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Given that Volvo Group is one big family, I was surprised to see the truckmaker isn't giving first offer to laid off U.S. Macungie plant employees willing to relocate to Tuve.

Goteborgs-Posten / June 2, 2016 Volvo Trucks will introduce a new night shift at its Tuve heavy truck assembly plant in Gothenberg where the truckmaker is headquartered. Production will increase by almost 50 percent, according to financial journal Dagens Industri. Swedish trade union IF Metall says Volvo Trucks will need to add 300 to 500 additional people to the plant’s roster. Today, 800 to 900 people are employed at Volvo’s Tuve truck plant. “We will begin negotiating with Volvo next week”, says Ove Holmström, IF Metall branch board member at Volvo in Gothenburg. Volvo has confirmed that that the production rate at Tuve will increase, but refuses to state how many new workers will be recruited.

Dagens Industri / June 2, 2016 Scania expects that the strong market in Europe will continue. CEO Henrik Henriksson estimates that the total market this year could be higher than rival Volvo's forecast of 290,000 heavy trucks. "We see no slowdown in customer coating. It gives us confidence, "he says.

International Trucks Press Release / June 2, 2016 .

Great video by an American truckmaker.

International Trucks Press Release / June 2, 2016 .

Commercial Carrier Journal (CCJ) / June 2, 2016 Prime Inc., the 16th largest carrier in the U.S., has agreed to pay more than $3 million to settle a discrimination-based lawsuit brought by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on behalf of more than 60 female truck drivers who claimed they were denied jobs at the company. Multiple requests made by CCJ to Prime asking for comment regarding the lawsuit went unreturned. The EEOC charges that a Prime policy stating that female drivers only be trained by female trainers effectively denied women driving jobs at the company based on their gender. The EEOC said this week Prime has agreed to pay $250,000 to resolve a discrimination claim brought by one of the female truckers. The carrier agreed last month, says the EEOC, to pay $2.8 million in lost wages and damages for 63 other women who said they were denied jobs. Prime’s adoption of the policy was seemingly well-intended — to prevent male trainers from sexually harassing female truck operators. Prime instituted the same-sex trainer policy in 2004 following a separate EEOC-brought lawsuit claiming the carrier had violated Title VII provisions. Prime’s not the only major U.S. carrier to run into sexual harassment issues regarding male trainers and female drivers. CRST International, though eventually absolved of liability, spent years tangled in an EEOC lawsuit surrounding sexual harassment claims. The Supreme Court just last month issued a decision on behalf of CRST, saying it was owed the millions of dollars in legal fees it spent defending itself against the EEOC suit. The court overseeing Prime’s suit, however, determined Prime’s same-sex trainer policy “forced female trainees to wait extended periods of time [to be trained….which resulted in most female trainers being denied employment,” according to an EEOC press release. The court permanently barred Prime from continuing with the policy in a May 27-issued order.

Sean Kilcarr / Fleet Owner / June 2, 2016 I know, I know; I’ve been walking the information technology (IT) beat for a while now (go here, here, and here to see what I mean) but as trucking continues to become a more data-driven and “digitized” enterprise, the issue of “cyber defense” is only going to become more critical. [You only need read this story to understand just the kinds of damage hacking can create for a motor carrier.] And by the look of things, the business world as a whole – trucking included – needs to beef up its cyber defenses to a far greater degree. According to a recent survey of 200 IT professionals conducted by research firm IDG Connect on behalf of security software firm PC Pitstop, some 46% said their organizations experienced malware attacks that severely affected their operations – despite 88% them spending over $100,000 a year on data security, with 39% spending over $500,000 annually. That suggests that the security hardware and software defenses businesses are investing in often fail to prevent malicious software viruses or “malware” from executing on their systems, noted Bob Johnson, IDG’s principal analyst, in a statement. “Ransomware, distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks and advanced persistent threats (APTs) like phishing and ‘zero-day’ attacks are all increasing in volume and intensity,” he explained. “U.S. companies need to evaluate their current data security infrastructure to determine how and where the risk of their business being disrupted by these attacks can best be minimized.” "The security problem is getting consistently worse, the consequences are getting consistently larger, and the frequency is growing,” added Rob Cheng, CEO at PC Pitstop. “It’s time to consider a new architecture—the existing model isn’t working.” IDG’s poll also found that few of the organizations participating in the survey rely on a single data security product as a foundation for their cyber defenses. Most supplement endpoint security solutions – typically those from Microsoft (57%), McAfee (51%) and Symantec (46%) – with additional network appliances (82%), email appliances (56%) and DDoS protection solutions (55%). Data security incidents inevitably prompt IT decision makers to re-evaluate their existing defenses, IDG’s Johnson noted. Indeed, IDG found that 91% of U.S. organizations would consider implementing a “white list” security solution, even one that blocks the occasional good file or results in a false positive, as long as that solution could be proved to deliver superior protection against rogue files containing malware. Something to think about as trucking – as well as the rest of the business world – is poised to become only more and more digitized down the road.

