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On Tuesday, September 14, 2016, Ford CEO Mark Fields said the automaker was going to shift Focus and C-Max production to Mexico. Today, after the dust has settled, Focus and C-Max production is still being shifted to Mexico. Ford’s Hermosillo plant produces the Fusion and slow selling Lincoln MKZ (a rebadged Fusion). The Fusion, the US market variant of the global market Mondeo, saw 265,840 U.S. sales in 2016, down from 300,170 in 2015. The lackluster Fusion/Mondeo-based MKZ saw just 30,534 U.S. sales (Resuscitated Lincoln will not succeed, but that’s another story) Now, Ford will spend money to expand its existing Hermosillo plant so as to accommodate Focus/C-Max production (Ford's mum on that), rather than build a separate new plant in San Luis Potosi. It's all smoke and mirrors. Ford says they cancelled the plant. Trump can voice success. Focus/C-Max production shifts to Mexico as planned. Big business and Trump win, while U.S. job creation is nixed. Ford would have had to hire more U.S. workers to build the Ranger, Bronco and electric/hybrid cars, as well as maintaining U.S. Focus/C-Max production. If Wayne continued to build the Focus/C-Max, Ford would have had to build a new factory in the U.S., stimulating the U.S. economy while adding to the tax base. Light vehicles with high volume sales in the U.S. market, the world’s second largest, should all be built in the U.S., to the benefit of “our” country’s economy. 168,789 Focus cars were sold in the U.S. market in 2016. That volume should dictate U.S. production. The equivalent of the VW Golf Sportsvan, the C-Max only saw 19,834 U.S. sales in 2016, due to poor promotion. Because the C-Max rides on the Focus platform, the C-Max must be produced alongside the Focus wherever that is.

Stage 2 Results MAZ Trucks Press Release / January 4, 2017 All the three crews of "MAZ-SPORTauto" team have finished the second stage of the rally-race Dakar-2017. This stage was successful for Siarhei Viazovich's crew no.511. As they finished in the 4th place, now they occupy the sixth position in the general ranking. Alexey Vishneuski's crew no.533 finished in 18th place and is at 21st position in the general ranking now. Alexander Vasilevski's crew no. 522 finished at 23rd place and thus they take 22nd line in the general ranking. The route of the third stage between San-Miguel-de-Tucuman and San-Salvador-de-Jujuy will lead the competitors to the highlands, where the height will be up to 5000 meters above sea level in some places. Besides, very hot weather which has already created difficulties to the competitors at the previous stage still remains. The startig time from bivouac for our first truck is 8.49 in local time. The total length of the stage is 757 km, including two specials - 75 and 124 km, divided by neutral zone of 291 km. Starting time of the crews at the third stage: 511 (S.Viazovich / P.Haranin / A.Zhigulin) - 11:39 (17:39 Minsk time) 522 (A.Vasilevski / D.Vikhrenko / A.Zaparoschanka) - 12:03 (18:03 Minsk time) 533 (A.Vishneuski / M.Novikau / A.Neviarovich) - 12:01 (18:01 Minsk time). .

"Africa Eco Race 2017": the second stage KamAZ Trucks / January 4, 2017 Traditionally, as often happened in the past of the African race, double victory for the team "Kamaz-Master" completed the second stage of the rally-raid "Africa Eco Race": crew Andrew Karginova come first "gas" KAMAZ Sergey Kupriyanov - second. The second phase of "Domain Mule - Tagunov" length of 393 km, 370 km special stage. Behind - the second stage of the rally-marathon "Africa Eco Race". Athletes traveled almost 370 km in "combat" mode and another 30 on public roads to the start and from the finish to the bivouac. Andrew Karginova crew team "KAMAZ-master" again came in first in the standings, "trucks", securing leadership in its category. "I am quite pleased with the stage. However, almost at the start, somewhere on the fifth kilometer special stage we punctured tire. They changed in six minutes and continued the race in a good, fast pace, although the track complex, lethal, "- said after the finish Karginov. The pilot of the second crew team "KAMAZ-master", acting on the Africa Eco Race, Sergei Kupriyanov, called the current stage "excellent." As he wrote in his Instagram: «The second stage behind! Today, passed without incident, went around a lot of cars on the road had everything! And sand dunes, and sand beds, and stones, and quick passes and bumpy roads! Today, the 10th in the absolute, 2nd (for Karginova) in trucks. We climbed in the classification of good, we will continue at this rate! ". "When everything is going well, there are no surprises, even desirable, that it lasted longer. Today, however, there was one time, in one place, we met two similar paths, we first went on one that was Levey, but realized that she was wrong, and rebuilt. And there gathered ten cars. We went to two trucks, jeeps, and several more have already took the lead ", - said Sergey Kupriyanov. Kupriyanov crew continues to "run in" on the African routes, new tires with special tread pattern. "In addition, these tires have greater rigidity. Sometimes, you will not notice anything on the road, we have to brake sharply, and as a result of tread blocks are cut. With these tires, nothing like this happens, and it's great, "- said the pilot Sergei Kupriyanov. This year the organizers of the rally "Africa Eco Race" are united top athletes in the categories of "Jeep" and "trucks". According to the pilot Andrew Karginova this innovation - a special "highlight" the current race. "Why not! If it is obtained, we will fight for the leadership. If not - zaymёm the place, which deserve ", - said the KAMAZ driver. After the first two stages of the African race crew Andrew Karginova ranked first in the standings, "trucks" and the second place in the absolute classification. Sergei Kupriyanov crew "trucks" category - the second place. On Wednesday, January 4, the rally-raid "Africa Eco Race" will continue in Morocco. The organizers planned to stage from Tagunov Assy length of 525 kilometers, of which 433 will be high-speed special stage. The level of complexity it will be comparable to the previous stage and begin to sand dunes, which can then withdraw combat crews to Yreka lake. The results of the second stage in the general classification T4 A place participants A country Truck Result 1 Andrew Karginov Andrew Mokeev Dmitri Nikitin Russia Kamaz 4:08:30 2 Sergei Kupriyanov, Alexander Kupriyanov Anatoly Tanin Russia Kamaz 00: 19: 39 3 Jaroslav Valtr Czech Republic TATRA 00: 20: 37 4 Tomas Tomeček Ladislav Lala Czech Republic TATRA 00: 46: 20 5 Miklos Kovacs Peter Chegledi He Tamas Hungary Scania 01: 04: 03

