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Hino unveils all-new 500 Series Wide Cab Prime Mover Magazine / February 22, 2017 Hino Australia has introduced the much-anticipated Hino 500 Series Wide Cab. Hino Motor Sales Australia Chairman and CEO, Steve Lotter, said the company had invested significantly in the 500 Series Wide Cab product, designed to enhance safety, vehicle application and performance, and reduce environmental impact. “These trucks are a gamer-changer for us and we now offer the broadest range of trucks in these important segments that straddle Australia’s competitive medium & heavy duty markets,” he said. “By increasing the model range and giving our customers more than 50 models to select from, it provides us with an opportunity to engage in different applications which previously hasn’t been possible.” According to the truck manufacturer, the Hino 500 Series Wide Cab boasts the most comprehensive active safety package of any Japanese truck in the medium duty truck category. “In an Australian-first for this class, Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) is now fitted as standard across the new Wide Cab range,” said Daniel Petrovski, Manager – Product Strategy at Hino Australia. “Another safety feature is the standard inclusion of a microphone equipped and night vision enabled reverse camera.” Prime Mover industry expert, Peter Shields, said the Hino 500 Series Wide Cab was unique to the Australian truck market. “It is more than just a new body or cab, the chassis and axle are different and has the latest in safety feature that make the truck very user-friendly,” he commented. “It’s definitely an exciting new range for the medium to the lighter end of the heavy-duty market.” The Hino safety package also includes ABS, Anti Slip Regulator (ASR), UN ECE R29-rated cab strength, a driver SRS airbag, ADR84/00 Front Underrun Protection System (FUPS), Easy Start, Cruise Control and Fog Lamps.

Part 4 -

Hino Australia / February 21, 2017 The astonishing, all-new Hino 500 Series "Wide Cab" redefines what to expect from a hard working truck. Its unrivaled build quality delivers next level chassis, suspension and axles. You also have more engine and transmission options to choose from including the 6 speed Allison automatic transmission. .

Yes, the Giga is alive and well.................http://www.isuzu.com.au/truck-range/giga/

It appears that Lund doesn't offer them anymore. http://www.lundinternational.com/products/lund The best visor was the factory installed unit. It was never offered as a kit, but ordering the visor and brackets separately was easily done. The Lund kit was sold thru Mack parts departments. The factory visor came from another supplier.

When you called Watts Mack (provider of the BMT website) at 1-888-304-6225, what did they say?

Link for readers to what Paul is mentioning.............https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belterra,_Pará

Commercial Motor TV - sponsored by DAF Trucks / February 21, 2017 .

Associated Press / February 17, 2017 Navistar International Corp. has been awarded a $35 million contract to deliver 40 armored vehicles to Pakistan from its Mississippi plant. The U.S. Army announced the contract Thursday, saying Navistar, based in Lisle, Illinois, had made the only bid for the mine resistant ambush protected MaxxPro Dash DXM trucks. Work is supposed to be done at Navistar's plant in West Point, as well as in Pakistan, and is estimated to be finished by Oct. 31, 2018. Although the West Point plant had laid off all its workers in 2013, it has since won a series of contracts to build or refurbish vehicles for the U.S. Army and foreign militaries. Spokeswoman Amy McCaskill says the new contract, combined with existing work, means the plant will maintain its current 340 employees.

