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"A good example of why this testimony is simply not believable, in fact, I think a lot of it is just outright falsehood, let's remember, she was also on the Senate Arms Services Committee for 6 years before she became Secretary of State. She had to have a much better knowledge of what was classified and what was not classified [than she publicly admits]." Former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. John Bolton .

ABC Tulsa / September 7, 2016 Robert Bever, the older of two brothers charged with murdering their parents and three siblings last year, pleaded guilty Wednesday to all charges. The 19-year-old and his 17-year-old brother, Michael Bever, were charged with five counts of first-degree murder and one count of assault and battery with intent to kill following the July 2015 attack at the family's Broken Arrow home. Autopsies showed the brothers' parents, David and April Bever, were stabbed dozens of times, and the teens' siblings -- 12, 7 and 5 -- each had multiple stab wounds and blunt force trauma across their bodies. The Bevers' 13-year-old sister survived the attack, and their 2-year-old sister was unharmed. The brothers had previously both pleaded not guilty to all charges. In June, an attorney for Robert Bever asked the court to instruct surviving family members and other spectators during the trial to refrain from showing emotion and prohibit the jury's exposure to the victims' family and friends. After pleading guilty, Robert Bever was sentenced to five life terms in prison without the possibility of parole on the first five counts and another life sentence on the sixth count. He was also ordered to pay a $1,000 fine and a $1,000 victim's compensation act assessment on each of the six counts. According to the Tulsa County District Attorney's Office, the older brother entered the plea in exchange for District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler's agreement not to seek the death penalty against him. According to a statement from the DA's office, Robert Bever confessed in court to "acting in concert with his brother" in the murders of their parents and siblings Daniel, Christopher and Victoria Bever as well as the stabbing of their 13-year-old sister. Kunzweiler said the decision to negotiate a plea deal with Robert Bever was difficult. “Ultimately the single most important factor in my decision to resolve this case centered upon the needs of the surviving two children who lost everything in their lives," said Kunzweiler. "Those children deserve to be able to move on with their lives as best as they can without the continued torment of a trial and decades of appeals that a death penalty case would most likely bring. While I believe that Robert Bever deserves the death penalty for his savage actions, I feared that a death penalty prosecution would result in his teenage sister being forced to recount and relive the brutal details of the carnage that her brothers wrought again and again. The toddler sister, who mercifully was asleep and did not witness the horror, would grow up learning details of the carnage in repeated court hearings that could easily stretch into her teen years or beyond." Kunzweiler said he will never forget the day Broken Arrow police called him to the Bever home July 22, 2015. "It is seared into my memory," he said. "I will not presume to know how or why people choose to do the things they do, which bring harm to innocent lives." The district attorney says the Bevers' sister who survived the attack asked that he make sure Robert Bever never gets out of prison. "His plea and sentence guarantees that he will spend the rest of his days left to his demons behind the walls of a penitentiary where he will never draw a breath of free air again," said Kunzweiler. An attorney for Michael Bever moved to dismiss all charges against his client Wednesday, but Judge Sharon Holmes denied the motion. The younger Bever brother then stood mute and the court entered a not guilty plea on his behalf. His next hearing is scheduled for April 11 and the jury trial is set for June 5. .

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell told his successor, Hillary Clinton, that he used his own personal computer to communicate with friends and foreign leaders and sent emails without going through the State Department server, according to emails released Wednesday by congressional Democrats. Clinton has previously said she reached out to Powell when she began serving as Secretary of State to find out how he used personal devices. In a four-paragraph email response from Powell, he told Clinton he didn't use a BlackBerry, but detailed how he got around having his communications with both employees and people outside the State Department becoming part of the agency's official record. "What I did do was have a personal computer that was hooked up to a private phone line (sounds ancient). So I could communicate with a wide range of friends directly without it going through the State Department on their personal email accounts. I did the same thing on the road in hotels," Powell wrote. Powell has pushed back against reports suggesting that he might have given Hillary Clinton the idea to use a private email account as Secretary of State, telling media outlets last month that "her people are trying to pin it on me." In February, the State Department inspector general released a memo after its own review of private email practices by others, reporting it found two emails on Powell's private email and some on accounts of aides to former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that included classified information. Powell also told Clinton in 2009 "the real issue had to do with PDAs, as we called them a few years ago before Blackberry became a noun." Powell said officials at the State Department refused to allow them in secure spaces and when he resisted "they gave me all kinds of nonsense about how they gave out signals and could be read by spies, etc." Powell says officials had concerns about mobile phones, too, but tells Clinton: "I had numerous meetings with them." He also revealed that he had "an ancient version of a PDA and used it." The FBI's report on Clinton's email use includes information about Powell's warning to Clinton that using a government email meant her messages would become public. In the email exchange Powell wrote "there is a real danger." "Government or not, to do business, it may become an official record and subject to the law," he said. He added: "Be very careful ... I got around it all by not saying much and not using systems that captured the data." Powell's spokesperson recently said he wrote a memo about his own use of an AOL account to Clinton and said the account was for "unclassified messages and how it vastly improved communications within the State Department." [???] Stressing the major differences in technology between his tenure at the department and Clinton's, the spokesperson said: "At the time there was no equivalent system within the department. He used a secure State computer on his desk to manage classified information." Rep. Elijah Cummings, the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee who released the full email exchange, said that it "shows that Secretary Powell advised Secretary Clinton with a detailed blueprint on how to skirt security rules and bypass requirements to preserve federal records, although Secretary Clinton has made clear that she did not rely on this advice." The Maryland Democrat also argued Republicans who have been pressing for documents from the State Department had a double standard for their concern about use of private email, saying if they were worried about the issue, "they would be attempting to recover Secretary Powell's emails from AOL, but they have taken no steps to do so despite the fact that this period-including the run-up to the Iraq War-was critical to our nation's history." In addition to advising Clinton about government communications, Powell gave his assessment about the security protocols, not just for email, but for movements. He bristled at the restrictions they wanted on him, and recommendations that he be accompanied by agents. "You will find DS driving you crazy if you let them," he said. And in what may be a reference to Madeleine Albright, he says: "They had Maddy tied up in knots." Powell said he wouldn't let security agents live inside his house so they had to find a garage nearby. He also revealed "on weekends, I drove my beloved cars around town without them following me," which he said they "hated" and made him sign a letter "relieving them of responsibility if I got whacked while doing that. I gladly did." He closed his email, saying about the department officials "their job is to keep you hermetically sealed up. Love, Colin."

New Zealand Herald / September 8, 2016 Electric rubbish trucks will be rolled out in New Zealand later this year in a trial by Waste Management which also generates power from landfill gas. The trial involves battery-powered trucks weighing up to 25 tonnes. The company generates power from three landfills throughout the country and says the switch to electric vehicles represents "the perfect example of the circular economy." Waste Management runs more than 200 cars and 800 trucks. It is already charging six cars at its Redvale landfill in Auckland and now has the first of its first of three diesel trial trucks being converted to electric by a specialist in the Netherlands. The first waste collection truck to be trialled will be a "box body" inorganic collection vehicle which will start on Auckland streets later this year. A side-loader waste collection truck - used for residential kerbside wheelie bin pick-ups - is expected to go into use in Auckland before Christmas and another planned for Christchurch early next year. Tom Nickels, Waste Management NZ managing director, said he couldn't discuss costs of the conversion of the trucks for commercial reasons, because the industry was so competitive. The company will evaluate their performance over the next six to 12 months once they are on the road. "The development of battery technology is enabling this transition - over the next five to 10 years we will see most vehicles across the world migrate to plug-in electric power.'' The Redvale landfill electricity station can generate 12MW and power more than 12,000 houses. Video - http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11705404

