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Drivers warned against electronic braking complacency Steve Skinner, Australasian Transport News (ATN) / October 19, 2016 Some are pushing trucks fitted with electronic stability control to the limit, experts say The experts say that electronic braking and stability technologies are about control, rather than absolute stopping distances. They say the technologies are great for already-safe drivers who might encounter a sudden emergency situation, and of course there are plenty of those possibilities with idiot car drivers alone. However advocates of electronic braking acknowledge there is a risk that drivers will become complacent and push the envelope, thinking the technology will save their bacon if they go too hard. "It’s the guy behind the wheel 9 times out of 10 who controls the destiny of the vehicle, not the technology," says the Australian Trucking Association’s Chris Loose. "And what we are tending to find is there is a small group of guys who will drive to the limit of the technology. So by having the technology, it’s fantastic, but physics is physics, it will not save them all the time, we still have to ensure that they have the skills." Isuzu’s Romesh Rodrigo joined Loose in also warning about driver complacency at this year’s Comvec technical conference in Melbourne. Rodrigo says drivers need education in the new electronic wizardry. He says while in some applications there have been less rollovers with stability control, there’s also been more wheel end damage. "The drivers are now just driving to the limit, pushing these vehicles, and there’s a light flashing there but ‘Oh, gee, my truck hasn’t rolled over yet, so that’s a great thing’," says Rodrigo. "But we’re not teaching the drivers that if that light is flashing, if that (ESC) plug falls out, that truck will be on its side."

Automotive Business / October 18, 2016 A two week long strike which has curtailed Volvo's truck and bus chassis production in Brazil since Tuesday, October 4, has ended. The workers at the plant in Curitiba accepted the offer of reconciliation made by Volvo and voted in secrecy. The workers will each receive a net allowance of R $ 5,000 to offset the increase of only 50% of inflation measured by the INPC, National Index of Consumer Prices. They also agreed to postpone the discussion of the base date for September 2017 and accepted the increase of 9.62% in food stamps (R $ 419 to R $ 460). The strike began because the workers had at first refused the adjustment of 50% of the INPC. Volvo’s Curitiba plant employs about 3,200 workers, with 1,800 in production. According to the union, the plant was producing around 35 heavy trucks, 12 medium trucks and 5 buses every day before the strike. .

Peter Minnis, Truck Magazine / 1985 Just about everyone, it seems, has a cousin, brother-in-law or friend who has run out to the Middle East. But the great days are over, and far fewer trucks now drive out to Turkey and beyond. One small company still in the game is Stanway Transport, based in East London. The great days of the Middle East run are long over. Back in the seventies, when the ports of the Arabian Peninsular were chock-a-block with Western imports, shippers were desperate for trucks to make the trip. Throughout most of Europe, there can have been very few haulage companies, from one-man bands to the largest fleets, which didn’t at least consider putting Tehran, Baghdad, Riyadh and Jeddah onto their schedules. The rates seemed attractive, but profit was easily wiped out by delays and difficulties. The work seemed glamorous, but drivers used to Europe’s motorways were often reduced to pathetic helplessness when hit by minor problems beyond the Turkish border. Some people made a lot of money. Many more lost the few thousand pounds they’d invested in trucks that weren’t up to the job. And in between the two extremes, others, through common sense and professionalism, made a steady if unspectacular living. Kenny Snooks from Purfleet, Essex made his first run to Tehran, the capital of Iran, back in 1972. He’s still on Middle East work today, 13 years later. He currently drives a big Cat-engined White Road Commander 2 for East London-based Stanway Transport. He’s seen the wild enthusiasm of the gold-rush days give way to the quiet, get-on-with-the-job attitude that is the hallmark of the successful Mid-East haulier in the mid-eighties. The volume of freight traffic heading east has declined considerably, and the notorious, miles-long queues of trucks waiting to get through border crossings have vanished. But in their place, other delays have appeared, caused, particularly, by security arrangements introduced in the wake of the Iran/Iraq war. On balance, Kenny thinks, the job hasn’t got any easier. “A lot of effort has been put into improving roads, but at the end of the day, it doesn’t seem to have made a lot of difference. Okay, the roads in Yugoslavia are better, a lot better. And they’re building some good roads in Turkey now, but they take so long to do it. And meanwhile, their older roads are just falling apart.” “There’s a 300 kilometer stretch in Turkey heading for Iraq that I used to be able to do in six hours. Now it takes me 14.” “Last winter, there was a lot of snow and rain. It just ruined a lot of the roads.” There are several reasons for the falloff in Middle East road freight traffic; the drop in the price of oil, the improvements to ports in the area (particularly in their ability to turn round big container ships quickly), and, of course, the Gulf war. When the war began, there was something of an overland mini-boom when shipping in the Gulf was threatened, but the overall effect has been negative. Money that used to be spent on a vast range of Western imports is now being squandered in trench warfare that everyone loses. Iraq is full of part-completed, cancelled development projects. The sudden diversion of funds into the war effort nearly ruined Stanway Transport. A lot of their work used to be for a company supplying water treatment equipment to Iraq. Overnight, the Iraqis stopped paying, the project ground to a halt, and most of Stanway’s work dried up. The boss, Dave Stanway, has weathered setbacks before though, and with a lot of hard work he managed to find other work to take up the slack. “You’d think the war would have sharpened the Iraqis up a bit,” says Kenny. “But they seem to be as disorganized as ever.” “If you’re tipping in Baghdad, they stick you in a park out in the desert till they’ve cleared the paperwork. There’s absolutely nothing there and it’s miles from anywhere. No facilities, nothing.” “You drive all that way to their country, and they just don’t seem to want to know. I can’t understand it.” Other countries in the area have obviously become a lot more security-conscious because of the war. “If you’re tipping in Saudi.” Explains Kenny, “you drive straight in once you’ve cleared customs. But if you’re going through to Qatar or the Emirates, they take you in convoy.” “They just hold you there till there’s enough trucks to make up a convoy. I can usually clear the Kuwait border in 12 hours, but last time I was there six days waiting for a convoy to build up. And then they only took us 180 kilometers to the TAPline road, where we had to wait two more days for another convoy to join us from the Jordanian border. There’s nothing you can do about it - they’ve got your papers.” “The thing is, the whole convoy idea is a farce. Once it gets going, everyone just puts their foot down and the whole thing gets strung out. By the time I reached the Qatar border, the slowest trucks were about six hours behind the leaders. And we all had to wait till the tail-enders arrived before they would let us through.” Kenny’s White is not the most luxurious to drive over bad roads. The springs are short and the ride is harsh, although the air suspension seat does help. It does, however, have one big advantage: the aerodyne-style sleeping compartment. Adequate space makes all the difference on a long run. The sleeper, in fact, is the only one of its kind. When boss Dave Stanway ordered it back in 1979, he specified a factory-built aerodyne sleeper, together with items like red leather upholstery, aluminium wheels (“We had to get rid of them – they broke up”) and stainless steel stacks. At that stage, Dave was out on the road himself. He’d only been going a few years (he started by hauling cages of racing pigeons with a Ford D1000), and he wanted a truck that was both sturdy and comfortable to do Middle East work. He was furious was the White arrived from the States – minus all the extras he had ordered. So he went to Locomotors of Andover, who built the aerodyne sleeper for him to his design. It wasn’t a cheap job, but the results have lasted well. And in other respects, Dave still has reason to be pleased with his purchase. The Cat 3406 engine (280 bhp) and the Fuller nine-speed box have proved sturdy enough, and the aluminium cab has lasted far better than a steel one. The one disappointment was the Eaton drive axle, which suffered from a spate of seized bearings. It’s now been replaced by a Volvo F89 axle – a common modification to European-based Whites. According to Dave, rates on Middle East work are no better than they were half a dozen years ago, while expenses have increased dramatically. But he’s happy to carry on with the job, feeling that he can make it pay where others can’t. “Any firm is only as good as its drivers, and my four are all first-rate. It’s only due to their hard work and professionalism that the job can pay.” The heyday of the Middle East may be over, but there’s clearly still room for companies and drivers who have the right approach. .