Steve Brooks, Australasian Transport News (ATN) / January 3, 2016 Victorian tipper operator Steve Tyquin takes great pride in all his gear but perhaps none more than a new A-double combination operating under Performance-Based Standards At a quick glance, there’s a lot to make you think life has been very good for Steve Tyquin for a very long time. The meticulously restored homestead on rolling farmland, the small but perfectly preserved collection of iconic Aussie cars, and the immaculate trucks and trailers. It’s all mightily impressive, and there’s no question pride pervades. Even the workshop and driver’s room are more museum than truckie’s hangout. Meet this big, burly bloke for the first time, though, and it’s soon apparent that the showpieces of success have not come without long labour or harsh lessons in the raw realities of commercial life. There are no silver spoons in this story. In fact, it’s an abrupt Steve Tyquin who concedes that the impacts of ‘the recession we had to have’ in the early 90s saw the small but ambitious Tyquin tipper business suddenly teeter close to the point of no return. "We were just starting to grow a bit but in what seemed like a heartbeat we went from three trucks back to one and I wasn’t even sure we would end up keeping one," he says bluntly. "It was a close thing. But you learn a lot if you get to survive things like that. "In my case, it definitely made me smarter and more careful, especially about borrowing money and the need to maintain good cash flow. It also teaches you to put money away, just in case." These days, he splits his time between a home office in Keilor East on Melbourne’s north-western fringe and the 12 hectare property and truck depot little more than a stone’s throw off the Calder Highway near Sunbury. Typically, the mobile phone is both constant companion and business lifeline, and the calls are incessant as customers, drivers and any one of eight full-time subbies dial in. Finally, he hands it over to a trusted off-sider and quickly settles back to talk trucks and trailers. Only memory and experience now bear the scars of those tougher times and, surrounded by the success of several decades of dogged perseverance and carefully considered initiative, the company known as S. & S. Tyquin Bulk Haulage boasts one of the best-presented tipper fleets you’re likely to find anywhere. And for good reason. The way Tyquin puts it, the trucks and trailers are the frontline of the business and presentation is everything. "If it looks good, people will see us in a positive way, whether they’re into trucks or not," he remarks. More than anything else, though, you get the distinct impression that whatever it is, he just likes his gear to look good. "Sure," he shrugs. "Good gear attracts good drivers who’ll take pride in the equipment, so it pays off all-round." There are 12 company-owned trucks in the business today, ranging from water trucks and a couple of Isuzu 4x2 rigid tippers, through to a Kenworth T359 eight-wheeler and a mix of Kenworth T909 and K200 body trucks hooked to three and four-axle dog trailers – plus a pair of K200 prime movers towing semi-tipper combinations. One of the prime movers is the latest member of the Tyquin team, a new K200 ‘Big Cab’ hauling an equally new Hercules A-double tipper set, which, like almost every other truck and trailer combination in the outfit, obviously operates with PBS compliance. It is also said to be the first A-double to operate within the 26m overall length limit of B-doubles. We’ll get to the specifics of the A-double shortly. Meantime, it’s blatantly apparent Tyquin has a strong preference for Kenworth, saying: "They stand up to the job and their resale is better than anything else." Likewise, strong relationships based on product quality and service have developed with tipper builders Hercules Engineering and Chris’s Body Builders. There is, however, one other truck in the operation that sits outside the square yet holds a particularly special place for Tyquin and long-term friend and workmate Steve ‘Chooka’ Thomson. "It’s basically Chooka’s truck," Tyquin says of the stunningly refurbished Mack Super-Liner V8, which earns its keep attached to a three-axle dog trailer. "He did all the hard work rebuilding it and he keeps it in top condition. It’s a real credit to him and the thing goes like a train. They just don’t make trucks like that anymore." Indeed they don’t! Evolution With a broad smile, it’s a reflective Tyquin who admits that, 40 years ago, when he went to South Australia as a 16-year-old with a couple of mates to acquire a rigid truck licence – "Back then you could get a licence in South Australia younger than you could in Victoria" – the thought of one day owning a pin-up fleet of trucks wasn’t anywhere on the agenda. "My father had a couple of trucks carrying hay and milk, and I just reckoned I could make more money driving trucks than anything else at the time," he explains. "It was really as simple as that." Back home, he eventually bought his own tipper and started subbie work with local quarries. As is often the case, one thing led to another and, with the opportunity to sell quarry products direct to end users, the future started to take shape. Admittedly, the balance between potential and profit had its fair share of challenges, but with the lessons well learned, the Tyquin operation now bears all the markings of a successful enterprise in what he admits is a tough business where competition is never too far from the door. He keeps the details close to his chest, but lists quarry products, gypsum, lime, compost, firewood and woodchip as the main loads in trucks that average around 100,000km a year. "It’s not big mileage compared to some, but that’s probably due to the fact that we don’t haul grain," Tyquin comments. "There’s enough competition in that work without me adding to it." Ironically, or perhaps fortuitously, it was the thought of encroaching competition that first caused Tyquin to give serious thought to a new regulatory and industry initiative called Performance-Based Standards, PBS. At that point, he was largely running 19m truck and quad dog combinations grossing up to 50.5 tonnes. However, the prospect of PBS compliance providing a jump on the competition by allowing a gross weight of 57.5 tonnes on the same number of axles was too good to ignore. The timing wasn’t perfect, though. It was 2007, and not only was PBS in its infancy, with compliance sure to demand any number of bureaucratic checks and balances, but the global financial crisis had kicked in and any investment had to be carefully considered. Still, the potential benefits ultimately drove him headfirst and alone into the cost and confusion of the PBS process, singlehandedly working his way through the seemingly endless hoops and hurdles of VicRoads and the National Transport Commission. "It was a bloody stressful nightmare," he says with cold conviction. "The costs were scary and the whole process was daunting to say the least. "Many times it got to the point where I wondered if the whole thing would be worthwhile. There was upwards of $20,000 in just getting the assessment and design modelling done, and most of that was spent with ARRB [Australian Road Research Board]. "So there were all those costs on top of a new truck and trailer built for PBS compliance, and I can tell you they didn’t come cheap." To put sour icing on an already bitterly expensive cake, Tyquin explained that even when the truck and trailer were built, approved and ready to start work, it took three more months to actually receive an access permit to operate. Here was a new purpose-built Kenworth T908 and Hercules Engineering four-axle dog combination built to operate within a 20m overall length at a PBS-approved gross weight of 57.5 tonnes, spending several months waiting for a permit to operate. "It was bloody ridiculous," he says sharply. "It was over 19m long, so officially it needed a permit, otherwise it’d be operating over-length." "Like I said, bloody ridiculous, especially when it’s sitting here with full PBS compliance doing nothing for three months while I’m paying for it. I can tell you, it hurt." There was, however, one bright note. It was around this time he first met Ken Cowell, a highly qualified and much respected consulting engineer who firmly believes in the productivity benefits of PBS, but also holds the view that the compliance process is unnecessarily complex and too often stymied by various bureaucracies. It was a meeting that would forge a strong relationship over following years as the two worked to maximise the potential of PBS combinations. Anyway, the ‘over-length’ permit finally arrived, and in 2008 his first PBS-compliant combination went on the road. Best of all, the commercial attributes of a truck and quad dog combination able to carry seven tonnes more payload were quickly realised, and it’s an adamant Tyquin who maintains the costs of compliance were recouped in a matter of months. In fact, so prompt was the payback, that 12 months later he went through the whole exercise again, admittedly a tad wiser, to put an identical unit on the road. "The process was little better, but at least I knew what I’d get out of it." Yet despite all the problems and inconsistencies in achieving compliance, there’s no question PBS has had anything other than a hugely positive effect on the Tyquin operation since that first unit went to work. PBS has, in fact, become the norm for all his frontline truck and trailer combinations, just as disc brakes have also become the standard stopping force. "The process is a still a pain in the arse and it’s certainly not a cheap exercise, but for what we do, PBS pays off," a resolute Steve Tyquin confirms. Out of the Ordinary From a distance, or up close, it is a hugely impressive combination and, typifying the presentation of all his equipment, Tyquin has spared nothing in making the A-double a flagship of the fleet. It is, however, productivity that stands as the key to the combination’s true commercial merit. Overall length is a tad over 25.8m with each 8.8m-long aluminium trailer having a load capacity of 40 cubic metres, and depending on the roads it’s operating on, the combination is able to run at gross weights up to 74.5 tonnes. "It’s close to a 50-tonne payload, so there’s nothing to complain about as far as earning capacity goes," Tyquin says. He is, however, quick to concede the combination carries plenty of ‘extras’ that contribute to a hefty total tare weight of almost 25 tonnes. It would, he agrees, be relatively easy to pull a tonne or so out of the tare to further increase payload, but given his obvious satisfaction with the complete unit, that’s unlikely to happen. An ‘extra’ he definitely wouldn’t be without are the slippery quick-flow bin liners, which he describes as huge assets for both safety and efficiency. "They stop product from hanging up in the corners of the bin, and it’s amazing how much quicker the product comes out. The load’s gone long before the hoist is at full height," he enthuses. "The amount of time it saves over a day is incredible. "The liner material definitely isn’t cheap and it probably adds a fair bit of weight, but it easily pays for itself. The amount of wear it saves on the aluminium bins is huge." There’s no question that over the past seven or eight years, PBS compliance has come with many frustrations and difficulties for Tyquin. But, likewise, there’s no question PBS has paid off handsomely for his particular operation. On the A-double specifically, the added versatility of being able to operate as two single semi-tippers or with the second trailer used as a quad-dog is an extra bonus. As he candidly states: "There’s no way I would’ve invested so much on this combination if I wasn’t absolutely sure of a good payback. Believe me, there’s a lot of money tied up in the truck and trailers." On the PBS approval process for the A-double, he’s quiet for a moment, before commenting: "I suppose being first with an A-double operating within the 26m B-double length was always going to come with a few hassles and hold-ups. "The authorities aren’t big on anything that’s a bit different, but the way I see it, it’s a lot easier now to get PBS approval on a truck and dog than it was when I first tried. "So maybe it’ll be the same with the A-double, and three or four years from now getting approval for a unit like this will be a lot easier and less complex. "At least, you’d like to think it will be," he concludes with a wry grin. .