Transport Engineer / September 8, 2016 Alien Concrete & Transport has taken delivery of the UK’s first Renault Trucks 32-tonne Range C430 tridem 8x4, fitted with and Renault Trucks’ Day & Night cab. The Cheadle, Greater Manchester-based contractor’s new truck has been mounted with a 9m³ Putzmeister concrete mixer body and joins its mixed fleet of 10 six- and eight-wheelers, which already includes a conventional 32-tonne Range C430 8x4. According to Alien managing director Keith Wiles, the tridem configuration, with its lifting and steering rear axle, improves handling in tight access locations often encountered on construction sites. It is also useful for working on- and off-road, offering a much tighter turning circle than conventional eight-wheelers, and so saving time when manoeuvring while also enabling greater payloads than alternative six-wheelers. “We need good versatility on site, and in tight spaces our standard eight-wheelers can struggle, but the Range C tridem allows us to run a larger capacity drum with all the manoeuvrability of a 6x4 to places not normally accessible with an eight-wheeler,” confirms Wiles. Beyond that, Wiles cites reliability and robustness as key to the decision to go with Renault Trucks for construction-related project work. “If a truck is off the road for any reason, it’s a cost to me,” states Wiles. “Our first Range C hasn’t let us down since we purchased it a year ago and that was a major factor in selecting the new Range C tridem,” he continues. “The truck will be looked after on a five-year Renault Trucks R&M package by our local dealer, Thompsons Commercials.” .

Transport Engineer / September 7, 2016 Iveco will give its New Stralis, the so-called TCO2 Champion, its world premiere at the 66th IAA Commercial Vehicles show, being staged in Hanover from 22—29 September 2016. The firm claims that New Stralis’s new driveline – available in here variants – offers best in class reliability and efficiency, while also delivers leading low total cost of operation (TCO), and CO2 reduction – hence the name. New Stralis XP – one of the international long-haul variants is claimed to deliver fuel savings of up to 11%, while Iveco’s new-generation up-time services add further savings of up to 3%, resulting in an estimated 5.6% reduction in TCO. Meanwhile, New Stralis NP (natural power), which runs on CNG and LNG (compressed and liquefied natural gas), represents what Iveco describes as a breakthrough for gas trucks. That is because its new engine delivers 400bhp and 1,700 Nm torque – equal to the diesel sweet spot – while the drivetrain continues with an automated transmission. Together, these contribute to a 3% reduction in TCO, compared to the previous model, which already showed fuel pump savings up to 40% against diesel. And the NP-CNG-LNG continues with the introduction not only of the latest new Euro 6 Step C compliant ML160 (16 tonne) version of Iveco’s mid-weight Eurocargo truck, now with full air suspension, but also a gas NP variant. The New Eurocargo Natural Power takes a new 204bhp engine that delivers 750Nm of torque from 1,400—1,800 rpm – a full 100Nm more than its predecessor. This too meets Euro 6 Step C emissions standards, due to come into force at the end of this year, and has been engineered to run on bio-methane derived from biomass or organic waste. It is also 3dB quieter than the equivalent diesel Eurocargo, again as a result of its engine technologies – meaning it can be taken into restricted traffic zones, inclouding for night-time work. Iveco says New Eurocargo NP has a range of 400km, and is designed formulti-drop urban distribution. .

Scania Group Press Release / September 7, 2016 The new Scania marine engine range is based on an exhaust gas aftertreatment system developed in-house, which reduces the emissions of nitrogen oxides. This represents the cutting-edge environmental aspect of Scania’s marine solutions. In anticipation of a wider adoption of the tough new emissions demands for marine engines that were introduced earlier this year by the International Maritime Organisation, Scania already has tried and tested new marine engine solutions that comply with the new limits. Under the IMO Tier III regulations that took effect in January, the limit for nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions ranges from 1.96 to 3.4 g/kWh, depending on the engine’s maximum operating speed. This new limit is a significant reduction from the Tier II range of 7.7 to 14.4 g/kWh. However, although the regulations do not yet apply outside of the North American and US Caribbean Emission Control Areas, Scania has already prepared itself for the eventuality of the changes taking effect in the wider world. “To reach these new emission levels, an exhaust gas aftertreatment system is necessary for the engine sizes Scania provide,” explains Mats Fanspets, Manager for Marine Classification at Scania Engines. Scania has considerable experience of exhaust gas aftertreatment systems. The manufacturer’s Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) system is a tried and tested technology that has been used both in engines for trucks and industrial applications. And the NOx limit for Euro 6 trucks and Tier 4/Stage IV industrial applications is 0.40 g/kWh, comfortably within the new emissions requirements. As a part of its existing modular system, Scania’s IMO Tier III-compliant engine solutions have been developed for applications such as auxiliary engines, for example in conventionally-installed marine generator sets or in a diesel-electric setup for cargo vessels that operate in international waters. The solutions also work with propulsion engines, as well as auxiliary and propulsion engines for vessels operating on inland waterways with low emission requirements. To achieve an approved installation for marine applications, Scania offers installation recommendations on the dimensions and lengths of piping, the cables needed, and the parts needed for the aftertreatment system. This includes the SCR catalyst, a customised exhaust system, an evaporator for mixing urea and exhaust gas, and a three-way safety valve. The solution is available for Scania’s 13- and 16-litre marine engines. The product offering is complemented by the Scania service network, with more than 1,900 service points across the world already trained to support customers. “Scania’s Tier III-compliant engines have the same footprint as the current engine range. So when upgrading from an existing Scania installation, there’s no need to rebuild the engine bed,” adds Fanspets. For further information, please contact: Torben Dabrowski, Global Product Manager Marine, Scania Engines Tel: + 46 8 553 83692 E-mail: torben.dabrowski@scania.com Anders Liss, Vice President Sales, Scania Engines Tel: + 46 8 553 70525 E-mail: anders.liss@scania.com .

Scania Group Press Release / September 7, 2016 Scania’s new generation of trucks has been subjected to extreme stresses on Brazil’s expansive sugar cane fields over two years. The goal of the advanced field tests has been to understand where limits lie – both for the world’s best trucks and for the professional drivers who will drive them. The sugar cane fields around the city of Araraquara in the interior of the Brazilian state of Sao Paulo span from horizon to horizon. These vast, rolling fields are crossed by thousands of red mud-roads that connect the fields with the sugar refineries and ethanol factories. When the sun beats down on Araraquara, a fine red dust settles on everything and everyone. When it rains heavily, the roads turn to oozy mud. When conditions are at their worst, all activities on the sugar cane fields grind to a halt for safety’s sake. “We have here the perfect conditions for testing the durability of the new trucks under extremely tough and specific conditions that can’t be simulated or experienced at the same time elsewhere: lots of dust, high humidity and high temperatures,” says Carlos Fernandez, Manager Field-Test Vehicle Operations in Latin America. Exposing the vehicles to extreme stress The bumpy, poor quality roads create vibrations that, over time, shake every vehicle apart. That’s if the heat, the red dust, or torrential rain and muddy porridge don’t do the job first. “The goal of these advanced field tests is to produce the best truck in the world,” continues Fernandez. “This means that we need to expose the vehicles to extreme stresses to understand where their limits lie. Often the stresses are so extreme that we drive the vehicle or component that we are testing until it breaks. Once we know the limit for what a component can tolerate, we can develop it further to further increase durability.” Brazil is, by far, the world’s largest producer of sugar. The harvest season runs uninterrupted from March to December. At this time, each and every one of the specially built harvest machines cuts some 100 tonnes of cane per hour. The pieces of chopped sugar cane must reach the sugar mills or ethanol factories within a few hours, as the sugar content falls rapidly as soon as the cane has been cut. Tough conditions in the sugar cane fields Each vehicle combination used in transport is 30 metres long. On public roads, the sugarcane combinations weigh up to 74 tonnes, but on the privately owned fields’ mud roads, there are no limits and most sugar and ethanol producers load as much cane as can fit, often up to 120 tonnes. “Just like our customers here, we create extremely heavy loads, but we sometimes also drive unloaded, at high speed on the poor quality roads,” says Fernandez. “These creates major vibrations in the chassis and creates lots of problems – which is exactly what we want.” Another goal of the field tests in Brazil is to examine how professional drivers experience the level of comfort in the new cab under extremely challenging circumstances. One of the hired test drivers is Roberto Pereira da Silva, who is extremely experienced with the new trucks. He was contracted across the two-year test period to test the comfort of the new cabs under tough conditions, providing a driver’s perspective. “This new generation of trucks provides an extremely good driving experience, even on these distressed roads,” he says. “This is something new for us test drivers.” Da Silva continues, “I get a very clear sense of how Scania has thought of us professional drivers when this new generation of trucks was developed. It’s much simpler to find and set your working and driving position so that it’s perfect. I’m not small, but I had no problem at all finding a driving position that makes my work easier and more relaxed.” .