The Washington Post / October 18, 2016 Last month, the Obama administration announced an eye-popping $38 billion security assistance deal with the Israelis, to be disbursed over ten years starting in 2019. That caught us off-guard. It seemed like a ton of money. But as we looked into the deal, and others like it, we began to realize how little we knew about the U.S. government’s assistance budget, which ranges from programs combating HIV/AIDS to those directly funding other nations’ armed forces. Using the State Department’s request to Congress for a 2017 budget, we compiled what we thought was a comprehensive look at the U.S. foreign assistance budget. That budget request is a complex stew of programmatic acronyms, thickened by confounding numerical overlaps and an endless roster of government agencies. You can see that first attempt here. In response, numerous representatives of those same agencies, as well as academics and analysts, got in touch. “You guys are on the right track,” they said, “but there’s much more to this than you’ve got here.” We hope what follows can stand as a more exhaustive explanation. At the top of this page, you’ll see what a tiny fraction of the entire federal budget is devoted to foreign assistance — just about 1 percent. As we pointed out in the previous post, most Americans vastly overestimate this number in surveys. In a Kaiser Family Foundation study published in early 2015, the average respondent thought that 26 percent of the federal budget went to foreign aid. Unsurprisingly, more than half the respondents thought the United States was spending too much on foreign aid. In the breakdown above, we have laid out where the $42.4 billion will go in 2017. The money comes from the State and Defense departments and a slew of other agencies. But it would be wrong to think that “security assistance” comes entirely from the DoD. Security assistance is a broader term than so-called military aid because this financial support is often extended to other types of security forces such as anti-narcotic or trafficking units. [The money comes from American taxpayers] Actually, only about half the security assistance budget is provided by the DoD. That mostly derives from programs directly tied to military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, such as the Afghan Security Forces Fund and the Iraq Train and Equip Fund. Deals like last month’s with Israel, on the other hand, come from the State Department. In that case, the U.S. government is essentially financing Israel’s military purchases. Under the current agreement, Israel can spend 26 percent of that money on military equipment produced in Israel, but the new deal, which starts in 2019, gradually phases out that stipulation. Then, like every other country, Israel will have to spend all the assistance money on American defense contractors. In other words, U.S. foreign military financing is essentially a way of subsidizing its domestic defense industry while strengthening the military capabilities of its strategic allies. Economic and development assistance is almost entirely provided through the State Department’s budget. This includes the budgets for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and Peace Corps, reserve funds for disaster relief, funds geared toward specific objectives, such as preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS, and bilateral economic assistance packages. This is the first of three cartograms, which is a fancy word for a map specifically geared toward a comparative display of statistics. Since American economic and development assistance is spread out among more than 100 countries, the cartogram vaguely resembles a normal map. Nevertheless, seven African countries feature among the top-10 recipients of economic assistance. Most of the money given to those countries is funneled toward health initiatives, particularly HIV/AIDS treatment and research. The biggest recipient, however, is Afghanistan, where the United States is hoping to win over hearts and minds with all kinds of development assistance after 15 years of military quagmire there. As opposed to the broad dispersal of economic development funds, the security assistance cartogram demonstrates the targeted nature of the American national military strategy. A swath of countries from Egypt to Pakistan — excluding Iran, of course — receive the vast majority of U.S. security assistance. The biggest individual, non-bilateral program in the security assistance budget is the Afghanistan Security Forces Fund (ASFF). The DoD describes the program thusly: “For DoD to provide assistance to the security forces of Afghanistan to include the provision of equipment, supplies, services, training, facility and infrastructure repair, renovation and construction, and funding.” Security Assistance Monitor, the nonprofit organization that provided much of the data on which this article is based, says on its website that the ASFF’s ultimate goal “is to produce an independent, self-sufficient armed forces for Afghanistan.” The security assistance budget also includes “train and equip funds” for allied forces in Iraq and Syria. Those funds go toward the Iraqi army, as well as Kurdish peshmerga troops and other militias the U.S. cooperates with in both countries in its push against the Islamic State. Israel and Egypt are the biggest recipients of U.S. military financing. Israel receives about $3.1 billion in annual financing currently, and that number will increase to $3.8 billion after 2017. Egypt has received major financing ever since it agreed to an American-brokered peace with Israel in the Camp David Accords of 1978. Put all together, the top-10 list of U.S. foreign assistance recipients are as follows: (image 5) But if the U.S. assistance budget demonstrates where the American government has strategic interest, then where are some of our biggest allies on the cartograms above? Saudi Arabia, NATO members, Japan, South Korea and India are all conspicuously absent. The answer is that those countries simply buy arms from the United States rather than receive large-scale assistance. Many have their own established defense programs. The cartogram below shows U.S. arms deliveries worldwide for 2015, which amounted to $21.9 billion. The U.S. sells arms to nations that surround its main adversaries, China and Russia, as well as to countries playing active roles in the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, which includes most of the Gulf states. The massive scale of assistance the United States provides to nations around the world is a reflection of its ubiquitous presence on the world stage, and the sheer size of its economy. The United States provides far more assistance than any other country in the world, and in terms of arms sales, it controls at least half the global market. However, the United States gives less as a percentage of its gross national income than other countries. U.N. resolutions have set 0.7 percent of GNI as an unofficial benchmark that developed countries should contribute to foreign assistance. According to 2015 OECD statistics, the U.S. contributes about 0.17 percent of its GNI, which is below the 0.3 percent that is the average for developed nations. Only six countries, all in Europe, have reached the U.N. benchmark: the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway and Sweden. Sweden stands out, contributing almost 1.4 percent of its GNI to foreign assistance. Data - https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/world/which-countries-get-the-most-foreign-aid/?hpid=hp_hp-more-top-stories_foreign-budget-655pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory

Leaked emails reveal how Clinton world spins The Financial Times / October 18, 2016 Hacked messages show how aides sought to insulate Democratic nominee from attack Hillary Clinton’s aides were worried about how the Clintons’ ties to foreign lobbyists and Wall Street banks might hurt her, and did their best to insulate her from any fallout — even when Mrs Clinton herself did not realise they were a problem. This is one of the revelations inside more than 17,000 hacked emails of Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta, which have been released by WikiLeaks over the past week and a half in 11 separate data dumps. An additional 33,000 emails are still expected to be released by WikiLeaks before election day. The slow release of the emails has added to the impression that Mrs Clinton is dogged by the same issues that have followed her since the primary, and contributed to the impression that the candidate is a different person behind closed doors than in public. According to a CBS News poll released on Tuesday, only one in three voters thinks that Mrs Clinton believes what she is saying, versus two in three voters who think she says what people want to hear. In contrast, nearly three in five voters think that Mr Trump does believe what he is saying, even though Mrs Clinton leads him by 11 points nationally. Here is what we have learnt from the hacked emails and what they say about how Mrs Clinton’s world operates. • The line between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ Clinton donors is not always clear — even to the Clintons In an April 2015 email chain, Clinton aides deliberated over whether it was a good idea to accept campaign donations from lobbyists who worked on behalf of foreign governments. Robby Mook, Mrs Clinton’s campaign manager, initially argued against the idea, saying it was too hard to come up with a system to determine which foreign governments were deemed acceptable to lobby (ie. Canada) and which were not. While he and other aides at one point talked about vetting lobbyists on a case-by-case basis, Mr Mook was eventually persuaded to change his mind, with others arguing that lobbying for a foreign government was in some cases no worse than lobbying for a controversial US corporation, such as Philip Morris. “In a complete U-turn, I’m OK just taking the money and dealing with any attacks,” Mr Mook wrote. Jennifer Palmieri, Mrs Clinton’s director of communications, agreed. “Take the money!!” she urged. • The Clinton campaign tried to move the Illinois primary In a different email chain with Mr Podesta, Mr Mook suggested that the Clinton campaign should try to convince the Illinois legislature to delay the state’s primary by at least a month, a move he suggested would help make sure the Republican party was stuck with a more extreme nominee who would fare worse in the general election. “The overall goal is to move the [Illinois] primary out of mid-March, where they are currently a lifeline to a more moderate Republican candidate after the mostly southern Super Tuesday,” Mr Mook wrote in November 2014. Mr Mook suggested that Mr Podesta should contact Bill Daley, a fellow Obama administration alumnus, to see if he could convince the Illinois House speaker to move the date of the primary, and emphasise that it was a “Hillary ask”, not an “Obama ask”. “The Clintons won’t forget what their friends have done for them,” Mr Mook wrote. The primary date was never moved. • At times, aides thought it best that Mrs Clinton be left in the dark In the weeks before Mrs Clinton announced that she would be running for president, aides worried that former President Bill Clinton was continuing to accept large speaking fees from financial institutions, something they correctly assessed might become an issue during the Democratic primary. Mrs Clinton, however, was insistent: her husband should continue to give the speeches and accept the large fees. In an email to Mrs Clinton’s top aide Huma Abedin, Mr Mook laid out why he believed Mrs Clinton was wrong. “I know this is not the answer she wants, but I feel very strongly that doing the speech is a mistake,” Mr Mook wrote. After he and other campaign aides went ahead and cancelled a planned Morgan Stanley speech by Mr Clinton, Ms Abedin said that she would have to tell Mrs Clinton that the speech had been cancelled by Mr Clinton himself, and not the aides, in order not to upset her boss. “HRC very strongly did not want him to cancel that particular speech,” Ms Abedin wrote, using Mrs Clinton’s initials. “I will have to tell her that [former president Clinton] chose to cancel it, not that we asked.” • Mrs Clinton is not as anti-fracking as might seem In a conversation with the building trade union last year, Mrs Clinton suggested that she was significantly more sympathetic to the fracking and fossil fuels industries than she had stressed during the Democratic primary. According to a transcript of that meeting, which was included in Mr Podesta’s emails, Mrs Clinton told the group that she wanted to “defend natural gas”. “I want to defend repairing and building the pipelines we need to fuel our economy. I want do defend fracking under the right circumstances,” she said. Despite a $30bn pledge to revive Appalachia the Democratic nominee is struggling She added that she had little sympathy for “the most radical environmentalists” who were backing her primary rival Bernie Sanders. “They come to my rallies and they yell at me, and you know, all the rest of it. They say: ‘Will you promise never to take any fossil fuels out of the earth ever again?’ No. I won’t promise that. Get a life, you know,” Mrs Clinton said, according to the email. • Tim Kaine was not a shoo-in for VP In an email on March 17, a group of Mrs Clinton’s top aides sent the candidate a long list of 40 names for Mrs Clinton to choose from for her running mate. To make it easier for Mrs Clinton to navigate, they divided the candidates into what appear to be six distinct categories: Latinos, women, white men, African-Americans, military officials and business executives. Bernie Sanders, Mrs Clinton’s primary rival, was placed in a seventh category all of his own. In addition to Mr Sanders and Mr Kaine, the campaign was also looking at a few more unconventional choices, among them Bill and Melinda Gates, former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, Apple’s Tim Cook and Howard Schultz of Starbucks. .

