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Fleet Owner / July 11, 2016 Well, if you're an Old School, Manual Gearbox kinda driver disgusted by the infusion of automatic and automated transmission into long-haul fleets, there's always vocational, right? Because everyone knows that automated manual, and fully-automatic transmissions will never be able to cut it in the rough-and-tumble world of mixers, dumps and other construction or vocational applications. Well, not so fast. Charlie Cook, vocational product manager for Peterbilt, recently told me that more than 50 percent of the company's Class 8 trucks are rolling off the factory floor with AMTs. And while most of those vehicles wind up in long-haul applications, the number in vocational applications is growing at an impressive rate as well. And that's a trend that is only going to continue. One of the more remarkable stories behind the sweeping acceptance of AMTs in North America today has been the remarkably low number of design flaws they've exhibited. There are always going to be issues with new products and technology, of course. But widespread issues just haven't reared their ugly heads with AMTs. A big part of that reason can be credited to the fact that several AMT designs – most notably Volvo's I-Shift (aka. M-drive) – cut their teeth for years in Europe before being introduced in North America. And because the take rate for AMTs was much bigger, much faster than here, ensuring durability in vocational applications was a given. A few years back, I was able to visit Sweden on a Volvo trip and see for myself how well the I-Shift performed in really tough, off road logging work in a brutal environment on the very edge of the Arctic Circle. The fleet and drivers both had absolute confidence in their AMTs. And the work they were doing was in extremely harsh conditions – and it was June! I’m not sure I’d like see how an I-Shift performs in Sweden in January or February in person – but I’m sure it would handle the cold much better than I would. And if you visit Eaton's proving grounds just outside Marshall, Michigan, for some UltraShift Plus time, you can bet that an off-road course, and severe-service, steep-grade launches with GVWRs well over 80,000 pounds are going to be part of your day. This philosophy is reflected in the design of the company’s Procision AMT – which was expressly designed for vocational trucking applications. The bottom line is that durability has never been an issue for AMTs in vocational work. In fact, when it comes to maintenance, fleets often come out ahead by spec'ing AMTs just on clutch life alone. Clutches take a brutal pounding in many vocational trucking jobs with drivers often "riding" them as they attempt to power out of a deep pothole or get heavily-loaded dump moving in loose ground conditions. AMTs generally do a much better job of engaging a clutch, or skip-shifting, in those conditions than humans do – which obviously leads to improved clutch life and reduced maintenance. But not all vocational work is off-road. Refuse trucks, beverage trucks, street sweepers and a whole host of other vocational/municipal vehicles fall under this heading as well. And once again, AMTs offer fleets definite advantages in those roles. While AMTs do deliver better fuel economy than manuals in most driving situations, including cities, one of their strongest selling points in urban and municipal applications is driver comfort and safety. AMTs are simply easier to operate than manual gearboxes. And they're not a distraction, either. Drivers can keep both hands on the wheel and their attention on traffic and their surroundings. And this overall ease of use translates into more efficient vehicle use and driver productivity -- particularly when fleets are dealing with new drivers with limited experience driving either a truck or a manual transmission. And, as we all know, that is the case more often than not today. And it’s important to note that all of these advantages hold true for full automatic transmissions, as well. All told, it’s a potent combination of real-world benefits that more and more fleet managers are finding difficult to resist.

That's one of the Macungie-built Super-Liners on a Mack Western-designed chassis. Don't go to all of the trouble of crossmember replacement.......with used crossmembers. The plate type are far superior to what you have now. They don't break.

Next-gen Wrangler to respect tradition Larry P. Vellequette, Automotive News / July 9, 2016 Manley's mandate for brand icon: Don't screw it up Mike Manley, the head man at Jeep, regularly refers to the Wrangler as the "icon" and "anchor" of the brand, the vehicle that lends its rough-and-rugged, off-road DNA to all other Jeeps. And as Jeep finishes work on its first major overhaul in a decade on the Wrangler -- the lone vehicle that traces its lineage back through the brand's 75-year history -- Manley has a clear mission. Don't screw it up. For the new Wrangler -- expected to go on sale next summer or later -- it is rumored that Jeep explored all-aluminum construction, fuel-saving suspension changes and even leaving its historic production home in Toledo, Ohio. Now it is clear the next-generation Wrangler will keep its defining characteristics -- although in modified form. The 2018 Wrangler, a descendant of the Willys MB and decades of Jeep CJs, will retain its solid front and rear axles, its body-on-frame construction and its utilitarian boxy appearance. But under that clamped-down hood will be more efficient engine choices and a fuel-saving eight-speed automatic transmission. A lighter, stronger frame will underpin its construction, while aluminum will replace steel on many hang-on body parts, reducing weight. Spy photos confirm a more aerodynamic next-generation Wrangler with a much steeper rake for the windshield and seven-slot grille. But, Manley said: "You have to be very careful with the aero of Wrangler, because at the end of the day, it needs to be recognizable as a Wrangler. To some extent that restricts you on some of the aero that you can do. But with weight and a number of the changes that we've made, you're going to see that we've really pushed that vehicle forward in terms of its fuel economy." Manley said last month that additional Wrangler production capacity that will come from retooling part of Fiat Chrysler's Toledo Assembly Complex will be used domestically and internationally. "We're obviously hoping to continue the success of the next-generation Wrangler," Manley said. "We've push-ed this vehicle forward in many areas -- fuel economy being one of them and that's going to help us in many of the international markets."