Chassis Recycling Among Nikola Motor's Plans Tom Berg, Heavy Duty Trucking / December 2016 A "cab replacement program" will enable Nikola fuel cell-electric chassis to be reused "over and over again," the company's founder said, answering one of many questions answered at the launch event last month. Recycling of the chassis and components is among plans for Nikola One and Two fuel cell-electric heavy trucks, declared Trevor Milton, the founder of Nikola Motor Co., during the unveiling and technical briefings early this month at the firm’s base near Salt Lake City. Many details of the development program for the futuristic vehicles were revealed by Milton and his associates on Dec. 1 and 2, some during presentations and others during a question-and-answer session. Enthusiastic but healthily skeptical people in the audience posed the questions, and most of them said they were owner-operators or owners of small fleets. A question about the trucks’ projected “life span” got Milton talking about recycling. “We will have a cab replacement program so the truck can be reutilized over and over again,” he said. The entire chassis will be reusable because the frame, batteries, electric motors, fuel cell and other parts will be rugged and long-lived. He forsees a chassis refitted with a new cab at least twice, at 500,000 and 1 million miles, at which point the truck could be sold into secondary markets. New cabs could be equipped with the latest in electronics to enhance operations and safety, including security and autonomous driving, he said. That will periodically bring a truck up to date. Nikola Motor could control this recycling process because Milton foresees most units being acquired through full-service, 72-month leases, which means Nikola will retain ownership. Eventually the chassis will be worn enough for the components to be removed and renewed or scrapped. The high-performance lithium-ion batteries could be sold in 80-kw/hour “slices” for use as energy storage units for homes, he said. These would become part of current solar-panel systems that generate electricity during the day for use during hours of darkness. Ex-Nikola batteries will still be healthy but cost less than new batteries. “The secret to long life for batteries is keeping them at a constant temperature,” he said. So in Nikola trucks, the batteries will be surrounded by an electric grid and a refrigerant jacket to automatically warm or cool them, depending on ambient temperatures. Batteries and other systems are designed to work down to minus 40 degrees. Batteries naturally get hot during operation, but cooling them extends their truck-based lives from 100,000 miles to 500,000 or more. “I’m a big believer in building something that lasts a long time,” he said. One questioner wanted to know about the “security” of a Nikola’s batteries: Could they be stolen? That’s very unlikely, Milton answered. “Lithium’s very heavy, and the batteries weigh thousands of thousands of pounds. You would have to lift the truck” to get at them, then use machinery to handle them. “It would be like trying to steal the engine out of your truck.” Another questioner noted that tanks for the hydrogen fuel are in an external cabinet behind the Nikola One prototype’s sleeper area. As long as you’re designing the vehicle from scratch, why not build them into the truck? To bare them for mandatory inspections, Milton explained, and to allow line-purging operations that will be routinely done to lessen chances of the gas being accidently ignited by a spark. For on-board storage, hydrogen will be compressed to 5,000 psi, about a third of what it can be, to control tank costs as well as the cost of compression, which consumes energy. How will tanks stand up in a collision? Tanks are very strong, even “bullet proof,” and will resist strikes by rounds as large as .30-06 caliber, he said. Isn’t hydrogen gas difficult and dangerous to work with? Hydrogen is as safe to handle with proper equipment and training as compressed natural gas, and safer than gasoline, which is actually rather dangerous. “Gasoline today likely wouldn’t be approved” for use by the public if it were a new fuel, he asserted. How will fuel taxes be paid? “We’re working on that,” Milton said, and it will be arranged with government authorities. The model might be California, where hydrogen fuel-cell cars are in limited use. Taxes “should be pre-paid into the lease,” along with all other operating expenses including the fuel itself, tire wear and maintenance. The 364 hydrogen filling stations that Milton intends to build to supply fuel will be “awesome” places that people will want to visit and that Nikola drivers will deserve, he said. They’ll have restaurants, rest rooms, and free truck washes. He will model them after a chain of upscale stations in Utah that have become “destinations” for the traveling public. Although hydrogen fuel will be part of a lease and thus supplied at no charge to Nikola operators, the stations will be open to the public and sold at the equivalent of $1.50 per gallon, he said. Some questions reflected basic practicality. How much damage will a Nikola One get if it strikes a deer or elk? Will a “bull bar” be optional? Designers are working on a larger bumper that will withstand such a collision and still retain aerodynamic properties, Milton said. How will a driver escape the cab if the truck rolls on its left side, where the Nikola One prototype’s single door is? Instead of one sliding door, which opens backward, as on a minivan, production models will have two smaller doors, one on each side, for improved convenience and safety, Milton answered. A dump-truck operator wanted to know if the Nikola Two daycab, which will be aimed at regional and short-hauling but also suitable for vocational use, be available with a power take-off. Yes, Milton said, and it will probably be electric. Accessories such as the air compressor, belt-driven by diesels in today’s trucks, will be electric for efficiency, and so they can be mounted conveniently. From images displayed during the briefing, it appears that the Nikola Two will have a tilting hood for access to the fuel cell and other components. Access panels on the streamlined non-tilting Nikola One’s cab and nose will make it easy for technicians to get at various systems on that vehicle, he said. How will build quality be ensured when production begins? this reporter asked. “We get that question a lot,” Milton answered. He’ll do it by hiring “bright minds” already at work in manufacturing to design the factory he plans to build. Robotic assembly will be employed to lessen mistakes sometimes made by humans. Milton and his colleagues had ready answers to these and other questions, as though they had thought through all possible concerns. That, plus financial backing from Ryder System and others, and the $4 billion in purchase deposits that Milton claims to have on hand, suggest that the Nikola Motor project will survive the next three years of further designing and testing before trucks enter production in 2020. To maintain interest in the project and satisfy the curious, Nikola Motor has scheduled an open house at 11 a.m. on Jan. 28, according to the company’s Facebook page. Lunch will be served and an RSVP is required. That will be at its headquarters on the west side of Salt Lake City.

