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BPW Press Release / November 4, 2019 With AirSave from BPW, you can continuously control and regulate the tyre pressure while driving. For maximum economy and greater safety thanks to optimum tyre pressure. .

Steve Brooks, Trade Trucks Australia / January 21, 2020 Freightliner Cascadia comes in two models: A 116-inch (295cm) BBC (bumper to back-of-cab) version and a 126-inch(320cm) BBC model. The trucks are manufactured in Cleveland, North Carolina, and the Detroit engine and transmission combinations made in Detroit, Michigan. What follows is an edited version of the various specifications and features as supplied by Freightliner at the recent Australian launch of Cascadia in Sydney. Engines Cascadia is powered by the latest generation Detroit engines which meet the strict US GHG17 emissions requirement and subsequently, exceed the Euro 6 standard. The engines are the DD13 and DD16 – technically similar to the 13- and 16-litre Daimler ‘family’ engines in wide use in the popular Mercedes-Benz range – using a combination of selective catalytic reduction (SCR), mild exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) and diesel particulate filter (DPF) to achieve the stringent US emissions standard. Cascadia’s engines are, however, significantly different and technically several generations ahead of the existing DD13 and DD15 units currently available in Australia, notably in Western Star and some remaining Freightliner units. The Cascadia 116 model uses the DD13 engine with a 1,300 square inch (8,387 square cm) radiator whereas the 126 uses the DD16 with a 1400 square inch radiator (9,032 square cm). DD13 ratings: 450hp (336kW) at 1,625 rpm and 1,650 lb ft (2,237Nm) at 975rpm 470hp (350kW) at 1,625 rpm and 1,650 lb ft (2,237Nm) at 975rpm 505hp (377kW) at 1,625 rpm and 1,850 lb ft (2,508Nm) at 975rpm DD16 ratings: 500hp (373kW) at 1,800rpm and 1,850lb ft (2,508Nm) at 1,120rpm 530hp (395kW) at 1,800rpm and 1,850lb ft (2,508Nm) at 1,120rpm 560hp (418kW) at 1,800rpm and 1,850lb ft (2,508Nm) at 1,120rpm 560hp (418kW) at 1,800rpm and 2,050lb ft (2,779Nm) at 1,120rpm 600hp (447kW) at 1,800rpm and 1,850lb ft (2,508Nm) at 1,120rpm 600hp (447kW) at 1,800rpm and 2,050lb ft (2,779Nm) at 1,120rpm Transmissions Eaton’s iconic 18-speed manual shifter and Detroit’s DT12 automated 12-speed are the two transmission choices in Cascadia. The automated Ultrashift-Plus version of the Eaton 18-speed is not available. Predictably, Freightliner lists the DT12 as the preferred transmission in Cascadia, built in Detroit and designed to work seamlessly with the DD engines. There are three direct-drive versions and one overdrive option, with economy and performance modes and a manual function through the paddle-shifter on the steering column. Super-slick in operation (we’ve had the opportunity to use the DT12 several times in Cascadia test units), the transmission’s features include: creep mode for low-speed manoeuvring, activated when service brakes are released but aborting if Creep mode use poses an imminent risk of clutch damage eCoast function, saving fuel by shifting into neutral when there is no accelerator input and cruise control is engaged. eCoast will not engage on grades greater than 3.5 percent an automatic hill start aid which holds the truck for three seconds to prevent roll-back Cruise Descent Control to help restrict the truck’s speed when descending a grade Intelligent Powertrain Management (IPM) is also part of the package, using topographical map information to enhance efficiency and only available with cruise control engaged. Safety features Safety is the big asset for Cascadia over its conventional competitors, based on an extensive package called ‘Active Brake Assist 5.0’, described as a fully integrated system that uses radar and camera technology and provides full braking for moving pedestrians, full braking on stationery objects, moving and stopped objects. There’s also lane departure warning and adaptive cruise control operating down to 0 km/h. Side Guard Assist is another safety initiative, using two short-range radars to ‘watch’ the left side of the truck and trailer while also providing: Lane Change Assist to detect moving objects on the passenger side of the truck Turn Assist to detect moving objects on the passenger side when initiating a turn, when stationary and at slow speeds Trailer Sweep Assist which calculates when the trailer or rear of the prime mover might come into contact with stationary objects such as power poles or traffic lights. Meanwhile, Freightliner is currently working with local suppliers to enable Cascadia’s integrated dash-mounted camera to capture footage during safety incidents, including sudden braking. Anti-skid disc brakes are standard (drums optional) while also on the standard list are traction control and electronic stability control. One surprise omission at the launch of the truck was a steering wheel driver’s airbag but according to several sources, it will be a standard feature within months as extensive engineering tests are nearing completion. However, the RollTek-equipped driver’s seat includes an in-built head airbag. LED lighting is fitted through the entire truck while there’s also an optional ‘intelligent high beam’, automating the use of high beam and disengaging high beam when an oncoming or overtaking vehicle is detected. In safety terms, no conventional truck currently on the Australian market comes anywhere near Cascadia. While not strictly in the safety stable, Freightliner says connectivity also rates high on the Cascadia credit list through the ‘Detroit Connect’ system. In addition to allowing customers to take advantage of all the normal benefits of traditional telematics features, it also offers a wide range of more advanced features including a remote diagnostic service, remote engine updates including parameter changes, engine report downloads and firmware updates. According to Freightliner, trip analysis, fuel efficiency scoring and fuel use analytics, lifetime and trip reporting, vehicle and fleet safety reporting are all available through Detroit Connect and can be accessed on the web or via an app on Apple or Android devices. Cab and sleeper Cascadia uses an aluminium cab shell and high-tensile steel doors, with Freightliner insiders here and in the US emphasising vast improvements in manufacturing processes and quality standards. There’s a strong family resemblance to the current Mercedes-Benz range in the dash and gauge layout, with controls and switchgear placed for easy use and familiarity. The standard dash trim is described as ‘subtle black with black bezels, while chrome bezels are available as is a woodgrain trim option.’ Standard seat trims include Laredo leather as well as vinyl or cloth options. Cascadia comes as a day cab or 36-inch (91cm), 48-inch (122cm), 60-inch (152cm), and 60-inch raised roof sleeper cabs. Internal features include a sleeper area with dimmable LED lighting, a range of sturdy cabinets, microwave bracing, space for a fridge and a strong flat-panel TV swivel bracket that can hold up to a 26-inch (66cm) screen. Single and double bunk options are available and all Cascadia sleepers are equipped with locally-sourced Sealy Posturepedic innerspring mattresses measuring 30 inches (76cm) across for 36-inch sleeper models and 35-inches (89cm) across for 48- and 60-inch sleepers. Sleeper vents are available, as are sleeper doors with built-in windows on 48- and 60-inch models. There is also a right-hand baggage door on all sleepers, while the 60-inch is also available with an additional left-hand baggage door. Freightliner is also introducing a battery powered HVAC climate control system as an option on all sleeper cabs. Powered by a condenser on the back of the cab, it is linked to four additional batteries and offers up to 10 hours of cooling and 34 hours of heating. According to Freightliner, popular configurations in Cascadia’s initial line-up will be: 116 with a 36-inch XT sleeper for 26-metre, 34-pallet B-double work with 860 litres of fuel, horizontal exhaust and electric HVAC system 126 with 48-inch XT sleeper for 19-metre general access single trailer work, with 1,500 litres of fuel, dual vertical exhaust and HVAC 126 with 60-inch raised-roof sleeper for stag trailer combinations, dual vertical exhaust and HVAC 126 with 60-inch raised-roof sleeper for B-double tippers with 1,800 litres of fuel, dual vertical exhaust and HVAC 126 with 60-inch raise roof sleeper for roadtrain doubles, with 1,800 litres of fuel, dual vertical exhaust, bullbar and HVAC 116 and 126 day cab units for tipper and dog duties from 19-metres to 26-metres in various configurations Drivetrain detail Exhaust: Single stack with various vertical and horizontal mount positions or frame mounted dual stacks. Fuel tanks: Square tanks and round tanks available in a wide range of sizes. In-rail battery box available to free up space for additional fuel capacity. Front axle: Meritor FG 941 or Detroit DA 16. Rear axle: Meritor MT40 and RT46 (larger axles to follow). Hendrickson’s HLM2 lift axle available. Front suspension: 16,000kg rated taper-leaf and 14,600kg rated taper-leaf. Rear suspension: Freightliner Airliner airbag at 40,000kg and 46,000kg ratings. Neway option to follow. Chassis: Freightliner reports the chassis rails have been splayed to lower the engine centre-of-gravity and allow the steering gear to be moved outwards to improve on-road dynamics. Bumper: A lightweight aluminium bumper was designed by Freightliner and is manufactured in Australia, meeting current requirements for front under-run protection. Warranty and buy-back Freightliner states it will offer the best warranty in the conventional market with Cascadia, providing coverage for four years or 800,000km, whichever comes first, on vehicles with a GCM under 110,000kg. For vehicles with a GCM of more than 110,000kg, the warranty stands for two years with unlimited kilometres. Meantime, the Detroit engine warranty is five years or 500,000 litres of fuel, or one million km, whichever comes first. Additionally, there’s the availability of the ‘Agility Guaranteed Buyback’ finance program which, states Freightliner, offers end-of-term financial flexibility on the new Freightliner Cascadia. This effectively means that when the customer’s agreement comes to an end, there’s the choice to either trade the current vehicle for a new one, retain the vehicle by paying out the agreed final payment, or return the vehicle back to Daimler. There’s also a complimentary service package which adds wiper blades and LED lamps to Freightliner’s standard service schedule. .

