If there is a breach under the restraint clauses of the NHVL, that producer and their role fits into the HVNL definition of packer therefore carries responsibility under COR. He said while producers and livestock handlers are resisting liability, this is not an excuse to expect the transport operator to break the law. He uses the example of fresh seafood having to be carried from the coast several hundred kilometres to where it will be sold with the inherent need for it to arrive fresh. But in this case there is no expectation for the transport operation to break the speed limit legislation to get it to its destination in a more fresh condition. He said there is a need for transport operators, producers and livestock companies to work together to find a harmonious solution to this issue by having the cattle in the most appropriate condition, possibly after a curfew, before loading so keeping the best balance between livestock weights at the saleyard and the transport operator meeting the requirements of the law. The other alternative, says Mr Munro, is that the definitions under the HVNL be changed so that effluent is no longer covered under the restraint conditions. "Cattle producers are aware and they don't really want the transport operator to break the law, however their outlook is driven by market incentives and the way I see forward is a combination of the transport operator using effluent tanks on livestock trailers, that suitable dumping facilities for effluent are provided in appropriate places and the condition of livestock when loaded are suitable for transport in that there has been a curfew if the cattle are coming off green feed.” Mr Munro said the livestock associations are working towards setting up a set of guidelines that will keep both the producers and the transporters safe and that risk is assessed before the transport task. The south-east Queensland town of Kilcoy is currently an effluent hotspot. Big Rigs contacted the Somerset Regional Council for comment. Biosecurity The ALRTA is concerned that effluent is a prime vector of disease. For example in the case of a foot and mouth outbreak in Northern Australia, Mr Munro says that such an outbreak could cost the nation $60 billion. However effluent control and a simple alkaline or acid detergent wash at facilities could stop the spread of the disease. "$50 million spent now could save billions and entire industries in the future,” Mr Munro said, ending the report. .

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Being reminded of Isuzu’s ceramic engine causes me to mention Cummins’ adiabatic engine research. Adiabatic is a thermodynamic term meaning no heat loss. The engine retains virtually all the heat created by the combustion of the fuel, and thereby requires no cooling system. Cummins and the United States Army experimented with such an engine in a five-ton model M813 6x6. The Army was interested in the project because it found that 60 percent of its vehicle-related failures involved problems with cooling systems. The Army’s Tank Automotive Command (TACOM) at Warren, Michigan, and Cummins jointly developed this first generation adiabatic engine by modifying the NHC250 normally found in the M813. The major changes involved making the pistons, cylinder liners, cylinder head, valves and exhaust manifolds out of a ceramic-metallic mixture which could tolerate temperatures exceeding 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. By retaining most of the heat generated by fuel combustion and converting it into energy, the efficiency of the engine was improved almost 100 percent. A normal engine is only able to convert about one third of the heat created into usable power. The other two thirds is lost through the cooling system or out the exhaust pipe. Fuel economy was also improved with the adiabatic NHC250 version by almost 30 percent. Other advantages to the adiabatic NHC250, particularly in military applications, included the ability to install the engine within a vehicle in any position, since there was no requirement for airflow, or the need to be near a radiator for cooling. Without the need of a radiator, hoses and water pump, a weight savings of 338 pounds was realized with the adiabatic version. Lastly, because of the adiabatic engine’s very high combustion chamber temperatures, it could run well on a wide variety of fuels. Related reading: http://papers.sae.org/830314/ http://papers.sae.org/840428/ .

