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Although Friday is technically Trump’s first day in office following his swearing in, I think Monday (Jan 23) is more realistically his first "wide open" day in office. He looked Americans in the face and made 21 promises*. It will be interesting if he follows through. I wouldn’t expect many politicians** to keep their word, but Trump campaigned as the "anti-politician" who would. * http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/47669-trumps-promises/#comment-351852 ** “Listen, I'm a politician which means I'm a cheat and a liar. And when I'm not kissing babies, I'm stealing their lollipops.”

Trump ready to shake up trade deals Automotive News / January 20, 2017 White House will renegotiate NAFTA Minutes after his inauguration, President Donald Trump announced his intention to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership and renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), moves that analysts say could have profound effects on the automotive industry. The announcement, posted online by Trump’s new White House team, comes after years of his blasting both trade deals as job-killers that hurt American workers and move jobs overseas. “With a lifetime of negotiating experience, the President understands how critical it is to put American workers and businesses first when it comes to trade,” the White House said in a release. “With tough and fair agreements, international trade can be used to grow our economy, return millions of jobs to America’s shores and revitalize our nation’s suffering communities.” In confirmation hearings this week, Trump’s choice to head the Commerce Department, former auto supplier executive Wilbur Ross, signaled that renegotiating NAFTA would be an urgent priority. NAFTA, which took effect in 1994, created a free-trade bloc linking the U.S., Canada and Mexico. The White House team said Friday that if the NAFTA partners refuse “a renegotiation that gives American workers a fair deal,” then the president will give notice of the country’s intent to withdraw. If the U.S. makes such a move, a withdrawal from NAFTA would cost at least 31,000 U.S. auto jobs and cause vehicle prices to rise, a recent study by the nonprofit Center for Automotive Research found. Tariff plans Although there was no specific mention of it in Friday’s release, Trump has repeatedly vowed to slap a 35 percent tariff on all Mexico-built vehicles sold in the U.S. The CAR study said that would result in a loss of at least 6,700 North American assembly jobs and 450,000 units of U.S. auto sales. Because Mexican-made vehicles are made of about 40 percent American parts on average, and American-made vehicles are made of about 12 percent Mexican parts, about 20,000 U.S. parts manufacturing jobs and 11,000 U.S. assembly jobs could be lost as a result, CAR said. Mexican officials have vigorously defended NAFTA as crucial to U.S. economic competitiveness. Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, on his official Twitter account, on Friday congratulated President Trump and vowed to strengthen relations between the two governments. "We will establish a respectful dialogue with the government of President @realDonaldTrump for the benefit of Mexico," he wrote just after Trump's swearing in. "Sovereignty, the national interest and protection of Mexicans will guide the relationship with the new government of the United States," Pena said. Auto industry leaders have said in the run-up to Inauguration Day that they hope government negotiators will convince Trump of the value of NAFTA for all three nations, and particularly of Mexico's role in making automakers more competitive. But union leaders in both the U.S. and Canada have attacked NAFTA since the beginning. U.S. automakers have repeatedly stressed their support of free-trade deals, although some, such as Ford Motor Co., have warned that such deals must have protections to guard against currency manipulation. Crack down The new administration on Friday also vowed to crack down on nations that violate trade agreements and harm American workers. “To carry out his strategy, the President is appointing the toughest and smartest to his trade team, ensuring that Americans have the best negotiators possible,” the White House’s release said. “For too long, trade deals have been negotiated by, and for, members of the Washington establishment. President Trump will ensure that on his watch, trade policies will be implemented by and for the people, and will put America first. “By fighting for fair but tough trade deals, we can bring jobs back to America’s shores, increase wages, and support U.S. manufacturing.”

That is correct. Even in an emergency, you can pack wheel bearings with it in the outback to get you on the way back home.