Jeep designer has history on his side Larry P. Vellequette, Automotive News / July 11, 2016 As the head of Jeep design since 2009, Mark Allen is charged with both moving the brand forward and keeping it tied to its historic roots. Allen, 53, is a lifelong Jeep enthusiast and off-roader. Each spring, he and his co-workers design a stable of one-off Jeeps that they take out to the annual Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, Utah, where they interact with Jeep enthusiasts from around the globe. Allen spoke to Staff Reporter Larry P. Vellequette. Q: You started with Jeep as a designer in 1994. How have things changed? A: When I started here, all the attention went to cars and minivans. Trucks were even kind of disregarded a little bit, and Jeeps were maintained; they weren’t really pushing it. They would get somebody that was working on whatever and put them in Jeep for a little while, and then move them out. We weren’t branded the way we are now under Fiat. We had three products for a long, long time: We had Wrangler, which was something that we built and sold in the summer months. Honestly, without the four-door, we would have probably killed that car. It was never seen as a real big design challenge. The XJ, which was around forever and ever, was just updated, and the Grand Cherokee, which was still pretty new when I came on, was initially meant to be a replacement for the XJ. What’s your favorite Jeep design? That’s easy: the CJ-5 (which debuted in 1954). I have a real affection for the (1966) M-715 truck, but as far as design goes, the CJ-5. And I say that because, the flat fender, as lovely as it is and it’s the template for everything we do, was never designed. It just sort of happened. It was engineers putting things together; the body was really just there to cover the hood and hold the headlights up and keep mud off of people. But that created an image that is really ingrained in us: that classic Jeep shape that we use. The CJ-5 was really the first time that the people from my craft were really invited to the party. They got the clay out and they shaped the hood and cared about the fenders. What was the craziest thing that Jeep ever did? The craziest thing was the weird cart (the 1957 Mechanical Mule), where the guy sat in front of the front wheel. They made postal trucks. The Forward Control — what was cool about that was that it was really a tractor with doors, honestly. They re-used the underpinnings from the CJ, and it was all about space efficiency and size. That thing was actually pretty crazy, and no one else made a four-wheel-drive forward control vehicle like that, except maybe the Unimog. As you sit with a blank sheet of paper to design a new Jeep, what’s the first thing that goes through your mind? It’s really highly dependent on what the project is. A good example was probably the Renegade. The Renegade came out really well in my mind, but it was kind of a horror show to start because we were presented essentially an existing car package to design over. It makes sense now, but when we were doing the Renegade, we didn’t know which way to go, because nothing existed in that space for us. There were a lot of different proposals, but the Renegade was the one that kept speaking to us – it was the one that had the most charisma. How defensive do you feel about Jeep’s heritage when you’re working on a design, or are you OK stretching it? Obviously, I’m OK stretching it, but I always have the historical side of Jeep in my mind. That truly is in our soul; we think about that all the time. There’s a little bit of Wrangler heritage in everything that we do. We pick up design cues now, and in the future, from our very first car. Very few companies still do that: Porsche still does that, and Harley-Davidson. There’s always a direct link in the design that’s picked up in some of the details. But the Cherokee was a bit disruptive, and that worked out pretty good for us. The Renegade, too, was a bit disruptive. And Wrangler that has been redesigned for 2018? We’re neck-deep in that thing, but there’s no discussion: It’s going to look like a Wrangler. We had to do all the exercises [when designing Wrangler]. Although in our hearts, we knew what it would be, but we had to do all the wrong answers, too, visually. We did things that were Wrangler-like and the things that were disruptive to Wrangler styling, but in the end, we made the right call. What attracts you to Jeep? I like the weird engineering side of Jeep. It was never set up to be a car company. It was never set up to be a brand. They just put things together and somehow it worked. Look at the M715 truck. I love that thing to death. It’s not sexy. It’s not cool. It’s dorky. But I just think it looks so rugged and tough. Had we gotten involved in the styling department, we would have ruined it! But it gets by on all of its warty proportions. When they established Jeep as a brand and they were trying to scrap things together, they needed a station wagon, and they invented the SUV, for crying out loud, with the Willys Wagon. That lack of funding and lack of elasticity drove them into some really creative solutions, and I just think that’s so cool. . .

Lutz: Buying Jeep was 'turning point' for Chrysler Larry P. Vellequette, Automotive News / July 11, 2016 Bob Lutz, who was president of Chrysler Corp. when it purchased American Motors in 1987, says getting Jeep in the deal "marked a strategic turning point for Chrysler." "We acquired an iconic brand which had been undernourished," he said. Adding the Grand Cherokee to Jeep's lineup in 1992 was the first big move by the brand's new stewards. Lutz said the Grand Cherokee "was originally intended to replace the Cherokee but turned out too large and too costly, so we promoted it to "Grand' and kept the Cherokee underneath it. Between the Grand Cherokee and the Cherokee we suddenly had an additional 500,000 high-margin units." Chrysler "had people who understood the [Jeep] brand," said Lutz. "The only semi-slip-up was the Compass" because the "car-like" design is wrong for the brand. "Now, Jeep is over 1 million units, recognized the world over, respected universally, perhaps the strongest brand in the U.S. industry, one of the strongest globally," the retired Chrysler and General Motors executive said. "Without Jeep, FCA (Fiat-Chrysler Automobile) would die. The Jeep brand is worth more than FCA as a whole."