Breaking down the 2018 Freightliner Cascadia Sep 7, 2016 Fleet Owner / September 7, 2016 The “New Cascadia” combines state-of-the-art electronics, advanced powertrain integration, new technologies and refined aerodynamics to deliver up to an 8% improvement in fuel economy compared to the current Cascadia Evolution. We can't demonstrate how smooth and quiet the ride was on a 20-mile test drive near Colorado Springs, CO, last week, but here’s a closer look at some of the 2018 Cascadia’s features. Slide Show - http://fleetowner.com/equipment/breaking-down-2018-freightliner-cascadia#slide-0-field_images-200171

Fleet Owner / September 7, 2016 As everyone in the industry should know by now, two new truck engine oil blends are due to hit the market on Dec. 1 this year – blends meeting Proposed Category 11 or “PC-11” standards finalized back in February under the auspices of the American Petroleum Institute (API). The introduction of these two new engine oils, now known as CK-4 and FA-4, represents the largest change in oil specifications in a generation, so for some insight into how those oils may – or may not – affect heavy truck engines, Fleet Owner talked to Steve Haffner, North American market manager at Infineum USA L.P. Overall, when is it best to use FA-4 vs. CK-4? What conditions duty cycles need to be considered? It’s best to follow the recommendation of your engine manufacturer regarding when to use CK-4 or FA-4. Generally, CK-4 oils can be used in both new and old engines. But FA-4 oils may have some limited backwards compatibility, but again, fleets will need to check with their engine manufacturer as API language does not allow any backwards compatibility for FA-4 oils. While FA-4 will maximize fuel economy in the newest engines, we know that off-road diesel engine manufacturers are not planning to recommend FA-4 oils in the near-term and will instead recommend CK-4 or [the current] CJ-4 engine oil. Is engine displacement a factor in selecting what oil to use? Say in the case of 11 liter versus 15 liter for example? As of today, engine size/horsepower is not considered a factor in the application of the new oils. But generally speaking, larger engines used in off-road applications will recommend CK-4 oils. If by accident FA-4 gets mixed with CK-4 in the engine will there be problems? In applications calling for FA-4, the use of CK-4 will not cause a problem. The reverse situation would not be true if an FA-4 oil gets mixed with CK-4 engine oil in an application that does not allow FA-4. But we would not expect any impacts if use was only for a short period of time. One big question as you noted before is “backwards compatibility” for the new oils. How far back right now does the industry think CK-4 can be used? Back to 2010 engines or farther than that? In North America, CK-4 engine oils are expected to be fully backward compatible in the same SAE viscosity grades recommended for current and older diesel engines. Will CK-4 basically replace the current CJ-4 blend? CK-4 oils will provide enhanced engine protection and be used in applications which called for CJ-4, CI-4 PLUS, CI-4 and CH-4. Right now, FA-4 seems as if it won’t be backwards compatible. Think that will hold true going forward? This is still a large unknown as noted. API user language does not allow any back serviceability. No OEM as of today has issued any service bulletins allowing use of the new FA-4 oils in older engines and many are even still evaluating use of FA-4 in newer applications. The new oils in general sport lower viscosity than ‘older’ oils. Is it safe to use lower viscosity oil in older engines? Would using such oils actually improve performance and maybe fuel economy too? Owners should again check with the engine manufacturer to ensure their engine is compatible with the lower viscosity oil they are considering. The most conservative approach is to simply use the SAE viscosity grade that is recommended in your owner’s manual for your diesel engine. That said, since around 2012, many OEMs have allowed and even factory-fill engines with SAE 10W-30 CJ-4 oils. This would mean that an SAE 10W-30 CK-4 engine oil would be a nice fit for many fleets with both older and newer engines. If further fuel economy is desired and the engine manufacturer says FA-4 SAE 10W-30 oils are compatible with the engine, then around 0.5% additional fuel economy could be realized depending on application.

Knorr-Bremse Makes Takeover Bid for Haldex Transport Topics / September 7, 2016 Commercial vehicle supplier Haldex said Knorr-Bremse AG is the latest company to make a public takeover offer for all shares in the company. Knorr-Bremse is offering about $13.04 per share, which is 10% higher than ZF Friedrichshafen AG’s offer of about $11.85 per share, Haldex said. ZF Friedrichshafen’s bid values the Swedish company at $521 million, according to Bloomberg News. This is the third public offer for the Stockholm-based company since July 14, which its board considers clear evidence of the company’s strong position and successful strategy, Haldex said Sept. 5. Luxembourg-based SAF-Holland made an unsolicited bid for Haldex in July. That was followed by the higher bid in August from ZF Friedrichshafen, which is based in Germany. Its board will evaluate the offer and announce its opinion on it in accordance with applicable regulations and in good time to provide the shareholders with guidance in relation to the outstanding offers for Haldex, the company said in a release. Haldex said its expertise is in brake systems and air suspension systems for heavy trucks, trailers and buses. It called Knorr-Bremse one of the world’s leading braking technology companies.

