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Italy Rejects Germany’s Request on Fiat Cars in Months-Long Feud Bloomberg / January 14, 2017 Italy rejected Germany’s request to look closer at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV’s vehicles to ensure they meet European emission rules, as the months-long feud between the countries over the issue escalated. Italian Deputy Transport Minister Riccardo Nencini said the “insistence of the German government after the responses given by the Italian ministry is incomprehensible.” Italy’s government is collaborating with the European Commission, Nencini said in a statement late Friday after the EU’s executive arm said German authorities have expressed serious concerns on emissions of the Fiat 500x. “We have repeatedly asked Italian authorities to come forward with convincing answers as soon as possible,” the EU Commission said in an e-mailed statement Friday. Germany’s KBA motor vehicle authority has carried out investigations on several Fiat vehicles, German Transport Ministry spokeswoman Svenja Friedrich told reporters at a regular government press conference on Friday. “The result was that a considerable reduction of the exhaust gas cleaning function occurs after a certain time. We are still of the opinion that these are unlawful switch-off [so-called "defeat devices"] facilities.” The German Transport Minister wants the EU Commission to intervene in the feud by setting up consultations to find a resolution to disagreements over test results. “The EU Commission is now doing exactly what has been demanded for a long time: it’s talking again with the Italians,” Friedrich said. Under EU rules, Italy is responsible for testing Fiat because the automaker’s regional operations are based in the country. German Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt said in May that he doubts Fiat’s cars are in line with rules for emissions certification. Italian Transport Minister Graziano Delrio replied in a Bloomberg interview a month later that the carmaker’s vehicles were “absolutely fine” and the company showed “maximum transparency.”

Here we go............again. Our employees in Washington at the U.S. Mint clearly have too much free time on their hands. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Associated Press / January 13, 2017 The United States Mint and Treasury have unveiled a new gold coin that portrays Lady Liberty as a woman of color for the first time in American history. In a press conference Thursday held in the Department of Treasury's "historic" Cash Room, the two departments introduced the 2017 American Liberty High Relief Gold Coin, which celebrates 225 years of coins being minted in the U.S. "We are very proud of the fact that the United States Mint is rooted in the Constitution," said Principal Deputy Director Jeppson. "Our founding fathers realized the critical need for our fledgling nation to have a respected monetary system, and over the last 225 years, the Mint has never failed in its mission." In "a departure from previous classic designs," the new coin portrays Lady Liberty as a black woman wearing a crown of stars. The coin is inscribed with "1792," for the year the U.S. Mint was established, "2017" and "IN GOD WE TRUST." The reverse side of the coin contains a "bold and powerful eagle in flight," according to the press release. The 1-ounce coin will be struck in .999 fine 24-karat gold at the West Point Mint facility in New York. It is the first in a series of 24-karat gold coins that will feature designs representing Lady Liberty as Asian-American, Hispanic-American and Indian-American. The coins will be issued every two years. Last year, the Treasury announced that civil rights activist and abolitionist Harriet Tubman would replace Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill. .

Our premium seating is produced by Recaro. There is no more comfortable a seat in the industry. https://www.recaro-automotive.com/us/press/news/news-view/article/a-quantum-leap-in-the-cab-scania-streamline-launches-with-seats-made-by-recaro.html

Will someone please remind me why brave American soldiers are putting their lives on the line in Afghanistan? The thoroughly corrupt country’s government, police and military are untrustworthy. The American taxpayer has, not by choice, wasted billions of dollars there in a country that is allowed to produce heroin for the global market. This is a country where it is socially acceptable for men to rape young boys, their sex slaves, contradictory to American values. Our employees in Washington oddly instruct our soldiers to ignore it. (http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/41486-decorated-green-beret-booted-after-striking-afghan-police-commander-who-raped-boy-12-and-beat-up-mother/#comment-301270) What is the clear mission objective? How is our presence in the interest of the United States ? As of October 18th, 2016, there have been 2,386 reported U.S. military deaths in Afghanistan. 20,049 American soldiers have been wounded. And there were 1,173 U.S. civilian contractor fatalities. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Afghanistan: US Marines headed back to HelmandProvince CNN / January 13, 2017 Approximately 300 Marines will deploy to Afghanistan's HelmandProvince this spring, returning to the scene of some of the fiercest battles in America's 15-year-long engagement there. The commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. Robert Neller, said Thursday that the troops have "no delusions about the difficulty and the challenges they're going to face." The Marines will be tasked with training and advising Afghan soldiers and police in the volatile opium-rich province. Afghan security forces there have been locked in constant clashes with Taliban insurgents, who have managed to reestablish a significant presence. Helmand sits in the country's southwest. While geographically large, it is very rural and contains only about 3% of the Afghan population. "The enemy has fought hard for Helmand," Gen. John Nicholson, the commander of US forces in Afghanistan, told reporters at the Pentagon last month. Nicholson said the Taliban "receive much of their funding from the narcotics trafficking that occurs out of Helmand," adding that "there's a nexus here between the insurgency and criminal networks that's occurring in Helmand that makes Helmand such a difficult fight." "This is a mission we've always been ready for," Lt. Gen. William Beydler, who oversees Marines in the region, told reporters last week. The contingent of Marines will replace US Army advisers currently carrying out the mission, forming "Task Force Southwest," to be commanded by Brig. Gen. Roger Turner Jr. "They continue to need international support," Turner said of the Afghan troops, noting that US personnel would be focusing on intelligence and logistics advice. Some of the troops will be operating in the vicinity of CampLeatherneck, the one-time home of thousands of Marines in Afghanistan. "The Marine Corps has a deep operational history in Afghanistan, particularly Helmand Province," Turner said, with Beydler noting that Marines first deployed to the province in 2001 and later fought battles against insurgents in Sangin and Marjah, where Marines took some of their heaviest casualties. But the two officers were quick to downplay any symbolism in returning to a region that the Marines left after the end of formal combat operations in 2014. "I wouldn't read into this from a symbolic standpoint," Beydler said. "It just so happened that it turned up now and we're ready and we're going." Neller struck a similar tone, saying, "The simple reason why we're going back is because someone asked us if we could do this and I said, 'yes.' " Turner noted that there would be some advantages to going back, particularly when it came to rekindling relationships with America's partners in the Afghan army. "These are folks who we fought alongside and who we fought with and we bled with, and we think there'll be a real synergy in reestablishing relationships," Turner said. "We have a lot of blood, sweat and tears invested in Helmand, and so I think a lot of the Marines are really excited about this opportunity to go back and work again with our Afghan partners," Turner added.