Jeep's 75-year campaign of global conquest Larry P. Vellequette, Automotive News / July 11, 2016 It is the most American of brands, one whose influence on competitors and popular culture is undeniable. Yet surprisingly, Jeep’s 75 year traverse through history has often been as rough and rugged as the terrain it always crosses. July 18, 1940 Karl Probst, a freelance designer from Detroit, working for American Bantam Car Co., of Butler, Pa., designs an all-new reconnaissance car for the Army in 18 hours. July 22, 1940 Willys-Overland of Toledo, Ohio, and Bantam deliver the only two bids for the Army reconnaissance car. Bantam is awarded the contract on Aug. 5. Sept. 23, 1940 Bantam delivers its finished prototype. Probst drives it 300 miles to Camp Holabird, Md., arriving 30 minutes before deadline. November 1940 Army contracts awarded to Willys-Overland and Ford Motor Co. to build competing models using Probst's design. Willys produces the 60-hp MA; Ford makes the 46-hp Pygmy, or GP. Full testing begins. July 16, 1941 Willys-Overland awarded first contract for 16,000 copies of the MB, later increased to 18,600, to be delivered by Jan. 18, 1942. Oct. 4, 1941 Ford signs contract to build 15,000 units of the GPW (essentially copies of the Willys MB design). Dec. 7, 1941 Japan attacks Pearl Harbor; U.S. enters World War II. Mid-1944 Willys begins designing civilian vehicles for postwar period. With no auto stamping capacity, designs are limited to those that can be stamped by appliance manufacturers, resulting in a boxy, flat appearance. The first is the CJ-2A, a civilian version of the MB. Aug. 15, 1945 Japan surrenders, marking the end of World War II. During the war, Willys produced 368,000 Jeeps and Ford another 277,000. July 1946 Willys-Overland begins producing 1946 Jeep Station Wagon, the first all-steel station wagon, with seating for seven. April 1947 Willys begins producing the first full line of Jeep pickups, with three-quarter and 1-ton versions and three available beds; later included delivery version. 1948 Jeepster phaeton convertible introduced. 1949 Jeep CJ-3A goes on sale; 4x4 Willys Jeep Station Wagon introduced (first-ever SUV) 1951 Willys-Overland begins production of the M-38-A1 for the military, its last high-volume military Jeep. April 1953 Willys-Overland assets sold to Kaiser Manufacturing Co. for $60.8 million; becomes Willys Motors Inc. Fall 1954 Willys introduces the CJ-5, the civilian version of the M-38-A1 1956 Willys introduces the CJ-6, adding 20 inches to the wheelbase of a CJ-5. 1957 Forward Control delivery trucks, the FC-150 and longer FC-170, introduced. 1960 International Harvester introduces the 1961 Scout, a direct competitor to the CJs. 1962 Willys introduces the 1963 Jeep Wagoneer, a four-door, four-wheel-drive family SUV, and the 1963 Jeep Gladiator full-size pickup. March 1963 Willys Motors changes its name to Kaiser-Jeep Corp. 1965 Ford introduces a direct competitor, the Bronco SUV. Jeep introduces the Super Wagoneer, a luxury version of the Wagoneer SUV. 1966 Jeep wins contract for the M-715 and M-725 truck and ambulance, military versions of the Gladiator pickup. 1967 Production begins for a new Jeepster, a 4wd two-door convertible, and the Jeepster Commando. Henry J. Kaiser dies Aug. 24. 1969 American Motors buys Kaiser-Jeep for $70 million in cash, debt and stock. 1971 AMC spins off Jeep's commercial, postal and military vehicle line into a new subsidiary, AM General. The company later would develop the M998 Humvee. 1972 The Jeep introduces Quadra-Trac full-time 4wd; each wheel can operate at its own speed. 1974 The Jeep Cherokee two-door SUV is introduced to take on the Chevy Blazer and Ford Bronco. 1975 The Jeep Cherokee Chief appears at the Detroit auto show. 1976 The Jeep CJ-7 replaces the CJ-6 in North America. Jeep crosses 100,000 civilian units annually in global sales for the first time. 1977 Four-door Jeep Cherokee introduced. 1978 The 1978 Jeep Wagoneer Limited becomes the first domestic SUV with leather interior. AMC factory in Brampton, Ontario, converted to build Jeep CJs. Negotiations begin between AMC and Renault on a strategic alliance. 1981 The Scrambler, a mini-pickup-based version of the CJ-7, appears. 1982 Selec-Trac debuts; allows user to switch from full-time 4wd to two-wheel drive. 1983 Debut of the smaller, lighter Cherokee and XJ Wagoneer, the first unibody SUVs, featuring new Quadra-Link front suspension. SJ Wagoneer name changed to Grand Wagoneer. Jeep also begins new joint venture in China, becoming the first American vehicle produced in China since before World War II. 1985 The Comanche pickup, based on the Cherokee, is introduced. Jeep's global sales top 200,000 for the first time. In November, company announces the end of the CJ line. 1986 Jeep Wrangler introduced as 1987 model; is immediately controversial in part because of its square headlights. AMC introduces optional 173-hp, 4.0-liter, inline-six-cylinder engine for XJ-based Jeeps. 1987 Chrysler Corp. buys AMC from Renault for $1.5 billion to obtain Jeep. Chrysler ends production of the J-series pickups. Chrysler dealers offered Jeep franchises. Jan. 7, 1992 Chrysler executive Bob Lutz drives a ZJ Grand Cherokee from Jefferson North Assembly through a plate-glass window at Cobo Center during the Detroit auto show. 1992 Grand Wagoneer production ends after a 30-year run. 1993 Jeep sales top 400,000 globally for the first time. 1996 Redesigned Wrangler returns to the CJ's traditional round headlights, among other upgrades. Jeep sales top 500,000 globally for the first time. 1997 Toledo successfully campaigns to win construction of an assembly plant to replace the ancient Jeep Parkway site. 1998 Chrysler and Daimler AG join to form DaimlerChrysler. 1999 Jeep introduces Quadra-Drive in redesigned Grand Cherokee, allowing vehicle to move even if only one wheel has traction. Jeep global sales hit a record 675,494. 2001 Toledo North opens and begins building the 2002 Jeep Liberty, with independent front suspension; XJ Cherokee production ends after 17-year run and 2.7 million units. 2002 The first Jeep Wrangler Rubicons are introduced for the 2003 model year. 2005 Jeep shows the Wrangler-based Gladiator concept pickup to wild enthusiasm, but the vehicle is never produced; the three-row Jeep Commander seven-passenger SUV debuts at the New York auto show. 2006 DaimlerChrysler brings out four-door Wrangler Unlimited for 2007 model year; introduces the carlike Compass and Patriot twins, which share a platform with the Dodge Caliber. 2007 Daimler sells Chrysler to Cerberus Capital Management, a private equity firm with no experience as an automaker. Daimler pays a $675 million premium. Bob Nardelli, former CEO of Home Depot, named CEO. 2009 Chrysler Group seeks bankruptcy protection; its assets are acquired -- with government financing -- by Fiat S.p.A. and the UAW Voluntary Employees' Beneficiary Association health care fund. 789 dealers are eliminated as part of the deal. 2010 Commander production ends. CEO Sergio Marchionne called the SUV "unfit for human consumption." 2012 Liberty production ends; Toledo North down for nearly a year for retrofit for the 2014 Jeep Cherokee. Global shipments top 700,000 for the first time, the first of four consecutive annual records. 2013 Cherokee production begins, but vehicles are held for months by shift quality concerns. Debuts in October, months behind schedule. 2014 Production begins in Italy of the subcompact Jeep Renegade. Jeep tops 1 million units annually in global sales for the first time. 2015 Jeep tops 1.2 million units in global sales. Production expands to Brazil and returns to China.

The industry's most copied brand Richard Truett, Automotive News / July 11, 2016 Jeep inspired Land Rovers, Land Cruisers, Broncos and Scouts Jeep can claim many milestones. But here's one you may not have thought of: It's the most copied brand of American vehicles. The World War II military Jeep -- the forerunner of today's Wrangler -- spawned the Land Rover in 1948 and, in the early 1950s, Toyota's BJ and FJ, which morphed into the Land Cruiser. Later the civilian Willys Jeep CJ series was the inspiration for all other competitors, from the International Scout and Ford Bronco of the 1960s to the Suzuki Samurai and Daihatsu Rocky of the 1980s. Then there's the 1984 Jeep Cherokee XJ -- the first unibody SUV -- which is the template for the modern SUV and has been copied universally. Early competitors tore apart the military Jeeps while creating their own versions. The first Land Rover prototype, built in 1947, had a Jeep chassis. In the book Land Rover: The Unbeatable 4X4, authors Ken and Julie Slavin document the creation of the first Land Rover, which over the years has proved to be the Jeep's toughest competitor. "Using the Willys Jeep as a jumping off point, the design team had to scrutinize every detail of the American product and drive it in all possible conditions to learn its limitations," the Slavins wrote. "Two Jeeps were acquired early on, solely for dissection purposes, but although certain of its stronger points were without doubt copied in the Land Rover, the Rover team maintained vehemently that there was nothing on the Land Rover that corresponded exactly to the Jeep." Today, the Wrangler, with its fold-forward windshield, exposed hinges, round headlights and other design cues, has no real competition. But the same cannot be said for all the other vehicles in the Jeep lineup, especially the Grand Cherokee, which traces its DNA back to the 1984 Jeep Cherokee and slugs it out in one of the most competitive market segments. Roy Lunn, Jeep's former director of engineering, led the team in the early 1980s that created the XJ. Lunn said the inspiration for the unibody SUV came from the fuel shocks of the 1970s. "Other companies didn't do it by choice. They said, "We'll make an SUV-type vehicle and what is the nearest vehicle to base it on?' They chose their light truck to derive it from. But the light truck line had a separate frame and normal heavy construction," Lunn said. "I chose unitized because it is stronger pound for pound and it is lightest for meeting fuel economy requirements."