That was Isuzu, as I recall. Please correct me if I'm wrong. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ October 27, 1983 Isuzu Motors said Thursday it has developed a ceramic internal combustion engine that is capable of generating more power than the conventional type while cutting fuel consumption by half. The prototype, a 1,995 cc turbo-charged diesel model, will be displayed at the Tokyo Motor Show opening Friday. Developed together with Kyocera, the leading Japanese industrial ceramics products maker, the combustion chamber of the ceramic engine is built with the highly heat-resistant material that is capable of withstanding up to 2,000 degrees (C) of heat without a cooling system. Test results show that the ceramic engine can generate 30 percent more power at half the level of fuel consumption. Isuzu, however, stressed that the model is only a prototype and that the company still has to iron out durability and other unspecified technical problems before the engine can be put into commercial use. Specifically Isuzu engineers will have to make the ceramics more durable. The material, while highly heat-resistant, cracks easily, auto experts said. The Isuzu spokesman confirmed durability is among the unresolved technical problems but indicated the Isuzu engineers would be able to overcome them. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ United States patent on ceramic engine design - https://www.google.com/patents/US5063881 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Motor Panels is linked to North America. Connecting the dots of Mack conventional cab supplier history, Sheller-Globe purchased Motor Panels of the UK and then put the Norwalk Mack cab plant under its new Motor Panels division. Then that division was sold in 1989 to UK-based CH Industrials, which was sold in 1991 to UK-based Mayflower Vehicle Systems, which was sold in 2005 to Commercial Vehicle Group (CVG). CVG had no prior history of assembling cabs, was willing to do so. Likewise Bendix, who had never produced cabs, has assembled White Xpeditor cabs for Autocar in Huntington, Indiana since 2008. Currently, CVG stamps and assembles the cabs under contract in a run-down plant in Kings Mountain, North Carolina (originally located there to supply Mack Trucks' Winnsboro, South Carolina plant 70 miles away), from which they are trucked up 470 miles to Macungie.

This Motor Panels brochure shows the cab sourced by Mack for the European F-model. .

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Scania Group Press Release / January 16, 2017 What ingenious engineering lowers oil consumption and extends engine life, and has been around for the last 40 years? .

DAF Trucks Press Release / January 16, 2017 .

Kenworth Truck Company Press Release / January 16, 2017 Two new Kenworth T880S set-forward front axle mixers are Kenworth’s showcase construction trucks at the upcoming 2017 World of Concrete Show Jan. 17-20 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Kenworth’s booth (No. C6020) will feature a 5-axle Kenworth T880S mixer with a 2017 Paccar [DAF] MX-11 430-hp engine with 1,650 lb-ft of torque, Allison 4700 RDS 7-speed automatic transmission, 20,000-pound front axle and suspension, 46,000-pound rear axle and suspension. Also on display will be a 4-axle Kenworth T880S mixer equipped with a 2017 Paccar [DAF] MX-13 405-hp engine with 1,450 lb-ft of torque, Allison 4500 RDS 6-speed automatic transmission, 20,000-pound front axle and suspension, and 46,000-pound rear axle and suspension. “The rugged and reliable T880S is designed to deliver excellent performance in vocational applications where every incremental pound of payload delivered contributes directly to the bottom line, and excellent maneuverability and visibility are valued,” said Kurt Swihart, Kenworth marketing director. “With a 114-inch BBC and best-in-class 28-inch bumper setting, contractors can operate highly productive mixer trucks that easily meet the Federal Bridge formula with minimum tare weight and the capability for enhanced body installations.” The bumper setting is critical to spec’ing Bridge Formula chassis so they remain under the 40-foot length limit, Swihart added. The weight rating for the set-forward front axle on the T880S ranges from 14,600 pounds to 22,800 pounds. Contractors can also choose single, tandem or tridem drive axles, and a wide variety of factory-installed lift axles, to meet their jobsite requirements. The T880S provides clear back-of-cab options that make it easy to configure truck bodies, handle extreme loads and make it easier for body upfitting. “Contractors will like that the new model’s lower hood profile that provides their drivers up to four feet of additional ground visibility,” Swihart said. “That can be particularly important for drivers operating in the tight confines of many job sites.” The T880S is standard with the 12.9-liter MX-13 engine, which provides up to 510-hp and 1,850 lb-ft of torque. For weight-sensitive applications, the 10.8-liter MX-11 engine saves 400 pounds compared to a 13-liter engine, offers an impressive power to weight ratio, and low fuel consumption. The MX-11 with up to 430-hp and 1,650 lb-ft of torque is well-suited for ready-mix trucks. .