Where there is smoke, there is generally fire. I suspect there is something to all this, and we’ll all actually find out. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Senate intelligence committee to question Trump team on Russia links The Guardian / January 13, 2017 The Senate intelligence committee plans to interview senior figures in the incoming Trump administration as part of its inquiry into alleged Russian hacking during the US election, its chairman said on Friday. The announcement, one week before Donald Trump assumes the presidency, comes amid a bitter row between him and the US intelligence agencies he will soon lead. Only yesterday the committee chairman Richard Burr, a Republican, had told reporters that connections between the president-elect and Moscow would be outside the remit of his committee’s ongoing investigation into Russia’s alleged attempts to influence the election through hacking and other cyberattacks. But Burr – in a statement issued jointly with the panel’s top Democrat, Mark Warner – said the committee would use “subpoenas if necessary” to force Trump’s team, as well as officials from the Obama administration, to testify. “As part of the Senate select committee on intelligence’s oversight responsibilities, we believe that it is critical to have a full understanding of the scope of Russian intelligence activities impacting the United States,” the statement said. Among other things, the inquiry will examine “counterintelligence concerns related to Russia and the 2016 US election, including any intelligence regarding links between Russia and individuals associated with political campaigns”. The statement is the first formal announcement describing the scope of the committee’s investigation. The inquiry falls short of a demand, backed by every House Democrat and many Senate Democrats, for an independent bipartisan commission. With congressional Republicans opposing that move, Democrats have been hoping to build pressure as intelligence briefings on the Russia hacking have accumulated in the past week. Warner indicated in a statement, issued alongside his statement with Burr, that he did not necessarily view the intelligence panel’s inquiry as the final investigative option. “This issue impacts the foundations of our democratic system – it’s that important,” he said. “This requires a full, deep and bipartisan examination. At this time, I believe that this committee is clearly best positioned to take on that responsibility ... If it turns out that SSCI [Senate Select Committee on Intelligence] cannot properly conduct this investigation, I will support legislation to empower whoever can do it right.” The announcement comes hours after the Guardian reported that FBI director James Comey frustrated lawmakers at a closed briefing on Friday when he refused to clarify whether his agency was conducting an inquiry into Trump’s ties to Russia. Comey had previously told the Senate intelligence committee that he would “never comment” on a potential FBI investigation “in an open forum like this”, raising expectations that he would put the issue to rest in a classified setting. But, according to sources attending the closed-door meeting, that was not the case. The bulk of the intelligence committee’s hearings will be held behind closed doors, the statement from Burr and Warner said, although it would try to conduct public hearings when possible. The senators vowed to follow the intelligence “wherever it leads”. The announcement is a reversal of Burr’s previous statement to reporters. On Thursday, he said an inquiry into the possible links between Trump and Russia would not involve investigating ties between Moscow and the Trump campaign, asserting that the committee doesn’t “have anything to do with political campaigns. We don’t have any authority to go to any campaign and request information that one would need to do an investigation.” When asked who should, he suggested the FBI. The move comes in the aftermath of the publication of a set of unverified documents alleging covert links between the Trump campaign and Moscow and referring to personally comprising material about the president-elect, allegedly collected by Russian intelligence when he visited Russia. Trump has called the allegations “phony stuff”, adding: “It didn’t happen.” The material was put together by Christopher Steele, a former British counter-intelligence official who was commissioned to do research on Trump on behalf of his political opponents. Steele was reportedly so alarmed by what he found that he forwarded a copy of the documents to the FBI over the summer. David Corn, Washington editor of Mother Jones, who first broke the story about the existence of the documents, described his interview with their author in October. He said he had agreed to speak “under the condition that I not name him or reveal his nationality or the spy service where he had worked for nearly two decades, mostly on Russian matters.” The former spy told Corn that he had decided the material he began receiving in June was “sufficiently serious” for him to send it to his contacts at the FBI. Steele did so without permission from the American firm [Fusion GPS] that had hired him. “This was an extraordinary situation,” he told Corn. The former counter-intelligence official said the reaction from the FBI was “shock and horror” and a few weeks later the Bureau asked him for information on his sources and their reliability and on how he had obtained his reports. The Bureau also asked him to carry on sending further reports to its investigators. He stressed that the reports were raw updates of what he was learning from his sources. “This was something of huge significance, way above party politics,” the ex-spy told Corn. “I think [Trump’s] own party should be aware of this stuff as well.” He noted that the operations aimed at Trump were part of Vladimir Putin’s campaign to “disrupt and divide and discredit the system in western democracies”.