I can't begin the day without some Vegemite or Marmite on toast. If you feel Vegemite is too salty for your taste, try UK (Unilever) or New Zealand (Sanatarium) Marmite. BC Mack started a Marmite plant in Canada after he came over. He's rolling in money. He has a Gurkhas workforce that he brought over from Nepal (They has served together in the 2nd King Edward VII's Own Gurkha Rifles). Anyway, do you honestly think his bus mechanic job is what pays for all his Macks? Ask him for a BMT member discount on case quantities.

Good video. It speaks volumes. I myself like Bernie Sanders. He appears to have very good intentions. Based on what I've learned about Price, I don't trust him further than I can throw a stick. In life, I avoid interacting with people of his demeanor.

Well said Paul. Call a spade a spade.

Jim, the government didn't make Volvo sell Autocar. It only made them divest the Xpeditor. And Volvo then agreed to license the Autocar name too as part of the deal. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volvo agrees to sell Xpeditor Fleet Owner / July 26, 2001 To comply with a deal it entered into with the U.S. Dept. of Justice when it acquired Renault VI and Mack Trucks Inc. in December 2000, Volvo Trucks North America Inc. said today it will sell its Xpeditor truck product line to Grand Vehicle Works Holdings LLC. The agreement involves the assembly and sale of low cab-over-engine (LCOE) heavy-duty Class 8 trucks and unique aftermarket parts. As part of the deal, Volvo will license the Autocar truck brand name to Autocar LLC, a newly formed subsidiary of Grand Vehicle Works Holdings, which will use it to market the LCOE products. The trucks included in the deal are the Xpeditor models WX and WXLL. In addition to the license for the Autocar brand name, the terms of the agreement include model-specific designs, tooling and other assets, including component tooling located at supplier facilities. Upon completion of the sales transaction, there will be an up to 24-month transition period during which Volvo will continue to assemble LCOEs for Grand Vehicle Works Holdings on a contract basis. The Class 8 LCOE segment represents less than 3% of the total heavy truck market in North America, and 8% of Volvo Trucks North America's sales. This divestiture will not materially impact the volume or production capabilities of Volvo's New River Valley, VA truck assembly facility. According to the OEM, no layoffs will result directly from the closing of the transaction. Autocar LLC - http://www.autocartruck.com/

Martin is a good guy. I had no idea that Volvo was so financially distressed, and I now think they didn't tell him the full severity of their situation when he was invited aboard. That said, like the Volvo crowd, he doesn't quite understand America. Not for a lack of trying, but it's a cultural clash. And it must be realized, the ship had sailed before he joined Volvo. The trucks were already Volvo underneath in almost every way. It's easier for him to keep going forward then to back up. If you trust me at all, believe me when I tell you that Scania is the best heavy truck in the world, and Martin was an important contributor during his many years there. Volvo is spread too thin, and they have the construction unit in addition to trucks. It's a lot for one man to attempt to manage hands-on. And then you have Volvo's bureaucracy. The board hopes he can change it, but I'm not seeing it thus far. Remember, the board is controlled by Swedish investors, some of the shrewdest in the world. And he has to please them. The Mack brand means nothing to them. They only appreciate large black numbers. I'm remain appalled that our government fell all over themselves help the Big 3, but allowed the DoJ to hand our iconic Mack over to a foreign aggressor. And now, well over half of the trucks on America's highways are from foreign truckmakers. What a loss of face.

In the case of murder, if guilt is in doubt, I am a believer in due process. That said, if guilt is inarguable, as in this case for example with witnesses and cameras, the attacker(s) should be terminated immediately, if not within 24 hours. THAT will send out a loud and clear message to the likes of him.

In the US, the many religions, from Lutherans and Baptists to Presbyterians and Episcopalians, to those of the Amish and Mormon faiths all live under one country's roof without any getting unreasonably special treatment. They all eat the same food, aside from the Jewish faith who sometimes go for kosher, a niche market. However, we have other issues. The entitled and minorities want government assistance in job placement, so now Joe and Sue Normal are discriminated against in job applications because they aren't minorities (Obviously, the most "qualified" individual should get the job, be his/her skin color white, purple or other). And every company's answering system wants to know if you want to speak in Spanish or English, which I have long found odd given that English is the defacto official language of the United States (If you want to speak Spanish, why did you come to the U.S.?) Paul, you all need to take your country back.