OOIDA denied request for ELD rehearing Fleet Owner / January 13, 2017 Group still contends that government reasons for mandating electronic ELDs are weak and fail to justify violating the Fourth Amendment rights of professional truck drivers. The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) said its petition with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit for a rehearing of its legal case against the electronic logging device (ELD) mandate was denied this week. The three-judge panel had ruled against OOIDA’s original lawsuit back in October, prompting the group to file this now-defunct petition in December. “It’s clear now that we have to pull out all the stops to convince lawmakers and the new Trump administration of the need to set aside the ELD mandate,” Jim Johnston, OOIDA’s president and CEO, said in a statement, adding that his organization is preparing for the “next phase” of its ELD mandate challenge with an appeal to the Supreme Court. Yet he added that OOIDA will also continue to pursue the issue on the congressional side. OOIDA still contends that “the government’s excuses for mandating ELDs are weak” and fail to justify violating the Fourth Amendment rights of professional truck drivers. Todd Spencer, OOIDA’s executive vice president, told Fleet Owner in an interview late last year that there’s been far more “take” than “give” in recent years where regulatory oversight of trucking is concerned. But he’s hopeful the changeover to the Trump administration might encourage a “fresh look” at highway safety as a whole. “The regulatory regime has been on steroids for the past few years. Is there a cumulative effect? There sure is,” he explained. “The kind of mindset in the regulatory/legislative community right now is that more is better,” Spencer stressed. “But although there’s been more regulation and more compliance than there’s ever been, crash numbers keep going up, not down. So what the very people making all of these rules should be asking is, ‘What the hell is going on?’”

These were produced in 2003 (when Volvo terminated E9 production) or prior. Armed forces routinely purchase an incredibly large number of spare parts, and purge them when they retire the trucks, tanks, ect. that used them. This is why military truck ownership makes for a relatively inexpensive hobby. New old stock (NOS) parts generally have high availability and relatively low cost.

Nikkei / January 9, 2017 Mazda will introduce a new gasoline engine at the end of 2018 that offers 30% better fuel efficiency by using pressure, not spark plugs, to ignite fuel. This will be the first practical application of the technology, called homogeneous charge compression ignition. Though Mazda is developing electric vehicles too, the automaker thinks the internal combustion engine will continue to account for the majority of new-vehicle sales for the foreseeable future and that the company's technology will give it a leg up on the competition. Homogeneous charge compression ignition, or HCCI, is the black art of of internal combustion engines that aims to produce diesel-like fuel efficiency for the cost of gasoline. Although some of its competitors have developed and subsequently given up on the tech, Mazda confirmed that the next-generation of “SkyActiv” engines will employ HCCI technology, improving fuel economy by 30 percent and at the same time reducing exhaust emissions. According to Nikkei, a new SkyActiv family of engines is set to debut under the hood of the next-gen Mazda3 in 2018 before making its way into other vehicles. In simple terms, an engine that uses HCCI burns the air/fuel mix using pressure instead of with spark plugs, just like a diesel. At 14:1, Mazda's gasoline engines already have some of the highest compression ratios out there, but a move to HCCI means cranking up the compression to 18:1. While the tech sounds relatively straightforward, using HCCI means dealing with a number of side issues. It's one of those "on paper" ideas that compounds problems when put into practice. Heat, revs, and fuel must all be carefully managed as gasoline doesn't burn the same way as diesel. If the new HCCI engines are successful, Mazda will have out-engineered GM, Daimler, and Hyundai, all of which have tried and failed to develop HCCI engines in a cost-effective package. With the market moving towards electrification, it's interesting to see Mazda still focusing so heavily on traditional internal combustion gasoline engines. It's an indication of where they see the market heading for the next few years. Although the automaker has been hesitant to move forward with hybrid and electric powertrains, Mazda will begin mass production of electric vehicles in 2019.