Carmakers in DC’s Crosshairs in Final Days Before Trump Bloomberg / January 14, 2017 This is so much more than a parting shot. With a week to go before Donald Trump becomes president, the Obama administration has unleashed a final, multiprong effort on enforcement and regulation in the automotive industry, with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV now at the fore. On Friday alone, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rejected automakers’ bid to weaken fuel-efficiency standards, news broke that federal authorities had opened a criminal investigation into Fiat Chrysler over its handling of emissions in 104,000 SUVs and pickup trucks, while embattled supplier Takata Corp. agreed to plead guilty and pay $1 billion to settle a U.S. probe into its exploding airbags linked to at least 17 deaths worldwide. Together the developments -- along with this week’s $4.3 billion in fines and penalties against Volkswagen AG for its diesel-emissions cheating and the indictment of three Takata executives -- mark one of the most aggressive industry-related moves since the Obama administration helped General Motors Co. and the former Chrysler LLC through bankruptcy in 2009. The question now is how Trump, who campaigned on promises to revive the fossil-fuel industry and roll back environmental regulation, will respond to steps the auto industry says will hurt jobs and cost consumers. Sergio Marchionne, the chief executive officer of Fiat Chrysler, told reporters on Friday the Obama administration has taken a “belligerent view” of the industry. “We don’t belong to a class of criminals,” he said. The administration’s biggest move was EPA jumping several months ahead of schedule to affirm President Barack Obama’s mandate requiring automakers to cut carbon-dioxide emissions by boosting their fleet-wide fuel economy to an average of 50.8 miles per gallon by 2025 from 35.3 mpg now. National Automobile Dealers Association President and CEO Peter Welch urged Trump to reverse the EPA decision, saying in a statement the rule would add thousands of dollars to the cost of new cars and trucks. Welch’s comments echo the auto industry’s broader tone since Nov. 30, when the EPA telegraphed that the regulations would see no major changes. Friday’s announcement marked the conclusion of an EPA review automakers say was unfairly cut short to safeguard a signature Obama administration environmental policy from Trump. ‘Politically Costly’ “Obama is making it more difficult and more politically costly for the new administration to unwind the regulations,” said Brian Johnson, a Barclays Plc analyst in Chicago. For Trump to do this, he would have to re-start the process that produced the rules in the first place. Dave Cooke, senior vehicles analyst at the Union of Concerned Scientists, says such a move would include reaching a fresh conclusion that the 2025 standards needed to be changed and then a lengthy rulemaking to actually do so. “This is not a hasty decision,” Cooke said. “It’s based on years of data and it’s a lot of work and effort to overturn.” Washington-based analysts at ClearView Energy Partners LLC issued a note to clients on Friday, saying Congress probably won’t roll back the regulations. “We think the Trump Administration may be more inclined to consider short-term administrative ‘tailoring’ of the program to give automakers more flexibility as it considers a comprehensive rewrite of the MY2022-2025 standards,” it said. Possible Amendments The Republican-controlled Congress also could amend the Clean Air Act to bar the regulation of carbon dioxide as a pollutant, or to prevent California and other states from enacting their own requirements for zero-emission vehicles. As part of a rulemaking slated for later this year, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration will codify its own fuel-economy targets for 2022-2025. The Trump administration could use this to grant concessions automakers want related to, for example, credits they can earn by installing eco-friendly technologies such as aerodynamic grilles. Relief on these rules is near the top of automakers’ wish lists for what they hope will be a more business-friendly administration under Trump. In an interview at the Detroit auto show earlier this week, GM North America President Alan Batey expressed concern the current targets force companies to add expensive equipment he said “the customer won’t pay for and, in many cases, doesn’t even value.” A longer timeline would relieve some of the pressure, he added. Petitioning Trump Beyond fuel economy, automakers petitioned Trump’s transition team for a broader re-set of relations with the government just days after the election, asking for a new presidential advisory panel to coordinate the panoply of regulatory agencies that oversee pieces of the industry. Yet the impact of even an aggressive move by Trump to de-fang Washington’s auto-regulatory regime may have limits, as counterparts overseas show no signs of backing off their own initiatives. “There may be an adjustment in the U.S. standards after 2021, but I don’t see them going down in Europe or China,” said Warren Gibbon, who helps manage $370 billion for Standard Life Investments in Boston and sold his holdings in big Detroit car companies in 2012. “To the extent these cars and trucks are all global platforms, that could be an issue.” Trump’s election has alarmed climate activists who worry the president-elect will make good on his vow to dismantle environmental regulations limiting carbon-dioxide emissions. Trump once described climate change as a hoax, and many of his nominees for key cabinet positions also have been skeptical of humans’ role in the phenomenon. Stoking Fears Fears also have been stoked by a questionnaire Trump transition advisers sent to the Energy Department in December, asking for the names of employees and contractors involved in climate policy matters. Given the volume of emissions from America’s 250 million vehicles, Obama’s fuel-efficiency plan is widely considered to be one of the country’s major efforts to combat climate change. For now, automakers don’t know if Trump is spending much time even thinking about how to regulate their industry. “I’m not sure if ‘our neck of the woods’ is going to be on top of the list,” said Jim Lentz, CEO of Toyota Motor North America. “The new Secretary of Transportation may be spending more time on infrastructure than on regulating autonomous cars or fuel economy.” “I have no idea.”