Steve Skinner, Australasian Transport News (ATN) / January 5, 2017 It’s summer on one of the hottest continents on the planet, so we check out some of the main systems for keeping cool in the bunk Perhaps surprisingly, truck manufacturers don’t supply factory-fitted bunk coolers for Australia, and there’s no peak body for after-market bunk cooling suppliers. So we visited supplier Truck Art at Wagga Wagga in southern NSW on the crossroads between Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane. Believe me, it doesn’t get much hotter in Australia than in Wagga. Truck Art owner Terry Gibbs also has cooler installation workshops in Adelaide, Melbourne and Perth. One of his early ventures was manufacturing sleeper cabs in the days before widespread bunk air cooling, about 15 years ago. "It was a no-brainer for me to see the industry needed something in the sleeper cabin," says Terry, who sold his first Viesa to Paterson’s Transport at nearby Narrandera. "I still remember the driver, he was an older bloke, coming in after it had been fitted and thanking me, and he said ‘This is the first time in my life that I’ve been able to have a proper sleep in the summer time’." "It wasn’t long before people had to have it, and I think the main thing is it was fatigue management … and that helps overall with insurance costs because tired drivers have accidents. "Drivers expect it today. Once it was a luxury but now they need it and not only that, I think if there was an accident due to a man not sleeping, and he didn’t have air cooling, the company could have something to answer for." No perfect solution Truck Art’s cheapest product is the evaporative Viesa cooler, manufactured in Argentina and a common sight on Australian roads these days. They are priced at up to $3,600 installed, with the annual service to clean the filters and so on costing about $150. Terry says that contrary to some opinion, the small amount of humidity can’t possibly rot the cabin; the water drains back into the tank on the back of the cab when not in use; and the unit can’t run the truck battery flat because there is a cut-off mechanism when the voltage gets too low. He says of course there can be problems with cool air quality and quantity if Viesas aren’t cleaned for four or five years, "which we often see". There seem to be several advantages of an evaporative system over the next one up in the pecking order – a battery operated refrigerative system, such as the "Pure Air" or "Koolkat" which Truck Art supplies. Terry says a Viesa uses only 8 amps of power per hour, and will give the driver a sleep on a very hot day by at least blowing moist air over them. On the other hand a battery refrigerative system draws lot more power and may not be able to overcome an extremely hot day at all. These can run for between four and seven hours depending on how hard the compressor is working, and Terry says they are best suited to night time or a few hours during the day. They cost from about $5,000 to about $9,000 for a unit with its own batteries and which is big enough to cope with a big-cab Kenworth for half the day in the sun; and they are more expensive to maintain than evaporatives, for example with gassing. "It’s horses for courses and some people love them," Terry says, adding the truck needs to be driven for as long as the aircon has been running, to charge the batteries, whether the unit runs off the truck or is independent. Top of the range of course is diesel powered refrigerative air-conditioning, such as the well-known "Icepack", which now offers a 1,000 hour extended service interval. Truck Art’s offering is the "Ecowind" with single cylinder Lombardini engine using about 700ml of fuel an hour, and costing between $10,500 and $13,000, depending on where on the truck it’s fitted. The Australian Trucking Association’s Volvo "safety truck" runs one of these. As the ATA points out, in 2013 after its lobbying efforts the Tax Office ruled that the fuel used in truck sleeper cab air conditioners is now tax free. As a result the ATA estimates trucking businesses could save up to $300 per truck per year. Diesel powered units can pump out cold air indefinitely if need be, regardless of the outside heat, but of course their downside is noise for other truckies trying to sleep nearby. The Ecowind is relatively quiet at 60 decibels but Terry acknowledges the noise issue is becoming a problem. "We are finding in certain areas now, especially up towards Queensland, there are service stations with signs saying you are not to run air-conditioning motors when you’re stopped." The bottom line from all this on sleeper air cooling? "There’s no perfect product out there yet." .