VW's Winterkorn Directly Involved, Damning Dieselgate Revelations Say Forbes / January 15, 2017 If you are looking for written proof for the involvement of Volkswagen’s former CEO Martin Winterkorn in the dieselgate coverup, look no further than this morning’s edition of Germany’s BILD Zeitung. Two months before the scandal became public, Volkswagen planned a highly selective disclosure strategy, the paper says in its Sunday edition. The usually well-informed newspaper cites and shows PowerPoints from a presentation chaired by Martin Winterkorn himself. The revelation could put arrested Volkswagen manager Oliver Schmidt in U.S. jail for many years, and it could cost Volkswagen another $10 billion. The documents are from a July 27, 2015 crisis meeting at Volkswagen’s headquarters in Wolfsburg. This meeting gained prominence when VW manager Oliver Schmidt was arrested a week ago in Miami. In its complaint against Schmidt, the FBI alleges: “On or about July 27, 2015, SCHMIDT and other VW employees presented to VW’s executive management in Wolfsburg, Germany, regarding the existence, purpose and characteristics of the defeat device,” the FBI claims, continuing that “in the presentation, VW employees assured VW executive management that U.S. regulators were not aware of the defeat device. Rather that advocate for disclosure of the defeat device to U.S. regulators, VW executive management authorized its continued concealment.” Not exactly, says the document revealed today. The documents describe an unemotional planning session, coldly calculating the “chances” and “risks” of possible disclosure strategies vis-à-vis the U.S. regulator. The presentation did not traipse around. “No change of raw emissions in acoustic mode” a briefing document is quoted. BILD’s translation: “The exhaust is blown out unfiltered.” At Volkswagen, “acoustic mode” was the code word for the defeat device cheater software. The meeting also was fully informed about the number of affected cars: “505,874 vehicles” in North America, a slide said. The “defensive” strategy is paraphrased by BILD as “continue lying for a while.” As its chances, the chart named an assured approval of new Volkswagen models. Its risks were “very high financial penalties.” The “offensive” strategy was one of full disclosure. As its chances, lower penalties beckoned. Its risks were defined as long delays in the type approval of a new model generation. Meeting participants told BILD in unison that the meeting decided on the “offensive” strategy: Full disclosure. Volkswagen brand chief Herbert Diess, a fresh arrival from BMW, offered his assistance in the coming clean, the report said. However, that decision did not survive a few days. Says BILD: “Another manager prevailed: The now arrested Oliver Schmidt volunteered to take care of the problem. In an internal note dated July 30th, suddenly there was not a single word about full disclosure in front of the U.S. regulator. The note says that “Professor Winterhorn” approved the following procedure: “Selective disclosure of the Gen 1 and Gen 2 issues.” Also, Schmidt was asked to clear the “wording” with a Winterkorn confidante, and a Volkswagen lawyer.” The July 27 presentation was given by a Volkswagen engineer named by BILD only as “Thorsten D.” a treatment required for German suspects until convicted. The FBI named a Thorsten Duesterdieck in its criminal complaint against Oliver Schmidt. BILD bases its story on interviews with meeting participants by a German prosecutor, and on its own interviews. “We talked about something illegal installed into our cars,” one participant is cited by BILD. The July 27 meeting had been talked about before. However, Volkswagen and Winterkorn used to remember only a brief conversation where Winterkorn was supposedly told that everything was under control. In a court in Braunschweig, Volkswagen did confirm the July 27 meeting, and the participation of Winterkorn and Diess. In a court document, Volkswagen declared that “neither the content of this informal meeting nor the exact timing of the participation of the board members can be reconstructed in detail.” Thorsten D. recalls the meeting differently. He expected to be “blown off” after the third chart, he told prosecutors. Instead, Winterkorn’s reaction to the presentation was “surprisingly calm,” the report said. “You and your software,” Winterkorn snapped later in the meeting at a Volkswagen engineer who was part of the cheater code development, said BILD. In Germany, Volkswagen is fighting some 1400 lawsuits brought by stockholders, alleging that the company did not disclose material facts in a timely manner. Volkswagen is being sued for between $9 and $11 billion. Along with Volkswagen’s admission of guilt as part of the recent settlement with the US DOJ, today’s revelation will not help its cause in German courts. On top of the U.S. settlement, this would total to some $30 billion, money the company could have used to build 20 new factories, or to develop 30 new model generations, mehr oder weniger. Reports of Winterkorn’s direct involvement in the cover-up do not lift the spirits of Volkswagen managers who had to endure a staccato of dropping shoes for more than a year. They were told that it was a rogue group among theirs, all the while executives quietly sailed out of the door on golden parachutes. Many Volkswagen managers cannot take it anymore. “This is insane,” sighed a Volkswagen exec over the phone from Wolfsburg after he read the story in this morning’s BILD am Sonntag. “With that, the positions of Diess, Müller, Stadler and Pötsch should no longer be tenable, wouldn’t you say?” the exec hoped, listing the really top brass at Volkswagen. Only the future will have that answer. For the Wolfsburg manager, the answer can’t come soon enough: “The field needs to be freshly plowed. That daily lawn mowing is Scheisse.”