Wilson Trucking set to be sold Staunton News Leader / February 21, 2017 FISHERSVILLE - Wilson Trucking Corp. announced Monday there could be some changes coming to the company. Wilson Trucking has signed a letter of intent with Central Freight Lines Inc., which will buy certain assets of Wilson Trucking and expand Central Freight Lines' service territory into the Southeastern U.S., a release said. "This is very good news for the many loyal customers of Wilson," said C.L. Wilson, chairman and CEO of Wilson Trucking, said in a release. "Central Freight Lines has been in business for over 90 years just like Wilson Trucking and I'm confident Wilson's customers will be quite impressed with the many service offerings of Central Freight Lines." It is unclear about what will happen to the company in Fishersville and its employees and customers. The News Leader has reached out to Wilson Trucking. But, according to the release, the company said it will continue to provide customers the "best available less-than-load service in the Southeast." "As with any transaction like this there will be additional information coming out about a wide array of topics," the release said. "Our commitment to you is to keep you informed in a timely fashion about all topics that directly affect our business relationship." The Texas-based Central Freight Lines is expected to close on the company by March 31. "This is an important move for Central Freight Lines," said Don Orr, president and CEO of Central Freight Lines, in a release. "It allows us to fulfill our strategy of being the premier coast-to-coast Sunbelt LTL provider in the industry. We look forward to adding Wilson's customers to Central's list of highly satisfied customers." Wilson Trucking, based out of Fishersville, was started in the early 1920s by C.G. Wilson when he used a Ford Model T pick-up truck to haul products from the Wilson farm to the metro marketplace, its website said. The company grew with the family's second generation. In the 1950s C.W. Wilson took over until the 1990s. C.L. Wilson, along with T.G. Wilson, are the third generation of the family to run the company, its website said. Wilson Trucking encompasses nine states and Washington, D.C. Related reading - http://wilsontrucking.com/news/pr20170220.htm

Remember, the lighter Dodge T203, many of which were supplied to the Soviet Union under Lend-Lease, was only rated at 1-1/2 tons. This T234 variant was beefed up considerably to have a 2-1/2 ton rating alike the much more substantial Diamond T Model 614, International K6 and K7, Federal Model 2G and GMC ACX.

I aim to please Bob.

Fleet Owner / February 21, 2017 Optimism based on strong January Class 8 and medium-duty orders Strong January orders for Class 8 and medium-duty trucks – especially for vocational units – may indicate that the “bottom” of the current truck buying slump may now be firmly in the industry’s rear-view mirror, according to industry analysts. Heavy duty net orders jumped to a thirteen-month high in January at 22,188 units, lending further support to the notion that the second and third quarters of 2016 “marked the bottom of the current cycle.” Class 8 backlogs “moved in the right direction” as well, with stronger orders and a “modest build” allowing backlogs to rise 7,600 units to 99,600 units in January compared to December last year. On top of that, orders for vocational equipment jumped to a two-year high last month of 8,500 units, or 38.5% of January’s Class 8 order intake. Echoing the positive demand of Class 8, medium-duty net orders hit a six-month high of 22,744 units in January, which translated into a 3% month-over-month increase and a 31% year-over-year. “The improvement was broad-based, with truck, bus and RV [recreational vehicle] orders all posting year-over-year and month-over-month gains,” they said. “January was the best month for medium-duty orders since February 2008.”

Utilimaster Seeks Withdrawal from USPS Next Generation Delivery Vehicle Program Trailer/Body Builders / February 21, 2017 Spartan Motors announced that its Spartan Fleet Vehicles and Services (FVS) business unit—which encompasses the Utilimaster go-to-market brand—has stopped development on the United States Postal Service (USPS) Next Generation Delivery Vehicle (NGDV) Program as a prime contractor in the functional prototype development project and has sought withdrawal from the USPS. Spartan is continuing efforts to support this project and will partner with a leading USPS prototype award participant, to provide interior cargo solutions specific for the USPS's needs. "As a global leader in fleet vehicle design and production, we were honored to be among a select group of vehicle makers to win the USPS prototype award," said Daryl Adams, President and Chief Executive Officer of Spartan Motors. "However, when we took a close look at the economics as a result of our inability to reach a satisfactory agreement with our commercial chassis supplier, further participation in the program as the primary body builder did not meet our baseline financial targets. Working closely with one of the USPS prototype award participants will enable us to participate in this significant NGDV program without the related upfront developmental capital requirement, while building what we're best at for the fleet market—custom interior cargo management solutions." Utilimaster has produced route delivery and other vehicles for the USPS since 1999. As previously announced, Utilimaster was one of six vehicle manufacturers selected to receive the prototype award as part of a comprehensive USPS Request for Proposal (RFP) process. After a thorough evaluation, in-depth supplier consideration, and extensive financial modeling, Spartan has determined that remaining in the USPS NGDV project as a cargo management supplier provides a better return on capital, which better serves the Company and its shareholders. "We would like to extend our most sincere thanks to the USPS for considering and selecting Spartan to take part in the evolution of their fleet," continued Adams. "We look forward to assisting with development effort and providing the USPS with high quality cargo management solutions that best meet the needs of their business, while ensuring improved safety, productivity, and performance for their route delivery personnel."