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Team Makes First 1-2 Finish in the Under 10-litre Class of the Year on 284km SS January 3, Stage2 Resistencia (Argentina) - San Miguel de Tucuman Liaison: 431km, SS: 284km, Liaison: 98km Total: 813km The itinerary for Jan. 3 took contestants from Resistencia to San Miguel de Tucuman, both in Argentina. They drove to the western part of Argentina in the first liaison segment which was followed by an SS in the foothills of the Andes near Tucuman. The SS was 275km for motorbikes and cars, and 284km for the trucks category. These foothills were situated at an elevation of 200 to 250 meters, and the segment consisted of a high-speed course on hard gravel piste. Risks were also quite high with intense dust and pot holes. HINO TEAM SUGAWARA's HINO500 Series trucks―with their A09C-TI engines (8866cc) now producing 650ps, and their upgraded suspension systems―had a great run in this SS. With speed that seriously challenged its larger rivals, Car 2 piloted by Teruhito Sugawara and Hiroyuki Sugiura finished 20th in the overall trucks category and at top position in the Under 10-litre Class. The Yoshimasa Sugawara and Mitsugu Takahashi duo on Car 1 finished the SS 42nd overall and in 2nd place in its Class, gifting the team with a 1-2 finish in the Under 10-litre Class. After the SS, contestants headed for Tucuman on a 98km liaison. Both of the team's trucks started the SS relatively late in the day―Car 2 at 42 minutes after 2 pm and Car 1 at 50 minutes and 30 seconds after 2pm. As a result, it was past 8 pm when Car 2 arrived at the bivouac which was set up on a horse racing track, with Car 2 arriving at around 9:30 pm. The mechanics who had been on stand-by wasted no time to inspect and service the trucks. Tomorrow, on day-4, contestants will race their last Argentine segment for the first half of the rally and head for San Salvador de Jujuy. The SS for the day is set to be 199km long, and racers will pass through points in the Andes intermountain areas at an elevation of 4960m, the highest elevation of this years event. Yoshimasa Sugawara: The intense dust made this a risky SS so we maintained a moderate pace. We saw the aftermath of a rear-ender in which low visibility may have been a factor, so we stayed extra alert. Mitsugu Takahashi: After a lapse of a year, I'm physically getting used to navigating again. I stayed cautiously attentive in areas with speed restrictions, but in areas where we could drive at top speed, I got a real feel that the rally had begun. Teruhito Sugawara: We were able to keep up a good pace again today. That said, there were parts where we exceeded the speed limit by 1-3km/h due to our speed limiter setup, and the organizers pointed this out to us at the finish line. We may be penalized for this, so that is a bit of a concern. Hiroyuki Sugiura: Navigation wasn't very hectic, but it was unfortunate that we couldn't control our top speed as well as we wanted to. The truck is doing just fine. .

Transport Engineer / January 4, 2017 Irish logistics business Virginia Transport has taken delivery of three 44-tonne Renault Range T tractors, citing fuel efficiency and driver comfort as key factors in the vehicles’ selection. Supplied by dealer Joe Curran Commercials, the new additions are Range T480 4x2 high cab tractors and join 22 other Renault vehicles on the operator’s 90-strong fleet. The vehicles are left-hand drive versions, designed for Virginia Transport’s long-distance work across Europe delivering refrigerated goods, as well as hazardous goods and pharmaceuticals. The trucks have been in operation for a few months and, says managing director Ray Cole, are exceeding expectations for fuel performance. “Our business is long-haul, so fuel efficiency is critical,” he says. “The new Range T High Cabs are already delivering excellent fuel returns and are running consistently at 28 litres per 100km, so we are delighted.” Driver appeal was also a priority, he adds: the cab’s high roof and flat floor make it very spacious and the vehicles feature twin bunks, including luxury bunk, night heater, air conditioning and a large volume fridge. “Putting the comfort of our drivers at the heart of what we do is crucial; if they are happy then we know that they can provide a first-class service to our customers,” comments Cole. “These new trucks have been designed to offer a really comfortable on-board environment for our drivers and the feedback we have received from them is excellent – they love them.” .