Heavy Duty Trucking / June 1, 2016 Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) introduced Senate Concurrent Resolution 40 (S.Con.Res.40), expressing opposition toward increasing the 12% Federal Excise Tax (FET) on heavy trucks and truck bodies, according to the NTEA. In 2015, House Representatives Reid Ribble (R-Wis.) and Tim Walz (D-Minn.) introduced companion legislation, H.Con.Res.33. Although concurrent resolutions do not have the force of law, they can make a strong statement. “NTEA commends the Senate on the introduction of this legislation,” said Steve Carey, NTEA executive director. “FET is a complicated tax which deters the purchase of the cleanest, safest, and most fuel-efficient trucks. It is a volatile, undependable funding mechanism for the U.S. highway system, and preventing further increases to this tax is critical.” FET is imposed on the first retail sale of heavy-duty trucks, trailers, semitrailer chassis and bodies, and tractors — trucks with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of more than 33,000 pounds; tractors with a GVWR of more than 19,500 pounds and gross combined weight of 33,000 pounds or less when paired with a trailer or semitrailer; and trailers with a GVWR of more than 26,000 pounds. The funds derived from it are deposited in the Highway Trust Fund. The 12% FET, the highest federal ad valorem excise tax (based on the value of real estate or personal property), was first levied to help finance World War I. S.Con.Res.40 and H.Con.Res.33 help to educate members of Congress about FET-related problems and explain why it should not be increased.

Absolutely great people at Estes Express Lines. Old school boys and tactics are hard to find nowadays.

Fleet Owner / June 2, 2016 Cannibalizing old equipment, focusing on fuel economy, crafting customized equipment specs and even buying breakfast for drivers helps keep this $2 billion-plus LTL carrier in the black. William “Billy” Hupp will tell you that despite all the latest and greatest technologies now being deployed in the trucking business – everything from telematics to load dimensioning systems – many “old-school” business tactics continue to help motor carriers succeed in the ever-more challenging business of hauling freight. “A lot of things are out of our control in this business; the only good thing is that our competition has the same challenges we do,” Hupp, COO and executive VP of LTL carrier Estes Express Lines, explained during a speech at the ALK Technology Summit in Philadelphia last week. For example, he said the freight “costing process” in the LTL industry is increasingly becoming a “zero-sum game” where accuracy regarding the proffered price of a shipment “is critical” to helping motor carriers remain profitable. “We use systems that calculate 72 different freight dimensions; in seven seconds or less we can calculate the cube and weight of a shipment with this technology,” he said. “That encourages us to get the ‘wrong’ shipments off our trucks.” Yet Hupp was quick to note that despite the capabilities offered by such technologies, good solid “old school” principles are still needed to make them work effectively. For example, Hupp told Fleet Owner that he got his start at Estes – a company founded by his grandfather, W.W. Estes, in 1931 – working in a maintenance shop with Robey “Rob” W. Estes Jr. who became the carrier’s president in 1987 and who remains in that position today. “I’ve had one boss my entire life since we started working together in the shop as kids,” Hupp (at right) explained. He credits that “start at the bottom” work experience at Estes for keeping him grounded and willing to listen to ideas aimed at saving money or making money – or both – for the fleet. For instance, a few years back, one of Estes’ older tractors – the fleet currently operates 6,819 power units and some 25,707 trailers – got damaged in a minor fender bender and needed a new hood. One of Estes’ technicians went online and found a perfect replacement for $1,500 – a replacement that turned out to be a hood from an Estes tractor the company has sold off. As a result of that experience, Estes now operates two informal “chop shops” that convert older tractors destined to be cycled out of the fleet into either a ready supply replacement parts or ones that can be sold for good money. “Engine blocks are particularly valuable,” Hupp said. Finding positive ways to boost performance is another tactic Estes uses, sometimes with unexpected results, as Hupp’s son – a now working as a manager for Estes’ Norfolk, VA, terminal – found out. In this case, he said the company wanted managers to reduce the number of “bring backs,” when freight must be returned to a terminal due to a missed delivery window or other reasons. Hupp noted his son decided to offer all the drivers at the Norfolk terminal free breakfast if they could reduce “bring backs.” They did one better: they completely eliminated them. “They helped each other out, working as a team to make sure everyone’s freight got delivered for the day,” Hupp said. “My son said, ‘Wow this could get expensive for me,’ so we worked it over to a free breakfast once a week.” Fuel economy is another big focus at Estes and for good reason: its fleet burns an average of 82 million gallons of diesel per year. “At $2.50 a gallon, that’s a $250 million a year expense; but at $4 a gallon, it becomes a $328 million annual expense,” he pointed out. Thus everything from the latest in aerodynamics – such as the use of trailer skirts – to the scoring of driver fuel performance metrics via telematics is deployed to reduce fuel consumption as much as possible. And it’s working. Four years ago, Estes’ fleet averaged 6 mpg; today, that average is 7.1 mpg. “That 15% fuel economy improvement allows us to be more competitive,” Hupp explained. Home-grown equipment specifications help, too, Hupp added, in order to boost the freight hauling efficiency of Estes’ trailers as high as possible. “We’ve put a lot of time and effort into customizing our equipment, creating captive beam trailers built with ‘Webb walls’ to replace steel walls,” he said, “That allows us to create a second deck in the trailer, reduce trailer weight, and make it easier for forklifts to load and unload our trailers.” That “home grown” mentality also applies to technology, as Hupp said that there are “few ‘off-the-shelf’ products” to support LTL operations. “Technology is an arduous challenge; there’s a never ending need for it,” he explained. “We make large investments in IT [information technology] and we have to do it. And it’s made all the more challenging because of our inability to stop, rebuild a system, and start again.” Yet marrying old-school business principles to the technology-heavy needs of freight seems to be paying off for Estes as it has gone from $100 million in revenue back in 1991 to topping $1 billion in 2004 to $2.28 billion last year. “We remain family-owned and we plow a lot of that money back into the company,” Hupp stressed. “And LTL service is still our bread and butter, our ‘mother ship.’ It still pays the bills.” .