Heavy Duty Trucking / February 21, 2017 Following Navistar International’s annual shareholder meeting on Feb. 14, the board of directors has elected company president and CEO Troy A. Clarke as its chairman. Clarke replaces the retired James H. Keyes, who had served as non-executive chairman of Navistar’s board since April 2013. The change was effective immediately. Additionally, board member Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal was elected as the independent lead director. "It has been a pleasure to serve on the board for the last four years, and I am honored to have been elected chairman," said Clarke. "This is an exciting time for Navistar, as we pursue our growth strategies highlighted by significant new product launches and our pending strategic alliance with Volkswagen Truck & Bus. I look forward to continuing to work with our very dynamic board, which is focused on the future and supportive of management's efforts to create a great truck company." At the company's annual shareholder meeting, stockholders elected nine incumbent directors to the board of directors. The company also ratified the selection of KPMG as its independent registered public accounting firm; approved, on an advisory basis, the compensation of key company executives, and approved a preferred one-year frequency of the advisory vote on executive compensation. .

Truck News / February 21, 2017 After a long restoration process, Team Penske has unveiled a customized 1972 International Fleetstar truck known in the racing circles as “The Blue Hilton.” According to Penske, the truck was one of the first known enclosed transporters used for racing purposes. It served the team in various capacities from 1972-1983. The restoration is complete down to the smallest detail, including authentic PPG paint and hand lettering just in time for Roger Penske’s 80th birthday that was celebrated on Feb. 20. An iconic part of team history, The Blue Hilton transported the No. 66 McLaren that Mark Donohue drove to victory in the 1972 Indianapolis 500 – the first of Team Penske’s record 16 wins in the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” In conjunction with its sister transporter, “The White Hilton,” it was used to transport the powerful, championship-winning Porsche 917s that dominated the landscape of the Can-Am Series in the early 1970s with George Follmer and Donohue before it was sold in 1983. “After we confirmed that it was, in fact, the Blue Hilton that was for sale, I called Brian Hard (president of Penske Truck Leasing) and we agreed that we had to find a way to bring her back to life,” said Team Penske president Tim Cindric. “This transporter was there when the foundation was laid for Team Penske and it is symbolic of the way in which we operate today. Everyone at Penske Truck Leasing did an unbelievable job restoring this vehicle. I can’t wait for Roger to see it in person, as it is something he will cherish.” Penske says The Blue Hilton was the precursor to today’s closed transporters that carry cars, parts, and equipment to race tracks all over the globe. With his keen engineering mind, Donohue – a 2016 inaugural Team Penske Hall of Fame inductee and the organization’s first champion driver – designed the payload area of the truck based on efficiency and functionality. It was named the Blue Hilton based on its royal blue exterior and the sleeper area above the cab, which is a standard feature in today’s transporters. The restoration was estimated to take more than 8,00 man hours to complete, thanks to the help from Morgan Corporation and a dedicated group led by Penske Truck Leasing’s James Svaasand, Michael Klotz, and David Hall – along with Team Penske Historian Bernie King. The truck was purchased from George Boyd of Urbana, Illinois, who had utilized it while competing in various racing series until retiring it to a spot on his property. He was the only owner of the truck after its days at Team Penske. “When you talk with the crew members that drove and worked out of this transporter over those years, and you look at the photos from the many cars it carried, you see how the Blue Hilton was an integral part of our history,” said King. “It’s certainly very much a part of the Team Penske heritage. Everyone at Penske Truck Leasing that was involved did a fantastic job of restoring this truck to how it was when it ran and carried many of the team’s winning cars.” Initially, the Blue Hilton will be on display at the Team Penske headquarters in Mooresville, N.C., where fans can view it from the Fan Walk that runs the length of the massive shop floor. .