A Soap Opera in progress __________________________________________________________________________________________________ Wikileaks / October 18, 2016 Wikileaks has revealed that Chelsea Clinton accused some of her father's closest aides of taking 'significant sums of money' from her parents, among other allegations, in an email to members of the Clintons' inner circle. In an e-mail dated November 4, 2011, Chelsea accused Bill Clinton's aides Doug Band, Justin Cooper and Hannah Rickert of corruption, and articulated a number of transgressions, which she described as “very sad.” No fan of Chelsea Clinton, Bill Clinton aide Doug Band described Chelsea in a hacked John Podesta e-mail as “a spoiled brat kid.” The new exchange, which occurred several days before, sheds light on the activities of Band and other aides that made Chelsea Clinton suspicious that they were harming the Clinton Foundation, which she had started to take control of, to enrich themselves. Chelsea Clinton was writing to Podesta, now acting as her mother’s campaign chairman, and Cheryl Mills, Hillary’s State Department chief of staff, along with Victoria Bjorklund and Jennifer Reynoso, two lawyers from the firm Simpson Thacher, who were conducting a Clinton Foundation review, which had commenced the month before. In the e-mail, Chelsea Clinton listed the issues she had been told of or experienced that past week. Her complaints began with Band, who she said had contacted her father's speakers bureau, asking for information about how much he was paid for speeches and how many he delivered. Band then told the bureau he was Bill Clinton's primary contact for booking and not the ex-president's scheduler. Chelsea Clinton then noted that her assistant Ilya Aspis caught Justin Cooper “reading his [Blackberry] and loading the same spyware onto his computer that he loaded onto Bari [Lurie's] computer”. A Secret Service agent told Chelsea Clinton's husband Marc Mezvinsky that Cooper had “asked another Secret Service agent to lie about the parking pass absurdity,” she said, adding, “we can talk about this really ridiculous anecdote offline.” Multiple people reported to Chelsea Clinton that Cooper had been bad-mouthing her father: “in very derogatory ways sadly.” Another aide complained that Cooper had been reading his emails. Chelsea Clinton wrote that her father was told of Band and his firm Teneo pushing for free memberships, using Clinton connections. Band's firm was also “hustling” for business at the annual Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), part of the Clinton Foundation where people and companies make commitments to help solve global problems. “And of people now having quit at CGI - that Doug told Jon Davidson he was never going to forgive him for not reporting that Dad met with John [Podesta] on Sunday and that how could Jon forget who he really worked for,” Chelsea Clinton wrote. Band threatened Bill Clinton's scheduler. “Doug told Terry Krinivic she would never work again in this town if she didn't back him up on everything,” Chelsea Clinton wrote. [Chelsea Clinton’s assistant] “Ilya [Aspis]] believes Hannah and Justin have taken significant sums of money from my parents personally, some in expenses, cars, etc.,and others directly,' she wrote. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From:aj66@nyu.edu (Chelsea Clinton) To: john.podesta@gmail.com, cheryl.mills@gmail.com, vbjorklund@stblaw.com, jreynoso@stblaw.com Date: 2011-11-04 19:08 Subject: Hello John, Cheryl, Victoria and Jennifer – Although I continue to respond to people's sharing of their concerns about the [Clinton] Foundation and/or my father's world by telling them that 1) I hope they will share their experiences/concerns/hopes/fears with Victoria and her team candidly and 2) that it is critical that as we move to professionalize the Foundation for the future that professionalism starts with this process - people continue to share things with me. Although I continue to not respond or engage beyond what I outlined above, I do think - and my mother strongly agreed as a lawyer - that I should pass along to you Victoria and your team and to you John and Cheryl the below as more information (factual or suspected or imagined). Particularly in advance of what I understand will be an intermediate conversation with Doug tomorrow. I continue to want - and to try - to disintermediate myself from this muddle, edify the corporate audit and existential process we are in - while also being a responsible board member, daughter and person. In that vein, I was told or experienced the following since we had our meeting last week Victoria: - today that Doug reached out to someone at Harry Walker (who represents my father on all speaking arrangements), to ask for a full list of all his speeches, how much he was paid for each speech, and told the contact person at Harry Walker that all speeches should now go through him, not Terry Krinivic (the scheduler) - that Ilya physically saw/caught Justin a couple of days ago reading his bberry and loading the same spyware onto his computer that he loaded onto Bari's computer - a secret service agent told Marc (my husband) that Justin had asked another secret service agent to lie about the parking pass absurdity [we can talk about this really ridiculous anecdote offline] - multiple people shared with me how upset they were at hearing how Justin referred to my father in the last week - in very derogatory ways - Oscar told my father he knows Justin reads his emails - my father was told today of explicit examples at CGI of Doug/ Teneo pushing for - and receiving - free memberships - and of multiple examples of Teneo 'hustling' business at CGI - and of people now having quit at CGI - that Doug told Jon Davidson he was never going to forgive him for not reporting that Dad met with John (ie you John) on Sunday and that how could Jon forget who he really worked for - Doug told Terry Krinivic she would never work again in this town if she didn't back him up on everything. - Ilya believes Hannah and Justin have taken significant sums of money from my parents personally - some in expenses - cars, etc. - and others directly. As ever, on some of the above I am sure there are three sides as my grandmother would say - his, hers and the truth. On others, it seems more clear. All of it makes me very sad. Thank you all for your help. The only people I am sharing the above with are you, my mother and my father. Please let me know as ever if you have any questions or advice. Thank you, Chelsea

OOIDA to House Approps: Don't mandate speed limiters Greg Grisolano, Land Line (OOIDA) / October 18, 2016 After making a similar request of the Senate, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association is asking the House Appropriations committee to ditch language from an upcoming bill that would force a final rule mandating speed limiters. The Association issued a letter on Oct. 17 to the committee’s chair, Rep. Hal Rogers, R-Ky., and ranking member Rep. Nita Lowey, D-N.Y. The letter also went to chairman of the subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., and ranking subcommittee member Rep. David Price, D-N.C. A provision is included in Section 142 of the Senate Amendment to the FY 2017 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, that requires the Secretary of Transportation to issue a final rule mandating speed limiters. OOIDA’s full letter can be viewed here. The Association issued a similar letter to the Senate Appropriations committee on Sept. 21. “Professional drivers have long opposed efforts to mandate the installation of speed limiters on heavy vehicles because research indicates the technology actually reduces safety for all highway users,” OOIDA Executive Vice President Todd Spencer wrote in the letter. “Truckers across the country encourage members of Congress to oppose the inclusion of Section 142 of the Senate amendment in any final appropriations measure funding the Department of Transportation through the remainder of the fiscal year.” OOIDA opposes a government mandate on this issue, pointing to research that contradicts the fed’s claimed “safety benefits” of speed limiters, as it would force a speed differential between heavy trucks and other vehicles using the highways. That would lead to more vehicle interactions, unsafe maneuvering and crashes, a study of speed differentials shows. On Sept. 7, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration published a notice of proposed rulemaking on the speed limiter issue. The proposal has drawn criticism from OOIDA and other groups for failing to state how the proposal would decrease crashes overall. Additionally, by the agencies’ own admission, the proposed rule would have an overwhelmingly negative benefit on small-business truckers and owner-operators. Spencer noted that approximately 93 percent of all trucks on the road are operated by small businesses, which maintain 20 or fewer vehicles. “Forcing the agencies’ hand in issuing a mandate without fully considering these consequences would disregard the very serious threat this rule poses to the livelihood and survival of countless small-businesses, which comprise an overwhelmingly large portion of the trucking industry,” he wrote. The proposed rulemaking that would require speed limiters be installed in every new vehicle weighing 26,000 pounds or more. A 60-day comment period on the proposal began Sept. 7. Various industry groups have raised alarm at the proposal, with OOIDA filing a formal request for an additional 60-day comment period. The American Trucking Associations is also calling for a 30-day extension on the comment period. In the letter, Spencer notes that mandating the installation of speed limiters, as prescribed by the bill, “ignores important regulatory reform provisions” in the latest highway bill, the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act, or FAST Act. The proposed rule argues that speed limiters will reduce the severity of large truck crashes, leading to fewer fatalities and serious injuries. However, OOIDA argues that the number of crashes would actually increase as the speed differential between large trucks and other motorists would lead to more vehicle interactions and unsafe maneuvering. Spencer wrote that in addition to their concerns about implementing a mandate via legislation instead of through the regulatory process, independent drivers are “equally concerned about the lack of understanding surrounding this proposal and its true impact on our nation.” “We believe enhanced congressional oversight of this issue would help elected officials and the American public better understand the real dangers associated with speed limiters, including increasedcrash rates, greater highway congestion, and the loss of vital small businesses,” he wrote. OOIDA’s website, FightingForTruckers.com, has more information about the Association’s opposition to the mandate, as well as ways for truckers to contact their lawmakers and oppose a mandate. You can also file comments on the proposal here and here.