Greg Bush, Owner-Driver / February 6, 2020 Earls Express has some of the best looking rigs running on and off road around the country and, despite the occasional setback from the likes of Mother Nature, nit-picking authorities and certain truck reliability issues, this no-nonsense family operation is achieving positive things for the industry. Every truck owner and driver has a story to tell about how they started out in the industry. For Steve Earl, he’s straight to the point with his explanation. "I was selling cooking oil and running it out the back of my ute, then in a little truck." "Then I thought, ‘bigger truck, bigger money’. How f***ing wrong I was," he remarks with a wry grin. As you can guess, airs and graces are not part of the Earls Express culture. "There’s nothing politically correct in this place. We’re very down to earth, and very black and white," Steve remarks. "If you can’t handle being told, you don’t need to be here." Not that Earls Express has any issue with attracting the right employees. With the nucleus of Steve and his wife Kym, son Jake and daughters Jessi and Jaime, plus Jake’s wife Daniela on the front desk, this family-run business also employs 12 full-time drivers. "Anyone that works here, we tell them ‘you’ve got to be able to cop shit’," Jake chimes in. "And if you can’t cop it, don’t dish it out. If you can cop it, dish it out as much as you like. "We stir everybody up around here; it’s just the way we are." Steve and Kym have been involved in the trucking industry for approximately 40 years. Previously also spending time behind the wheel, Kym moved into the office admin side of the business when Jake, now aged 28, was born. Jake’s career starting when he was "pulling boxes of the wharf at 14". Around five years later he had his own truck, an old SAR. "I bought it out of my back pocket and it blew up two days after," he says. "The second one I bought which I had for quite a while was an ’84 W model." As far as the daughters’ roles in the business go, Jaime has a rigid licence while Jessi drives semis. Jessi, in fact, used the money made from driving interstate to finance her hairdressing and make-up course in 2018. "She would do the schooling Monday to Wednesday, and then we’d stick her in the truck and she’d go interstate as far as Cairns and back," Jake explains. "Then she’d be back Sunday night and back to school." According to Jake, Jessi’s plan was to concentrate on hairdressing and makeup. But three months later she had the urge to once again get back in the driver’s seat. "She only works about two or three days a week in the truck," Jake adds. "She’s rather do local now, she’s got other commitments. But she still goes out every now and then." Following a previous business venture with a third party, Earls Express, based in Faraday, Victoria, came to fruition just over 10 years ago. But it truly began make its mark over the past few years since the Scania truck brand began entering its fleet. After securing a contract that required a particular tautliner-rigid combination, the Earls ended up with a second-hand Scania R 340 and dog trailer which they still own. Impressed, Steve and Jake decided to fork out for a new Scania – a G480 – with all the bells and whistles such as Adaptive Cruise Control and Scania Retarder. Then came a P440. Earls Express now boasts seven Scanias in its fleet, including their most recent acquisitions, three second-hand R 620s, one of which recently stepped out of All State Truck Repairs paint shop at Campbellfield in Melbourne, sporting the striking purple and pink Earls Express colours. Certainly there are other truck brands in the fleet, but the Earls are slowly in the process of removing those from the line-up, including an old Kenworth W model. "We’ve got an old [Freightliner] FLB that sits over in WA with a bloke. We’ve got a yard over there, that’s our main run," Jake says. "We’ll probably be selling that one as well, and getting more Scanias." Then there’s their Iveco. Steve, who doesn’t mind voicing his opinion when it comes to truck brands, is not impressed with his three-year-old Stralis. Instead of taking its place in the Earls’ fleet, he says the truck is sitting in an Iveco yard in Melbourne. "We won’t take it back; It’s a heap of shit," Steve says succinctly. "It just keeps breaking down. We make the payments every month and leave it in their yard down there." Jake believes the truck, which he says has done around 500,000km in two years, is a "total lemon". "After 500,000 ks we were under the impression we had the same warranty as what the new Scanias have got, and that’s the million kilometres in five years. "It gets to 500,000 ks and they say it’s out of warranty." "We’ve got no leg to stand on at the moment. We can’t afford to drive it out the door because we’re afraid it’s going to break down on the Nullarbor, and that’s going to cost us an absolute fortune." As far as Nullarbor breakdowns go, it’s a case of ‘been there, done that’ on at least once occasion for the Earls. Surprisingly, however, the offending truck was the Scania G 480 which they bought new. Although the G 480 had only done 17,000km, an engine fault meant the truck was grounded 800km from home. The truck was only covered for 500km of free towing, but Scania picked up the bill for the entire trip back. "Scania did brilliantly with that one," Steve remarks, adding that the 480 is still his favourite truck. "I find Scania is very good to deal with. They work with us, not against us." The Nullarbor is a regular Earls Express run, although that route was temporarily put on hold due to the Western Australian bushfires around December and January, causing the closure of the Eyre Highway. "Yes, it’s hurt us a bit but we’ll get through it," Jake says. "We’re in a lot better position than a lot of people. We don’t have to worry about losing our house or anything." With trucks traffic across the ‘paddock’ suspended, Steve and Jake decided to leave their trailers at Port Augusta until the highway reopened, bringing the trucks home bobtail. They had other work to be done in the meantime. Freight-wise, they haul heavy machinery, oversized freight, steel, cardboard and anything else that comes along. It’s a sign of their adaptability, an example being Earls’ most expensive setup – a rigid and pig trailer combo. When needed, the tautliner body can be removed, converting to a flat top. "It’s actually a skel truck and skel pig trailer, so I can do local containers if I’m really quiet," Jake says. "With the rigid and pig trailer, you’ve got eight and half metres in the truck and six-odd metres on the trailer. It’s all one combination. "We’ve got a ramp system which is 22 tonne rated, that are only about 30 kilos each ramp. That’s another engineering side of it. "When the tautliner’s on, you can concertina the truck and the trailer together, open the front doors of the trailer and the back doors of the truck, close it together and drive machines straight through." Jake came up with the original idea, despite feedback suggesting it couldn’t be done. So he made the trip across to Drouin where he sought the help of Brendan Harris of Harris Trailers. "They said ‘we can make that, no drama’," Jake recalls. It’s a sign of the Earls fierce independence and not taking ‘no’ for an answer. And, despite no financial assistance from the regular institutions, they’ve still managed to grow the business. "Nobody would give us a loan," Jake explains. "We live on 100 acres, we’re self-employed and an owner-builder. But nobody wants to touch you; they think you’re the biggest risk in the world." That hasn’t prevented Earls Express from attracting fresh young blood into it ranks – a situation all too rare in an industry where the average age of truck drivers continues to rise each year. "We take on young people with no experience; as long as they’ve got the right attitude," Jake says. "We’ll happily train them up, give them weeks of experiences with myself and the old man, out there on the road and in the yard. "We teach them the whole lot, even how to adjust your brakes, change tyres … they get the whole real operator’s experience. "We don’t want steerers, from point A to point B. They need to do all their loading and unloading out on the road. "It has worked out well; we’ve got some good reliable young adults." Jake admits the downside of hiring young drivers is the higher cost of insurance. As far as Steve is concerned, however, the trucking industry’s major deterrent for hiring new recruits is the endless harassment from the road authorities. In fact, mention the NSW Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) or VicRoads and Steve doesn’t pull any punches. "Every time you pull into a bridge, or get pulled up, you know you’re going to get a fine for something," Steve says. "That’s what turns people off the industry. "When we put any of these kids on, their mouth drops when we tell them what it’s like out there. "Every single week we get a ticket or something in one of the trucks. "The driver’s just doing a basic human error, like they might be over 15 minutes in any 24 hour period. They hit them hard. "We do Australia wide, and we might be out in the middle of nowhere, and they’ve come in and they’ve chewed one of the tyres out on the dirt road. Or one headlight’s gone, or something. "Then they give you a major defect and you have to do a full roadworthy. They absolutely hound you; it’s just wrong." Steve points to his first Scania, the R 340, which was recently pulled off the road for what he believes to be totally unwarranted issue. "The tyres were starting to scallop out, which means you’ve got a wheel alignment issue, or under pressure, or something like that. "It was due to go in for new steer tyres once it got back off this trip. There’s plenty of life in them, more than 40 to 50 percent of tread left, and it started to scallop. So we sent it out; it’s nothing unsafe. "It gets down the road and gets a defect for tyres. Well, defect for tyres, no worries, fine. If you want us to change them, we’ll change them. "But the defect they put on there – ‘must have full roadworthy’ – now that has just cost us. "So far it’s been off the road now for six weeks because in that full roadworthy, the truck and trailer unit that we bought, unbeknown to us, didn’t have some sort of plate that it’s supposed to have on the trailer. "Now we’ve had to go and have it fully engineered and all the rest of it. The unit’s been running around for 12 years like this. Now it doesn’t comply." Jake believes the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) is slowly changing the authorities’ mindset, although he says another incident, this time on the South Australia-Western Australia border, has again cut into their profit margin. "We got picked up for defects and insecure loading and all sorts of crap over in WA when they did a blitz one day at Border Village. "They grounded the truck for eight hours which turned into overnight, and for something that we’ve been carting for over 10 years. "Because the guy on the floor, who’s never put a load on in his life, didn’t like the way it was sitting. It was totally safe, totally legal, totally within limits, all that sort of stuff. "They ground you, they gave us a list of about six or seven different defects, and it included rocker box bushes, all brakes, all this, all that. "They don’t understand. None of it was even right." Again, it was classed as unroadworthy until Steve and Jake took it to their regular roadworthy repairer whose response was, "there’s nothing wrong with it". "We had time off the road; and we lost some of the freight because we were late to pick up the next load," Steve says. They took it up with the NHVR’s Adelaide head office who agreed with the Earls version that the truck and trailer was roadworthy. "We got everything revoked," Steve says. ‘It cost us money but the bottom line is now we’ve got a little bit of respect over there in South Australia and they know that we know what we’re talking about. "The people over there in head office, they were good to deal with, so we’re hoping that will be the same when they start taking over the other states." Steve says, while the NHVR in SA were approachable, the same can’t be said for the NSW RMS and VicRoads. "VicRoads, you can’t talk to. The police, if they give you one of these defects, you can’t get onto anybody to talk to because they’re arrogant. The task force especially are just arrogant p***ks. "But NSW is the worst; the RMS. It’s all revenue." The Earls pride themselves on their fleet’s appearance and their safety record. "If anything’s wrong with any of our vehicles, I’m more than happy to fix it because we do all our own repairs here, we do all our own tyres, and we think we do a pretty good job," Steve says. "But anybody can miss something and if it’s missed and somebody finds it’s missed, we’re more than happy to repair it because I want the vehicles out there safe. "I’ve been doing this for 40 years and I have not had a driver have a major accident, I haven’t had a truck off the road ever with accidents, and that’s the way I want to keep it." Steve is adamant that the health and safety of his drivers comes first and foremost. "All our young blokes, they’re all told, ‘if they get tired, go to bed’. "I care about the freight, but the freight’s not that important. If they’re going to be late and if they need extra sleep, we just ring the customers and let them know that the driver needs a bit more sleep and they’ll be there such and such a time." The stunning purple paintwork, pink splashes and lettering on the Earls Express trucks and trailers indicates this is a business that wants to create an impression – a strong, dependable one. And it’s no surprise that the Earl family’s female side – Kym, Jaime and Jessi – had much input into the livery’s design, especially the metallic purple with fuchsia flakes. "Back when the old man stepped up from the W model to the Aerodyne, mum gave him an ultimatum: ‘If you want a new truck, we’ve got to pick the colours’." The fleet’s colour scheme on the fleet doesn’t stop there. The Earls family, as well as the drivers, all sport the distinctive classy "uniform" of Earls Express. No blue singlets or thongs here. "We’re building the brand, and the brand we want is to stand for service and reliability, especially when we’re out with the customers," Steve says. "We’re trying to build a reputation of doing things the right way." .