Why it's a 'Jeep' and not a 'Leaping Lena' Larry P. Vellequette, Automotive News / July 11, 2016 Name's mysterious origins may trace back to Ford It's one of the eternal mysteries surrounding Jeep: Where does the name come from? There is no shortage of theories. Was the name in homage to a character in the "Popeye" comic strip from the 1930s or perhaps the pronunciation of the acronym for General Purpose? Some suggest it was a soldier's acronym for Just Enough Essential Parts. In his book Jeep: The History of America's Greatest Vehicle, Patrick R. Foster says the name came from veteran Willys test driver Red Hausmann. In February 1941, Hausmann was driving journalist Katharine Hillyer in one of the early prototypes of the Willys Quad across some extremely steep hills when she asked the name of the vehicle. In her story, Hillyer quoted Hausmann saying, "It's a Jeep." But one explanation that would seem to have a lot of credibility is that the name originated at Ford Motor Co., which built about 277,000 Jeeps during World War II. Ford's nomenclature for its vehicles used GP as the two-letter code for the Ford Pygmy, its entrant in the Army's request for bids to build a reconnaissance vehicle. When Ford was awarded a contract in October 1941 to build the approved Willys-Overland versions, it stamped those vehicles as GPW (GP-Willys). The magazine Scientific American published a full review of the military's new wonder buggy in its January 1942 issue. The author of that review, journalist Jo Chamberlin, had visited an Army base in Louisiana in September 1941 to try out the military's new "midget combat car" and came away duly impressed. Chamberlin made two mentions of the origin of the name, writing: "Our Army's youngest, smallest toughest baby has a dozen pet names such as jeep, peep, blitz-buggy, leaping Lena, panzer-killer. The names are all affectionate, for the jeep has made good. Only a year old, it stole the show in Louisiana. Now the Army plans to have 75,000 of them." In a prescient footnote, Chamberlin wrote: "Some army men call the bantam a "peep,' reserving "jeep' for the larger command car in which the brass hats ride. However, the term "jeep' (born of GP, an auto manufacturing classification) is used by newspapers and most soldiers, and apparently will stick."

The engine that drives FCA Larry P. Vellequette, Automotive News / July 11, 2016 Jeep barrels into global markets In its 75-year history, Jeep never has been in better shape than it is right now. The reason? Current owner Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has accomplished what a succession of previous owners only dreamed of: truly globalizing one of the world's most storied automotive brands. Worldwide, Jeep's deliveries in 2015 topped 1.2 million vehicles, its fourth consecutive record year for global production and sales. Jeep Renegades are now built in Europe (Italy), South America (Brazil) and Asia (China) for sale in those regional markets. By the end of the year, production of the replacement for the Jeep Compass will begin in Brazil and China, as well as Mexico. Jeep-branded vehicles also will soon begin rolling into India, with local production slated to begin in 2017. Meanwhile, sales in Jeep's largest and most profitable market, the United States, are up 17 percent through June over record 2015 sales. Jeep's lineup also is expanding. Brand head Mike Manley said last month that luxury full-size SUVs under the storied Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer names will return with the development of a redesigned Jeep Grand Cherokee in 2019. On the other end of the size spectrum, a micro-segment Jeep, smaller than the Renegade, is under strong consideration, primarily for markets outside North America. Meanwhile, FCA is expanding production capacity of its profit-rich Wrangler by at least 50 percent, allowing the brand to fulfill what it sees as unmet domestic and international demand. The added capacity also will allow for the return of a pickup to the Jeep lineup for the first time since 1996. CEO Sergio Marchionne says Jeep is the engine that keeps his company going, no matter how tough the economic circumstances become. "One of the things that we've always faced in the United States in the production of Jeeps is to make this unfortunate Sophie's Choice about whether we sell in the U.S. or whether we sell overseas," Marchionne explained this year. "In the last probably three or four years especially, we've been forced to make choices about which markets get allocated product. "Even if there were to be a contraction of the U.S. market, there is unexplored potential in terms of outside U.S. markets, especially where we have not established local production," he said. "Anything which relates to either a Cherokee or a Grand Cherokee and eventually a Wagoneer or Wrangler will have additional means of expression in international markets."