Automotive News / January 16, 2017 The upcoming diesel version of the Chevrolet Cruze will be General Motors' first non-hybrid vehicle since the 1990s with an EPA-certified fuel economy rating over 50 mpg on the highway. GM is awaiting EPA certification of the car's fuel economy ratings ahead of a spring launch. The Cruze's new lightweight 1.6-liter turbo-diesel engine will be optional on the Cruze hatchback and sedan. Asked at the Detroit auto show about the Cruze diesel's highway rating, GM product development chief Mark Reuss said: "I think it will start with a 5." The early 1990s Geo Metro XFi (rebadged Suzuki Cultus) is the last time GM had a non-hybrid car that had an EPA highway rating in the 50s. The Cruze's new turbodiesel engine has an aluminum block and is rated at 137 hp and 240 pounds-feet of torque. It will be offered with either a nine-speed automatic transmission or a six-speed manual. The Cruze manual will have a higher EPA rating than the automatic. In 2015, the last time Chevrolet offered a Cruze diesel, the car had a 2.0-liter engine with a cast iron block paired with a six-speed automatic transmission. With the 2017 model, most of the power comes on low in the rpm range. In addition to high fuel economy, engineers also concentrated on refinement. "We've taken a totally different approach to address noise at the source," said Cruze diesel chief engineer Mike Siegrist. The cam timing details, for instance, are at the back of the engine, instead of the front. And to keep diesel chatter low, the fuel injectors shoot as many as 10 squirts of fuel per stroke. .

An MH Ultra-Liner powered by an E6-350 (4VH) ties with the Value-Liner as being my favorite Mack trucks of all time.

The U.S. Navy’s requirements for cross-country 6x6 pumpers led to the development of the American LaFrance Model YDXF-1 foam pumper. Built in 1954, it was powered by the same 320 horsepower ( at 2,800 rpm) dual-carbureted Continental Model S680-1 820 cubic inch six-cylinder engine used in several other military trucks. The pumper used American LaFrance’s 700 Series civilian cab, mounted high to provide clearance for the truck’s driven front axle. With 14.00x20 tires, it had 14 inches of ground clearance and excellent angles of approach and departure resulting in good off-road mobility. A synchronized Spicer five-speed transmission and Timken T13 two-speed transfer case were paired with Timken HM240-HX five-ton military axles (6.443 ratio). The truck’s chassis was based on the military five-ton 6x6. With a 190-inch wheelbase, the YDXF-1 was a versatile rig despite its 37,000 pound (16,783 kg) gross weight. The pumper carried 750 galons of foam concentrate which was supported by a 2,000 gallon-per-minute pump, and mounted a 750 gallon-per-minute main water pump with 1,200 feet of hose. The YDXF1 was tested at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, in the summer of 1954. .