IVECO Trucks Australia / November 18, 2019 Recent celebrations at IVECO revolved around the much-loved ACCO range, as the last current generation, Euro 5 model unit left the assembly line at the company’s manufacturing facility in Melbourne. Since its introduction in 1961, the ACCO (or AACO as it was known then, when manufactured on the A Line rather than today’s C line) has become a long-time favourite of the Australian and New Zealand trucking industries, being used in all manner of applications from light rigid to prime mover work and everything in between. Initially developed from the International Mark 3 general service 4x4 vehicle and adapted for civilian use, the ACCO’s simple design and tough underpinnings saw widespread acceptance of the model which continues today. The current shape ACCO was introduced in 1972 and was further developed on that platform culminating with the introduction of the Euro 5 2014 model year variants. Ever increasing emission and safety requirements meant that with the major changes introduced by 2014, the current model had reached its full development potential. Amazingly, over its lifetime, the ACCO has undergone over 4,300 specification changes. The celebratory event was attended by IVECO Australia staff and key component suppliers to the ACCO range over the years who received commemorative plaques; recipients included Alcoa Wheels, Cummins South Pacific, Dana Australia, Goodyear & Dunlop Tyres, Heavy Automatics, Hendrickson Asia Pacific, Hilton Manufacturing and Meritor HVS. Addressing attendees were IVECO Australia and New Zealand Managing Director, Bruce Healy, and IVECO Brand Ambassador Lloyd Reeman who has been involved with the ACCO model since the 1970s. Both spoke of the ACCO’s proud heritage and also advised that the last unit built will be retained by IVECO for posterity and for display at future events. Both gentlemen also touched on the benefits of the new generation Euro 6 ACCO range, which will build on its predecessor’s reliability and durability benefits while introducing many new state-of-the-art features. Scheduled to begin production in the first quarter of 2020, the new Euro 6 ACCO will continue to be manufactured in Australia having been developed specifically for Australia and New Zealand markets, to ensure it is fit for task. The new models have undergone an extensive local development program, with several evaluation vehicles currently in year-long trials with key refuse customers, where they have performed exceptionally well according to feedback and performance benchmarking. Initial models to be released are aimed at the vocational market, specifically for compactor and hook-lift bin applications which were a mainstay of the previous generation ACCO. The new range introduces powerful, yet cleaner and more efficient Euro 6 engines coupled to the proven Allison full automatic transmissions. On the safety front, vehicles will feature a raft of standard technology including Adaptive Cruise Control, Advanced Emergency Braking System, Electronic Braking System with Brake Assistance, Electronic Stability Program and Daytime Running Lamps. Operators wanting even more safety can select from options such as Hydraulic Retarder, Lane Departure Warning System, Driver Attention Support, a Tyre Pressure Monitoring System and Xenon Headlamps. The new ACCO also promises to further reduce its predecessor’s already impressive low total cost of ownership benefits, particularly in the area of fuel use. And, on selected Euro 6 configurations, the payload mass remains in the same region as the outgoing Euro 5 model – well within the industry benchmark of 10 tonnes. We look forward to sharing further details of the new Euro 6 ACCO range early in 2020. .