Larry P. Vellequette, Automotive News / July 11, 2016 Vehicles stormed through war and battles that followed Not much that is truly groundbreaking in this world was created by committee. Innovation simply doesn't work that way. But in the automotive realm, we have one giant exception, and it is Jeep -- a vehicle forged in the crucible of war that grew into one of the world's most recognized brands, automotive or otherwise. Jeep is celebrating the 75th anniversary of the brand this week. The birth of Jeep is a complicated story that is subject to many interpretations. But on July 16, 1941, Willys-Overland Motor Co., of Toledo, Ohio, received the first contract to produce the Willys MB for use by the American military. A public celebration will follow next month, but this weekend, thousands of Fiat Chrysler workers in Toledo will gather for a private company picnic to commemorate the beginnings of the brand. Jeep's early history is legendary. Its role in helping defeat the Axis powers during World War II is undeniable. On the battlefield, the Jeep was fast, nimble and tough. It could handle nearly any terrain, and when it did get stuck, it was light enough for soldiers to lift free. It towed anti-tank weapons that could be deployed quickly, and it could mount a machine gun for fighting infantry. The Jeep also served as an ambulance on the battlefield. It forded rivers and traversed lakes, it came ashore on D-Day, and it carried the Allies all the way to Berlin and onto Guadalcanal and Iwo Jima and, eventually, onto the mainland shores of a defeated Japan. But Jeep's postwar life has been a decades long trail of both rousing successes -- and abject failures. One weak corporate owner after another failed, yet Jeep has soldiered on. Today, Jeep carries Fiat Chrysler Automobiles as the automaker struggles to compete with more powerful, profitable global competitors. Prewar baby Jeep had a complicated birth, and much controversy remains about its origin. But some facts are undisputed. As World War II began to ravage Europe and Asia, the War Department realized the armed forces needed a small reconnaissance vehicle. It put out requests for proposals to U.S. automakers on an extremely aggressive timetable. Initially, only two poorly financed small-car specialists responded: American Bantam Car Co., of Butler, Pa., and Willys-Overland, of Toledo, Ohio. The first prototype military Jeep was developed by Bantam. Designed in 18 hours by Karl Probst, a freelance auto designer from Detroit, the 1,840-pound Bantam exceeded the Army's expectations during initial testing in September 1940. The War Department, however, had concerns about Bantam's ability to meet the military's capacity needs. As a result, it invited Willys-Overland and Ford Motor Co. to bid on the reconnaissance vehicle contract, this time using Probst's design as a guidepost and allowing engineers from the two automakers to inspect and measure the Bantam. Each automaker crafted a vehicle that was intended to meet the War Department's specifications -- but with varying success. The Willys Quad had the most powerful engine -- the 60-hp Go Devil four-cylinder, which gave it a significant power advantage. The Ford Pygmy had superior craftsmanship, and it featured a flat hood and flat fenders that the War Department judged as useful improvements. The Bantam, now updated from its original design, was the lightest and most fuel-efficient. After conducting rigorous testing in Maryland, the War Department sought final bids and awarded the first production contract to Willys-Overland. A second production contract for the same design later was awarded to Ford to meet demand. More than 637,000 Jeeps were built by Willys and Ford during World War II, while Bantam was awarded a contract to build quarter-ton trailers that were pulled behind the MB. Even today, remnants of Jeep's birth by committee exist on the MB's descendent, the Jeep Wrangler. For example, the "T" latches still used to hold down the hood were a Ford innovation, as was the single-piece, stamped slotted grille with round headlights that Jeep also uses as a logo. Civilian Jeeps Jeep's wartime history is well-documented, but the transition to civilian life is less so. As World War II began to wind down, Willys executives began thinking about the Jeep's postwar existence. It didn't have to look far for a design. Willys took the MB and modified it, improving the headlights and seats and giving it a tailgate. The production version became the Willys CJ-2A. It also introduced other innovative vehicles, including the 1946 Willys Station Wagon -- the first such station wagon to be built completely of steel -- and the 1947 Jeep pickup. The company had two secret weapons, argues Patrick Foster, author of four books on Jeep, including 2014's Jeep: The History of America's Greatest Vehicle. "Willys-Overland had always had a policy to sell at least 15 percent of its production for overseas sales, even way back into the 1920s," Foster said last month. "But the other thing that helped was that, what Willys did was really the ultimate free sample: When World War II ended, the Army left Jeeps all over the world." In the decades following World War II, Jeep retained a small but loyal civilian following and remained largely reliant on its military contracts for volume and profitability. It continued to develop innovative civilian designs -- such as the 1957 FC-170 (for Forward Control), the 1963 Wagoneer SUV and 1963 Gladiator pickup -- while further developing its line of Jeep military vehicles. However, Jeep's ownership structure wasn't stable. Willys-Overland was purchased by Kaiser Manufacturing Co. in 1953. In 1963, the company dropped the Willys name, becoming Kaiser-Jeep Corp. Six years later, in 1969, the company was acquired by American Motors. AMC was not in strong financial shape when it acquired Jeep. In 1978, French automaker Renault purchased 25 percent of the struggling domestic automaker. Jeep sales were a strong point in the AMC lineup, and it was under AMC's ownership that one of the most innovative and popular Jeep vehicles, the XJ Cherokee, was developed. Designed by Roy Lunn and Bob Nixon, the XJ Cherokee that debuted for the 1984 model year was a unibody SUV, something no other automaker had ever done. The XJ's simple, boxy shape drew classic styling cues from Jeep's heritage, but its design was elegant, and its off-road capabilities were unmatched by anything short of a Jeep CJ. Though modifications were made over its long production life, the XJ Cherokee's production ran for 18 years -- through two subsequent ownership changes -- until 2001 and totaled over 2.7 million vehicles. That next ownership change came in 1987, when AMC was acquired by a newly resilient Chrysler Corp. and its boss, Lee Iacocca. "Jeep Curse' Jeep's string of owners tended to struggle, giving rise to an unflattering explanation for their collective failures: the "Jeep Curse." From Bantam to Willys to Kaiser to AMC, each corporate entity that had acquired Jeep had subsequently failed -- more often than not for reasons that had little to do with Jeep. Yet Iacocca coveted Jeep. He recognized that the off-road brand complemented Chrysler's offerings. "We aren't just combining our strengths. We're increasing them," the former Chrysler chairman declared when Chrysler purchased AMC for $1.5 billion. Former Delphi CEO Steve Miller negotiated Chrysler's deal to buy AMC from Renault in 1987. In his 2008 book, The Turnaround Kid, Miller recalled the reaction at Chrysler after it had acquired Jeep. "Sixty days after we acquired the company, almost every executive at Chrysler had replaced his car with a Jeep," Miller wrote. "The parking lot outside our office looked like a Jeep dealership." In most respects, Iacocca was right: The addition of Jeep -- along with key executive additions such as Francois Castaing -- made Chrysler a more valuable company. Chrysler used its resources to improve existing products such as the XJ Cherokee, and in 1992, introduced the ZJ Grand Cherokee by driving it through a plate-glass window at the Detroit auto show. And as Jeep's popularity grew, so did Chrysler's profitability. The No. 3 U.S. automaker had become a potent global player with the addition of Jeep and consumers' nearly limitless demand for SUVs. Ultimately, Chrysler drew interest from Daimler AG, which, in 1998, combined with Chrysler in a $38 billion "merger of equals." The DaimlerChrysler era saw some of the best-ever Jeep decisions, including new, modern assembly plants as well as the addition of two rear doors to the Wrangler to create the Wrangler Unlimited. But it also witnessed some of the worst, including development of the carlike, Jeep-in-name-only Compass and Patriot, which featured front-wheel drive and continuously variable transmissions. Less than a decade later, Daimler paid $675 million to Cerberus Capital Management to take Chrysler -- and Jeep -- off its hands. And two years after that, Chrysler -- including Jeep -- sought bankruptcy protection and had to be rescued by the government. The curse, it seems, had struck again. And again. Jeep world Yet Chrysler was able to emerge from its 2009 bankruptcy in large part because Fiat S.p.A. CEO Sergio Marchionne recognized the value of Jeep as well as its global potential. Marchionne first set out to fix problems in Jeep's lineup. He improved the Compass and Patriot and invested in the Grand Cherokee, improving its interior, electrical architecture and powertrain. He killed the Jeep Commander -- which he once described as "unfit for human consumption" -- and greenlighted replacement of the unloved Liberty with the revived Jeep Cherokee, the first Jeep built on a Fiat platform. Under Fiat, Jeep has added a subcompact to its lineup, the Renegade, and looks to expand Wrangler into a family of derivatives, including a pickup. The brand also is bringing back its Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer names to once again compete against luxury SUV makers. The results speak for themselves. In each of the last four consecutive years, Jeep has set a record for global shipments. In 2012, the brand topped its previous best-ever year from 1999 by posting 701,626 shipments. In 2015, the brand finished with 1,237,583 shipments. And Jeep brand head Mike Manley said last month that the brand was on track for a fifth consecutive record in 2016. .

Your 1984 Super-Liner is a Macungie production "RWI" ? Why not just replace your cracked "channel" type crossmembers with service replacement "plate" type crossmembers? (For double rail RWI, possibly Mack part-no. 9QL4551M8.....32-1/4" width) Be sure to measure and obtain the correct shank length Mack "body-bound" bolts, body-bound hardened washers, and lock washers. I'm sure the folks at Watts Mack (provider of the BMT website) would be glad to assist you. 1-888-304-Mack (6225) http://www.wattsmack.com/parts-department/