Radical Islamist? kills 5 in Melbourne ABC News / January 20, 2017 A young child is among five people who were killed when a car was deliberately driven into pedestrians in Melbourne's Bourke Street Mall. Police shot the 26-year-old driver, James "Jimmy" Gargasoulas, who had stabbed his brother in the arm early Friday morning. He is under police guard in hospital. At least 24 people were injured with five understood to be in a critical condition. The injured were taken to The Alfred, St Vincent's, Royal Melbourne and Royal Children's hospitals. A 10-year-old girl, a 25-year-old man and a 32-year-old woman died at the scene, while a 33-year-old man died in hospital on Friday night. A three-month-old died after being rushed to the hospital in a police car, and a two-year-old is in intensive care. Commissioner Ashton said at 1:45pm the vehicle entered the city driving erratically and did "burnouts" on the corner of Swanston and Flinders streets. "The vehicle proceeded up Swanston Street, then turned left into Bourke Street and entered the mall," he said. "We suspect that [the driver was] intentionally hitting pedestrians. Travelling at speed right through the mall. "It has then continued along Bourke Street, continuing over the intersection of Elizabeth Street and it has made its way up to approximately 501, or thereabouts outside the RACV Club in Bourke Street. "At that time, police intercepted the vehicle, as I understand it, they rammed the vehicle." Police said they believed the man was involved in a stabbing at 2:15am in Windsor, where he attacked his brother. Commissioner Ashton said the suspect was known to police and was also charged over an incident last weekend. "There is an extensive family violence history involved. He has come to our attention on many occasions in the past. We have mental health and drug-related issues in the background of this particular person," he said. "He has been coming to our attention more recently over recent days in relation to assaults, family violence-related assaults." He said they attempted to intercept the vehicle this morning but he was driving so erratically they called off the pursuit and called in the air wing. Commissioner Ashton said there was a woman in the car with the man as he travelled over the Bolte Bridge towards the city from Yarraville. She got out of the car on the bridge. He said investigators were trying to determine why she was in the car, or if she was being held hostage. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- James "Jimmy" Gargasoulas, 26, the man who mowed down two dozen people in Melbourne's CBD on Friday, killing three and injuring 20 others, has a history of drug use, violence and psychological problems. Gargasoulas stayed with his mother in a public housing flat in Windsor, where he allegedly stabbed his brother, Angelo, in the early hours of Friday morning. Neighbours regularly heard arguing inside the Raleigh Street unit. The car Gargasoulas used to run down pedestrians belonged to 76-year-old Gavin Wilson, who lives at the housing commission flats. Wilson said Gargasoulas was a "nice kid", but on Wednesday night he became violent. He said he came into his flat with a Bible, sat down and started burning it before throwing the burning book into his face. "I flicked it onto the floor then he stood up and punched me," Wilson said. Gargasoulas then attacked him. "Give me your keys or I'll gouge your eyes out," Gargasoulas demanded. Gargasoulas' erratic behaviour dramatically escalated on Friday morning. In the early hours, Jess Bergin said she heard screaming outside her flat on the other side of road and looked out the window. "He had a knife and he was hacking at either a guy or a girl, I don't know," she said. They got into a waiting a car, except for the knife-wielding man, who began hacking at the car, she said. Gargasoulas, who also goes by the name Dimitrios, is currently on bail after being charged with family violence offences last weekend. He is known to police for drug related issues, family violence assaults and has "an extensive family violence history". Police began pursuing Gargasoulas on Friday in a maroon-coloured sedan after he took a woman hostage, who later escaped on the Bolte Bridge. Police called off the pursuit over concerns of public safety, just outside the CBD. The car was next seen doing "burnouts" and driving erratically at the intersection in front of Flinders Street Station. Gargasoulas was filmed hanging out the driver's window and abusing passerby. He then sped north towards Bourke Street, where he ploughed through the crowded shopping strip, killing three people and injuring 20. Police shot Gargasoulas in the arm further west on Bourke Street, dragging him from the sedan and making an arrest. He is being treated in hospital with non-life threatening injuries. A relative said Gargasoulas has had a drug problem and has been in and out of jail for car theft and drug offences. "Jimmy has always been a bad person," she said. "I knew it was him. I saw it on TV ... the picture of him sticking his head out when he was doing burnouts. "I saw a picture and I thought 'Oh My God, that's Jimmy.' I'm shaking. I knew it, as soon as I saw that picture I had this feeling. I can't believe this. "I bawled out crying when they announced that baby died. I'm shaking." .