Greg Bush, Owner-Driver / January 31, 2020 Organisers of Crawlin’ the Hume, which will take place on March 28, have announced that this year will be the biennial event’s last hurrah. Crawlin’ the Hume, a parade of vintage and classic trucks, retraces the old highway from the Melbourne suburb of Campbellfield to Albury where a Saturday night dinner takes place at the Albury Race Club. It has been run every second year since the first event in 2012, alternating with the Sydney-based Haulin’ the Hume which is due to be held in 2021. For 2020, the final Crawlin’ the Hume has been renamed the Roger ‘Slasha’ Marchetti Road Run in honour of the late co-organiser, who passed away in early 2019. Organisers released a statement on the Crawlin’ the Hume Facebook page on January 22, stating that "the 2020 event is the 5th time it has been run and with the passing of Roger and dedicating this year’s event in his honour, the decision has been made that this will be the last one". However, Crawlin’ the Hume founder Robert French says it’s not only Roger’s passing that has led to his and co-organiser Trevor Davis’s decision to bring down the curtain on the event. He cites the immense pre-planning involved, as well as negative innuendo from some participants that led them to call time on Crawlin’ the Hume. "We’ve done five and it’s time to retire," Robert says. "It’s a massive job for just a few of us; it’s bloody hard work and it takes a lot of your time. "But you get accused of everything; it’s become a bit of joke. "A lot of people like it and they give you a lot of praise, and I don’t care about that, but jeez there’s some knockers. And I think it’s really the knockers that have more to do [with the decision] than Roger’s death." Robert, a former truck driver, has a drum recycling business which is son runs. But due to staff shortages he’s been forced to get back behind the wheel. He had a recent day off, driving to Albury to organise the Crawlin’ the Hume dinner and evening presentation at the Race Club. Trevor is another with a demanding job, his 12-hour-a-day truck driving shift starting at 3am. Both were planning on making the announcement on Crawlin’ the Hume’s closure at the event itself, but decided to bring it forward in a bid to attract a larger number of participants. "I absolutely love Crawlin’ the Hume. I eat, drink and sleep it," Robert says. "I learned a lot about myself by doing it five times, and I learnt a lot about people." He says when he and Roger started the wheels rolling in 2012 they had no idea what they were doing. "None of us were events’ organisers. We had no idea. "The sad part about it is we’ve got it down pat now." In 2018, more than 250 classic and vintage trucks took part. Being the final running of Crawlin’ The Hume, Robert is hoping numbers will be higher on March 28. From Campbellfield, the convoy will pass through Wallan, Broadford, Tallarook, Seymour, Avenel, Locksley, Longwood, Euroa, Violet Town, Baddaginnie, Benalla, Glenrowan, Wangaratta, Chiltern, Barnawartha, Wodonga and Albury. However, Robert says there will be a slight tweak at Violet Town. "There’s a real bad turn there so we’re going to direct them down the main street." As usual, trucks must be more than 25 years old, and the $50 registration fee includes a Crawlin’ the Hume pack containing a hat, stubby holder, keyring, drink bottle and pen. Entries close on February 29. For more information and entry forms for this historic truck event go to the Crawlin The Hume 2020 Facebook page or phone Robert French on 0409 380 090 or Trevor Davis 0419 506 516. .

Big Wheels Malaysia / February 9, 2020 Hino Motors Sales (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd has celebrated another milestone by delivering the 100,000th unit HINO truck to customer Ikhasas Resources Sdn Bhd. The occasion was marked by an official handover ceremony during an open house held at Hino Motors Sales (Malaysia) headquarters in Petaling Jaya. Leveraging its empire for more than 40 years here in Malaysia, and marked the 100,000 units of product sales in Malaysia, Hino proves its trusted product and stability in the Malaysian market as well as proving the products aligned to Customer’s satisfaction and trust and confidence. “Since our establishment in Malaysia in 1977, HMSM has grown and reached the accumulated sales of 100,000 units. We are motivated to know that we have stood as part of the logistics and distribution industry in Malaysia to delivering the goods with our passion ‘Transporting Every Happiness’. Thank you to all our esteemed customers for the continuous support and trust with the HINO Brand,” said Managing Director of HMSM, Atsushi Uchiyama. Taking the opportunity of the 100,000th vehicle sales celebration, Atsushi Uchiyama presented an appreciation reward to Dato’ Roslan Zainal, the Director of Ikhasas Resources, a Japan Trip plus the opportunity to visit Hino Motors Limited. The 100,000th unit truck, HINO 500 Series- model FM2PN1D, with drive configuration 6×4, it is the ideal medium-heavy duty truck for operators. Bringing the HINO’s chassis versatility, the outstanding range of trucks continues to offer medium-duty trucks buyers a total flexibility and satisfaction. There are 100,000 units of HINO vehicles now navigating in Malaysia and this portrays the Trust & Confidence from all Malaysian customers align with the convenience of its Sales, Services and Spare Parts centres. Endowing the immense sales record, HMSM targets to give the best support to the Customer through its Total Support activities that include the after-sales components, Services, and Spare Parts. “This achievement was brought not a single-handed with our Company’s high QDR: Quality, Durability, and Reliability products but also by our Total Support values. Total Support is Hino’s unique concept. We take good care of our customers and their businesses, striving to meet their business requirements and help them to achieve their success. We keep ‘Maximise Vehicle Uptime and Minimise Vehicle Lifetime Cost’ as our fundamental and continue to build a business relationship to become our Customer’s true partner,” added Atsushi Uchiyama in his speech. Likewise the previous year, the Malaysian Automotive Association (MAA) has released vehicle sales data by brand and HMSM ranked the No.1 Position in the Overall Truck and bolted 37.0% market share in Malaysia. In the bus segment, HMSM clenching more than half of the market share in Malaysia with 61.9%. Throughout the year 2019, HMSM has successfully achieved sales of 5, 520 units sold with the market share 38.1% and entitled as No. 1 position in Overall Truck and Bus. .

https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/54089-they-knew-over-100-years-ago/?page=2&tab=comments#comment-405004 https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB1003703226697496080 https://www.businessinsider.com/the-military-tested-bacterial-weapons-in-san-francisco-2015-7?IR=T&r=SG https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1977/03/09/army-conducted-239-secret-open-air-germ-warfare-tests/b17e5ee7-3006-4152-acf3-0ad163e17a22/

I know the Xcient inside and out, and the head designer is since 2010 a good friend. This is a world class truck.