RT / July 11, 2016 A report set to be released by Germany’s Defense Ministry on Wednesday states that Germany has “a responsibility to help shape the world order.” For decades, Germany has refrained from being a major global player in regards to defense, instead preferring to remain on the periphery in part due to its guilt about its Nazi past and role in the Second World War. However, that role has been changing and a report set to be published on Wednesday by Germany’s Defense Ministry will outline the country’s more assertive intention to have a greater role in the defense of NATO and the EU. Germany is increasingly seen as a key player in Europe," says a draft of the document seen by AFP. "Germany, a globally highly connected country... has a responsibility to actively help shape the world order," it says, vowing that the country is ready to "assume responsibility" and "help meet current and future security and humanitarian challenges." Germany has already showed it is willing to deploy troops in conflict zones, such as helping in peacekeeping missions in Afghanistan. It is also providing assistance in the fight against ISIS in Iraq, with about 250 troops and six tornado jets stationed at the Incirlik Airbase in southern Turkey. However, German forces are not involved in any offensive capacity and are merely present in a supporting role to provide assistance. At this month’s NATO summit in Warsaw, Berlin said it would commit troops to rotating battalions that the alliance will station in the Baltic States and Poland to counter what it believes to be ‘Russian aggression’. Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has hit out at Germany’s plan to lead NATO’s Eastern European buildup, saying that Berlin is making “a serious mistake.” On the contrary, he believes Germany should be doing its utmost to improve relations with Moscow. He added that it was a “serious mistake” that Germany assumed leadership over NATO troops near Russia’s borders “right on the [75th] anniversary of the German attack on the Soviet Union in June 1941.” The date of the Nazi invasion of Soviet Union, June 22, is marked in Russia annually to pay tribute to war victims and Red Army soldiers killed or missing in action. The former chancellor also ridiculed the idea that Russia “may be nurturing a plan to invade NATO-countries,” stressing that the notion is completely out of touch with the real state of affairs. As part of the Eastern European deployment, the US will control a battalion of 1,000 troops in Poland, while the UK is sending 500 soldiers for a battalion based in Estonia, and Canada and Germany will lead two more in Lithuania and Latvia. The German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has also slammed NATO’s policies of confrontation with Russia, such as holding military drills near its borders, saying they are counterproductive. Rather than inflaming the situation further “through saber-rattling and warmongering,” there ought to be more space for dialogue and cooperation with Moscow, Steinmeier said. It would be “fatal to now narrow the focus to the military, and seek a remedy solely through a policy of deterrence,” the German FM said, calling to turn to diplomacy instead of military posturing. .

The Guardian / July 11, 2016 Authorities in Dallas are questioning family members about how Micah Johnson was able to stockpile a vast amount of bomb-making equipment at his home, as it emerged that two more officers were wounded than was previously known. Five police officers died and nine were wounded in the Dallas shooting last Thursday. Dallas Police Chief David Brown said on Monday that bomb technicians had been alarmed by the scale of Johnson’s collection of explosives at the house in the suburb of Mesquite that he shared with his mother, Delphene. Delphene Johnson has been questioned, but not detained. Asked by a reporter how it was possible that his family could “not know about him stockpiling weapons”, Brown said: “That’s my question.” Brown said investigators were trying to establish whether Johnson, 25, had developed expertise in bomb-making online or elsewhere. “He knew what he was doing – this wasn’t some novice,” said Brown. “We don’t think he learned it in the military.” Johnson, an army veteran, had explosives that police said could have been “devastating” to the region. Brown said investigators had not ruled out the possibility that Johnson was connected to a wider threat against the city. “The concern is that we haven’t found something that’s out there,” he said. Johnson’s family alleges that his demeanor had changed in 2015, after his discharge from the US army amid allegations of sexual assault. His mother said he had transformed from a carefree extrovert to a “hermit”. His father said he then became increasingly focused on his black heritage. Johnson had left two separate inscriptions of “RB” on the walls of the El Centro community college from where he launched his attack. The significance of the letters remains unknown.

May promises to make Brexit ‘a success’ The Financial Times / July 11, 2016 New Tory leader to become PM on Wednesday after rout of Leave group Theresa May will become Britain’s prime minister on Wednesday, promising to make a success of Brexit after she completed a dramatic rout of the rival Conservatives who led the campaign to take Britain out of the EU. Mrs May, the 59-year-old home secretary, was part of the campaign to keep Britain in the EU, but now finds herself picking up the pieces after the last remaining pro-Brexit Tory leadership candidate threw in the towel. Andrea Leadsom, the energy minister, announced at 12.15pm that she could not command the support of the party and abandoned a shortlived campaign that had been dogged by mis-steps and controversy. Mrs Leadsom’s friends said she had been in tears over the weekend and felt “under attack” after suggesting in a newspaper article that she was better placed than Mrs May to become prime minister because she was a mother. Her decision short-circuited a leadership contest only due to conclude on September 9 but the denouement reassured markets spooked by the leadership vacuum in Britain following the Brexit vote. The FTSE 250 stock index, the most UK-centric of the main London equity benchmarks, was 2.5 per cent higher after the identity of the next prime minister became clear. The FTSE 100 was up 0.9 per cent to a day-high of 6,654.59, led by strong gains in property-related stocks that have been hit hard since the vote for Brexit. Taylor Wimpey was the best single gainer, up 9.5 per cent. Speaking outside the Houses of Parliament, in her first public comments since becoming PM-in-waiting, Mrs May said she was honoured and humbled. Surrounded by those who will now be her MPs, she pointed to the need for strong leadership in what would be “difficult times”. Faced with uniting her party after a bitter referendum, she said: “Brexit means Brexit and we are going to make a success of it.” But Mrs May has said she will not invoke the Article 50 EU exit clause this year, and could yet come under pressure from Eurosceptics to pull the trigger to formalise Brexit. Mrs May will replace David Cameron in two days, once the formalities of the transition of power have been completed. Mr Cameron is set to chair his final cabinet meeting on Tuesday and hold a last Prime Minister’s Questions in the Commons on Wednesday, before going to Buckingham Palace to tender his resignation. Then Mrs May should head to the palace to “shake hands” and be formally invited to form a government. The home secretary will be only the second woman to occupy Number 10, a quarter of a century after Margaret Thatcher’s tearful departure. Pro-Brexit Tories had been confident they would inherit the party’s crown, but the ambitions of the campaign’s leaders have all been dashed in the tumultuous weeks that have followed the Leave vote. Boris Johnson, the former London mayor, had appeared set to be prime minister but was betrayed by Michael Gove, whose own leadership chances were thwarted when he finished a poor third in the ballot of Tory MPs. Mr Johnson had offered his support to Mrs Leadsom but has been low key in his backing in recent days. Mr Johnson, Mr Gove, Mrs Leadsom and the other leading Tories who campaigned to leave the EU have all issued statements of support for Mrs May. Graham Brady, chairman of the Tory backbench 1922 committee, announced that the leadership contest would be halted and that Mrs May would become party leader and prime minister without a ballot of members. Mr Johnson and Mr Gove are likely to be offered jobs in a May cabinet, while her old ally Philip Hammond, foreign secretary and a former businessman, has been mooted to replace George Osborne as chancellor. Mrs May launched her campaign to become prime minister in Birmingham on Monday with a promise to preside over a more responsible form of capitalism, tackling boardroom excess and predatory corporate takeovers. In a series of criticisms of Mr Osborne’s tenure at the Treasury, Mrs May said he had neglected productivity problems. She suggested that government-backed project bonds could be used to boost infrastructure. She called for a “proper industrial strategy” and a plan to develop all of Britain’s great cities, implying the chancellor had concentrated on boosting “one or even two of our great regional cities” — a reference to his focus on Manchester. Ms May also called for the government to take more powers to block predatory takeovers of important companies — citing Pfizer’s failed bid for AstraZeneca — and made another promise to tackle corporate tax evasion. Her speech made it clear that she saw high executive pay, irresponsible corporate behaviour and a widening gap between London and the rest of the country as significant factors in the Leave vote. “If you’re from an ordinary, working-class family, life is just much harder than many people in politics realise,” she said in an address reminiscent of some of the rhetoric of Ed Miliband, the former Labour leader, before the 2015 election. But as she finished her launch speech it was already emerging that Andrea Leadsom was about to hand the keys of Number 10 to her. Mrs Leadsom said she had been inspired to run for the leadership in the “best interests of the country” and felt the UK had a “bright future” outside the EU. But she added that she did not have sufficient support to lead a strong government. “A nine-week leadership campaign is highly undesirable,” she said. “A strong and unified government must move quickly to set out what an independent UK framework for business looks like.” Within hours of Mrs Leadsom’s announcement and Mrs May’s accession, the Tories were facing calls from Labour and the Liberal Democrats for a snap general election. Mrs May said she will not hold an early election to seek a new mandate but will continue as prime minister until the next scheduled poll in 2020. Jon Trickett, an ally of Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader, said there would be a “coronation” of an unelected prime minister. “It is crucial, given the instability caused by the Brexit vote, that the country has a democratically elected prime minister,” he said. “I am now putting the whole of the party on a general election footing.” Tim Farron, leader of the Liberal Democrats, said it was “inconceivable” that Mrs May should be crowned without winning an election in her own party — “let alone the country”. “There must be an election. The Conservatives must not be allowed to ignore the electorate. Their mandate is shattered and lies in ruins,” he said. “Britain deserves better than this Tory stitch-up. May has not set out an agenda, and has no right to govern. She has not won an election and the public must have their say.” .