Rick Perry (James Richard Perry) Post: Secretary of Energy* * The Department of Energy (DOE) also plays the leading role in designing nuclear weapons, thwarting their proliferation, and ensuring the safety and reliability of the nation’s aging nuclear arsenal through a constellation of laboratories considered the crown jewels of government science. Previous experience: None Current position: Board member of Energy Transfer Partners, the parent company of Dakota Access LLC. The company owns 62,500 miles of oil and natural gas pipelines and is currently in the process of constructing the 1,172 mile long Dakota Access Pipeline. Age: 66 (Born March 4, 1950) Schooling: After graduating from Paint Creek High School in 1968, Perry earned a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Animal Science from Texas A&M in 1972. Note: The last two energy secretaries, Ernest J. Moniz of M.I.T. and Steven Chu of Stanford, brought to the office their doctorates in physics, academic credentials and, in Dr. Chu’s case, a Nobel Prize. Background: Perry was born in Haskell, Texas and raised in Paint Creek (Haskell County). Perry was in the Boy Scouts and earned the rank of Eagle Scout. 12/21/2000 – 1/20/2015 Governor of Texas 1/19/1999 – 12/21/2000 Lieutenant Governor of Texas 1/15/1991 – 1/19/1999 Agriculture Commissioner of Texas 1/8/1985 – 1/8/1991 Texas House of Representatives, 64th District 1972 – 1977 United States Air Force, Captain, 772th Tactical Airlift, Squadron (C-130s) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ July 18, 2015 Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) on Saturday said businessman Donald Trump should apologize to Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) for disparaging remarks he made about the 2008 Republican presidential nominee's military record. "As an individual who has worn the uniform of this country, I was highly offended by what Donald Trump said about John McCain," said Perry. "Donald Trump owes every American, and in particular John McCain, an apology," he continued. "He [McCain] was a war hero because he was captured,” said Trump. “I like people who weren’t captured.” Perry said Trump's comments were "as disturbing to me as anything I’ve heard." "There was an individual who doesn't understood, or doesn't care to, people who serve the United States of America," Perry said of Trump, adding that the comments about McCain should disqualify the brash mogul as a presidential candidate "and as a commander-in-chief of this country." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ July 22, 2015 “He [Trump] is without substance when one scratches below the surface. He offers a barking carnival act that can be best described as Trumpism: A toxic mix of demagoguery and mean-spiritedness and nonsense that will lead the Republican Party to perdition if pursued.” “Let no one be mistaken — Donald Trump’s candidacy is a cancer on conservatism, and it must be clearly diagnosed, excised and discarded.” Rick Perry

Associated Press / January 5, 2016 With the fight over health care in Congress brewing, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders took to the Senate floor Wednesday afternoon to argue against the Republican plan to repeal Obamacare. Sanders brought with him a a poster-size print of a tweet from President-elect Donald Trump. In the May 7, 2015, tweet, Trump said he was the first potential GOP candidate to pledge no cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid — and that former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee had “copied” him. I was the first & only potential GOP candidate to state there will be no cuts to Social Security, Medicare & Medicaid. Huckabee copied me. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 7, 2015 "Every Republican wants to do a big number on Social Security, they want to do it on Medicare, they want to do it on Medicaid. And we can’t do that.” — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 8, 2015 Either Donald Trump lied to the American people or he's got to say that he will veto any cuts to Medicare, Medicaid or Social Security. — Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) January 4, 2017 "The United States of America today is the only major country on earth that does not guarantee health care to all people as a right. I believe that health care for all is a human right" — Bernie Sanders - January 4, 2017 Earlier Wednesday, Vice President-elect Mike Pence said that the first priority of the Trump administration would be to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, and that the process will begin with a series of executive orders by Trump on their first day in the White House. “Obamacare has failed,” Pence said after a meeting with House Republicans on Wednesday. “Now is the time to keep our promises. Step one will be to repeal Obamacare.” “Trump didn’t just say this in passing,” Sanders said. “He didn’t say it in the middle of the night. He didn’t say it in an interview. This was a cornerstone of his campaign. He said it over and over and over again.” Trump, Sanders added, “has got to come forward and say clearly that [he] will veto any legislation that cuts Medicare, that cuts Medicaid or that cuts Social Security.” .

The Washington Post / January 4, 2017 Some of America's biggest cable companies are asking the government to roll back a landmark set of privacy regulations it approved last fall – kicking off an effort by the industry and its allies to dismantle key Internet policies of the Obama years. In a petition filed to federal regulators Monday, a top Washington trade group whose members include Comcast, Charter and Cox Communications argued that the rules should be thrown out. "They are unnecessary, unjustified, unmoored from a cost-benefit assessment, and unlikely to advance the Commission's stated goal of enhancing consumer privacy," wrote NCTA - The Internet and Television Association. The rules, which passed by a 3-2 partisan vote favoring Democrats at the Federal Communications Commission in October, are meant to keep Internet providers such as Comcast, Verizon and others from abusing the behavioral data they collect on customers as they regularly use the Internet. [You pay for an entity for internet service, and they in turn spy on you.] Information such as your Web browsing history, your geolocation logs and even the content of your emails offer service providers a rich source of potential advertising revenue. That data, along with your health and financial information, can also be sold to marketers and data brokers interested in building a profile of you as a consumer. The FCC's rules restricted Internet providers' ability to use and share this information, in what privacy advocates hailed as a historic victory. [After paying your cable company for service, which any ordinarily prudent person would assume includes customer activity confidentiality, they sell your recorded activity for profit, making money both coming and going]. But now the fate of those regulations lies in question as Republicans prepare to take control of the nation's top telecom watchdog. Consumer advocacy groups vowed Wednesday to oppose the cable industry's petition. "Nothing in this election changed Americans' fundamental rights, or their need for privacy," said Matt Wood, policy director for Free Press, an advocacy organization. "The election only gave more power to the party that would seemingly rather side with Comcast and other cable lobbyists than with their own constituents." Opponents of the rules point out that the FCC's regulation created an imbalance in the law: While Internet providers must (for now) obey the restrictions, nothing forces Web companies such as Google and Facebook to do the same. For the past three years, the FCC under Democratic leadership has repeatedly vowed not to regulate Web companies, giving rise to complaints by telecom and cable lobbyists that the FCC was biased in their favor. At the same time, defenders of the FCC's privacy rules argue that Internet providers are uniquely positioned to see everything a customer does with his or her connection – unlike services such as Facebook, whose understanding of user behavior is generally limited to the boundaries of its own platform. Politically, the industry petition comes at a significant time. It was filed days after the departure of one Democratic commissioner, Jessica Rosenworcel, and just weeks before the agency's most senior Democrat, Tom Wheeler, is due to step down. Both moves will leave the FCC with a two-Republican majority and a one-Democrat minority, allowing the GOP to begin repealing regulations almost as soon as President-elect Donald Trump is sworn into the Oval Office. Republicans at the FCC were already anticipating the opportunity last month. "We need to fire up the weed whacker and remove those rules that are holding back investment, innovation and job creation," said Republican FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai in a December speech to a conservative think tank. The FCC now has 90 days to respond to NCTA's petition.