Paul.......Halal certification......you've got to be kidding me. (Halal food is prepared according to Islamic law, and is free from pork products, alcohol and certain other ingredients) How many Muslims are in Australia? How many of them eat Vegemite? Three? In any regard, if Muslims want to immigrate to Australia, they should be willing to subjugate to the Australian way of life. And that includes consuming standard issue Vegemite. Otherwise, they should stay in a Sharia (Islamic) Law country if eating Halal foods is important to them.

UD Trucks Press Release / January 19, 2017 .

Volvo is aggressively promoting its I-Shift (mDrive) in North America. They always, ultimately, wanted the Mack brand truck to be composed of Volvo global platform components. The Maxitorque transmissions were never part of their plan.

New Kenworth T610 could reshuffle truck market Prime Mover Magazine / January 20, 2017 Kenworth’s new T610 model could be able to compete across a broader area of applications than any other truck currently on the Australian market. According to Peter Shields, Senior Technical Writer at Prime Mover, the new T610 brings with it an “extensive range of versatility” that could see it succeed not only in the 26- and 19m B-double market, but also in the infrastructure boom-led tipper-and-dog segment, and possibly even in Performance-Based Standards (PBS) applications. “Kenworth’s new heavy-duty model is arguably the brand’s most ambitious project to date,” he said. “Walking the line between traditional design and high technology, it’s short enough to fit into Australia’s 26m B-double envelope and thus able to go head-to-head with the increasingly bullish European cab-over faction – all while retaining that distinct North American spirit Australian trucking is so fond of.”

Transport Engineer / January 19, 2017 Wincanton has ordered 100 Mercedes-Benz Actros tractors as part of its expansion plans – and the logistics firm says this could be followed up with “future orders of a similar nature”. The new vehicles will enter service next month and, says Wincanton’s group fleet director Carl Hanson, the Actros tractors are “ahead of the game when it comes to safety”. Safety features include Active Brake Assist 4 (ABA4), which has the ability to recognise when a pedestrian steps out into the vehicle’s path from behind a parked car and automatically applies the brakes. They also feature Proximity Control Assist: when used in conjunction with cruise control, PCA ensures the truck maintains a pre-set distance from the vehicle in front, reducing the risk of rear-end shunts and promoting efficient driving in heavy traffic. Hanson says: “Maintaining the highest levels of safety is a top priority for us and for our customers... These newer vehicles not only include advanced safety features but, as sustainability remains a key consideration for us, they will also help us reduce carbon emissions from our fleet.” .

Commercial Motor TV - sponsored by DAF Trucks / January 19, 2017 .