Here's ExxonMobil's lobbying disclosure that Menendez had in his hand, which includes where the company lobbied against H.R.5094 (the STAND for Ukraine Act), an event under Tillerson's tenure as ExxonMobil head. It's the tenth "Lobbying Activity" on the list. https://soprweb.senate.gov/index.cfm?event=getFilingDetails&filingID=6B7C97D3-08DB-456E-B05E-E22EF3C89AC2&filingTypeID=60

Tillerson, who joined Exxon in 1975, has been Chairman and CEO of ExxonMobile from 2006 thru 2016. Now for example, I've read that ExxonMobil lobbied repeatedly on the Ukraine Freedom Support Act of 2014, the bill imposing sanctions on Russia’s oil sector after its 2014 invasion of Ukraine. Based on that, it is impossible for me to believe that he as Chairman and CEO didn't know about his company's lobbying efforts.

Rubio has some valid points in his questioning of Tillerson, but at times he comes across as a prick, frankly speaking. But not knowing him personally, I must give him the benefit of the doubt that he has good intentions. Menendez, on the other hand, comes across in the video above as a very professional and reasonable employee of the people. Very calm and rational. If every congressman was the same caliber as Menendez appears to be, we'd be far better off.

Takata to plead guilty, pay $1B penalty over airbag defects; 3 former executives indicted Reuters / January 13, 2017 The U.S. government charged Takata Corp. with criminal wrongdoing on Friday in connection with airbag inflator ruptures linked to at least 16 deaths worldwide. The company was charged with a single felony count of wire fraud. It has agreed to plead guilty to the charge as part of a $1 billion deal with the U.S. Justice Department to resolve a government probe into its handling of the airbag safety defect. The settlement remains subject to judicial approval. U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade from the Eastern District of Michigan announced the settlement and indictments on Friday in Detroit. To see the plea agreement, click here. "Automotive suppliers who sell products that are supposed to protect consumers from injury or death must put safety ahead of profits," McQuade said. "If they choose instead to engage in fraud, we will hold accountable the individuals and business entities who are responsible." "Cheaters will not be allowed to gain an advantage over the good corporate citizens who play by the rules," McQuade said. “For more than a decade, Takata repeatedly and systematically falsified critical test data related to the safety of its products, putting profits and production schedules ahead of safety,” said Andrew Weissmann, the Justice Department's fraud section chief. “This announcement is the latest in the automotive industry enforcement actions the Fraud Section has taken to protect U.S. consumers against fraud.” A federal grand jury separately indicted three former Takata executives for fraud and conspiracy over the defective airbag inflators, which triggered the largest automotive safety recall in U.S. history. Shinichi Tanaka, 59, Hideo Nakajima, 65, and Tsuneo Chikaraishi, 61 -- all of them Japanese citizens and longtime Takata executives who left the company in 2015 -- were indicted on wire fraud and conspiracy charges for allegedly convincing automakers while at the auto supplier to buy "faulty, inferior, non-performing, non-compliant or dangerous inflators through false reports." The settlement could help Takata win financial backing from an investor to potentially restructure and pay for massive liabilities from the world's biggest automotive safety recall. "Reaching this agreement is a major step towards resolving the airbag inflator issue and a key milestone in the ongoing process to secure investment in Takata," Takata CEO Shigehisa Takada said in a statement. He added that the company "deeply regrets the circumstances that have led to this situation and remains fully committed to being part of the solution." Seeking extradition Warrants were issued for their arrest, but the defendants are presumed to be in Japan and do not currently have a date to appear in court. McQuade said the U.S. would work with Japan to seek extradition of the three executives. "We would like them to stand trial in the U.S.," she said. The six-count indictment, unsealed on Friday, says the three Takata executives knew around 2000 that the inflators were not performing to automaker's specifications and were failing during testing, but they provided false test reports to automakers. The indictment cited a 2004 email from Nakajima to Tanaka that says he was "manipulating" inflator test data. The inflators can explode with excessive force, launching metal shrapnel at passengers in cars and trucks. Many of those killed were involved in low-speed crashes that they otherwise may have survived. To date, 11 deaths and least 184 people have been injured in the United States. "These indictments send a strong message that if company executives knowingly put deadly products on the market, they will be held accountable for their actions," said U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla. The settlement includes a $25 million criminal fine, $125 million in victim compensation and $850 million to compensate automakers who have suffered losses from massive recalls. The company has 30 days to pay the $150 million for victim compensation and the criminal fine and then up to a year to pay the rest. The Justice Department said it had recommended together with Takata that Ken Feinberg, a compensation expert, oversee the automaker and victim compensation funds. The recalls have affected 19 automakers to date. Regulators have said recalls would eventually affect about 42 million U.S. vehicles with nearly 70 million Takata airbag inflators, making it the largest U.S. safety ever. Regulators expect it will take at least another three years to begin all of the recalls; just 12.5 million inflators have been repaired to date. Independent monitor The settlement also calls for an independent monitor of the Japanese auto parts manufacturer. It could help Takata win financial backing from an investor to potentially restructure and pay for massive liabilities from the sweeping recalls. In 2015, Takata admitted in a separate $70 million settlement with U.S. auto safety regulators that it was aware of a defect in its airbag inflators but did not issue a timely recall. The settlement is expected to include restitution to some victims and automakers, who have been forced to recall millions of vehicles with the defective inflators. All but one of the 11 U.S. deaths have taken place in Honda Motor Co. vehicles. The Japanese automaker and Takata have settled nearly all lawsuits filed in connection with fatal crashes. Five more deaths from the defective airbags have been reported globally. Other investigations In recent years, the Justice Department has had an unprecedented number of criminal investigations into wrongdoing by automakers and suppliers, reaching major settlements with Toyota Motor Corp., Volkswagen AG, and General Motors. The antitrust arm of the Justice Department also has executed the largest industrywide price-fixing and bid-rigging prosecution in its history against auto suppliers. Through November, that investigation has prosecuted 47 companies and 65 executives -- yielding more than $2.9 billion in U.S. criminal fines, almost all of them against Japanese auto suppliers. In that probe, Takata agreed to pay a $71.3 million fine for fixing the prices of seat belts in the U.S. Takata Corp. indictment - http://www.autonews.com/assets/PDF/CA108634113.PDF Executive indictment - http://www.autonews.com/assets/PDF/CA108635113.PDF