Heavy Duty Trucking / September 7, 2016 Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx announced on Sept. 7 that almost $800 million in inaugural FASTLANE federal grants has been awarded to 18 transportation infrastructure projects in 15 states and the District of Columbia. In a call with reporters, Secretary Foxx said the grants will be combined with other funding from federal, state, local, and private sources “to support $3.6 billion in infrastructure investment.” The FASTLANE grant program was established by the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act highway bill passed late last year. The program is administered by DOT’s newly launched Build America Bureau. Per DOT, the bureau will streamline credit and grant opportunities while providing technical assistance and encouraging best practices in project planning, financing, delivery, and monitoring of transportation infrastructure projects. “The FAST Act gave us a set of tools to begin addressing America’s infrastructure deficit, and we have been moving full speed ahead to get critical road, rail, and port projects off the ground across the country,” said Foxx. “From eliminating traffic bottlenecks and enhancing port capacity to overhauling a major freight corridor, the 18 inaugural FASTLANE grants will enable people and goods to move more efficiently.” Among the projects that are receiving grants through the inaugural batch of FASTLANE awards are: The Atlantic Gateway project in Virginia is a corridor approach to improving mobility across the Eastern seaboard. Combining a $165 million FASTLANE grant with public and private funding from multiple partners, DOT said it will improve and expand key segments of the corridor. The Oklahoma Department of Transportation will be awarded $62 million to improve safety and efficiency of high-volume freight traffic along the US 69/75 corridor in southern Oklahoma. The project will implement grade separations, remove railroad/local street crossing conflicts, and increase speeds to increase mobility. The Arizona Department of Transportation will be awarded $54 million for bottleneck improvements along I-10 between Phoenix and Tucson. To increase driver safety, new dust storm early warning technology will also be installed along I-10. The Maine Department of Transportation will be awarded $7 million to improve the infrastructure, equipment, and technology at the Port of Portland. With improvements to the access and connectivity, the Port upgrades will replace truck shipments from Canada via congested interstates. Foxx said that FASTLANE grant recipients were selected through a review process to identify projects that will have “significant regional and national impacts by reducing congestion, expanding capacity, using innovative technology, improving safety, or moving freight more efficiently.” FASTLANE grants will address many of the challenges outlined in DOT’s Beyond Traffic report, including increased congestion on the nation’s highways and the need for a strong multimodal transportation system to support the expected growth in freight movement both by ton and value, Foxx noted. DOT said it awarded these 18 Fiscal Year 2016 grants, in the amounts noted, to the following entities to make improvements to: Interstate 10 Phoenix to Tucson Improvements Arizona Department of Transportation Pinal County, Arizona, Rural Amount: $54,000,000 SR-11 Segment 2 and Southbound Connectors California Department of Transportation and San Diego Association of Governments San Diego County, California, Urban Proposed Grant Amount: $49,280,000 Arlington Memorial Bridge Reconstruction Project National Park Service and District of Columbia Department of Transportation District of Columbia, Urban Amount: $90,000,000 Port of Savannah International Multi-Modal Connector Georgia Ports Authority Savannah, Georgia, Urban Amount: $44,000,000 I-10 Freight Corridor Rehabilitation and Expansion (CoRE) Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development Lafayette, Louisiana, Rural Amount: $60,000,000 Conley Terminal Intermodal Improvements and Modernization Massachusetts Port Authority (MASSPORT) Boston, Massachusetts, Urban Amount: $42,000,000 I-390/I-490/Route 31 Interchange, Lyell Avenue Corridor Project New York State Department of Transportation Town of Gates, New York, Urban Amount: $32,000,000 US 69/75 Bryan County Oklahoma Department of Transportation Calera, Oklahoma, Rural Amount: $62,000,000 Atlantic Gateway: Partnering to Unlock the I-95 Corridor Virginia Department of Transportation Commonwealth of Virginia, Urban Amount: $165,000,000 South Lander Street Grade Separation and Railroad Safety Project City of Seattle Seattle, Washington, Urban Amount: $45,000,000 I/39/90 Corridor Project Wisconsin Department of Transportation Janesville, Wisconsin, Rural Amount: $40,000,000 Truck Parking Availability Systems Florida Department of Transportation State of Florida, Rural (Small Project) Amount: $10,778,237 Cedar Rapids Logistics Park Iowa Department of Transportation Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Rural (Small Project) Amount: $25,650,000 U.S. 95 North Corridor Access Improvement Project Idaho Department of Transportation Kootenai County, Idaho, Rural (Small Project) Amount: $5,100,000 Maine Intermodal Port Productivity Project Maine Department of Transportation Portland, Maine, Rural (Small Project) Amount: $7,719,173 Cross Harbor Freight Program Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Jersey City, New Jersey and New York, New York, Urban (Small Project) Amount: $10,672,590 Coos Bay Rail Line – Tunnel Rehabilitation Project Oregon International Port of Coos Bay Lane, Douglas, and Coos Counties, Oregon, Rural (Small Project) Amount: $11,000,000 Strander Boulevard Extension and Grade Separation Phase 3 City of Tukwila, Washington City of Tukwila, Washington, Urban (Small Project) Amount: $5,000,000 .

Bidding war breaks out over potential Haldex acquisition Commercial Carrier Journal (CCJ) / September 7, 2016 Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems’ [German] parent company has entered the bidding war for Haldex. One month after ZF offered $516 million to purchase Haldex AB – which was three weeks after SAF-Holland made a similar advance – Knorr-Bremse now upped the ante to $570 million for the Swedish manufacturer, Bloomberg reported this week. Knorr-Bremse is offering 110 kronor per share, which is up from the 100 Kronor per share offered by ZF. The acceptance period for the new offer is expected to begin later this month and run until early December, the company told Reuters this week. Bloomberg says, like ZF’s earlier offer, Knorr-Bremse’s bid is conditional upon receiving acceptance from 90 percent of Haldex shareholders. The board of Haldex, which had recommended the ZF offer, says it will evaluate Knorr-Bremse’s proposal. According to Bloomberg, Knorr-Bremse has already acquired 8.4 percent of Haldex. ZF says it secured 5.7 percent of the Swedish company’s shares after Haldex Chairman Goeran Carlson pledged to sell his holding.

Speed limiter rule now open for comment Fleet Owner / September 7, 2016 It’s official: The Dept. of Transportation’s proposed speed limiter requirement for trucks was published in the Federal Register Wednesday, opening a two-month comment period. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, being developed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) would require vehicles with a GVWR of more than 26,000 pounds to be equipped with a speed limiting device initially set no greater than a speed to be named later—and that’s where the formal comments come in. The agencies will evaluate input from the trucking industry, highway safety advocates, law enforcement and anyone else with an opinion whether there’s a need for such a regulation and just how fast trucks should be able to go. The proposal weighs the costs and benefits, both in accidents and in trucking operations, for hard-wired top speeds of 60, 65, and 68 mph. For its part, NHTSA would be responsible for the vehicle portion of the regulation. The agency would establish a new Federal motor vehicle safety standard (FMVSS) requiring that each new qualifying vehicle be equipped with a speed limiting device and the means to record the settings (including the time and date the settings were changed) through its on-board diagnostic connection. FMCSA then would enforce the mandate, establishing a complementary Federal motor carrier safety regulation (FMCSR) to require carriers operating such vehicles in interstate commerce to maintain the speed limiting devices for the service life of the vehicle and to ensure they were used according to the rule. Fleet Owner’s initial coverage of the proposal, which was announced Aug. 26, includes the DOT’s explanation of the rule, the DOT analysis of the costs and benefits associated with the three suggested speed limits, and a critical look at the research behind the rulemaking. Comments may be filed at regulations.gov.