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Associated Press / February 8, 2020 Robert Conrad, the rugged, contentious actor who starred in the hugely popular 1960s television series “Hawaiian Eye” and “The Wild, Wild West,” died Saturday. He was 84. The actor died of heart failure in Malibu, California, family spokesperson Jeff Ballard said. A small private service is planned for March 1, which would have been his 85th birthday. “He lived a wonderfully long life and while the family is saddened by his passing, he will live forever in their hearts,” Ballard said. With his good looks and strong physique, Conrad was a rising young actor when he was chosen for the lead in “Hawaiian Eye.” He became an overnight star after the show debuted in 1959. Conrad played Tom Lopaka, a daring private investigator whose partner was Tracy Steele, played by Anthony Eisley. They operated out of a fancy office overlooking the pool at a popular Waikiki hotel. The two private eyes alternated on simple investigations with help from the island’s colorful characters, including a singer named Cricket Blake (Connie Stevens) and a ukulele-strumming taxi driver named Kazuo (Poncie Ponce). After five seasons with the show, Conrad went on to embrace the television craze of the time, period Westerns, but with a decidedly different twist. In “The Wild, Wild West,” which debuted in 1965, he was James T. West, a James Bond-like agent who used innovative tactics and futuristic gadgets (futuristic for the 1800s anyway) to battle bizarre villains. He was ably assisted by Ross Martin’s Artemus Gordon, a master of disguise. The show aired until 1970. The series “Baa Baa Black Sheep” followed in 1976 and was roughly based on an autobiography by Marine Corps ace and Medal of Honor recipient Gregory “Pappy” Boyington, who wrote of the raucous fliers he commanded during World War II. Conrad played Pappy Boyington, so nicknamed because he often rescued his pilots from severe punishment. Bringing his customary intensity to the role, he even learned to fly. The CBS series was enjoyed by male viewers but not so much by women and it was dropped after its first season. It was revived in December 1977 as “Black Sheep Squadron,” after the network’s new shows failed to find audiences. It continued on for another season. Conrad, meanwhile, interspersed his long, successful TV career with numerous roles in films. After a couple of small parts, his TV fame elevated him to stardom, starting in 1966 with “Young Dillinger,” in which he played Pretty Boy Floyd. Other films included “Murph the Surf,” “The Bandits” (which he also directed), “The Lady in Red” (this time as John Dillinger) and “Wrong Is Right.” At the same time, he found plenty of time for arguments. Throughout Hollywood, Conrad had a reputation as a tough customer and was sued more than a half-dozen times as a result of fist fights. Playing himself in a 1999 episode of the TV series “Just Shoot Me,” he lampooned his threatening, tough-guy persona. He was also featured in 1970s commercials for Eveready Batteries, with a battery on his shoulder, a menacing stare and a popular catchphrase, “I dare you to knock this off.” “I’m only about 5-feet-8 and only weigh 165 pounds as of this morning, so I’m not the world’s meanest guy,” he told an interviewer in 2008. “If you treat me nicely, I’ll treat you nicer,” he added. “If you’re rude to me, put your headgear on. Here it comes.” His daughter Nancy Conrad, who appeared in some of his pictures, explained it this way: “Dad is a hard worker. If people drag their feet, he gets impatient. He starts ranting and raving. It takes a while to patiently take him aside and show him why things might not be going well.” He frequently employed his offspring in his movies and TV shows. An example was the 1988 television series “High Mountain Rangers,” which Conrad had proposed, bankrolled with his own money and directed. He hired sons Shane and Christian as co-stars, daughter Joan as producer and daughter Nancy as caterer. His first wife handled financial matters. The show, about a group of law enforcement officers, was filmed in the High Sierra mountain range near Lake Tahoe. Conrad’s later film credits included 1996’s “Jingle All The Way” with Arnold Schwarzenegger and 2002’s “Dead Above Ground.” He was born Konrad Robert Falkowski in Chicago on March 1, 1935. His great-grandfather had emigrated from Germany, and his grandfather founded several meat shops in Chicago called Hartman’s. Conrad moved from one school to another, and at 15 he left his parents’ house for a place known only to his girlfriend and his great-grandmother who sometimes fed him. A football player in school, Conrad’s first job was loading trucks. Then at 18 he was hired to drive milk wagons. He tried boxing and nightclub singing for a time before drifting into acting and eventually moving to Hollywood, where he found work as a stuntman. In lieu of flowers, Conrad’s family is requesting donations to the Wounded Warrior Project and The Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation Conrad is survived by eight children and 18 grandchildren. .

Is the Coronavirus a Bioweapon? Steven W. Mosher, The Epoch Times / February 7, 2020 No less a figure than Dr. Francis Boyle, an expert on biowarfare, believes that “the coronavirus that we’re dealing with here is an offensive biological warfare weapon.” Speaking of Wuhan’s Institute of Virology, which is at the epicenter of the epidemic, he added that there have “been previous reports of problems with that lab and things leaking out of it.” For Dr. Boyle to be correct, the Chinese regime would have to have both the “intention” and the “capability” to develop such a bioweapon, but does it? It is no secret that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), despite being a signatory to the Biological Weapons Convention, regards the development of bioweapons as a key part of achieving military dominance. The vice-president of China’s Academy of Military Medical Sciences, He Fuchu, said in 2015 that biomaterials were the new “strategic commanding heights” of warfare. People’s Liberation Army (PLA) general Zhang Shibo went even further in his 2017 book, “War’s New High Land,” claiming that “modern biotechnology development is gradually showing strong signs characteristic of an offensive capability,” including the potential for “specific ethnic genetic attacks.” To be perfectly clear, what General Zhang is talking about are bioweapons that kill other races, but for which people who look like him have a natural or acquired immunity. Those who might counter that one wild-eyed general, who does not necessarily speak for the communist leadership, should bear in mind that Zhang was a full member of the 18th Central Committee (2012-17) and the former president of the National Defense University. So as far as intentions are concerned, I think the evidence is indisputable that the CCP would develop offensive biological warfare weapons if they could. But can they? What do we know about China’s capabilities? We know that China has mastered CRISPR technology, which enables the kind of gene splicing that is needed to create a biological superweapon. After all, it was a Chinese scientist, He Jiankui, who announced that he had reengineered the human genome to make it resistant to HIV, a feat for which he recently received a three-year prison sentence. If you are intent upon genetically engineering offensive biological warfare weapons, you also need a very secure facility to ensure that they do not escape from containment. After all, you are taking dangerous pathogens like SARS, Ebola, and various strains of coronavirus and trying to make them even more deadly. China only has one such Level 4 microbiology lab, the Wuhan Institute of Virology, and it is located in—you guessed it—the city of Wuhan. Finally, in addition to the technology and the facilities, you need raw biomaterial. This means laying your hands on the most deadly viruses to be found in nature, into which you can engineer characteristics that make it even more deadly. Some ways of doing this include enhancing human-to-human transmission of a virus originally harvested from another species, or increasing the latency period before someone is infected begins to show symptoms. Here we have incontrovertible evidence that the Wuhan lab has acquired some of the most deadly coronaviruses on the planet. It’s worth noting that just last year, two Chinese nationals, husband and wife team Dr. Keding Cheng and Dr. Xiangguo Qiu, were removed from the National Microbiology Lab in Winnipeg by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police as part of an intellectual property theft investigation. The lab is Canada’s only Level 4 microbiology lab, which is to say, it’s the same type of lab the Chinese operate in Wuhan. Dr. Qiu is known for working on the Ebola virus, while her husband has published studies of SARS. The RCMP investigation noted that both made frequent trips back to the Wuhan lab. The bottom line is that China has everything it needs to create a deadly bioweapon: the technology, the facility, and the raw biomaterial. Much ink has been spilled by the Washington Post and other mainstream media outlets to try and convince us that the deadly coronavirus is a product of nature rather than nefariousness, and that anyone who says otherwise is an unhinged conspiracy theorist. When a group of Indian virologists published a paper suggesting that the novel coronavirus contains insertions that resemble HIV gene sequences, they were widely attacked and the paper was withdrawn for revision. The paper’s critics claimed that the supposed HIV insertions did not enable the novel coronavirus to cripple human immune system, as HIV itself does, by attacking white blood cells, or lymphocytes, that fight infections. In fact, there is evidence that the novel coronavirus can indeed cause “progressive lymphocyte reduction.” But even if there weren’t, this would not prove anything. The fact that a bioweapon under development does not work as well as intended is not proof that it is not a bioweapon, merely that it is not yet ready to deploy. And, bioweapon-in-the-making or not, there seems little doubt that the coronavirus escaped from the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Propinquity suggests causation. After all, if the first coronavirus infection were a simple result of accidental animal-to-human transmission as claimed, this could have occurred anywhere in China. How curious that the epicenter of the epidemic just happens to be in a city of 11 million people where China’s only Level 4 lab is located. Chance? I think not. Add to this the fact that China has a history of similar lab accidents. In 2004, for example, the SARS virus leaked from a Beijing lab twice (!) and caused an outbreak of the disease. The Wuhan facility may have been state of the art, but Chinese safety standards in general are notably lax. And if Chinese scientists were under rush orders to research and develop bioweapons, corners would almost surely be cut. Another reason to think that what the world is dealing with something more than mere incompetence is the reaction of the CCP officials. Beijing has gone to truly extraordinary lengths to cover up the widening outbreak. Coronavirus test kits are rationed so that most of the cases go undiagnosed. Most of the deaths are attributed to other causes, such as pneumonia, funerals are banned, and the corpses are simply rushed to the crematoria without any paperwork. The ovens in the Wuhan crematoria are going day and night to destroy the evidence of the true scale of the outbreak. The authorities even arrested eight doctors early on in the outbreak whose “crime” was that they reported the large number of cases of a new viral infection that they were seeing in their hospitals. They were accused of “making false statements” and “spreading rumors,” and released only after they signed confessions. They are now being viewed by the public at large as heroes, especially since one of the original whistleblowers, Dr. Li Wenliang, has now died from the disease. As far as the source of the epidemic is concerned, the authorities were equally duplicitous. They first pointed to the snakes and bats supposedly being sold at the Wuhan Seafood Market, and shut the market down. But it soon came out that snakes do not carry any coronaviruses and that bats—which do—were not sold at a seafood market. There is one final piece of evidence that for me, as a China hand, supports the theory that the coronavirus is an escaped Chinese bioweapon. There is a rumor going around on the Chinese internet that the United States has deliberately unleashed an American bioweapon on the Chinese population. Tellingly, such absurd claims are not being censored by the authorities, while accurate reporting on the outbreak is. It is very much in character for the Communist Party leaders to blame their chief geopolitical rival for crimes that they themselves commit. With its lies and evasions, is the Party simply trying to cover up its incompetence in controlling the outbreak? Or are its leaders also trying to hide something much more serious: their criminal complicity in the outbreak’s origins? Even taking into account the Party’s penchant for secrecy, the multiple levels of deception engaged by Communist officials over the past couple of months, including those at the highest levels, have been extraordinary. We may never know for certain whether the novel coronavirus was intended to be used as a bioweapon. But we do know that the major Western print, broadcast, and social media are all doing their best to dismiss the very possibility as a paranoid fantasy. But—as the old joke goes—it’s not paranoia if they are really out to get you. And on this point the evidence is clear. We know, because PLA generals have told us so, that their researchers are racing to develop lethal bioweapons as fast as their theft of Western technology and stolen virus samples will allow. And it is a most reasonable supposition to assume that, because of this push to develop a deadly bioweapon, safety standards were neglected at the Institute of Virology in Wuhan and the deadly coronavirus managed to escape from the lab. At the end of the day, whether the novel coronavirus had already been tinkered with before it reached the streets of Wuhan is (almost) of secondary importance. For the CCP are clearly engaged in an effort to develop such a weapon as part and parcel of their strategy for the Chinese regime to replace the United States as the dominant power on the planet. To put it another way, does anyone think that the CCP—once they had perfected a bioweapon to which they themselves had a natural or induced immunity—would hesitate to unleash a deadly pandemic on the West to achieve their “China Dream” of world domination? Those who doubt that the leaders of the Communist Party would use such an “assassin’s mace” need to tell us precisely what moral or ethical considerations would stay their hand. Because I can think of none. I suspect that the only real surprise for the Chinese leadership in the novel coronavirus is that China itself has become ground zero for the outbreak that they had hoped to one day unleash on other countries. There is an ancient Chinese saying that seems appropriate here. “Picking up a rock [to throw at others], but dropping it on one’s own foot.”