Trump Team Signals Auto Border Tax Could Also Hit Canada Bloomberg / January 14, 2017 The Trump administration is signaling Canada could face the same retaliatory trade measures as Mexico, in what would be an even bigger disruption to automakers such as Toyota Motor Corp. and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV. Asked whether an auto border tax could impact Canada, President-elect Donald Trump’s spokesman, Sean Spicer, told reporters their policy isn’t specific to any one country. “When a company that’s in the U.S. moves to a place, whether it’s Canada or Mexico, or any other country seeking to put U.S. workers at a disadvantage,” Spicer said on a conference call Friday, then Trump “is going to do everything he can to deter that.” Any move to thwart imports from Canada would be a more severe impediment to the North American auto sector than sanctions against Mexico, since the industry’s links with the U.S.’s northern neighbor run deeper. Assembly in Canada, which along with the U.S. is a higher-cost producer than Mexico, is also focused on the more profitable and faster growing light-truck and sports vehicle segment of the market. “Canada is building a lot of vehicles that are in demand,” said Kevin Tynan, a senior auto analyst for Bloomberg Intelligence. Back and Forth Through October, the U.S. imported $37 billion worth of passenger cars from Canada last year, a 12 percent increase, according to Bloomberg Intelligence. That compares with $19 billion in imports from Mexico, which have been on the decline. Michigan-based automakers such as Ford Motor Co. often ship parts back and forth across the border to factories in Ontario, and made commitments to invest in Canada earlier this year while finishing union contract negotiations. Border taxes would hurt both nations, according to Linda Hasenfratz, chief executive officer of Guelph, Ontario-based auto-parts maker Linamar Corp. “We are trying to be globally competitive” in North America against overseas rivals, she said Wednesday on Bloomberg TV Canada. The industry is “intertwined” with “parts going back across the border multiple times.” The auto industry is global in nature and all vehicles contain a percentage of non-domestic content, Toyota Motor Corp. spokesman Aaron Fowles said in an emailed statement. This type of tax will have an impact on every part and product that is imported to the U.S., which means that prices for all vehicle makes will increase, according to the statement. While Canadian policy makers have already begun worrying how Trump policies will factor into their economic forecasts, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government has sought to get ahead of any potential trade disputes, pledging to work with the new administration and even renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement. This week, he confirmed his officials have met with Trump’s team to boost trade ties. The Canadian government also doesn’t lose any opportunities to highlight that its trade with the U.S. is near balance. The U.S. rang up a $9.1 billion merchandise trade deficit with Canada through November of last year, lagging the Mexican shortfall of $58.8 billion. Mexico has also moved ahead of Canada as a supplier of products to the U.S. in recent years on the strength of growing investments in auto factories there. Up to now it’s worked, with the president-elect focusing most of his calls for fair trade on Mexico and China. Spicer’s comments represent the first major broadside from Trump’s office against Canada, which generates $541 billion worth of annual trade with the U.S. “It’s not so much a target at one particular country or one particular industry,” Spicer said. Earlier this week, Montreal-based National Bank Financial estimated a 10 percent tax on goods crossing the American border would knock 9 percent off the value of Canada’s exports there. “We need to represent Canada, represent Canadians, represent our interests in all of our discussions around the world and that is exactly what we’ll look to do with the incoming administration,” Canadian Finance Minister Bill Morneau told reporters before Spicer spoke, when asked about the threat of a border tax.