Navistar’s Clarke Touts Deal With Volkswagen Transport Topics / September 7, 2016 Volkswagen AG’s pending acquisition of 16.6% of Navistar International Corp. for $256 million will provide the Lisle, Illinois, truck maker with cash soon and then more efficient procurement and better access to new technology for engines and other applications, Navistar CEO Troy Clarke said in an interview. It could also lead to a merger of the two companies. “This deal will make us better, faster,” Clarke told Transport Topics on Sept. 6, several hours after the deal was announced. Clarke, Navistar’s CEO since 2013, and his new partner, Volkswagen Truck & Bus head Andreas Renschler, dodged specificity on merger questions, neither guaranteeing one nor ruling it out. “We’re excited to work together,” Clarke said, adding, “Let’s leave the next chapter open for today.” Renschler, the head of Daimler AG’s global truck unit from 2007 to 2013, said the deal helps turn VW into a “global champion” of truck-making, and as for the possibility of a full merger, “all options are open.” When complete, the cash-for-new stock deal would give VW an ownership stake very similar to investors Carl Icahn and Mark Rachesky. Those two investors each have two seats on Navistar’s nine-member board of directors, and Volkswagen Truck & Bus, which is based in Brunswick, Germany, will get that, too. Collectively, VW, Icahn and Rachesky will own about half of Navistar. Both Clarke and Renschler described the agreement, roughly six months in the making, as a broad framework that will be filled in over time by working groups to be named later. The two manufacturers stressed powertrain components in their announcement: engines, transmissions and axles. Clarke said Navistar’s N13 diesel truck engine is an example of the cooperation between the two companies that predates this week’s deal. The N13, formerly the MaxxForce 13, is based on MAN SE’s 13-liter engine. MAN is one of VW’s three main commercial vehicle brands, with Scania AB and VW being the other two. Clarke said the ability to use VW technology through a licensing agreement is highly desirable. “Scale means a lot on technology because the costs [of research and development] are high,” he said, adding that Navistar and VW also share an interest in telematics and connected vehicles, and cooperation on those fronts could arise from the recent agreement. The procurement benefit comes from VW’s greater size. If Navistar can piggyback on Volkswagen’s purchasing power, it could save the company $500 million over five years, Navistar said. The two parties said the deal must be approved by the Federal Trade Commission and/or the Justice Department, in accordance with the federal Hart-Scott-Rodino Act. The FTC’s website said the target for judgment on an application is 30 days after formal filing, which had not taken place by Sept. 6, the companies said. Clarke said he expects the deal will be completed later this year or in early 2017. .

Dana Milbank, The Washington Post / September 7, 2016 The smell of fresh paint greeted lawmakers reacquainting themselves with their workplace after their seven-week break. The scaffolding was coming down, revealing a gleaming dome and, underneath it, restored friezes, oil paintings and statues. The Capitol has been returned to its former glory. If only they could do the same to Congress. After their seven-week recess, which included both party conventions and was the longest break since at least 1960, the people’s representatives in the House are back for just four weeks before recessing again until the election — and there has been talk of cutting those four weeks of work to three or even two. They might as well go home, because the House to-do list could end up looking something like this: Impeach the IRS commissioner. Punish the Democrats. Sue the Saudis. This is how Donald Trump happened. Americans are worried and angry about the big issues: stagnant wages, immigration, trade deals, health care, entitlement programs, the tax code, the Zika virus, tainted drinking water. Yet the best Congress can do for the moment is to keep the government running on autopilot for a few more months, and even this isn’t guaranteed. With three weeks to go in the fiscal year, Congress has enacted not one of the 12 annual appropriations bills (the House has passed six). While leaders struggle to pass a temporary “continuing resolution,” Republicans fight among themselves about how long it should last and hard-liners threaten to derail it by adding language banning Syrian refugees. As Republicans sat down for their caucus meeting Wednesday morning, the conversation wandered — this member’s new grandchild, that member’s engagement, various anecdotes and talking points. GOP leaders held a news conference after the meeting, at which they voiced enthusiastic support for . . . a new soapbox that had appeared over the recess to help shorter members of the caucus be seen behind the lectern. “You could put three people on that thing,” House Speaker Paul Ryan said upon entering the room and spying the new piece of furniture. “Gee whiz!” exclaimed Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R-Kan.), trying it out. “There’s room for all of you on the box,” she told the assembled reporters. With so little happening, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy tried to create the illusion of activity, asserting that in this Congress “a total of 219 bills have been enacted into law. That’s an increase over the 25-year average.” Actually, the average number of bills enacted into law in previous Congresses going back to 1991 is 435 — double the current output. McCarthy’s spokesman said the claim was based on when Congress went on its long summer holiday. But as of now, McCarthy’s 219 bills are well below the 25-year average of 257 enacted at this point by previous Congresses. And, as House Democrats point out, 195 of those 219 bills have been minor “suspension” bills, such as post-office namings. “People want a positive vision and a clear direction for solving the country’s big problems,” Ryan declared at his news conference. They do. But instead, they’re getting: ●An attempt to impeach the IRS commissioner. Some hard-liners, still angry about the IRS’s treatment of conservative groups, are using a “privileged resolution” to force leaders to hold a vote to impeach the current commissioner, John Koskinen, who took over after the alleged wrongdoing occurred. ●A bid to punish two dozen House Democrats, led by civil rights icon John Lewis, who staged a sit-in on the House floor in June to protest Republicans’ refusal to bring up gun-control legislation. ●Legislation allowing the families of 9/11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia in federal courts. The bill has no chance of surviving an expected veto. Instead, House Republicans could spend their fleeting time at work resolving an impasse blocking funds to fight the Zika infection. The Senate reached a bipartisan deal in May to provide $1.1 billion for the effort, but the agreement fell apart when House Republicans added a provision restricting funds from going to Planned Parenthood. At Wednesday’s news conference, CNN’s Manu Raju asked Ryan why he wouldn’t accept a “clean bill” without the poison pill. “Look, give me a break,” Ryan said, blaming the Senate. But even some of Ryan’s Republicans aren’t giving him a break. Rep. Richard Hanna (R-N.Y.) told Bloomberg’s Billy House that “we become obstructionists” with the Planned Parenthood gambit. And Rep. David Jolly (R-Fla.) carried a jar full of Florida mosquitoes onto the House floor. “During the seven weeks . . . that we were gone, cases of Zika rose from 4,000 to by some estimates over 16,000 in the country,” he said. His constituents “are demanding action and they are seeing inaction, and in that inaction they are angry.” Yes, but have they seen that new soapbox for members of Congress? Gee whiz!

Airline Air China is in hot water with members of British parliament over precautions listed in its inflight magazine "Wings of China" relating to London. A London MP has written to the Chinese ambassador to the UK for an apology. "I am shocked and appalled that even today some people would see it as acceptable to write such blatantly untrue and racist statements," said Virendra Sharma, the member of parliament for an ethnically diverse district in western London. He said Wednesday he had written to the Chinese ambassador to the U.K. to demand an apology from the airline. In fact, the magazine's advice should be heeded. Racist? Rather, I think the airline politely and professionally presented the actual situation. Why is reality so hard for many to acknowledge nowadays? Why politicize a non-political matter? It's becoming increasingly difficult to speak the truth in a "thin skinned" politically correct world. .