Scania Group Press Release / January 4, 2017 Transport company Autotrasporti Pigliacelli has taken delivery of 104 new Scania trucks, including the first new generation Scania S500 in Italy as well as an LNG-powered unit. “We extensively tested the Scania vehicles before placing the order and were impressed by the high levels of reliability,” says Autotrasporti Pigliacelli Chairman Elio Pigliacelli. “This determining factor provides us with maximum profitability while fully considering the environment.” Veroli, Italy-based Autotrasporti Pigliacelli, located 100 kilometres southeast of Rome, has a fleet of 600 trucks. It is now in the process of renewing its fleet with the order of 102 Scania R490 tractor units. Autotrasporti Pigliacelli dates back to the early 20th century when Sisto Pigliacelli started transporting grain and livestock produce from his parents’ farm to the market. Following the Second World War, his son Romano and his brother Elio also became involved in the transport business. With the sole truck they owned, Romano and Elio proved to be excellent drivers on the poor roads back then. Business was good and they could soon afford a second truck. Romano and his uncle each drove 250,000 kilometres annually and learned all aspects of truck haulage. This helped them expand the business and by the end of the 1960s, they had established one of the largest fleets in the area. The company continues to grow with the third generation Pigliacelli: Romano’s sons Ezio and Marcello and Elio’s son Danilo. In addition to company centre in Veroli, it now has depots outside Rome, Turin and L’Aquila. .

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MAN Truck & Bus Press / January 2, 2016 .

Dakar 2017: IVECO places two trucks in top 10 in very fast second stage Iveco Trucks Press Release / January 4, 2017 The Dakar caravan arrived at the Bivouac in Tucumán, north of Argentina, after a long day and an 800- kilometre drive. The four IVECO crews remain in close contention for the race, with the two Powerstars in the Top 10. The trucks arrived at the finish line covered in mud and dust, and the drivers told the press about the particularly tough conditions in several parts of the route due to flying dust in the early part of the race while later they had to contend with a lot of surface water on the roads. The mud and high speeds –over 100 km/h - were the main hazards in this special. With two fifth places in the first two days of racing, Gerard de Rooy's IVECO is now fourth in the overall classification, with more than three hours in the bag. He finished the second stage 3m03s behind Martin van der Brink, winner of the day and first in the overall classification. Today De Rooy was only 11 seconds away from the podium. The Iveco Trakkers remained a bit behind in the second stage. Ton van Genugten, the Dutchman who won IVECO its first stage podium in this 2017 Dakar Rally in yesterday's race, suffered a puncture and finished 13m01s behind the winner, falling from 2nd place to 16th in the classification. Wuf van Ginkel climbed several positions today, recovering from the 42nd position of his first day to finish 26th, which puts him in 28th in the overall classification. Federico Villagra, the argentine driver who finished third in the last Dakar, arrived sixth, two seconds behind De Rooy. Villagra moved up two places, from 9th to 7th, in the overall classification. Both Powerstars are looking to be consistent in the stages, which will take them to climb positions towards the pódium. The Dakar Rally will continue on its way to the north of Argentina and for the first time this year it will climb over the 4,000 metres above sea level. The Truck category will have a special stage 146 kilometres long and another 416 kilometres of liasion to arrive in San Salvador de Jujuy. Stage 2 Results – Dakar 2017 1. Martin van den Brink (Renault) 2h37m08s 2. Dmitry Sotnikov (Kamaz) + 2m03s 3. Peter Versluis (MAN) + 2m52s 4. Siarhei Viazovich (Maz) + 2m55s 5. Gerard de Rooy (IVECO) + 3m03s ----------- 6. Federico Villagra (IVECO) + 3m06s 16. Ton van Genugten (IVECO) + 13m01s 26. Wuf van Ginkel (IVECO) + 26m02s Overall Classification – Dakar 2017 1. Martin van den Brink (Renault) 3h07m33s 2. Dmitry Sotnikov (Kamaz) + 3m09s 3. Martin Kolomy (Tatra) + 3m11s 4. Gerard de Rooy (IVECO) + 3m20s 5. Peter Versluis (MAN) + 3m29s ----------- 7. Federico Villagra (IVECO) + 4m06s 16. Ton van Genugten (IVECO) + 12m49s 28. Wuf van Ginkel (IVECO) + 45m39s Follow all the news at www.iveco.com/dakar

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Note how the dashboard is a reverse R-model design, unlike the North American F-model dash. Tim, when I think of a fiberglass F-model cab, I always recall the Leader brand trucks produced by Cyril Anderson. My understanding is he ran Mack Trucks Australia Pty Ltd, from 1963 to 1979, and produced Leader trucks at Toowoomba from 1972 to 1984. Additional info on the optional fiberglass cab F-models..............http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/3834-f-model-pics/?page=2