EPA locks in 2025 fuel efficiency rules Reuters / January 13, 2017 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency chief Gina McCarthy on Friday finalized a determination that the landmark fuel efficiency rules instituted by President Barack Obama should be locked in through 2025, a bid to maintain a key part of his administration's climate legacy. Major U.S. and foreign automakers have appealed to President-elect Donald Trump, who has been critical of Obama's climate policies, to review the rules requiring them to nearly double fleet-wide fuel efficiency by 2025, saying they impose significant costs and are out of step with consumer preferences. As part of a 2012 regulation, EPA had to decide by April 2018 whether to modify the 2022-2025 model year vehicle emission rules requiring average fleet-wide efficiency of more than 50 miles per gallon. In November, the agency moved up the timetable for proposing that automakers can meet the 2025 standards. McCarthy said in a statement her determination, a legally binding decision to maintain the fuel efficiency rules, rests on an extensive technical record. "At every step in the process, the analysis has shown that the greenhouse gas emissions standards for cars and light trucks remain affordable and effective through 2025, and will save American drivers billions of dollars at the pump while protecting our health and the environment," she said. Gloria Bergquist, a spokeswoman for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, a trade association representing General Motors, Ford Motor Co., Toyota Motor Corp., Volkswagen AG and others, criticized the decision. "Our fundamental priority remains striking the right balance to continue fuel economy gains and carbon reduction without compromising consumer affordability and vital auto-sector jobs," she said. Automakers hope to work with regulators and California, Bergquist said, "to see whether we can find a prudent compromise path forward that avoids an unnecessary and counterproductive regulatory collision." “The Obama Administration today just made new cars and trucks thousands of dollars more expensive for America’s working men and women," NADA CEO Peter Welch said in a statement. "Expensive and unaffordable new cars will drive Americans into less efficient, less clean and less safe used cars -- undermining the very goals of this policy. We urge the incoming Trump Administration to withdraw today’s action, and we look forward to working with the new Administration to ensure that working families can choose the cleaner, safer new cars and trucks they need at prices they can afford.” Legal experts have said it will be more difficult for the Trump administration and Congress to undo the determination than to unwind other regulatory actions issued by the Obama administration during its final months in office. The 2025 determination is not a new regulation, so the EPA, under Trump, would likely have to go through an extensive process before withdrawing the determination, and could face lawsuits from environmental groups if they took that step.

Big Rigs / January 13, 2017 There are blokes who say the trucking industry isn't what it used to be, then there are operators like Victoria-based Steve Cook who are proof it's still a great way to earn a crust. "It's a good game, I mean a lot of people bag trucking now, but I believe it's a good group of blokes trying to have a crack and make a living,” Steve told Big Rigs. After running and building a successful fleet of ten trucks, Steve recently decided to sell up and take on a one truck owner-driver contract for Fulton Hogan Transport carting bitumen. "I started up my own business about 6 years ago, then built it to a fleet of 10 trucks in the produce area. "I got bought out and then got the opportunity at Fulton Hogan as a subby; I had a couple of mates that worked there and knew they were good to work for.” This meant Steve needed a new truck suited to the job of moving bitumen around Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia. " I wanted a Kenworth but I didn't want to go to a 909, it was a bit big, so I went for the T409,” he explained. (http://www.kenworth.com.au/trucks/t409/) "The 409 has a set back front axle, for access into the tighter stuff, and it's tare weight is great. "I worked with Danny Ohara from Kenworth Trucks Hallam to get it setup as a bitumen tanker, but we sat down and tried to make the truck adaptable for other work - it can pull a 34 pallet b-double if need be. "It's got the E5 Cummins engine rated at 540HP, Meritor diffs, an 18-speed automatic, 36-inch bunk, and everything else I'll need.” Steve had nothing but good things to say about Fulton Hogan Transport, who took him onboard as one of their own. "This company treats you like a family. "I'd done gas tankers but never bitumen and they trained me right up for the job. "With Fulton Hogan we're home Saturday and Sunday, but with my fleet it was around the clock, so It's freed up time for my family.” The dream of owning a truck and working for yourself is still a possibility according to Steve, who says even though sons aren't necessarily learning the trade from their fathers like they used to, there are ways to break in and succeed. "I reckon there is a lack of drivers, good quality drivers. "I know my son is more into computers, yet you used to get the father and son follow-on, I think that's going away. "I think if guys do their homework on who they want to get a contract with, then do their homework on what truck will fit. "Everyone wants a nice big flash truck, but it's about doing the due diligence then finding the equipment to suit the job.” .

Rivet rises from the ashes of McAleese Australasian Transport News (ATN) / January 13, 2017 New incarnation sees slimmed down version emerge McAleese has died but been resurrected as a three-segment group under the name Rivet (http://www.rivet.com.au/). The services are heavy haulage, specialised transport, logistics and lifting and the segments are Rivet Mining Services, Rivet Energy and Refuel International, according to the new Rivet website to which the previous McAleese web address leads. These corresponding roughly to the main services rescued from its previously listed incarnation. Mark Rowsthorn is the MD and CEO, while former McAleese realignment project director and was appointed of the Oil and Gas Division general manager Philip Tonks, once of Toll and Asciano, is chief operating officer. The development follows deals over deeds of company arrangement (DOCAs) that were agreed to before Christmas. There is no mention of linehaul or general freight, the diversification McAleese undertook two years ago when buying WA Freight Group. It is understood WA Freight Group was a going concern as part of the pre-Christmas negotiations. Refuel International is the former Sunshine Refuellers and was not part of the DOCAs’ process. The aviation refueling vehicles and systems developer based in the Melbourne suburb of Sunshine exists in the new firm under the new name. The Australian Financial Review quoted McGrathNicol administrator as confirming the restructuring was complete ahead of time and that it had been a "very efficient process with a good outcome". The newspaper states that the heavy haulage and lifting businesses would not be kept. But the Rivet website contains a related image and Rivet Mining Services section includes them. "Our new operating structure provides us with the ability to diversify our offering (commodity, customer, geography) as we now have the ability to partner and offer additional value added services such as crane hire, heavy haulage services, fuels, road maintenance, stockpile management, quarry services," it says. ATN is awaiting responses to its calls from Rivet. .