Stock-purchase Deal May Prevent Engine Manufacturer`s Takeover The Chicago Tribune / July 16, 1990 Ford Motor Co., Tenneco Inc. and Kubota Corp. are investing $250 million for a combined 25 percent stake in the Indiana-based Cummins Engine Co., diminishing the likelihood of its takeover and increasing Cummins` prospects for growth. The agreement between Cummins and the three industrial companies was scheduled to be announced Monday. As part of the agreement, Ford and Tenneco each will acquire 1.6 million shares of Cummins common stock and Kubota will acquire 799,760 shares at $62.50. Ford will have a 10 percent stake in Columbus, Indiana-based Cummins, with an option for another 10 percent; Tenneco, a diversified manufacturer based in Houston, will have a 10 percent stake, and Kubota, a manufacturer of farm and construction equipment based in Osaka, Japan, 5 percent. Ford and Tenneco each may designate a representative on the Cummins board of directors. To meet regulatory review requirements, Ford, Tenneco and Kubota initially will be issued preference stock, which automatically will convert to common stock when the preliminary federal review required by the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act is complete and the New York Stock Exchange has approved the new common for listing. "This gives us an important new business arrangement and the ability to expand,`` said Henry B. Schacht, Cummins chairman and chief executive officer. ``We are a much stronger company with this agreement. It`s a major vote of confidence for us and allows us to be more competitive. It allows us to remain a U.S.-headquartered company in the capital goods business." Cummins` customers, employees and shareholders were not sure that Cummins would remain a U.S.-owned company a year ago. The British-based Hanson PLC was viewed as a potential takeover threat for Cummins until members of the Miller family, founders of Cummins, bought back the shares held by Hanson last year. Earlier this year, the Hong Kong-based Industrial Equity Pacific again put Cummins in the unwanted position of being a possible takeover target when Industrial raised its stake in Cummins to 14.9 percent. Cummins and Industrial later came to an agreement in which Industrial would not buy any more Cummins shares or seek a seat on Cummins` board for 10 years. "The sale of Cummins` equity doesn`t do anything to prevent a takeover, but in terms of perception, if there is a third party again looking at Cummins we now have a number of shareholders with strong strategic interests and we have the ability to meet capital expenditures," a source close to Cummins said. "It now means that the concern that our customers and shareholders have about being taken over is diminished. Our customers, our shareholders and employees will have peace of mind." Cummins employs 7,500 people in southern Indiana and has a worldwide work force of 25,100. The agreement Cummins has with its three investors also calls for the expansion of Cummins and Kubota`s complementary diesel engine product lines and a potential joint venture by the two companies for small diesel engine manufacturing in Europe. The pact means there also will be more opportunities for Cummins to build on its existing 50/50 joint venture with Tenneco. That part of the agreement couldn`t come at a better time for Cummins. Like other manufacturing companies that sell to the trucking industry, Cummins was hit hard by last year`s 14 to 15 percent drop in heavy-duty truck sales. Cummins holds more than a 50 percent share of the heavy-duty truck market. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ford-Cummins Accord Set The New York Times / July 28, 1990 The Ford Motor Company and the Cummins Engine Company have agreed to several provisions intended to cement their new relationship, according to documents filed yesterday with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Earlier this month, Ford told Cummins it could supply the diesel engines for its medium-duty trucks, and it became one of Cummins's largest investors when it received a 10.8 percent stake and a board seat in exchange for a $100 million cash infusion. Though the deal also called for Cummins to sell Tenneco Inc. a 10.8 percent stake and Kubota Ltd. of Japan a 5.4 percent stake, Ford extracted the most protection of the three, partly in recognition of its new business ties with the company. For instance, the documents state that Ford received a six-year option at no additional cost to buy up to another 10 percent of Cummins. Under most circurmstances, the price would be a 20 percent premium over the then-market price, but no less than $62.50 a share, the same price Ford paid for its current stake. If Ford accumulates another 10 percent of Cummins, as of 1992 it would be entitled to a second seat on the board, the documents say. Ford, based in Dearborn, Mich., also has the right to remain the company's largest holder on a percentage basis should Cummins sells a large block of shares to another party. Cummins, based in Columbus, Ind., has also promised not to sell any voting shares to another car or truck manufacturer unless Ford lowered its stake by at least a third. The three companies are also entitled to a partial refund should Cummins sells additional common shares during the next 12 months at less than $62.50 each. In that case, Cummins would pay Ford, Tenneco and Kubota the difference. Ford and Tenneco are also entitled to whatever terms, other than price and amount, that Cummins grants any other companies owning 10 percent of the concern. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cummins engine buys back 1.3 million shares from Ford The New York Times / January 4, 1997 The Cummins Engine Company said yesterday that it had bought back 1.3 million of its common shares from the Ford Motor Company and would repurchase 1.7 million more shares on the open market. The company also said that Kenneth R. Dabrowski, a vice president at Ford, had resigned from Cummins Engine's board, as planned under a 1990 investment agreement with the auto maker. Cummins, a maker of diesel engines, said it would issue 3.75 million shares of its common stock to an employee benefits trust. The stock would be used to finance employee retirement savings programs. In New York Stock Exchange trading, Cummins Engine rose $1.25, to $46. After the purchase from Ford, Cummins has about 38.2 million shares outstanding.

It's really quite something to witness in person. ABB is the world leader in plant robotics.

Not a bad video......not bad at all. Unlike "Born Ready" and the "Diesel Devil", the video features trucks from start to finish, and lacks the bizarre green glob background.

Prime Mover Magazine / September 6, 2016 Truck sales in Australia for August 2016 are slightly higher from the same period last year, according to the latest Truck Industry Council (TIC) figures. TIC results showed that August total cab chassis and prime mover results of 2,408 trucks were 148 units (6.5 per cent) more than for August 2015, and 241 trucks (11.1 per cent) over July this year. The year-to-date total of 17,449 is four per cent above the corresponding first eight months of 2015 and the TIC said that the industry’s raw unit growth is set to exceed the three per cent predicted growth in the overall economy for the total year. Isuzu continues to sell one in four of Australia’s new trucks, with its annual year-to-date growth rate of 15.4 per cent far exceeding the industry average. Western Star’s August sales showed that the Penske brand was 159 units (40.1 per cent) down on 2015, while its European brand, MAN, moved into some positive territory delivering 59 trucks in August, with its 2016 total so far to 186 (up 7.5 per cent). Hino was slightly down (minus 1.6 per cent), but improving on a monthly basis, and remains on track to match its 2015 full year result, while Fuso was 238 trucks up so far this year and the 2,339 units sold at end of August was 11.3 per cent up.