Donald Trump Plans Revamp of Top U.S. Spy Agency The Wall Street Journal / January 4, 2017 President-elect works with advisers on restructuring Office of the Director of National Intelligence President-elect Donald Trump, a harsh critic of U.S. intelligence agencies, is working with top advisers on a plan that would restructure and pare back the nation’s top spy agency, prompted by a belief that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) has become bloated and politicized. The planning comes as Trump has leveled a series of social media attacks in recent months and the past few days against U.S. intelligence agencies, dismissing and mocking their assessment that the Russian government hacked emails of Democratic groups and individuals and then leaked them last year to WikiLeaks and others in an effort to help Mr. Trump win the White House. Trump’s advisers also are working on a plan to restructure the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), cutting back on staffing at its Virginia headquarters and pushing more people out into field posts around the world. “The view from the Trump team is the intelligence world [is] becoming completely politicized. They all need to be slimmed down. The focus will be on restructuring the agencies and how they interact.” On Wednesday, Trump referenced an interview that WikiLeaks editor in chief Julian Assange gave to Fox News in which he denied Russia had been his source for the thousands of emails stolen from Democrats and Hillary Clinton advisers, including campaign manager John Podesta, that Mr. Assange published. Trump tweeted: “Julian Assange said ‘a 14 year old could have hacked Podesta’—why was DNC so careless? Also said Russians did not give him the info!” Trump has drawn criticism from Democratic and Republican lawmakers and from intelligence and law-enforcement officials for praising Russian President Vladimir Putin, for attacking American intelligence agencies, and for embracing Assange, long viewed with disdain by government officials and lawmakers. “We have two choices: some guy living in an embassy on the run from the law…who has a history of undermining American democracy and releasing classified information to put our troops at risk, or the 17 intelligence agencies sworn to defend us,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.). “I’m going with them.” But for Trump and some of his supporters, the accusations of Russian hacking and the criticism of WikiLeaks are seen as an effort to delegitimize the president-elect’s victory. Since his November election, Trump has either has flattered Russian President Vladimir Putin—last month calling him “very smart”— or disparaged the investigation into the hacks. This stands in contrast to his posts on other issues and countries, such as North Korea or China, where his views on national security risks line up more squarely with U.S. spy agencies. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence was established in 2004 in large part to boost coordination between intelligence agencies following the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks. Many Republicans have proposed cutting the ODNI before, but this has proven hard to do in part because its mission centers are focused on core national security issues, such as counterterrorism, nuclear proliferation, and counterintelligence. “The management and integration that DNI focuses on allows agencies like the CIA to better hone in on its own important work,” said Rep. Adam Schiff (D., Calif.), the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, who believes dismantling the ODNI could lead to national security problems. Trump’s advisers say he has long been skeptical of the CIA’s accuracy, and the president-elect often mentions faulty intelligence in 2002 and 2003 concerning Iraq’s weapons programs. But he has focused his skepticism of the agencies squarely on their Russia assessments, which has jarred analysts who are accustomed to more cohesion with the White House. Top officials at U.S. intelligence agencies, as well as Republican and Democratic leaders in Congress, have alleged Russia orchestrated the computer attacks that hacked and leaked Democratic Party emails last year. President Barack Obama ordered the intelligence agencies to produce a report on the hacking operation, and he is expected to presented with the findings on Thursday. Russia has long denied any involvement in the hacking operation, though Putin has said releasing the stolen emails served a public service. The heads of the CIA, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper are scheduled to brief Trump on the findings on Friday. Trump tweeted late Tuesday that this meeting had been delayed and suggested that the agencies still needed time to “build a case” against Russia. White House officials said Trump will be briefed on the hacking report as soon as it is ready. White House officials have been increasingly frustrated by Trump’s confrontations with intelligence officials. “It’s appalling,” the official said. “No president has ever taken on the CIA and come out looking good.” Among those helping lead Trump’s plan to restructure the intelligence agencies is his national security adviser, Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, who had served as director of the Defense Intelligence Agency until he was pushed out by DNI James Clapper and others in 2013. Also involved in the planning is Rep. Mike Pompeo (R., Kan.), who Mr. Trump selected to be his CIA director. Trump shares the view of Lt. Gen. Flynn and Mr. Pompeo that the intelligence community’s position that Russians tried to help his campaign is an attempt to undermine his victory or say he didn’t win. Flynn will lead the White House’s National Security Council, giving him broad influence in military and intelligence decisions throughout the government. He is also a believer in rotating senior intelligence agencies into the field and reducing headquarters staff.

Virginia man charged with trying to support ISIS wanted shootout with FBI Associated Press / January 4, 2017 A self-proclaimed supporter of ISIS living in Suffolk, Virginia told FBI agents last month after his arrest they were lucky they picked him up outside his home, according to a federal prosecutor. Lionel Nelson Williams, who had a loaded AK-47 and 9 mm handgun inside the house, said he would have been happy to shoot it out with the agents. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph DePadilla revealed more of the government's case Wednesday during a detention hearing in U.S. District Court in Norfolk. Williams confessed to the FBI after his Dec. 21 arrest that he supported the Islamic State terror group and that he told an undercover federal agent during a nine-month investigation he wanted to martyr himself in Hampton Roads. "It's the only way," Williams told the undercover agent. Assistant Federal Public Defender Keith Kimball argued that the FBI entrapped his client. He said the First Amendment allows Williams to express support for ISIS, and he questioned whether his client started talking about martyrdom only because the FBI led him that way. "Entrapment is flowing throughout this case," Kimball said. [Why are your tax dollars paying to defend a confessed supporter of ISIS?] In light of the defendant's interest in martyring himself, Magistrate Judge Lawrence Leonard ordered Williams – also known as Harun Ash-Shababi – to stay incarcerated pending his trial. Williams, 26, was arrested last month and indicted Wednesday on one charge of attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years. According to court documents, a former associate of Williams contacted the FBI in March to report that Williams had been posting statements on Facebook that indicated his support for ISIS. The associate said Williams had recently acquired an AK-47 rifle. The report prompted the FBI to check Williams’ publicly viewable Facebook page. The agency then secretly reached out to him in April, posing online as someone connected to ISIS. Following several online conversations and at least one in-person meeting, Williams contacted a man he believed was an ISIS financier. He provided that person, who was actually with the FBI, account information for a $200 prepaid cash card. Williams later provided the agent another $50. Before accepting the money, the undercover FBI agent went so far as tell Williams the money was "going to kill people.” In November, Williams told the FBI he feared he was not “pure” enough to carry out an attack in the United States. In December, however, he said he felt he was ready to "go forth.” Williams told the FBI he was working to acquire "tools." Williams said he would soon see his fiancee – a Muslim woman from Brazil he'd met online – in heaven. Two days later, the FBI moved in – securing a search warrant for Williams’ home and arresting him outside. Williams' uncle, who lives on the same property as Williams, works at Norfolk Naval Shipyard and has a security clearance. Leonard said he could not release Williams. He argued Williams didn't need a gun to carry out an attack on U.S. soil, noting recent terrorist incidents in France and Germany that involved trucks. The risk, he said, was too great. "This is more than speech," the judge said.