Autoblog / February 221, 2017 Henry Ford was a man with a lot of dreams, though some of those dreams didn't exactly pan out. Case in point, the creepily named "Fordlândia" in the heart of Brazil's Amazon rainforest. The New York Times reminded us of one of our favorite pieces of automotive history this morning with an in-depth look at what happened when the Ford Motor Company tried to create a rubber plantation. The sordid tale began in 1928, when Ford founded the town in the heart of the Amazon in an attempt to grow and harvest the rubber needed for his cars. Ford was famous for wanting control over each step of the car building process. He also feared a European monopoly on rubber after Brazilian rubber trees made their way to plantations in several tropical, British-held colonies. Ford, always disdainful of 'expert advice', built a mid-western town in the jungle, complete with red fire hydrants and bungalows designed in Michigan. He even brought in Albert Khan, the architect responsible for Detroit's art deco skyscrapers and grandest homes, to design the hospital. In his mind's eye he saw rubber trees stretching into the distance, serviced by Brazilians living a clean, American-style life. Ford also saw Fordlândia as another chance to enforce his own moral code. Ford banned alcohol in his jungle kingdom. His infamous Sociology Department -- goons who investigated Ford's Detroit employees to ensure their private lives met their employer's expectations -- became the sanitation squads. These squads would clear the town of standing water to prevent malaria, but also check workers for venereal disease. Unsurprisingly, the substandard and diseased rubber trees failed and the workers rioted after living on oatmeal and canned peaches for weeks on end. Ford handed control of the town over to the Brazilian government after WWII. Today almost 2,000 people live in the crumbling ruins of Fordlândia, squatting in American-style homes in the heart of the Amazon. Guilherme Lisboa, the owner of a small inn in Fordlândia, perfectly summed to Ford's legacy to the Times. "It turns out Detroit isn't the only place where Ford produced ruins." For more on Fordlândia, we recommend Greg Grandin's book that documents Ford's strange undertaking. .

UPS Press Release / February 21, 2017 UPS announced it has successfully tested a drone that launches from the top of a delivery truck. The test was conducted in collaboration with drone-maker Workhorse. Sending drones to make deliveries from package cars could bolster efficiency in our network by reducing miles driven. . .

US exporters warn of missed chance for tax code revamp The Financial Times / February 21, 2017 The heads of GE, Boeing and other large corporations have warned that the US may not have another opportunity to revamp its tax code for 30 years if it misses out on a chance to do so now amid uproar over a proposed import tax. In a letter to Congress, 16 CEOs from exporters including Caterpillar, Dow Chemical and Pfizer issued their strongest statements of support yet for the import tax, which retailers, oil refiners and other importers are fighting to kill. The import tax is the linchpin of a radical plan from Republicans in the House of Representatives to overhaul the tax code for the first time since 1986. But President Donald Trump has yet to say whether he will embrace it to fulfill his promise of tax reform. “If we miss this chance to fundamentally reshape the tax code, it might take another 30 years before we have another chance to try,” the CEOs wrote in a letter sent on Tuesday. The lobbying war between importers and exporters — whose products would go untaxed if shipped overseas under the plan — has already slowed the writing of legislation and prompted some senators to come out against the House plan. With some lobbyists now predicting the only viable reforms could comprise a modest rate cut and some streamlining, the CEOs wrote that “incremental tweaks will not level the playing field for American workers or dramatically reinvigorate economic growth”. Mr Trump had pinned his hopes on tax reform as a key tool for re-energizing business and the US economy but it has turned into one of several policy areas where progress has been scuppered either by Republican infighting or White House mis-steps. Retailers such as Walmart and Target, which depend heavily on imported goods, have formed a coalition to warn that the import tax would be a mortal threat to their businesses, leaving them with little choice but to raise prices for consumers. The export CEOs, who include the heads of companies pilloried in the past for paying ultra-low tax bills, did not address what the proposal would do to how much tax they pay. But they adopted an argument of House Republicans, including Speaker Paul Ryan, by saying: “Our tax code penalises American workers who make products or provide services sold abroad, while favoring their international competitors.” By taxing imports and exempting exports, the plan’s backers say it would bring the US into line with other countries that already levy value added tax* (VAT) on imported products but do not tax domestically made products on their way out. Some economists dispute the comparison, noting among other things that VAT is a consumption tax whereas the Republican proposal is a tax on businesses. A post-election rally in the US stock market was driven partly by hopes of tax reform because US companies — including those signing the letter — have long complained of an “antiquated” tax system that charges them the highest rates in the OECD. The letter was sent to Mr Ryan and Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, another Republican, as well as to Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, the top Democrats in the House and Senate respectively. Other signatories are the chief executives of Celanese, Celgene, Eli Lilly, Merck, Oracle, Raytheon and United Technologies. * Value Added Tax (VAT) is a scam in Europe and elsewhere that resulting in high consumer prices.