Anonymous, The Guardian / September 5, 2016 I started truck-driving in the late 1970s, graduating from a dump truck on a Bavarian bypass to trips the length and breadth of Europe in a succession of rust buckets. After living and working in France, Germany and the Netherlands, in 2000 I sold up and emigrated to live in the tropics – where, believe it or not, I get bored. These days I fly back to the UK in April, pick up the keys to a truck, hitch up a trailer and take off on a four-month European tour for a company that specialises in transporting equipment for bands. As a public school wide-boy, of whom there are many in the music business, with a taste for the open road, I’ve found my niche – where, as long as you do the job right, a certain degree of eccentricity isn’t a disadvantage. I love waking up and pulling back the cab curtains, not knowing what the view will be and getting paid good money to go to places other people pay good money to go to. Norway is my favourite; I couldn’t afford to go there otherwise. Working in the music business also means I don’t have to tolerate the awful working conditions some UK drivers accept: horrible food, lack of parking, filthy toilets and showers, hanging around unpaid while waiting to load and unload. No wonder there’s such a shortage of drivers. I have only met my boss once, very briefly. In the music business you’re left to get on with it and plan your own routes. I enjoy getting on with the crew and the musicians I work for. As humble diesel demons, we’re not really supposed to hang out with the talent, but I ignore that. The EU may have made border transit delays a thing of the past, but English hauliers have had almost all their European work taken from them by eastern European hauliers, operating under EU rules, who have cut prices to an absurdly low level and driven firms from wealthier countries out of business. The trucks you see lined up in Operation Stack on the motorway in Kent are almost all from eastern Europe, not the UK. The EU, as it applies to truck-driving, has meant flooding the market with cheap foreign labour, which is perceived to have forced down wages and worsened working conditions. It’s not just a British problem. I noticed recently that even Spanish hauliers are now using Romanian-registered subcontractors. One of my colleagues had a brick through his windscreen last week in Calais. It feels like only a matter of time before real trouble kicks off there. Around the “Jungle” is obviously a flashpoint but the people traffickers have now penetrated far further inland into France, with each gang “owning” a services centre, systematically assaulting English-bound vehicles, so nowhere within 300 miles of the Channel is safe. The French police don’t seem to care. Quite a few of my fellow drivers are linguists; many live abroad too. Speaking a foreign language helps, and can open other doors. A few years ago I was driving the equipment around Europe for a heavy metal band from New Orleans. During the end-of-tour party in Bilbao, the tour manager found out I lived in Brazil, so she invited me to tour South America and Mexico with the band as a guitar tech and translator. That’s not to say the job is all fun and games: it’s bloody hard work too. Last month I travelled 17,000 kilometres (10,563 miles), including a drive from the Arctic circle in northern Finland all the way to Lisbon, 24-hours off, then non-stop to Milan, Valencia, then back to London. Needless to say, it isn’t a line of work that allows much time for a work/life balance. Sometimes I wish I’d got into the music business earlier, but had I not already paid my dues on general haulage I wouldn’t have been good enough. Just as every good production and tour manager I’ve met started pushing boxes at midnight for peanuts, every good tour driver learned their trade trying to do five collections in Milan on a Friday afternoon, or 25 deliveries inside the M25. Actual over-the-road driving skills are assumed: a tour driver’s real added value is experience, knowing whether a route is possible within the set time limit. That and people skills, being diplomatic enough to get any potential problem sorted in advance, without ruffling feathers. A tour driver needs to be able to apply the planned tour schedule, set months in advance, to the EU truck and bus driving rules, which are, and this is a very short approximate summary of the basics: 90 hours’ driving time over two weeks; nine hours’ driving per day, 10 hours a day twice a week. Breaks: at least 11 hours per night, shortened twice a week to nine hours. Obligatory 24- and 45-hour breaks over a two-week period. All trucks, thankfully, are equipped these days with digicards: credit card-sized chip gizmos which record our every movement and are impossible to falsify, so all transport businesses now run legally. Everyone operates on the same playing field, not only in the niche market of the music business but also in other types of transport. Efficient businesses make money. I’m insured. The trucks are taxed. Bribery and other shenanigans are almost unheard-of. We drive top-of-the-range trucks with fridges and night heaters and get paid on time. In the old days, at least when I started, the opposite was true. All in all I love my job. However, never having had one, a work contract would be nice. And it’s definitely a lifestyle choice, not a sensible career option. My take-home pay is only relatively high because catering is paid for by the artist’s production company, and I’m paid while away from base during my time off. Averaged out per year, there’s more money driving nights for a supermarket. But I’m not complaining. The greatest pleasure is listening to good music. Hearing Tom Jones warm up backstage, for example – what a voice. I love the solitude of driving and the sense of reward of being good at what I do, trusted to go out alone on a four-month tour around Europe for famous artists, knowing that everyone relies on me to get to every show on time. For the record, I’ve never been late. In return I get paid to listen to good music and work with highly professional people. I tend not to watch television, or read the papers. What happens in the UK doesn’t affect me. At least, it hasn’t until recently, with what has been going on around the French/English border. Like almost all of my colleagues I voted leave in the referendum. At the sharp end of what the EU really means, I want out.

Here's how Ford redesigned its Super Duty pickup truck to 'run to failure' Business Insider (Australia) / September 6, 2016 Ford isn’t holding back. In the past two years, the automaker has redesigned and launched its two most important vehicles, the F-150 full-size pickup and the iconic Mustang muscle car. The F-150 has been America’s best-selling vehicle for decades, and the 51-year-old Mustang is synonymous with Ford. As if that weren’t enough, Ford unveiled the jaw-dropping GT supercar at the Detroit auto show in 2015. The $400,000-plus machine, in racing trim, brought Ford back to the 24 Le Mans in France to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Ford’s legendary win there — and brought home an epic second victory. The carmaker’s onslaught of risk-taking has now been extended with the launch of an all-new Super Duty pickup for 2017, the first major revamping of this segment-leading vehicle in nearly two decades. That’s quite a run. Both the new F-150, reengineered to use more lightweight aluminium, and the Mustang, now more sports car than muscle car, have been hits. The GT was so popular that Ford has extended production, initially capped at 500, for two more years. But the Super Duty is another story altogether. This is the truck of trucks, holding a 43% chunk of the heavy-duty pickup market in the US. That’s astonishing, given how competitive the US truck market is. Almost half the people who need to tow a big trailer or haul massive loads, for business or pleasure, choose Super Duty. These customers are among the most demanding anywhere. There’s a reason why Ford didn’t mess with it for 18 years. It was absolutely, positively not broken. A critical vehicle for the Blue Oval “Super Duty is a very, very important product,” said Ford CFO Bob Shanks on the company’s second-quarter earnings call in late July, before diving into a litany of reasons why. “It’s high volume. It’s very high margin. It’s a big changeover because we have not had a complete redesign of this product for 19 or 20 years. It’s going into a big plant. It’s aluminium. It’s a new frame. It’s powertrain upgrades. It’s new features. It’s new technologies.” In fact, the Super Duty redesign is so important to Ford that both Shanks and CEO Mark Fields prepped the investment community to expect weaker results in the second half of the year, at least on some fronts, as Ford goes through the immense, once a generation costs of launching the first new Super Duty since the late 1990s. “It’s a big deal,” Brian Rathsburg, Ford’s marketing manager for the Super Duty, told Business Insider. “The truck is our halo vehicle in terms of capability. We’re absolutely operating from a position of strength, but with that comes a burden of responsibility to continue to be the leader.” The Super Duty is actually a complete lineup of heavy-duty trucks, which start tipping the scales at over 8,500 pounds and tend to be found in oil fields, on ranches, and pressed into service by business that need serious cargo and towing capacity. The lowest trim level is the F-250, moving up through F-350 and F-450 models. The prices start at just above $30,000 and top out at almost $80,000 for the Platinum F-450. Engines are huge, and they come in numerous gas and diesel versions. One V8-diesel option offers a Brobdingnagian 925 pound-feet of towing torque, which is probably enough to adjust the orbit of the moon, if you could get it hooked up. Completely maxed out towing, at the limits of the Super Duty’s capacity, is 32,500 pounds — over 16 tons. It could haul more than six F-150s behind it. Customers at the core As with all pickups these days, the new Super Duty is being offered with a host of cab configurations and premium amenities. Many of the upgrades for Ford were driven by customers, with whom the automaker maintains an almost symbiotic relationship — you might think any big truck would satisfy truck people, but truck folks are in fact the most demanding of all vehicle buyers. “Customers are a fundamental aspect,” Rathsburg said. “They live in the truck — it’s a mobile office. They wanted more room and more storage.” Ford never loses touch with Super Duty owners, so the company was ready when the requests started to roll in for changes. For example, the need for additional storage was addressed by adding a lockable compartment under the front seats in the Crew Cab. In a bold move, Ford also kitted out the Super Duty with a suite of cameras designed to substantially improve towing and backing maneuvers. But the biggest “if” for Ford-truck loyalists over the past two years has been the switch from steel to aluminium construction, intended to decrease weight and improve fuel economy so that the automaker’s bread-and-butter vehicles don’t get regulated out of existence as federal and state mileage and emissions standards intensify. The change was trickier for F-150 buyers than it was for Super Duty folks. “There was no convincing process,” said Rathsburg. “Heavy-duty customers get it. They were more receptive than 150 customers because many of them were familiar with the material. The trailer industry has already gone there.” The pressure was on Beyond customers, there was the attention that the Ford brass devoted to the Super Duty, which had been updated several times since 1999 but not completely rethought. That pressure fell squarely on Craig Schmatz, the Super Duty’s chief engineer. He’s been working on tucks for 27 years, and this was a crowning achievement. “It’s what I’ve always wanted to do,” he said. And he added that the development of the new Super Duty stretched back several years, beginning when the new F-150 was first undertaken, due to the shared cabs for each truck. “It was definitely special,” he said of the first planning meetings. “The whole team was very charged up. We really wanted to define what we could do with the vehicle.” And Ford’s leadership wanted to see what they could do, too. And they wanted to see it frequently. “We had all the standard meetings — and quite a few additional ones to, make sure we were getting it right. But they trusted what we were doing.” But yet again, the toughest sell was to the customers. “They’re very much into the details, and they know what the competition is up to,” Schmatz said. “And that’s good. We’re happy that they know their vehicles.” They didn’t remain quiet when the saw something they didn’t like. Schmatz recalled that commercial buyers who didn’t want a conventional pickup bed but intended to have a box mounted behind the cab identified some design issues early in 2016 that they didn’t like, so Ford’s engineers made adjustments. Bold guardians The new Super Duty, it can fairly be argued, was Ford’s most collaborative new vehicle of the past two decades. It was so collaborative that Ford’s design team conducted preliminary research to assess what kind of people would be using the truck. “We call them ‘bold guardians,'” said Gordon Platto, the Super Duty’s chief designer, of the customer archetype. “They’re not into being intimidating, but they want to back up what they say. They want the Super Duty’s grille to fill the rearview of any car they’re behind.” But those customers also understand that there’s tough, and there’s too tough. “You don’t want anyone thinking the truck can deliver more than it’s capable of — you don’t want something that overpromises. If it looked like a big industrial earth mover, that would have been too much.” The bottom line for Ford is that there’s no way to fool around with the Super Duty owner. They’re the most demanding buyers on the planet. ‘Run to failure’ “We have a saying called ‘RTF’ or ‘run to failure,” said Nate Berges, who owns and operates an awning company in New Jersey and maintains a small fleet of Ford Super Duty trucks of varying ages. “We use our trucks to the max. I own the truck, and I’m not going to baby it. I’m not light on the pedal because I’m pulling every bit of horsepower from the engine. We do between 20 and 30 jobs a day, and we’ll pull up, shut the truck off, and then fire the truck back up, to go to the next job. We use the trucks, every day, 365 days a year. They need to rise to the occasion.” Berges has Super Duty’s in action that date back to the early 2000s and has been a longtime Ford customer, buying the trucks since the 1980s. But loyalty hasn’t eased the demands he places on the automaker. If anything, he expects more out of Ford. He doesn’t just expect his pickups to be built Ford tough. He expects the Super Duty to pay off, long term. “It’s an investment,” he said, adding that buying a Super Duty is almost like stretching his dollars. “I’m spending $50,000 on the trucks, and I want my money to go as far as it can.” When Ford makes this group of its most hardcore buyers happy, it knows it done something special — not to mention something that helps the company in very tangible financial ways. Super Duty trucks are hugely profitable, with the F-Series overall making a major contribution to Ford’s ability to turn in string earnings in good times and ride out the bad stretches. “Watching the trucks rolling off the assembly line is outstanding,” Schmatz said, speaking from the Ford factory in Kentucky. “Seeing them actually being built is the most rewarding thing.”