Mack Partners with JWF Industries on Lakota 6x6 Vehicle System Trailer/Body Builders / June 2, 2016 Mack Defense has formed a partnership with JWF Defense Systems, LLC, a wholly owned division of JWF Industries, Inc. of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, for the assembly of the Mack Defense Lakota 6x6 vehicle system. In addition to assembly, the partnership includes the manufacture of the vehicle’s armored hull. The versatile Lakota 6x6 combines exceptional capabilities with numerous configurations, offering end users a highly adaptable vehicle designed to meet the needs of a variety of missions. “We look forward to working with JWF Defense Systems on the assembly of these vehicle solutions along with production of their armored hulls,” said Ryan Werling, president of Mack Defense. “JWF Defense has a long tradition of supporting the U.S. Department of Defense, and we are excited to have them as part of our team. In addition to the partnership for the Lakota, we also believe there is an opportunity for JWF to participate in the assembly of other armored vehicle programs that we are pursuing around the globe.” The Mack Defense Lakota 6x6 vehicle system, which features a U.S.-built [Volvo] engine and transmission, is capable of a maximum on-road speed of 62 mph with a range of up to 1,400 miles. Available in five configurations, the Lakota 6x6 can transport up to 12 personnel. The vehicle is serviceable across the Volvo Group support network, which features locations around the world. The Lakota 6x6 offers a unique design and fully armored hull, and given its lighter weight allows for better maneuverability while demonstrating superior off-road mobility and multi-mission capabilities. “The Lakota 6x6 delivers the capabilities of an 8x8, but at a fraction of the cost,” Werling said. “The Lakota 6x6 is a compelling offer for any customer. The Lakota’s capabilities were tested and showcased in multiple locations throughout the U.S., including California, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Michigan. Not only did the Lakota meet our performance expectations, but it exceeded them in many areas.”