Dallas Police Chief David Brown said on Monday that Texas state laws allowing civilians to carry firearms openly, as some did during the protest where five officers were fatally shot, present rising challenges to law enforcement, as he stepped into America's fierce debate over gun rights. A shooting incident in Michigan on Monday underscored the prevalence of gun violence in America and the danger faced by law enforcement, even as activists protest fatal shootings by police of two black men last week in Louisiana and Minnesota. Two sheriff's bailiffs were shot dead at a courthouse in St. Joseph in southwestern Michigan, and the shooter was also killed, Berrien County Sheriff Paul Bailey told reporters. President Barack Obama and others reiterated their calls for stricter guns laws after last month's massacre at a gay nightclub in Orlando, but many conservatives responded that such measures could infringe on the U.S. Constitution's protection of the right to bear arms. Conservative Texas is known for its gun culture, and state laws allow gun owners to carry their weapons in public. Some gun rights activists bring firearms to rallies as a political statement. Some did this at Thursday's march in Dallas. "It is increasingly challenging when people have AR-15's (a type of rifle) slung over, and shootings occur in a crowd. And they begin running, and we don’t know if they are a shooter or not," Brown said. "We don’t know who the 'good guy' versus who the 'bad guy' is, if everybody starts shooting." Seeing multiple people carrying rifles led police initially to believe they were under attack by multiple shooters. "I was asked, well, what's your opinion about guns? Well, ask the policymakers to do something and I'll give you an opinion," Brown said. "Do your job. We're doing ours. We're putting our lives on the line [unlike those in Washington who allegedly make policy]. Other aspects of government need to step up and help us," he added.

“I believe I saved a lot more black lives than Black Lives Matter,” said former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. “I don't see what Black Lives Matter is doing for blacks other than isolating them.” “All it cares about is the police shooting of blacks. It doesn't care about the 90 percent of blacks that are killed by other blacks.” “If you want to deal with this on the black side, you've got to teach your children to be respectful of the police and you've got to teach your children that the real danger to them is not the police, the real danger to them 99 out of 100 times ... are other black kids who are going to kill them,” said Giuliani. “That's the way they're going to die.” “And the second reality in the black community is, there's too much violence in the black community. So a black will die one percent or less at the hands of the police and 99 percent at the hands of a civilian, most often another black.” “So if you want to protect black lives, then you've got to protect black lives, not just against police, which happens rarely, although with tremendous attention, and which happens every 14 hours in Chicago.” .

Dallas Police Chief David Brown is, by his own admission, "running on fumes." His brain "is fried." And he warned that this might be the last we hear from him for a while as he sets about the grim business of burying his dead. Brown and his family began receiving death threats almost immediately after the atrocity. “We are all worried for our safety. We are all on edge and being very careful.” The late-called press conference was intended to provide an update on Thursday night's shooting that left five officers dead, four under Brown's command. And it did......for a moment. But Brown quickly went off script, and let the world know he is gassed and spent, yes, but also fed up and furious. Brown, exhausted and unguarded, echoed what protesters said in the hours before a lone gunman opened fire on cops: Enough is enough. Brown said that Dallas police have been asked to shoulder every single "societal failure," from mental health to drug treatment to, even, the failure of the public school system and the fact that kids in southern Dallas are being raised by single moms. “We're asking cops to do too much in this country' said Brown. "We are. You're asking us to do too much. Every societal failure, we put it off on the cops to solve.” “Seventy percent of the African American community is being raised by single women, let's give it to the cops to solve that as well' said Brown. 'Policing was never meant to solve all those problems.” And, "here in Dallas, we've got a loose dog problem," he said. The response to that has been like the response to every other ailment that plagues the city, Brown said: "Let the cops handle it." Which is absolutely, undeniably true: When the people at Dallas City Hall tasked with actually dealing with loose and stray dogs -- Dallas Animal Services, code compliance, assistant city managers -- proved to be under-prepared and overwhelmed, and Antoinette Brown was mauled to death in South Dallas, the city did what the city does best. It told the cops to handle it, which is how the dog problem landed in Deputy Chief Rob Sherwin's lap -- Rob Sherwin, who is also overseeing the massive investigation into Thursday night's massacre. It wasn't even the first time Animal Services has had to call DPD for backup. When, in 2010, the manager of the city's animal shelter was indicted on felony charges of animal cruelty when he allowed a cat to die in the shelter's walls, Scott Walton, now a deputy chief, was named interim shelter manager. "Policing," said Brown on Monday, "was never meant to solve all those problems." Policing, he said, is hard enough without having to do everyone else's work. And it's harder still, given the low pay and the shrinking ranks as officers decamp for better-paying jobs in other cities surrounding Dallas. Earlier this year, Brown told the City Council he's being forced to "do less with less," and reminded it the force is down 200 officers since 2010. "Officers have been leaving because we're the lowest-paid in the area," he said. "We have a $44,000 starting pay" -- $44,658, to be precise, for a police officer trainee just putting on his newly starched uniform. Officers, he said, are "not feeling appreciated." They are "committed to their profession," he said, but also struggling to provide for their families. Brown demanded politicians get involved in making the country safer. He told them to "quit asking cops to do it for you." Brown said he's often asked about gun control. Out of his hands, he said. "Ask the policymakers to do something" about guns, he said, "then I'll give you an opinion on it." Some took issue with Brown’s comments that protesters pick up a job application and become a cop like he did. They thought it a glib response to genuine concerns from people tired of seeing people die at the hands of police. “We're hiring,” Brown said. “Get off that protest line and put an application in. And we'll put you in your neighborhood, and we'll help you resolve some of the problems you're protesting about.” Others suggested he run for president. Brown acknowledges the strength of feeling after the fatal shootings but urged people to do join the department rather than take to the streets to demonstrate. “I probably wouldn't protest or complain, I would get involved and do something about it,” he said. "One of the most difficult jobs in the country right now is being a police chief in a major city," he said. Especially one where five police officers were just murdered. The police chief said his own officers were so exhausted he had been forced to bring in another department to assist with security when President Barack Obama visits the city tomorrow. Arlington Police Department will work with the Secret Service during the president's visit as Brown is concerned about “the fatigue factor” with his own officers. Dr. Alex Eastman, deputy medical director with the Dallas Police Department, said the shootings “rocked some guys to their core that I thought were unshakable.” Brown said that the cops themselves were typically the last ones to complain as he considered introducing mandatory counseling for officers. 'We want to be Superman ... We are the last to ask for help.' He had seen attitudes and racial tensions improve during his three decades as a Dallas cop. 'We're in a much better place than when I was a young man here, but we have much to do – particularly in my profession.' After watching so many of his friends get caught up in the crack cocaine boom if the 1980s, Brown decided to join the department and worked his way up from patrol, to SWAT and internal affairs, until he landed the chief of police role. 'They took an inner city kid like me with flaws and made me their police chief,' he said. 'That's an extraordinary city and they have supported me through very difficult challenges. You don't see that everywhere.' Brown said he had no regrets about sending in the explosive to kill Johnson who had 'already killed us in a grave way, and officers were in surgery that didn't make it.' His only warning was not to 'bring the building down.' 'This wasn't an ethical dilemma for me,' he added. Several states are currently considering 'Blue Lives Matter' bills to make killing or attacking law enforcement officers a hate crime. Wisconsin Rep. David Steffen, a Green Bay Republican, announced a proposal for his state on Monday following the Dallas shooting. Louisiana became the first state to enact such legislation in May, allowing prosecutors to seek stronger penalties when police, firefighters and emergency medical crews are intentionally targeted because of their professions. Lawmakers in nine other states and at the federal level have floated similar proposals. Activists are criticizing the growing effort, saying professions don't belong alongside the other characteristics protected under hate crime laws, such as race, religion or disability.