RAM Trucks: Big is better Downunder Driven New Zealand / October 19, 2016 The core vehicle was interrupted as less as possible When Ateco decided to import the famous RAM large pickup trucks into Australasia it decided it was better to go big, so, rather than convert the utes, it has set up a factory to remanufacture the products. Ateco approached parent company Fiat Chrysler USA in 2013 with the idea of importing the left-hand-drive RAM trucks Downunder. Ateco set up American Special Vehicles (ASV) in collaboration with Melbourne company Walkinshaw, which has been involved with HSV manufacturing for 30 years. Two truck models, the 2500 and 3500, are imported directly from RAM’s Mexico factory to the ASV plant, with Australia the first country outside North America where the trucks are officially exported to. The new right-hand-drive trucks must meet the Australian full volume compliance rules, that all car manufacturers have to meet to sell volume cars in Australia. The versions are powered by a 6.7-litre turbo-diesel engine, boasting 1084Nm of torque, and are equipped with the Laramie trim and equipment package. The RAM 2500 has a towing capacity of up to 6989kg and a payload of 913kg; the RAM 3500 has a towing capacity of 6170kg and a payload of 1713kg. The RAM 2500 Laramie is priced from $163,000 plus on-road costs and the RAM 3500 Laramie from $169,500. RAM trucks are backed by a three-year/100,000km warranty with roadside assistance. The RAMs have six-speed automatic transmission, which includes driver-adaptive shifting and three multiple clutch packs, dual filters on a dual stage pump and an independent lubrication cooler that delivers pressures under all loads and driving conditions. RAM trucks are also big on safety and security and have advanced, multi-stage front airbags, front and rear seat curtain airbags, electronic stability control, rear park assist and rear view camera, an eye-level brake light with cargo camera, a tyre pressure monitoring system and remote keyless entry. Standard equipment in the cabin includes heated and ventilated front leather seats, a 12V power outlet, a 240V 100 amp mains power socket, adjustable foot pedals, a sunroof, and nine-speaker audio system with a subwoofer. The dash has the same infotainment system as the Jeep Grand Cherokee and there are two rear cameras, one for the cargo area and another for reversing. The RAM trucks went on sale in Australia in November and officially launched in New Zealand at Fieldays, with 13 dealers from Whangarei to Dunedin. So far 15 RAM trucks have sold in New Zealand and 200 in Australia. Ninety per cent of the products registered are the 2500. With Australian car manufacturing in decline — Ford’s factory has just shut and Holden and Toyota are to follow — ASV is now that country’s third largest vehicle manufacturer. While the decline of Australian manufacturing is detrimental, ASV was able to use former staff, suppliers and equipment from subsidiaries. Situated in an old Nissan car factory next door to the HSV plant, the 6,000 square meter area has been re-engineered to cope with more than 1200 RAMs a year, but works on two a day at present. ASV’s joint chief operating officer, John DiBerardino, said the core vehicle was “interrupted as less as possible”. “Where it’s visually important, we have spent the money — but where it’s not, then it’s not worth the investment.” There are three production lines, two working on the chassis. Once the trucks arrive, the cabs are separated from the rolling chassis, fluids are drained, the firewall is changed over, and components are either flipped or re-fitted. The 2500 and 3500 RAMs have 400 unique parts, from ties to steering boxes, headlights and mirrors. The company had to create a new dash, costing A$1.3 million to design, and used the Socobell group that produced the Camry dash for Toyota Australia. While two lines work on the chassis, the third line assembles the cabin, including that new Australia-made dash, and swapping over the two front seats. A noticeable change to the cabin is the driver footwell that was too small in the left-hand-drive passenger mode because of the rounded design of the firewall, rather than a narrow middle console, that intruded into the space. So ASV streamlined the area, creating enough space for the pedals. Another ASV special was having the steering arms tested through 100,000 cycles with three-tonnes of force (equivalent to 20 years driving, says the company). The cabin and chassis are then reunited and taken for a test around the grounds of the factory, checking especially for any electronic faults. DiBerardino said so far no major faults have been found during the test. “We’ve just had to tweak wheel alignment, it’s important that from the start the electronics are correct so we don’t have to pull the dash apart.” In Australia the 3500 is recognised as a truck, so must stop at every weigh station and has a 90km/h speed limit on freeways. But Ateco has already found a market for this model, with the New South Wales police force replacing six utes with two 3500s, that have room for six passengers in the cabin and can tow an eight-horse trailer. Queensland emergency services has purchased six to tow trailers with equipment while the 2500 has found favour with Australia’s “grey nomad” customers who tour around the country with large caravans. Horse owners are also expected to favour the 2500, in Australia and New Zealand. What will be interesting is the prospective market for RAM’s right-hand-drive vehicles. There’s the potential to sell in India, South Africa, the UK and even Afghanistan. There will also be interest from RAM USA on the RHD project; not just how well its products are re-manufactured but also how a couple of touches, such as the front passenger footwell, have improved the products. .

Transport Engineer / October 18, 2016 Consett, County Durham-based Elddis Transport has acquired another five new Mercedes-Benz Actros tractor units, stating that experience shows it can depend on long-term reliability. Elddis managing director Nigel Cook says some of the firm’s first 62-registered trucks from the latest Actros range have already covered well over a million kilometres. “You simply cannot argue with the unstoppable and very cost-effective performance these vehicles have given us over the years,” states Cook. “In a high-mileage application like ours, long-term reliability is a crucial attribute, and one that our Actros trucks have in abundance.” In fact, Cook confirms that his Mercedes tractors hardly ever need anything apart from basic routine maintenance. “As an example, one of our 62-plate trucks covered over 800,000 km before we replaced the clutch.” Elddis Transport’s latest arrivals are Actros 2545 models with BigSpace cabs. They an identical batch of five units that entered service earlier this year, and a further five are due for delivery this December. All use second-generation, 12.8-litre, six-cylinder 449bhp OM471 engines, with the updated turbochargers and revised injection systems, driving through Mercedes PowerShift 3 automated transmissions. “We’ve also developed an extremely strong working relationship with Mercedes-Benz and Bell Truck and Van,” continues Cook. “The Dealer has had staff based in our workshop in Consett since 1998 and plays an important role in keeping our business moving forward.” .