Auto Express / September 6, 2016 Bringing vehicles into developing nations comes with its problems, but the OX, from the Global Vehicle Trust (GVT) could be the solution. It’s a rugged, multipurpose truck, strong enough to cope with the worst of roads but cheap and simple enough to be built and maintained by just about anybody. The OX is the vision of Sir Torquil Norman, who founded GVT five years ago. It harks back to the ‘Africar’ project of the 1980s, which took Citroen 2CV mechanicals and a sturdy plywood bodyshell, aiming to bring mobility to harsh environments in developing countries. The OX shoots for the same goal, but does it in a very different way. The OX sets itself aside immediately thanks to its ‘flat-pack’ construction. This allows the vehicle to fold into itself, creating a compact package that can be more easily transported across the world. Six OX vehicles can be shipped inside a single shipping container, keeping costs down at both ends. It also creates jobs in the destination country, where local companies will be employed to assemble and maintain the finished vehicles. An OX can be put together in approximately 12 hours by three skilled people. The OX’s entire design suits the countries where it will end up. The vehicle is two-wheel drive, for simplicities sake, but lots of ground clearance, chunky tyres and independent suspension ensure it can keep going on the roughest terrain. A central seating position means the vehicle won’t need expensive adaptations for the mixture of left and right-hand drive countries in Africa. A 2.2-litre Ford diesel engine provides just 99bhp, but 310Nm of torque should keep the OX plodding through most anything. The OX also has a party trick – a massive payload. It’s able to carry 1900kg in the load bed, which is getting on for double what most European pickups can manage. GVT engaged the services of Professor Gordon Murray to help design the OX. Professor Murray’s other projects include Formula 1 cars and the iconic McLaren F1, but he’s a big fan of the OX. “Honestly, I’m more proud of this vehicle than anything else I’ve ever done – including the McLaren F1 road car which was a narrow product for only a few wealthy people across the globe,” he said, when we interviewed him. “The vehicle is so good. We’ve benchmarked it and know that there’s nothing else like it on the planet. It can carry up to 13 people, eight 44 gallon drums, or three Euro pallets. It’s truly unique.” So what next for the GVT OX? Sir Torquil Norman and Professor Murray hope to secure investment from a larger manufacturer. With proper backing, the hope is that production could exceed 10,000 units each year. Sir Torquil said: “Feedback we have had so far from contacts in Africa and with aid agencies has been very positive. OX is about making a difference now, being part of something ground-breaking and unique. Most of all it presents a real opportunity to make a fundamental and lasting difference to people’s lives.” “Our priority now is to raise the funding to complete the testing and take the project to fruition… my dream is to one day see an OX in every village in Africa.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Motor 1 / September 6, 2016 Flat-pack deliveries are most often associated with IKEA furniture, but now there’s an automotive application of the technique. Global Vehicle Trust, founded in 2011, aims to bring affordable mobility to parts of the developing world. The most unconventional thing about the group’s new vehicle, though, is that the truck that can be flat-packed inside itself. The Global Vehicle Trust Ox can be partially disassembled for easy shipping, making it cheaper and simpler to move to foreign countries. GVT says that three people can ‘flat-pack’ the Ox in just six hours, and once in that reduced state, the Ox is compact enough that six can be transported in one, 40-foot shipping container. At the other end, three workers can fully rebuild the truck in just 12 hours. The supremely simple truck is designed to be able to provide lots of utility in demanding terrain. It has a payload capacity of 4,188 lb (1,900 kg) and 247 cubic feet (7 cubic meters) of cargo space, despite weighing just 3,527 lb (1,600 kg) dry and measuring only 169.3 inches (4,299 mm) in length. It has been designed with aggressive approach and departure angles, and nearly 10 inches of ground clearance, out of recognition that many developing countries have poor or non-existent roads. It can also ford 51.2 inches (1,300 mm) of water. GVT envisions the Ox serving in rural Africa or other nations where it could be used to deliver water, food, fertilizer, or other supplies. The cargo area can, depending on configuration, accommodate 13 passengers, eight 44-gallon drums, or three pallets. Other neat design tricks include a center-mounted driving position, so the Ox can be used in both left- and right-hand-drive countries; a modular tailgate that can be removed and used as a loading ramp; and the bench seat frames that can be removed to use as sand ladders in case the vehicle gets stuck. Power comes from a Ford 2.2-liter turbodiesel engine, with a five-speed manual transmission routing power to the front wheels. The GVT enlisted famed automotive designer Gordon Murray – of McLaren and Gordon Murray Design fame – to design the vehicle. In a statement, he applauded the project’s goals and scope. The OX design and prototyping programme is undoubtedly one of the most interesting and challenging I have undertaken during my 45 years of car design, including my years in F1,” he said. “The added challenge of a flat-packed vehicle design over the already tough targets for cost, durability, and weight-saving made for a fascinating and stimulating journey from concept to prototype.” . .