It's a Macungie-built Value-Liner (3-piece grille). That's an E6-350(R) 4-valve engine. The power passenger window (electric) is factory. It has an ST34 parabolic taperleaf rear suspension, ideal for a lightweight tractor, but wrong for a tipper. If the truck was originally red, it could have been an Amoco unit. The horn button will reveal.

The DD16 still has turbocompounding. Look for it in the video at 0:22 The US market DD15TC was replaced by the DD15AI. With the second generation X-Pulse (aka. ACRS) common rail with pressures up to 2700 bar, they were able to remove the turbo compounding, which admittedly adds cost, complexity and weight. There's no reliability issue. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- New: the latest generation of the X-Pulse injection system. An important component of the new engine generation is the second generation of the X-Pulse injection system [aka. ACRS], the unique common rail system with pressure boosting in the injector and free modelling flexibility of the injection system. The maximum fuel pressure has been increased from 900 to 1,160 bar, resulting in a maximum injection pressure of 2,700 bar. The injection nozzle is an eight-hole nozzle (previously seven holes), increasing the maximum flow rate by around ten percent. Additional modifications include the piston bowl geometry, the sizeable increase in compression ratio from 17.3:1 to 18.3:1, along with a reduced exhaust gas recirculation rate (EGR rate). All these measures add up to a further improvement in efficiency across the entire engine performance map. This in turn lowers fuel consumption significantly. The optimum values in the consumption characteristic map have followed the new torque curve towards lower rev speeds. Systematically configuring the engine for low fuel consumption means that untreated NOx emissions rise. This is countered by the SCR technology featuring an innovative and efficient SCR catalytic converter. AdBlue consumption is therefore on a par with earlier Euro V engines at around five percent of fuel consumption. The cost balance is right: The up to three percent reduction in fuel consumption is countered only by a slight increase in the considerably lower-priced AdBlue for exhaust gas cleaning. In other words: For a yearly distance travelled of 130,000 km in long-distance transport and a consumption of approximately 28.5 litres/100 km on a challenging route, fully laden, every single Mercedes-Benz Actros with the second generation OM 471 (and OM472/DD15, OM473/DD16) engine saves approximately 1,100 litres of fuel per year and emits around three tonnes less CO2.

http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/45838-volvo-trucks-north-america-press-conference-shippensburg-pa/#comment-337812 .

Commercial Motor TV - sponsored by DAF Trucks / July 8, 2016 .

Dagens Industri / July 8, 2016 Volvo is cancelling its alliance with Russia's state-owned UralVagonZavod. Volvo says the cooperation is finished. However, Russian state purchasing agent JSC Rosoboronexport does not exclude a restart in cooperation. Russia has ordered for 2,000 of the 8x8 Atom infantry fighting vehicles developed by Volvo Group subsidiary Renault Trucks Defense and UralVagonZavod. The Atom is a license-built version of Renault Trucks Defense’s 8x8 VBCI infantry fighting vehicle (http://www.renault-trucks-defense.eu/Defense/DRIVELINE-VBCI/VBCI). Related reading: http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/34536-mack-military/ .

Ford Trucks Press Release / July 1, 2016 Ford’s exciting new Cargo heavy truck range is available with ZF’s advanced “Traxon” 12-speed dual-countershaft modular AMT transmission system. Eco Mode times each gear change for optimized fuel economy. In Power Mode, the transmission selects the most appropriate gear for maximum performance and enhanced climbing capability. Particularly suited in vocational operations, Rocking Mode allows the vehicle to be rocked back and forth when stuck. Quickly releasing the accelerator disengages the clutch, allowing the truck to roll back for a new attempt. . Ford Trucks and You – "Sharing the Load" At Ford Trucks, we’re serious about trucking. It's why we designed the new 2016 Cargo heavy truck range from the ground up to meet your needs and expectations. See your authorized Ford heavy truck dealer for details, or visit the global Ford heavy truck website at https://www.fordtrucks.com.tr/ .

Scania Group Press Release / July 8, 2016 A brand new smart watch for truck drivers caters to the well-being of both truck and driver. They are both integral components of the job – and without one, the other will be standing still by the side of the road. With essential truck and fleet management data covered in the app "Data Watch", the Scania version of the Apple watch puts equal focus on driver centric features with the "Watch Me" app. Many smart watches do general health and fitness tracking, but Scania supplements this with features specifically designed for jobs where long periods of sitting are combined with short bursts of heavy physical labor. And ways to keep the driver safe and healthy both in and outside the truck. - Injury prevention through active recovery - Increased alertness and cognitive ability through relax recovery - Fall detection and assistance for accidents while loading/unloading cargo. - Smart notifications for weather changes that may affect driving conditions. So from Scania, to professional drivers everywhere: Here's an even smarter smart watch. .