Transport Engineer / October 18, 2016 Pinden of Longfield has taken delivery of 12 Volvo FE skip trucks and four FMX 8x4 tippers from dealership MC Group, Maidstone, citing fuel efficiency, reliability, build quality, performance and dealer support as the drivers. The latest additions – all of which operate under the Pinbins skip hire brand – mean Pinden now runs a fleet totalling 38 skip trucks, 99% of which are either Volvo FEs or Volvo FLs. “We are expanding, and delivering on environmental and efficiency goals. Volvo Trucks play a vital role in helping us to realise our aspirations,” says Pinden managing director Terry Bishop. The new Volvo FE 4x2 rigid trucks were specified with Day cabs with rear windows, and are powered by Volvo’s six cylinder 7.7 litre 250bhp Volvo D8K engines driving through 12-speed I-Shift automated transmissions. Bodywork is by Boughton Engineering, of Wolverhampton, and comes in the shape of the Power-Reach 18 tonne (PR18) skiploader system, with independent telescopic lift arms, pneumatically-operated tip hooks and heavy-duty cab guards, as well as the company’s Intacova sheeting system. Meanwhile, the new Volvo FMX tippers are high B-ride 8x4 models with 21-tonne rear bogies and straight front axles for enhanced ground clearance. Each was specified with Day cabs and Volvo’s420bhp driveline, and bodied by Thompsons, of Croydon. All of the new trucks are equipped with Brigade all-round camera and sensor systems. While the newest additions to the fleet take Volvo’s three-year warranty, Pinden operates its own four-bay repair and maintenance centre. .

Transport Engineer / October 18, 2016 Urban double-deck trailers semi-trailer manufacturer Transdek UK (http://www.transdek.com/) claims that its approach to urban fgreight distribution is capable of saving up to 520 million road-miles a year. The company – which will be showing its DUET urban double-decks at the Freight in the City Expo (Alexandra Palace, 2 November 2016), says it is focussing development on increasing volumes carried per vehicle and minimising noise for overnight distribution. That should strike a chord, given DfT (Department for Transport), FTA (Freight Transport Association) and CILT (Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport) moves towards greater integration of out-of-hours deliveries to retail outlets to reduce congestion. Transdek managing director Mark Adams insists that an ability to transport twice as much load per delivery is a key driver in reducing the volume of HGV traffic in cities across the UK. Citing work at the Centre for Sustainable Road Freight (SRF), he says: “Based on DfT statistics, we’ve calculated that if just 10% of the UK’s 18 tonne rigids were changed for urban double deckers, this would save 104 million road miles a year, mainly in urban centres. “Converting half of the trucks would see a reduction of 520 million miles.” Transdek is also working with the Noise Abatement Society (NAS) to set what Adams describes as new standards for quiet road freight in UK. At Alexandra Palace, the company intends to introduce a low-height, multi-temperature version of its DUET urban trailer, which features new quiet technology designed specifically for town and city deliveries at night. “By using a range of double-deck trailer types and sizes, logistics operators could achieve 100% extra load on most of their conventional HGV fleets used for retail deliveries,” continues Adams. “Transdek’s urban Wedge double-deck trailer, for example, carries exactly twice as much as standard urban artic of the same length.” .

At the former Mack Trucks, we produced "custom-built" trucks. We never built "standard" trucks. The "standard" wheelbase in the order book, for example, of a RW603 and RW703 was 163 inches. But 99.9% of the dealers/customers ordered longer.r The RW603 was available in wheelbases up to 240 inches, and the RW703 up to 299 inches. .

Dagens Industri / October 18, 2016 AB Volvo is about to sell off a property portfolio worth three billion kronor in Gothenburg, Sweden. It would be one of the largest property deals ever in Gothenburg. The three properties, totaling 250.00 square meters in size, are located in the Torslanda, Save and Arnedal districts of Gothenburg. The real estate deal is expected to be announced shortly. Joakim Kendall, the acting head of the Volvo Group's media relations, refused to comment. It’s unclear which Volvo properties are for sale. In Torslanda, Volvo Group has its headquarters. At Landvetter airport in Save, Volvo owns an airplane hanger that houses its corporate aircraft and office. The airport is already in liquidation. Serneke Construction Group has acquired most of the property. The head office and R&D unit for Volvo Bus, as well as the Volvo Bus Experience Center, are located in Arnedal.

Scania Group Press Release / 18 October 2016 Faster gear changing, an even better interior, and a quiet and comfortable working environment. These are but a few comments from transport professionals after having tested Scania’s New Truck Generation. From September to the end of November, more than 9,100 drivers, transport company owners, and fleet managers from across Europe are invited to test Scania’s New Truck Generation. Invited guests test drive trucks in the new R- and S-series at the Scania DemoCentre. They will also learn more about how connected services can help transport companies achieve better profitability. An early sample of guests showed a real appreciation of the new driver environment and the advantages that connected services can bring to transport businesses. Judging by these early reactions, Scania’s New Truck Generation is already on the road to success. .

Great video. Keeping a human face on the business. I have a DAF heavy winter coat......best one I ever bought.

DAF Trucks Press Release / October 18, 2016 The new DAF Trucks merchandise collection is available right now! Take a look at www.dafshop.com to see the complete collection or visit your local DAF Trucks dealer. .

CBS News / October 18, 2016 America’s trucking industry is facing a severe driver shortage. One estimate says about 48,000 drivers are needed to move 70 percent of the nation’s goods. Companies are aggressively recruiting retirees. Drivers more than 65 years old make up about 10 percent of commercial vehicle operators in the U.S. A five month investigation by CBS News looks at how the increase in older drivers translates to potential danger on the nation’s highways. This trend is a result of the recent downturn in the economy, reports CBS News correspondent Kris Van Cleave. Individuals are working well past the retirement age of 65. But as the industry has changed, the rules of the roads have not kept up with the times -- raising the question: Is more screening needed for commercial drivers? It was supposed to be a celebration for the Hooks family, driving from Oklahoma City to St. Louis in the summer of 2009 to see Ronnie become an elder at his church. But on I-44 near the state line, traffic slowed to a crawl. “I was on the phone with them when it happened on that day, and the phone just went dead,” Ronnie said. The semi driven by 76-year-old Donald Creed rolled on top of three cars, killing 10, including Hooks’ parents and two brothers. On Aug. 19 in Newark, New Jersey, a bus was T-boned by another N.J. Transit bus driven by a 70-year-old. Two people died. Days later, on Aug. 25, a truck hauling stones driven by a 74-year-old slammed into traffic in a construction zone in Binghamton, New York. Ten were hurt. A CBS News analysis of crash data reveals a 19 percent increase in accidents involving commercial truck and bus drivers in their 70s, 80s and even 90s, in just the last three years. From 2013 to 2015, there were more than 6,636 involving elderly drivers in 12 states alone. Oklahoma Highway Patrol Lt. James Loftis investigated the collision that tore apart the Hooks family. As head of the accident investigation unit, he’s noticed an increasing number of crashes involving older commercial drivers. “The industry is looking for truck drivers. There’s a shortage in truck drivers. So they’re not going to self-regulate. The only way that that could be done is on the federal level,” Loftis said. Rose McMurray was senior executive at the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration in the ‘90s. That’s when the agency, recognizing reaction time and stamina become compromised with age, considered implementing regular skills tests for older commercial drivers. “It clearly can result in a lot of political backlash… so state governments have grappled with this, the federal government has grappled with this...because the age discrimination laws really intervene,” McMurray said. The initiative was shelved because of the labor shortage and a lack of age restrictions. Trucking schools are now actively recruiting seniors, promising good benefits and money to supplement retirement. We hired a 70-year-old former Texas state trooper and sent him with a hidden camera to Roadmaster, a school recruiting retirees. “Is there an age limit or anything on this?” he asked the recruiter. “There is not,” the recruiter said. “Trucking is just -- it’s a different kind of industry and environment. They like women any age, men of any age. As long as you are physically able to get behind that wheel and drive that truck,” the recruiter added. “We had two ladies, they were probably in their 80s.” The company defended its policy. Dusty Cushard is the director of their Pennsylvania school. He says FMCSA, the agency regulating the trucking industry, does not prohibit training older drivers, and it’s against federal law to discriminate based on age. “I follow the FMCSA guidelines… There’s no age on it. They pass the physical and everything, and they want to drive,” Cushard said. FMCSA deputy administrator Daphne Jefferson acknowledges the increase in older commercial drivers. Her agency is now studying the trend. “We are not quite at the point yet where we are ready to say one way or another if there needs to be a change in driver rules for, say, drivers over 65,” Jefferson said. But Washington’s deliberations come too late for the Hooks family. “We have all had to learn how to deal with it and deal with the recurring memories and the pain of not having them,” Ronnie said. The driver of the truck that killed the Hooks family was charged with negligent homicide. The aviation industry is also facing a shortage of pilots, but it has a mandatory retirement age of 65. An association representing independent truck drivers said, while there are more commercial drivers over 70, “the greater majority of truck-related crashes are not caused by truckers, but are instead caused by other drivers.” Video - http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/highway-crashes-involving-older-truck-drivers-increase/