Volkswagen Truck & Bus Press Release / January 19, 2017 Increase of 3 percent over the previous year 21 percent increase in sales of trucks in Central and Eastern Europe Renschler: “We are very satisfied with the increase in unit sales.” Volkswagen Truck & Bus sold around 184,000 trucks and buses under its MAN, Scania and Volkswagen Truck & Bus Brazil (Caminhões e Ônibus) subsidiaries in fiscal year 2016. This marks a 3 percent increase over the previous year. Of this, MAN Truck & Bus accounted for 83,200 vehicles, 5 percent up on the previous year. Scania unit sales rose by 6 percent over the previous year to 81,350 trucks and buses. On the other hand, unit sales at Volkswagen Truck & Bus Brazil contracted by roughly 17 percent to 20,370 vehicles, reflecting the protracted difficult economic situation in South America, particularly Brazil. Andreas Renschler, Chief Executive Officer of Volkswagen Truck & Bus and the member of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG responsible for commercial vehicles says: “The crisis in Brazil, Brexit in Europe and the difficult conditions in the Middle East made 2016 a turbulent year. Against this backdrop, we are very satisfied with the increase in units sales achieved. We owe this performance to our outstanding products and a motivated and customer-oriented team. In this way, we were able to more than offset the muted sales in some markets through sales successes elsewhere.” Business in medium-heavy and heavy trucks rose by 2 percent over the previous year. MAN, Scania and Volkswagen Truck & Bus Brazil sold roughly 165,810 trucks. At the same time, the individual regions painted a mixed picture: driven by the sustained economic recovery in Western Europe, the Volkswagen Truck & Bus brands achieved a 9 percent increase in truck sales over the previous year in this region. Gains were recorded in Italy, France and the Netherlands in particular. Truck sales in Central and Eastern Europe rose by a significant 21 percent. By contrast, sales in Brazil were down, contracting by 24 percent over the previous year to 16,270 units. This was due to the protracted macroeconomic difficulties and the difficult financing conditions. Unit sales of buses were also up in 2016. At a total of 17,780 units, the Volkswagen Truck & Bus brands recorded a roughly 4 percent increase compared with the previous year. MAN in the 4th quarter — platooning on the German A9 motorway and electromobility partnership Logistics group DB Schenker and MAN Truck & Bus have forged a development partnership for the deployment of high-tech trucks on the German A9 motorway, signing an agreement to this effect. For the first time, a logistic group and an automotive manufacturer will be joining forces in the development of networked truck platooning and testing these on the road. Looking forward, MAN Truck & Bus will also be working closely with Munich metropolitan utility Stadtwerke München (SWM) and urban transit company Münchner Verkehrsgesellschaft (MVG) to conduct research into sustainable transportation models. In preparation of the next step towards electromobility, MAN Truck & Bus has entered into an innovation partnership with SWM and MVG. Scania in the 4th quarter — successful new-generation truck series, inductively charged hybrid bus undergoing testing in Södertälje The success of Scania’s new-generation truck series is reflected in numerous favorable comparison tests in the trade press. Nearly all aspects were praised — drivetrain, performance, comfort, brakes, visibility and steering. Among other things, the new Scania ranked highest in German trade magazine Lastauto Omnibus’ renowned 1,000-point test. Since the end of 2016, Scania has been testing a newly developed electric bus with inductive charging in regular city traffic in the Swedish town of Södertälje. This is the first test of this type under Scandinavian climatic conditions. Both the bus and the bus stops form part of a research project in which several organizations are involved. The aim is to develop a quiet and sustainable public transportation system. This is one of several projects being overseen by Scania to develop solutions for future mobility in urban transportation. Volkswagen Caminhões e Ônibus in the 4th quarter — capital expenditures in the midst of a crisis In December 2016, Volkswagen Truck & Bus Brazil adopted the largest capital expenditure package in its history. Volkswagen’s Brazilian commercial vehicle brand will be spending a total of some €420 million over the next five years to update its range on an ongoing basis, to modernize its production plant in Resende and to develop connectivity services. In this way, the company will be well positioned once demand for trucks and buses picks up again in Latin America.

Land Line (OOIDA) / January 19, 2017 Navistar has recently issued a recall for certain International trucks regarding an issue with batteries, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) documents. An electrical short caused by the defect can potentially lead to a fire. More specifically, certain 2017 International ProStar, LoneStar, 9900i and TransStar trucks are affected. A metallic battery cover latch may unlatch and contact the battery jump start stud, causing an electrical short to ground if the jump start stud is not covered, according to the NHTSA recall. Owners will be notified and instructed to have a dealer install a latch stop to prevent the latch from rotating to the unlatched position at no charge to the customer. Navistar expects the recall to begin on Feb. 17. For more information, call Navistar’s customer service at 800-448-7825 with recall number 16513. NHTSA’s official recall number is 16V-938.