I'm not that old. But the fact that the "L" series cab (CA31) was reintroduced says a lot. Still, as we all know, the fleets overwhelmingly chose the CA21 or CA27 (contour). At the time, the CA21 had the feeling of being a newer, sleeker, more modern cab that the CA31, which it in fact was.

McNeilus plant back to work after Wednesday explosion Owatonna / January 12, 2017 Workers were back on the job Thursday at McNeilus Truck and Manufacturing, one day after an explosion that severely injured several employees. The Dodge Center manufacturing plant, which was evacuated after the blast Wednesday morning in a paint booth, is owned by Oshkosh Corporation. Oshkosh Vice President of Global Branding and Communication Bryan Brandt said most operations have now resumed. “Beside the building being impacted, the rest of the team members returned to work today,” he said. In the damaged paint building, McNeilus is working with investigators from the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office, the Deputy State Fire Marshal and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Brandt said. The cause of the explosion is not yet known. After the explosion, two workers were airlifted to Regions Hospital in St. Paul with severe burn injuries, and two others were transported to Mayo Clinic Hospital, St. Marys Campus, in Rochester with other serious injuries. Brandt declined to comment further on their status. “We’re not ready to say anything, due to the sensitivities of the families,” he said. McNeilus Truck and Manufacturing produces concrete mixer and garbage truck bodies. It is one of the major employers in Dodge Center.

Owatonna / January 11, 2017 An explosion injured at least six workers, some seriously, and shut down production Wednesday at the McNeilus Truck and Manufacturing plant in Dodge Center. According to Dodge County Sheriff Scott Rose, the blast occurred in the plant’s final paint building and was first reported to 911 at 10:32 a.m. “Law enforcement, medical and fire responded, and determined the explosion took place in the paint booth of that building,” Rose said. “At this point, the origin of the blast is unknown. We have the gas company on the scene as well as the fire marshal and investigators from the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office.” Two workers with reported severe burns were airlifted by Mayo One and Mayo Three to Regions Hospital in St. Paul, and two more workers who were hit by objects were transported by ambulance to Mayo Clinic Hospital, St. Mary’s Campus, with unspecified serious but non-life-threatening injuries, Rose said. Two more workers were treated for minor medical needs on-site. “All employees are accounted for. They did a head count right away to make sure they have everyone accounted for in the building,” said Rose, who added family of all the injured workers had been notified as of 1 p.m. The blast apparently was powerful enough to damage doors at both ends of the long, thin paint building, and Rose said the four seriously injured workers are believed to be the only ones in the building at the time, with the burn victims working next to the paint booth where the blast occurred. Still, it was a stroke of luck that so few workers were on hand, he said. “It sounds like the majority of the employees that would have been in that area were gone for training, so I think we’re fortunate that we didn’t have more injuries because of this incident,” Rose said. After the blast, the plant was closed down for the remainder of the day, and police temporarily shut down Highway Street E and other nearby roads except for employees leaving the area. Rose said McNeilus would have further information by Thursday. No information was available from the company Wednesday afternoon. He said there have been no past police calls for safety concerns at the plant, and that his office has a good working relationship with the company. At his press conference, Rose praised the many fire, ambulance and police agencies that responded as well as McNeilus officials for their response to the explosion. “We’re a small community, and this is not the type of incident that we normally would deal with here,” he said. “Between working with the MTM officials and their safety people, and then all the law enforcement, fire and medical that responded, as well as the [Department of Transportation], everybody did a great job handling this event.” McNeilus Truck and Manufacturing (https://www.mcneiluscompanies.com/) is owned by Oshkosh Corporation and produces concrete mixer and garbage truck bodies. It is one of the major employers in Dodge Center. In addition to the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office and Mayo helicopters, agencies responding to the explosion include Dodge Center, Kasson and West Concord Fire Departments; Dodge Center, Hayfield, West Concord and Gold Cross Ambulance Services; and Kasson Police, Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office and Minnesota State Patrol. .

The generous U.S. taxpayer is giving Israel US$38 billion in military aid over the next ten years, even though the federal deficit is in excess of US$500 billion ($587 billion in FY2016). It's not like we could use that money to revitalize our infrastructure here in the United States. https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2016/09/14/fact-sheet-memorandum-understanding-reached-israel

Defense News / January 11, 2017 Israel’s Ministry of Defense announced Wednesday it will acquire 200 FMTV tactical trucks from Oshkosh Defense in a contract valued at $200 million. The order, concluded in recent days between the Ministry’s New York purchasing mission and the Oshkosh, Wisconsin-based firm, follows months of field testing on an initial six trucks to ensure the firm’s Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV) meets Israeli requirements. In its Jan. 11 announcement, the Ministry noted that the $200 million contract likely will be followed by additional orders as the Israel Defense Force’s Technology and Logistics branch moves to replace its nearly 60-year-old tactical truck force. “We’re talking about an initial deal, after which the defense establishment is expected to decide to acquire hundreds more trucks until our entire antiquated fleet is replaced,” MoD noted in its statement. Itzik Levy, deputy head of purchasing for ground systems, said deliveries will begin in the current year, with the 200th truck expected to arrive by mid-2018. The deal, which will be paid for with United States Foreign Military Financing (FMF) grant aid, will include logistics and maintenance services in Israel, according to the ministry. .