Digging into the new diesel engine oils: Part two Fleet Owner / October 18, 2016 Creating new engine tests turned out to be one of the more challenging aspects of establishing a new diesel engine oil category. Dan Arcy, the global OEM technical manager for the Americas for Shell Lubricants, that out of the three “phases” within the Proposed Category 11 or “PC-11” five-year development process that will result in the new CK-4 and FA-4 diesel engine motor oils on Dec. 1, the second phase proved to be the hardest and longest. Starting in December 2011 and lasting until February 2016, the second phase of the PC-11 development process entailed the development of brand-new engine tests as well as the retirement of others. “We knew we needed to look at three main areas of [oil] classification testing: oxidation control, aeration control, and shear stability,” he explained to Fleet Owner, and that entailed a lot of research. “We looked at seven different tests for oxidation control alone,” Arcy pointed out, referencing the nine-member heavy-duty engine oil classification panel made up of engine manufacturer, chemical company, and oil marketer representatives who served under the auspices of the former American Society for Testing and Materials, now known as ASTM International. Yet the work didn’t end when certain tests were selected by the panel, he stressed, for then they had to prove that results from the chosen test could be “repeatable” regardless of the laboratory used. “Using the same oil in the same test needed to give us the same result, Arcy explained. For example, in the case of the Volvo T-13 test selected to confirm oxidation control for PC-11 oils, it took “a couple of years” to get it established. He noted that PC-11’s “phase two” work was largely completed by Dec. 2015, yet awaited a “final approval meeting” two months later with the American Petroleum Institute (API) to officially “sign off” on the testing results and classification standards. With that final “seal of approval” in hand, the third and last phase of the PC-11 process began; one that ends Dec. 1 this year – the licensing and introduction of the new CK-4 and FA-4 blends to the market. “There have been lots of little steps along the way” of phase three, Arcy emphasized, which includes labeling designs to help ensure customers pick the right oil for their engine. “The product [PC-11] line is set to introduce new package labeling, bottle color and user friendly symbols to help customers choose with confidence and understand the enhanced benefits such as extended drain intervals, higher fuel economy or extreme temperature use they will receive,” noted Brian Humphrey, OEM technical liaison for Petro-Canada Lubricants. “The API has released new service symbol ‘donuts’ which clearly distinguish between the two sub-categories,” he added. “However, oil marketers are allowed to use any color they choose for the donut itself. So we recommend visiting http://www.api.org/ to familiarize yourself with the different symbols before the Dec. 1 launch.” Jeff Torkelson, technical director of engineering tech services with Valvoline, stressed that for the truck or fleet owner, the decision to use CK-4 or FA-4 will have to start with their OEM recommendations. “Some OEM’s will be recommending FA-4 for their new 2017 engines and some will not, so it’s important to pay close attention to your owner’s manual,” he emphasized to Fleet Owner. “Duty cycles may also play a role in selecting the correct category of lubricant, where severe service duty cycles are more likely to recommend using CK-4 oils versus FA-4.” For fleets desiring to get every bit of fuel efficiency they can and if the OEM recommends FA-4 for their engine, then using it should result in improved fuel savings, Torkelson noted. “Even with CK-4 backwards compatible oils, the 10W-30 grade should provide improved fuel efficiency compared to the 15W-40 grade,” he emphasized. “So for those looking for the best protection and durability, we recommend CK-4.” While oil drain intervals will be set by the engine OEMs, Valvoline is expecting longer drain intervals for both CK-4 and FA-4. In fact, PACCAR is one such OEM that confirmed earlier this month that it will be extending oil drain intervals by 15,000 miles for its proprietary engine line. “The increased robustness of the PC-11 oils could potentially allow longer drains,” Torkelson said. “The PC-11 category overall shows increased performance in oxidation protection, [plus] shear stability or stay-in-grade performance which could potentially result in longer drain intervals [and] reduced maintenance costs.” He added that Valvoline has been working “diligently” on field testing PC-11 oil since the category need was announced and has been running longer and longer drain intervals with each prototype improvement. Those longer drains are the result of several factors, noted Shell’s Arcy, with the two main ones being less contamination of the oil and longer-lasting chemical additive packages. “In terms of how far an oil can go, the viscosity or the ‘thinness’ of the oil does not make a difference,” he stressed. “A thicker CJ-4 15W-40 oil and FA-4 10W-30 oil could have the exact same [drain] interval. That’s because the [new] oils are designed to handle higher temperatures better and longer than [previous] oils and offer significantly better oxidation control.” Like all the lubricant makers, Shell invested heavily in field tests for the new PC-11 oils – some 45 million miles worth across numerous truck duty cycles and engine displacements – which when added to the field tests conducted by the OEMs should give motor carriers “peace of mind” that the new oils perform as advertised. “That’s a lot of miles and should give customers an extra sense of comfort,” Arcy said. “Because we all know customers won’t sacrifice durability for fuel economy.” Knowing, however, that fleets often like to do their own validation tests, he offered a few suggestions: Use three to five trucks to get a good “statistical sampling” of your fleet’s operating characteristics; Use trucks with comparable load, route, and fuel economy characteristics; Use an oil analysis program; Conduct oil analysis tests on at least “a couple” or oil drains per truck, with each drain at anywhere from 40,000 to 60,000 miles.