If it actually happens, sounds great. A huge mistake, a lack of law enforcement, finally being corrected. Enter the country legally, or don’t enter at all. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Associated Press / February 21, 2017 Millions of people living in the United States illegally could be targeted for deportation - including people simply arrested for traffic violations - under a sweeping rewrite of immigration enforcement policies announced Tuesday by the Trump administration. Any immigrant who is in the country illegally and is charged or convicted of any offense, or even suspected of a crime, will now be an enforcement priority, according to Homeland Security Department memos signed by Secretary John Kelly. That could include people arrested for shoplifting or minor offenses - or simply having crossed the border illegally.

360 Truck / February 21, 2017 Isuzu Motors and its Chongqing (Chungking)-based China partner Qingling Motors have launched the new model VC61 6x4 heavy tractor equipped with a 16-litre (15.681L) powerplant rated at 420 and 460 horsepower. Engine model Horsepower 6WG1-TCN2 420 6WG1-TCG51 460 Note that, like the model VC46, Isuzu is adapting its N-Series light truck cab for this model rather than using the "Giga" cab, presumably to obtain a lower cost point. A 10-liter (9.839L) 4x2 tractor is also now available equipped with the 380 horsepower model 6UZ1-TCG50 engine. .

Many of us are familiar with both the civilian and military Dodge trucks of the past. However one model that is often forgotten is the military issue model T-234. During World War II, the 2-1/2 ton rated Dodge T-234 was used in the India Theatre for the construction of the Ledo Road* (1942-1944), a critical supply route after the Burma Road was cut off by the Japanese. The project was led by U.S. Army General Joeseph "Vinegar Joe" Stilwell**. * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ledo_Road ** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Stilwell Although built with the standard civilian Dodge cab and hood, the front fenders, grille and axle were different from U.S. models. The T-234 was equipped with large 10.00-20 tires, and had a 170-inch wheelbase. Dodge's 228 cubic inch L-head model T-203 engine, rated at 99 horsepower and 188 lb/ft (255 N.m) of torque, powered early models. Later, the 128 horsepower 331 cubic inch engine was fitted. The T-234 was right-hand drive, as the British were responsible for India and Burma. Related reading - http://imageevent.com/vc40wc41/burmadogetrucks;jsessionid=cywsk4orn1.camel_s?n=0&z=2&c=2&x=1&m=14&w=0&p=0 .

“The government has the ability to repeat and control the commercial airwaves. In a sense, they repeat every so often: terrorism – fear – terrorism – fear. Repeat, repeat, repeat, that works – propaganda.” “What Washington seems to want to do is lock up and only give the leaks they want, the leaks that favor the U.S., like the Panama Papers. They control those leaks, but not the ones that are critical of the government. We're living in a closed news environment. It's an information war in a bad way." Oliver Stone .

Like him or not, Snowden verified that we were not being told anywhere near the truth. Oliver Stone hits the nail on the head at 4:40 .

What did Watt's Mack (provider of the BMT website) say when you called them at 1-888-304-6225 ?