Behind the scene of filming............ .

Hyundai Truck & Bus Press Press Release / November 18, 2019 .

Hyundai Truck & Bus Press Release / February 6, 2020 The reason why we are going on a long and rough journey today is because we are partners who share all the joys and sorrows. Because we know how valuable your hard work and efforts are, we do wish to be a more considerate partner who can make your trust in us meaningful. Just as we always have been. Your business partner, HD78 GT. .

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Renault Trucks Press Release / February 5, 2020 Renault Trucks is taking a critical step in the transformation of urban transport by announcing the signing of a contract with the Carlsberg Group to deliver 20 D Wide Z.E. These 100% electric 26-tonne trucks, which will be delivered in 2020, will be operated by the Feldschlösschen brewery, the Group's Swiss subsidiary. Renault Trucks believes that urban transport needs to move towards electric mobility quickly to improve quality of life in city centres and tackle global CO2 emissions. Renault Trucks is taking a decisive step in this direction and is announcing the signing of a contract with the Carlsberg Group to deliver 20 D Wide Z.E. to the Feldschlösschen brewery in Switzerland. Bruno Blin, president of Renault Trucks emphasises: “It is the first order of this scale in Europe. It proves to our customers that the transport sector is undergoing a major transformation and reflects an industrial and commercial reality: our Renault Trucks electric trucks are rolling off the assembly line and will be on the roads of Europe in a few weeks’ time.” These 20 Renault Trucks D Wide Z.E. 26t will make daily delivery rounds of between 100 and 200 km to supply Feldschlösschen Swiss clients from the brewer's 15 logistical sites in Switzerland. Feldschlösschen is committed to zero-emission logistics, partly through production sites being served by railway lines. With a comprehensive range of electric trucks from 3.1 to 26 tonnes, Renault Trucks meets both current and future requirements of professionals operating in urban environments. These vehicles are ideally suited to waste collection and distribution operations, enabling noiseless rounds at unconventional hours at the same time as preserving quality of life for local residents. Renault Trucks D and D Wide Z.E. are produced at the manufacturer’s plant in Blainville-sur-Orne (Calvados, France). Renault Trucks D Wide Z.E. technical specifications: - GVW: 26 tonnes. - Weight: 27 tonnes - Available wheelbase: 3,900 mm - Two electric motors with a total rating of 370 kW (260 kW continuous output) - Maximum torque of electric motors: 850 Nm - Maximum torque rear axle: 28 kNm - Two-speed gear box - Energy storage: lithium-ion batteries, 200 kWh - Real-world operating range: up to 200 km

CNH Industrial subsidiaries IVECO and FPT together with Nikola Motor Company IVECO Trucks Presss Release / February 6, 2020 The IVECO manufacturing facility in Ulm, Germany, will host the production hub for the Nikola TRE battery electric and fuel-cell electric heavy truck models. IVECO and FPT Industrial, the commercial vehicle and powertrain brands of CNH Industrial N.V. (NYSE: CNHI/ MI: CNHI), and Nikola Motor Company will manufacture, through their European Joint Venture, the Nikola TRE in Ulm, Germany, at the IVECO manufacturing facility. This strategic and exclusive Heavy-Duty Truck partnership saw CNH Industrial taking a $250 million stake in Nikola as the lead Series D investor. The partnership announcement at the CNH Industrial Capital Markets Day in September 2019, was quickly followed in December with the unveiling of the Nikola TRE, a battery electric vehicle (BEV) heavy duty truck, which is the first step towards the fuel-cell electric (FCEV) model. Today, the site in Ulm is IVECO’s chassis engineering hub, ideally situated at the heart of the Baden-Württemberg region, which is striving to become a leading hub for fuel-cell mobility thanks also to its skilled workforce and research labs. The region has committed a substantial investment to fund research and development projects in the area which has a strong automotive industry, with strategic project partnerships, meaning the Ulm facility will benefit from close proximity to key suppliers. Furthermore, the German Federal Government recently released its draft National Hydrogen Strategy, which has the aim of expanding the pioneering role of Companies in hydrogen technologies. In this strategy, it commits a total of two billion euro to fund the hydrogen innovation programme, incl. the development of the necessary distribution infrastructure. “Our European joint-venture with NIKOLA and today’s announcement, is real proof that zero-emission long-haul transport is becoming a reality, resulting in tangible environmental benefits for Europe’s long distance hauliers and its citizens,” said Hubertus Mühlhäuser, Chief Executive Officer, CNH Industrial. “The decision to build the Nikola TRE in Ulm – a center of heavy-duty truck engineering excellence – underscores the site’s strategic location at the heart of Germany’s fuel cell technology cluster.” In the first stage of the project, €40 million will be invested by the joint-venture Company to upgrade the manufacturing facility, which will focus on final assembly of the vehicle. Start of production is anticipated within the first quarter of 2021, with deliveries of the Nikola TRE beginning in the same year. “The Nikola TRE is proving to be the most advanced articulated truck in the world and will continue to set the standard for zero-emission vehicles today and in the future” said Trevor Milton, Chief Executive Officer, Nikola Motor Company. “The decision to volume produce the TRE in the city of Ulm is a fitting example of how to create jobs, foster innovation, provide certainty to new zero-emission part suppliers and serve as an example to other OEM’s. The world is ready for zero-emission freight transportation, and the joint venture between Nikola and IVECO will be the first to deliver. I look forward to seeing the first production vehicles come off the line.” The first models to enter production will be the battery-electric 4x2 and 6x2 articulated trucks with modular and scalable batteries with a capacity of up to 720 kWh and an electric powertrain that delivers up to 480 kW of continuous power output. The Ulm facility will receive module supplies from IVECO´s manufacturing locations in Valladolid and Madrid, Spain, which will enable a rapid ramp up to meet expected customer demand. Fuel-cell electric versions, built on the same platform, will be tested under the EU-funded H2Haul project during 2021 for an expected market launch in 2023. The Nikola TRE currently in development is based on the new IVECO S-WAY platform and integrates Nikola’s truck technology, controls and infotainment. Testing is expected to begin in mid-2020 with prototypes showcased at the IAA 2020 commercial vehicle exhibition in Hannover, Germany this September. “By drawing on our Gold standard World Class Manufacturing sites in Madrid and Valladolid, Spain, where the IVECO S-Way is produced, we are able to accelerate final assembly, powertrain integration and high-end customization of the Nikola TRE for a timely market introduction in 2021” said Gerrit Marx, President Commercial and Speciality Vehicles, CNH Industrial. This Joint Venture forms part of a wider partnership established with Nikola to accelerate industry transformation towards emission neutrality of Class 8 heavy-duty trucks in North America and Europe through the adoption of fuel-cell technology. The primary focus of the collaboration is to leverage each partners’ respective expertise to successfully deploy zero-emission heavy-duty trucks and to disrupt the industry with an entirely new business model. .