Inverted camelback rode like a Cadillac. Camelback lasts longer.

VW Seeks Final Approval of Emissions Deal Without Fix in Hand Bloomberg / October 18, 2016 Volkswagen AG is asking for a final sign-off on its $14.7 billion settlement with drivers as it continues to seek regulators’ approval of a fix for 482,000 pollution-spewing vehicles still on U.S. roads. Without an approved repair, VW may be left with only one option: buy back the cars with so-called defeat devices from the owners. And the German automaker might have to do the same for a smaller group of vehicles with larger 3.0-liter diesel engines equipped with the emissions-cheating software. VW reached the settlement covering the 2.0-liter engines in June with consumers and regulators including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. With a San Francisco federal judge set to consider final approval of that deal Tuesday, the EPA has yet to approve any of VW’s proposals to fix those cars, said a person familiar with the matter who wasn’t authorized to speak publicly. A formal proposal by VW for a fix won’t be considered by federal regulators in an official review until after the settlement is approved by the judge. VW’s negotiations with the EPA have been fluid, said the person who asked not to be identified. So far, regulators led by the California Air Resources Board have been critical of the carmakers’ attempted solutions. CARB has twice rejected VW’s recall plans -- once in a January letter related to the 2-liter engines and again in a similar July statement for the 3-liter models. VW has agreed to spend as much as $10 billion to buy back 2-liter models and compensate drivers. It also agreed to pay $2.7 billion to federal and California regulators to fund pollution-reduction projects and pay $2 billion to be invested in clean technology. A court conference is set for Nov. 3 on VW’s negotiations with regulators and consumer lawyers on a solution for the 85,000 vehicles with 3-liter engines, including the VW Touareg, Porsche Cayenne and Audi Q5. The automaker has earmarked almost $19.6 billion (17.8 billion euros) to extricate it from the emissions-cheating scandal. That includes $1.2 billion to its U.S. franchise dealers, along with $86 million to California and $603 million to other states over violations of consumer protection laws. VW still faces criminal probes, shareholder claims and environmental lawsuits by multiple states as well as lawsuits and a criminal probe in Europe. U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer allowed the settlement to move ahead in July, calling the proposed agreement “fair, adequate and reasonable.’’ At Tuesday’s hearing to determine whether the agreement is fair, Breyer is set to consider objections on behalf of more than 400 car owners. Breyer has allotted no more than two minutes for arguments to each of the critics. Car owners could have gotten the same deal -- buybacks and compensation -- through VW’s settlement with federal regulators, according to the Center for Class Action Fairness, an advocacy group primarily complaining about the estimate of more than $300 million in fees to be paid plaintiffs’ lawyers. The Center also said the announced value of the settlement was inflated. Consumer lawyers were essential to the quick settlement, they argued in court filings last month. Attorneys’ fees will be limited to $324 million, far below the typical share in class-action settlements. The case is In Re: Volkswagen “Clean Diesel” Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation, 15-md-02672, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California (San Francisco).

Big Rigs / October 18, 2016 Next year's Perth Truck and Trailer Show has been postponed until 2018. Motor Trade Association (MTA) of Western Australia CEO Steve Moir said it was a decision made in light of WA's current economic climate and would allow time to reinvigorate the show meaning it will be "significantly bigger and better". Mr Moir said the Western Australia economy had slowed and this decision would help ensure the show continued to "grow strongly". Up until last year the truck show was held at the Perth convention centre, now the MTA is looking at an outdoor facility giving more space for displays. "We're looking at interactive displays," Mr Moir said which would "attract the broader public". "We're pretty excited." The Perth Truck and Trailer Show will continue to be held every two years, dates for 2018 are to be confirmed.

ATA discusses electronic braking technologies Steve Skinner, Australasian Transport News (ATN) / October 17, 2016 Electronic braking systems are now generally regarded as a great thing, but there can be problems if truck and trailer systems aren’t properly matched Chris Loose is a pretty funny bloke for a truck engineer. His definition of a truck driver is someone who transports stuff you can’t. And an engineer is an organism who solves a problem you didn’t know you had in a way you don’t understand. And everybody can relate to what he calls the "bum-ometer". "The bum-ometer is no longer calibrated to the road," laments Loose, senior engineering advisor with the Australian Trucking Association. "The trucks now have air suspension seats, they have air suspended cabs, they’ve got huge taper leaf springs and air bag suspension. "The driver is no longer connected to the road so he no longer feels it. "The driver is becoming more and more remote from his vehicle and the feel of the road. "He is inherently as a result driving harder and faster through potholes because he no longer feels them, and it’s a huge issue. "Unfortunately guys, it’s a male problem, testosterone, we want to get there faster." And for Loose that’s one of the reasons why electronic roll stability is such an important thing. Roll stability is part and parcel of the electronic braking systems (EBS) that have become more common in recent years. Loose gave an entertaining rundown on electronic braking and stability technology at this year’s Comvec technical conference in Melbourne, organised by Heavy Vehicle Industry Australia. Life saver As far as the ATA is concerned, the jury is no longer out on electronic stability control (ESC): it’s a great and proven life-saving technology. ESC automatically slows the vehicle down via both the throttle and brakes if it senses the risk of a rollover. The ATA points to a Monash University Accident Research Centre study from a couple of years ago which concluded that mandated ESC in heavy vehicles could reduce fatal heavy vehicle crashes by 4 per cent. In turn, ESC can be the foundation technology for the even more advanced Autonomous Emergency Braking Systems (AEBS) that we’ve heard so much about for both cars and trucks in recent years. Monash estimates mandated AEBS could prevent up to an incredible 25 per cent of fatal heavy vehicle crashes. Meanwhile the Victorian Government says log truck and trailer rollovers have been virtually eliminated thanks to stability control on B-doubles in key logging areas of that state. That’s from an average of 40 rollovers a year previously. The ATA is advocating that for most applications, electronic stability control should be compulsory in all new truck and trailer models from 2019. As things stand, the lesser technology of ABS – anti-lock braking – is mandatory on all new trucks and trailers. This is under the Australian Design Rules 35/04 (trucks) and ADR 38/04 (trailers, with load sensing valves as an alternative.) Loose doesn’t agree with it, but dollies are exempt from ABS or load sensing valves. However "through" power must be provided to the following trailer. In the US and Europe most trailers have ABS; here most trailers don’t. Ironically, there may be a safety problem with the latest technology, if there is incompatibility between truck and trailer braking systems. If the truck has a "smart" brake system with ABS and better still EBS as well, and the trailer or trailers are "dumb", that can create a safety issue in itself. The most obvious example is stamping on the brakes in an emergency: the trailers may not stop as well as the truck, thereby risking a jack-knife situation. .