Vegemite goes back to Australian ownership The Financial Times / January 18, 2017 Vegemite, the potently flavoured breakfast spread, is to return to Australian ownership after spending most of its near-century of existence in foreign hands, just as sales growth is starting to flag. Mondelez International [the snack and food brands of the former Kraft Foods Inc] is selling the yeast extract spread to Bega Cheese as part of a A$460m (US$345m) deal. The deal, which enables Deerfield, Illinois-based Mondelez to focus its portfolio on its more global brands such as Oreos and Cadbury’s, comes as sales of Vegemite stagnated last year at A$108m, and declined from A$109.6m in 2014, with the vast majority of those sales made in Australia. Barry Irvin, Bega chief executive, blamed lacklustre Vegemite sales on changes in “breakfast habits”. Irvin says Bega’s strategy to reignite sales was to encourage consumers to eat Vegemite at other times of the day and that other brands included in the sale presented stronger growth opportunities. “Aussies still love their Vegemite,” said Mark Topy, an analyst at Select Equities. “I don’t think Mondelez really knew what to do with the brand and I think an Australian company might have a better idea on how to grow sales. With a bit of brand management, you could see modest growth in Vegemite sales.” Investors applauded the deal, sending Bega’s shares up 11 per cent to A$4.99 in Sydney, with analysts saying it gave the company a level of diversification from dairy during a volatile time in the industry. The sale, announced on Wednesday, brings Vegemite’s ownership full circle back to its Australian roots where it was developed under the Fred Walker Company in 1923, when the eponymous businessman hired chemist Cyril Callister to develop a product to rival Marmite, the British spread that had become popular in Australia. The late Walker formed a partnership with US company Kraft in 1925, which then acquired the Fred Walker Company including ownership of Vegemite. The spread continued to be made in Australia. When Kraft split its international business into a separate company — Mondelez — in 2012, Vegemite became part of that company. As part of the deal, the Port Melbourne-based factory and its 200-strong staff will be transferred to Bega. Bega’s acquisition represents a shift in strategy for a company that has until now been mainly focused on the dairy sector. Since the former dairy co-operative listed on the Australian Securities Exchange in 2011, it has expanded rapidly. In 2015 it set up a joint venture with Blackmores, the Australian nutritional company, to export infant formula to Asia and develop “lifestyle nutritional” products.

This is hardly the biggest issue on the dinner plate. But that said, I thought we were going to eradicate swamp-like antics. President-elect Donald Trump has chosen billionaire New York Jets' owner Woody Johnson, one of his campaign’s top fundraisers, to serve as the US ambassador to the UK. Johnson was vice chairman of the Trump Victory Committee, helping to raise millions of dollars for Trump's campaign. As many here know, big political donors, fundraisers and "friends" of successful presidential candidates have frequently been given US ambassador posts around the world, rather than people who are actually “qualified” to be ambassador in particular countries. A football team owner is not remotely qualified to be an ambassador. Johnson has never even lived in the UK. He is a spoiled rich kid always with money to burn, the great-grandson of the co-founder of Johnson & Johnson. Trump couldn't have chosen a more unqualified individual.