Daimler Press Release / February 7, 2020 Agriculture is the world’s oldest form of economy. Yet how has it managed to secure the world’s food supply for thousands of years? That is only possible when agriculture continually reinvents itself. Take the example of the sugar cane harvest in Brazil. The agricultural machinery manufacturer Grunner Tec in Sao Paolo has developed an automated vehicle combine from an Axor 3131 and a combine harvester that works in parallel. The system not only increases yields, but also operates very fuel-efficiently. Thanks to engineers such as Mateus Belei from Grunner Tec, agriculture is already benefiting from a technology that will shape mobility in the future. Mateus is one of many heroes of everyday life who keep our world moving. .

Daimler Press Release / January 31, 2020 When we go to the movies we naturally expect to be able to buy popcorn. But how does it get there? We owe it to Pat Green, for example, who grows corn in the vastness of Nebraska together with his daughter as fourth–generation farmers. Or to the American Popcorn Company, which processes corn from Pat and many other farmers into popcorn and sells it under the Jolly Time brand. And, of course, people like Jacob Person who make sure that the corn gets to the factory and the popcorn arrives at the cinemas. As a driver at K&B Transportation he has already covered more than 1.5 million miles with his Freightliner truck and is one of many everyday heroes who keep our world moving. .

Daimler Press Release / February 6, 2020 The new Actros is "International Truck of the Year 2020" Numerous further prizes are testimony to the innovations found in Mercedes-Benz trucks Added safety, efficiency and connectivity in everyday transport life: since the summer of 2019, the new Actros has been proving its worth to more and more customers across Europe So far unique in the market: Active Drive Assist allows partially automated driving, while the MirrorCam replaces conventional rear-view mirrors Latest-generation advanced emergency braking assist system for added safety on the road Fuel savings of up to five percent thanks to optimised aerodynamics and even more effective Predictive Powertrain Control Multimedia Cockpit, Mercedes Truck App Portal and more: countless innovations ensure a high level of connectivity Stuttgart – the new Actros is a compelling proposition – first of all in daily operation with more and more European transport companies, and then also as the winner of numerous awards across the whole of Europe. Such awards underline the fact that the flagship of Mercedes-Benz Trucks continues to set standards for safety, efficiency and connectivity. The new Actros is the truck for the 2020s. The most significant prize from a European perspective is the "International Truck of the Year 2020" award. "With the introduction of the new Actros, Mercedes-Benz has brought a highly sophisticated truck onto our roads which smooths the way to the automated driving of the future", was the rationale for the award as explained by jury chairman Gianenrico Griffini. The committee, comprising specialist commercial vehicle journalists from 24 countries, cited Active Drive Assist as well as further innovations such as the enhanced cruise control and transmission intervention system Predictive Powertrain Control, the fully digital Human Machine Interface in the form of the Multimedia Cockpit and the state-of-the-art safety systems, including the improved emergency braking assistance system Active Brake Assist 5, among the reasons for the award. Throughout the history of the "Truck of the Year" award, Mercedes-Benz has not only been its most frequent recipient, but has also won the competition, the most important for the industry in Europe, with all previous versions of the Actros. In 2019, the "Ferdinand Porsche Prize" of the Technical University of Vienna, a widely respected award presented to leading automotive developers, also acknowledged the innovative strength of the new Actros: Professor Dr Uwe Baake, Head of Product Engineering at Mercedes-Benz Trucks, and Dr Werner Lang, Managing Director of MEKRA Lang GmbH & Co. KG, were honoured jointly for their development of the MirrorCam in the new Actros, fitted here for the first time in a series-production truck. While the "Truck of the Year" award reflects the views of journalists and the "Porsche Prize" those of engineers, the "Truck of the Year Austria – Driver's Choice" award from the online magazine "1Truck.tv" is based on the opinion of truck drivers. Some 6000 votes went to the new Actros in this instance, setting it well ahead of its competitors. But that's not all: the truck has also been the recipient of numerous further accolades in other countries. In Spain the vehicle was voted "Camión de Año en España 2019" by more than 100 journalists and truck experts. The Catalan industry federation Transcalit awarded the truck the prize for "Innovation en el Transporte 2019". Specialist magazine "Fleet Transport" in Ireland, meanwhile, distinguished the new Actros with the "Truck Innovation Award 2020". And the Italian commercial vehicle magazine "Vado e Torno" declared the new Actros the "Sustainable Truck of the Year 2020". In the view of the magazine's editors in Milan, the vehicle marks a "powerful turning point that will bring long-term change to the way trucks are perceived, as well as to the way transport tasks are undertaken in the future". Partially automated driving for the first time in all speed ranges – courtesy of Active Drive Assist As the award juries and many customers agree: Active Drive Assist is one of the outstanding features of the new Actros. For the first time in a series-production truck, this system allows partially automated driving in all speed ranges – so bringing about significant improvements in safety. It is capable of automated braking, acceleration and steering. It achieves this by networking the performance of individual systems in a unique way: as an extension of Proximity Control Assist with stop-and-go function, Active Drive Assist can maintain the distance to the vehicle driving ahead as set. Furthermore, Active Drive Assist can bring the truck back into lane with a corrective steering intervention, within system limits. "I wouldn't like to be without the system now, as I find it really helps me", says Elias Salonen. As a driver for Vähälä Logistics in Finland, he has been one of the first to test Active Drive Assist as part of a pilot project. "I often cover long distances, with not a lot happening, so Active Drive Assist acts as an attentive co-driver, as it were, who occasionally gives me a useful little nudge. When there's a lot of traffic, on the other hand, Active Drive Assist helps me to maintain an appropriate distance from the vehicle in front." Small camera arms replace large exterior mirrors: the MirrorCam ensures excellent visibility Safety is further enhanced by an additional feature that no other truck yet has on board: the MirrorCam. The major advantage of this system: it vastly improves the driver's direct line of view through the side windows. Instead of the conventional type of exterior mirrors, which can obstruct the view of the person at the wheel in many situations, the MirrorCam works with small camera arms mounted to the left and right of the roof frame. This configuration improves safety, particularly when approaching junctions and roundabouts, when manoeuvring and in tight bends. The camera images are transmitted to two vertical-format monitors mounted to the A-pillars of the cab. As with a conventional mirror system, the monitor image is split between a main view and a wide-angle field of vision. In many situations, the MirrorCam can actively support the driver: The distance lines in the MirrorCam display, for example, are a useful aid, enabling the driver to better estimate distances to objects behind their own truck. A further significant benefit of the MirrorCam: the substitution of the classic mirror housings with the aerodynamically designed camera arms has also reduced the area on the cab open to attack from the oncoming wind. This aerodynamic plus, which is further helped by new rear-edge flaps, reduces the consumption of the already fuel-efficient Actros by a further significant margin – as established, for example, by transport operator Dominik Böpple from the German town of Esslingen: "The new Actros uses as much as three percent less fuel on motorways and fast roads as its predecessor, and as much as five percent less on country roads." Predictive Powertrain Control more effective than ever – can now also be used on cross-country routes Also contributing to the