Commercial Motor TV - sponsored by DAF Trucks / January 12, 2017 .

Renault Trucks Press Release / January 12, 2017 A team of Renault Trucks engineers and designers is working on an additive manufacturing process – metal 3D printing – that is set to boost the performance of engines. Technology of the future is fast becoming a reality, as can be seen from the complex parts that have already been successfully tested inside a Euro 6 engine. The Renault Trucks Lyon Powertrain Engineering department has focused on using metal additive manufacturing as a future engine manufacturing process. A prototype DTI 5 4- cylinder Euro 6 step C engine has been designed exclusively using 3D printing. Although the complete engine was already designed virtually, rocker arms and camshaft bearing caps were manufactured by metal 3D printing and successfully bench-tested for 600 hours inside a Euro 6 engine. "The aim of this project is to demonstrate the positive impact of metal additive manufacturing on the size and weight of an engine. This process has enabled us to reduce the weight of a 4-cylinder engine by 120 kg or 25%", explained Damien Lemasson, project manager at Renault Trucks. "The tests we have carried out prove the durability of engine components made using 3D printing. It's not just cosmetic." Metal additive manufacturing opens up new development opportunities for thermal engines. This printing process, which works by adding materials layer after layer, can be used to create complex organic forms, as well as optimizing the sizing of parts and reducing the number of assembly operations and therefore the number of components in an engine. "Additive manufacturing releases us from constraints and unlocks the creativity of engineers. This procedure is a source of disruptive technology for the engines of tomorrow, which will be lighter and more functional, thereby offering optimal performance," Damien Lemasson added. The number of components in the DTI 5 engine has been reduced by 25%, making a total of 200 fewer parts. For haulage companies, metal 3D printing carries a number of advantages. They will be able to optimize the overall operating costs of their fleet of vehicles, as a reduction in engine volume will lead to greater payloads and lower fuel consumption. In the short-term, this manufacturing procedure can be used for highly specific applications or small runs. Following on from these successful initial tests, engineers at Renault Trucks will be continuing their work on this manufacturing process to further increase the performance and functionality of truck components. Picture captions: Pictures 01 and 02 : On the left,the starting point, the Renault Trucks DTI5 Euro 6 engine, 841 parts. On the right, the same engine exclusively designed using 3D metal printing to reduce weight ans number of components. Picture 03 : On top, a Renault Trucks Euro 6 DTI5 rocker arm ; above, a rocker arm manufactured by 3D printing on a bench test inside a Euro 6 engine. .

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Now, Volvo headquarters moves its headquarters Göteborgs-Posten / January 12, 2017 Volvo Construction Equipment announced today that it is moving its global headquarters from Brussels, Belgium to Gothenburg, Sweden. Volvo said it desires to have a better interaction with the rest of the group, and be able to use the skills and resources available in Gothenburg. “It allows us an opportunity to be physically closer to the Volvo business and will facilitate closer cooperation and exchange of expertise”, says Martin Weiss Burg, Volvo CE president and Volvo Group board member. Volvo CE currently has 4,000 employees in Sweden, and has plants in Eskilstuna, Arvika, Hallsberg and Braås. The new headquarters will be operational in the third quarter of 2017.

Volvo CE to move the headquarters to Gothenburg Dagens Industri / January 12, 2017 Volvo's business in construction equipment, Volvo CE, moves this year its headquarters from Brussels to Gothenburg. The move will enable closer cooperation with the Group's other business areas, according to a press release. Volvo CE’s headquarters should be fully relocated to Gothenburg during the third quarter of this year. Volvo's second largest shareholder, Swedish hedge fund manager Christer Gardell (the Carl Icahn of Europe) who owns Cevian Capital, told Bloomberg News last October that Volvo Group should focus on trucks and dispose of Volvo CE.

Volvo Group Press Release / January 12, 2017 Volvo Construction Equipment [aka.Volvo CE or VCE] has today announced that the company’s global headquarters will move from its current location in Brussels, Belgium to Gothenburg, Sweden. The relocation will facilitate closer cooperation with the Group’s other business areas and allow for better usage of competence and resources of the whole Group. “Our Brussels location has served us well since the office opened in the 1980s and this move comes at the right time for Volvo CE as we continue to adapt our Company to changing global business dynamics. It allows us to be physically closer to the other Volvo business areas and it will facilitate closer cooperation and sharing of best practices,” states Martin Weissburg, President of Volvo CE and Member of the Executive Board of the Volvo Group. “Sweden is also home to approximately 4 000 Volvo CE employees and where some of our largest manufacturing, commercial and technology sites are located,” adds Weissburg. The Volvo CE headquarters will be operational in Gothenburg in the third quarter of 2017 .