Ross tells Canada that U.S. will open NAFTA negotiations Automotive News / January 18, 2017 Canadian officials say billionaire Wilbur Ross, the nominee for U.S. commerce secretary, has indicated to them that a formal-notification letter to open negotiations on NAFTA will be sent to Canada and Mexico within days of Friday's inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump. The U.S. wants to discuss country-of-origin rules, which govern how much content from outside NAFTA a product can contain and still qualify to be shipped duty-free. Country-of-origin rules affect automakers in North America. Under NAFTA, the country-of-origin threshold for preferential treatment for assembled vehicles is 62.5 percent. The Trump administration is expected to take a harder line on exactly what can cross the border duty-free. The U.S. also wants to discuss independent dispute tribunals, which the U.S. views as unaccountable and says give too much power to Canada and Mexico. Ross is on record as having called NAFTA the “poster child for unbalanced trade and investment.” However, Ross said in October 2016 that “in the case of the trade between the U.S. and Canada, it is relatively much better-balanced than is the trade between the U.S. and Mexico” so “Canada doesn’t have a lot to fear” with Trump as president. Already contacted Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland has already contacted Ross about NAFTA. When she was Minister of International Trade, Freeland helped seal the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) in late 2016. She was recently named Minister of Foreign Affairs during a cabinet shuffle, but remains active on the NAFTA file. “The Minister looks forward to working very closely with the new U.S. administration, and with the United States Congress on issues of mutual interest, including trade and investment in various sectors,” said Freeland’s press secretary Chantal Gagnon on Tuesday. “We are clearly a pro-trade government and our deep people-to-people ties and strong integrated economies provide the basis for advancing our strong and prosperous partnership with our southern neighbour.” Gagnon said Canada has also discussed Trump’s proposed “border tax” with his transition team. “We have a constructive working relationship with the Trump transition team, and discussions are ongoing. This particular proposal is something that has been floated for quite some time, and is opposed by at least as many American lawmakers as support it,” Gagnon said, “but at this stage, we are going to continue to work with the incoming administration on the interconnectedness and to the mutual benefits of our two economies.”

Big Rigs / January 18, 2017 Early in 2016, Daimler Truck & Bus Australia/ Pacific lifted the skirts for a little for a peek at new models and new direction under new management. At the time Mercedes-Benz Truck and Bus general manager Michael May talked about improved Australianisation of Benz product and told me "we know we can do better”. Since then Benz's curtains of secrecy were ripped apart to expose the full line-up of Actros models in late October 2016. So just how have those plans for Daimler Truck eventuated? In the middle of the silly season, Big Rigs had the opportunity to interrupt play at the Australia versus Pakistan test at the MCG and ask the director of Daimler Truck & Bus, Daniel Whitehead, exactly that question. He told Big Rigs that the company certainly had set high expectations. "I can cautiously say those expectations have been far exceeded and as more customers get (Actros) vehicles on the road I think we are looking forward to having our truck in the market as mainstream product,” he said. Earlier in the year, Mercedes-Benz product boss, Mike May, told me that there was now a corporate realisation that the Aussie market is different to Europe, saying Mercedes- Benz product must adapt to Australian conditions. He said with the development of the new Actros line-up it was necessary to change the corporate mindset. "Rather than being an engineering company driving our products down into the market, it is now about making the application and the customer as starting points,” May said. He said his people need to spend more time in the customers' shoes, trying to understand the needs of an operator running up and down the West Coast, or wherever. Beside Mercedes-Benz, Whitehead's purview covers, among other product lines, Freightliner and Fuso products and even with the receding viability of the resources sector and the impact that has had on US sourced trucks, he is upbeat about Freightliner's performance. "Freightliner was the only American truck that grew market share in 2016. With the dollar and everything it has been a tough market but you can only compete against your competitors and as I said Freightliner was the only brand that grew market share in 2016 and we are very pleased with that.” And with the Japanese wing of the global truck builder, Whitehead said he was pleased with the 2016 performance. "Fuso had 10% growth, over 4000 units for the first time in a long time. Our Fuso dealers are very enthusiastic and a lot of them showed good growth this year and we've got new product coming later in 2017,” he said. But it is the Actros that has the Daimler Benz marketers excited. "I don't want to over promise and under deliver but so far everything we have seen and what we have done has over exceeded our expectations.” He reckons customers are "over the moon” with the truck's performance. "Our customers are seeing some amazing fuel figures. We can always tell you that but when our customers are telling us how good the truck is and how it has exceeded what we told them, that's what we want to hear,” he said. While Whitehead agreed there was a lot of hard work to be done to get the Mercedes-Benz product into the market as a mainstream competitor, he said: "We will get Mercedes-Benz to where it should be.”

UD Trucks Press Release / January 18, 2017 .