reduction in fuel consumption is the improved cruise control and transmission intervention system Predictive Powertrain Control, which can now also be used on cross-country routes. In addition to a satellite-based positioning system, the new-generation system uses accurate digital road maps that contain data about topography, road bends and the geometry of intersections and roundabouts, as well as about traffic signs. The system thus doesn't just optimise driving style on uphill and downhill gradients on motorways and fast roads, but also on cross-country routes where, until now, the use of cruise control has not been particularly practicable. This is something that Franz Birgmann, for example, has come to appreciate in his role at Lagermax in Salzburg, Austria, where he is responsible for a fleet of 530 car transporters. "Covering, as we do, a distance of more than 100,000 kilometres annually per vehicle, any little percentage point that we can economise is important for the success of our business." Even more safety thanks to Active Brake Assist 5 and Sideguard Assist as standard There's another new key feature that has helped the new Actros to take a further step forward in terms of safety: Active Brake Assist 5, which since the beginning of 2020 has been part of the standard specification for Actros and Arocs in those European countries where an advanced emergency braking assistance system is prescribed by law. This latest version of the tried and tested emergency braking assistant works with a combination of radar and camera systems. Amongst other things, the reaction to moving individuals in the speed range up to 50 kilometres per hour has been improved. The new Actros also sets a benchmark with its Sideguard Assist system: in 2016, the vehicle became the first truck to feature a cornering assistance system that was fully integrated into the vehicle architecture. The warning system minimises the likelihood of dangerous accidents occurring on the co-driver's side of the vehicle during a nearside turn. During the course of development of the new Actros, Sideguard Assist was linked to the mirror camera system. The system now works hand in hand with the MirrorCam: if Sideguard Assist is installed, the MirrorCam display shows the warning messages of that system in critical driving situations. All hints and indicators of relevance for the driver are thus grouped in one place – which avoids the driver being overwhelmed with information. It is not least with reference to Active Brake Assist 5 and Sideguard Assist that transport operator Klaus Wagenstetter is able to summarise: "With the assistance systems, Mercedes-Benz Trucks offers a complete package which works harmoniously to sustainably improve the safety and economic efficiency of our business." The new Actros as part of the "Internet of Things" – for added economic efficiency and comfort The development engineers working on the new Actros were keen to configure it systematically, right from the start, for a networked world. The truck is permanently connected to the cloud and thus part of the "Internet of Things". The basis for all connectivity solutions is the Truck Data Center. It receives data from the sensors, cameras, etc., in the truck and analyses them for different applications. This gives company owners and fleet operators real-time control of the truck via Fleetboard and Mercedes-Benz Uptime – with the objective of significantly improving the ability to plan jobs, workshop visits and downtimes and so of delivering a clear increase in vehicle availability. The drivers, too, benefit from the connectivity solutions in the new Actros: with the new Multimedia Cockpit. The first fully digitalised cockpit in a series-produced truck brings hitherto unknown operating possibilities and improved operating convenience. For example, through the integration of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The Multimedia Cockpit has two large displays. The primary display replaces the conventional instrument cluster. All the assistance systems and the new traffic sign recognition function are shown here, for example. A second touchscreen on the instrument panel serves to operate selected apps from the Mercedes-Benz Truck App Portal along with virtual switches, as well as for the representation of the new navigation system. "Our aim is to give drivers the best possible tool for their stressful job", says Jerry Bodry, managing partner of GTS Logistik, a logistics company based in the German town of Traben-Trarbach. "They should be able to enjoy as much comfort and convenience as possible while they are in their truck. The modifications to the driver's workplace provided by the Multimedia Cockpit are an important part of this." In a nutshell: For representatives from the media, universities, transport companies and truck drivers, the new Actros represents a milestone in truck design. The "Truck of the Year 2020" benefits from countless state-of-the-art new features, and its innovations mark the way forward for the haulage sector. .

DAF Trucks Press Release / February 5, 2020 2019 was a good year for DAF Trucks. Its market share of 16.2% in the heavy duty (16+ tonne) segment puts DAF in the Top 3 of largest truck manufacturers in Europe. DAF’s share of the market in the light segment grew from 9.0% to 9.7%. “Our first class trucks and services, combined with an excellent dealer network, put us in a strong position to achieve further growth.” Harry Wolters, president of DAF Trucks In 2019, the European truck market for the 16+ tonne segment totalled 320,000 trucks, more or less the same number as the year before. “The European economy was strong last year, which led to a high demand for transport, including new trucks,” says Harry Wolters. “Our market share of 16.2% in the heavy segment is the second highest in the history of DAF.” Market leader in 6 European countries DAF continued as the market leader in the heavy segment in the Netherlands (31.8%), the UK (29.4%), Poland (22.0%) and Hungary (23.8%). The Dutch truck manufacturer also gained market leadership in 2019 in Belgium and Luxembourg (19.4%) and Bulgaria (23.6%). In the Czech Republic, Lithuania and Greece, DAF was number one in heavy tractors, while in France, the second largest truck market in Europe, it was the most popular imported tractor brand. Significantly larger market share in 6-16 tonne segment The European market for medium duty trucks (6-16 tonne) grew from 51,900 to over 53,600 units last year. DAF’s market share rose to 9.7% (2018: 9.0%). DAF is the market leader in the medium duty segment in the UK (34.8%) and the biggest-selling European brand in Ireland (19.1%). Further growth outside Europe DAF sold 7,900 trucks outside Europe. The company introduced the new generation of Euro 5 and Euro 6 trucks to Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Latin America, Australia and New Zealand. In Taiwan, DAF remained the market leader amongst European brands in the heavy segment. In South Africa, sales rose by more than 20%, whilst in Bayswater, Australia, production of the versatile DAF CF commenced in the factory of parent company PACCAR. DAF also sold more than 3,000 PACCAR engines to leading manufacturers of coaches, buses and specialised vehicles all over the world. ‘Record after record’ “In 2019, we sold a record number of DAF MultiSupport Repair and Maintenance contracts, supplied a record number of clients with the DAF Connect online fleet management system, and delivered a record number of DAF Used Trucks to their new owners,” says Richard Zink, member of the Board of Management with responsibility for Marketing and Sales. “There certainly is no shortage of ambition, and that is why we are working together with our dealers to strategically expand our network of over 1,100 professional dealers and service points. Last year, for example, we opened our own dealership just north of Paris, whilst our independent dealers opened a total of 50 new dealerships in Europe, South America, Asia and Africa.” Ready to grow further In 2019, DAF produced 52,746 CF and XF Series trucks and 11,344 LF Series vehicles. “European truck demand remains strong due to steady European economic growth,” according to Harry Wolters. “We expect 2020 to be another good year for the European commercial vehicle market, but down on 2019, and in the range of 260,000 - 290,000 trucks. And we are ready to grow further, too – the market values, the reliability, low operational costs and high level of driver comfort of our fantastic trucks. Furthermore, our comprehensive range of tractors and vocational trucks offers tailor-made solutions for all transport requirements.” .