Heavy Duty Trucking / June 2, 2016 [Volvo Group US market shell company] Mack Defense has announced a partnership with JWF Defense Systems for the assembly of the Renault Trucks Defense VAB MK 3, remarketed as the Mack Defense Lakota 6x6 vehicle system. In addition to assembly, the partnership includes manufacturing the vehicle’s armored hull. The Lakota is designed to meet the specifications a variety of configurations and offers the military a highly adaptable vehicle to meet the needs of a mission. “JWF Defense has a long tradition* of supporting the U.S. Department of Defense, and we are excited to have them as part of our team,” said Ryan Werling, president of Mack Defense. “In addition to the partnership for the Lakota, we also believe there is an opportunity for JWF to participate in the assembly of other armored vehicle programs that we are pursuing around the globe.” The Lakota 6x6 system is capable of a maximum on-road speed of 62 miles per hour with a range of up to 1,400 miles. It is available in five configurations and can transport up to 12 personnel. The vehicle is designed to be fully armored and lighter weight for better maneuverability, off-road mobility and multi-mission capabilities. “The Lakota’s capabilities were tested and showcased in multiple locations throughout the U.S., including California, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Michigan,” said Werling. “Not only did the Lakota meet our performance expectations, but it exceeded them in many areas.” * “JWF Defense does NOT have a long tradition of supporting our Department of Defense. It was only established in 2007. It’s a small player in the US defense industry. Renault Trucks Defense VAB MK 3 website - http://www.renault-trucks-defense.eu/Defense/VAB/VAB-Mk-3 Renault Trucks Defense VAB MK 3 Brochure - http://www.renault-trucks-defense.eu/content/download/2574/13497/version/1/file/Fiche-VAB-MK3-ENG-LD.pdf. .

Schneider Acquires Watkins & Shepard and Lodeso to Expand Services Transport Topics / June 2, 2016 Truckload carrier Schneider announced the acquisition of less-than-truckload specialist Watkins & Shepard Trucking and final-mile delivery carrier Lodeso Inc. on June 2 to capitalize on trucking opportunities related to fast-growing e-commerce. Schneider, which didn’t disclose terms of the deals, had not made an acquisition since 2005, although the Green Bay, Wisconsin-based carrier has built out its intermodal and bulk networks to complement truckload and related logistics services. Watkins & Shepard, based in Helena, Montana, is headed by former American Trucking Associations Chairman Ray Kuntz. The company, founded in 1974, has 20 terminals and 1,300 drivers. Michigan-based Lodeso operates with nearly 600 agents. The moves by the company that ranks No. 7 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of the largest U.S. and Canadian for-hire carriers, along with the Big G Express June 1 purchase of Ike Transportation, injected new activity into the industry’s merger and acquisition market. Schneider’s action also could be a sign of much stronger future carrier interest in the final-mile delivery of large products such as appliances and furniture, an analyst said. Chief Operating Officer Mark Rourke told TT that Schneider’s moves represent an opportunity to capitalize on the rapid acceleration of e-commerce and omnichannel retailing by moving overdimensional high-value freight right to consumers. “There is an unmet need for delivery of items like furniture, exercise equipment or gun cases that do not go well into the parcel guys’ networks,” Rourke said. Both UPS Inc. and FedEx Corp. in recent months have announced their intention to surcharge or restrict those overdimensional shipments. Watkins & Shepard is “the gold standard in the carpet and furniture segments,” Rourke said. The Helena-based carrier was listed at No. 27 among LTL carriers in the for-hire TT100, with revenue from that business of $162.1 million. The Montana carrier also offers truckload and logistics services. That LTL revenue would add about 4% to Schneider’s $3.9 billion total. Rourke said the moves also offered the advantages of technology that is already in place, to link Watkins & Shepard and Lodeso. In addition, he said the acquisitions enabled Schneider to acquire a network that already has been built out, including facilities at major import centers and regional manufacturers to support e-commerce in the furniture sector. “It makes a lot of sense that Schneider wants to be in that market. Final-mile is the part of the trucking landscape that almost no one of scale does,” said Jason Seidl, a Cowen & Co. analyst, saying that only No. 14 XPO Logistics and No. 3 J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. are in that market now. “You are seeing a much more focused and professional approach to heavyweight home delivery now. Think about it: When a consumer goes to order a refrigerator, who usually shows up? It’s two guys in an unmarked truck with dirty T-shirts.” Seidl told TT that, given the fast growth of e-commerce, he expects there will be several more acquisitions of final-mile carriers over the next year to 18 months. Kuntz, the Watkins & Shepard CEO, said his company has been working with Lodeso for about 10 years, and over the past 18 months, they have been offering customers a combined one-bill rate for shipping. He said the arrangement allows for delivery of rugs, furniture and other large goods to any home in America. “We’re the first mile, and they’re the final mile,” said Kuntz, adding that 70% of his company’s revenue comes from LTL work and the 30% in truckload is usually for backhauls. Kuntz said e-commerce has been one of his main efforts for the past three or four years. Kuntz, who turns 60 this year, also said he has committed to remain with the company for at least three years. “Schneider is very excited about the creation of a world-class e-commerce provider. We open up the whole world of e-commerce logistics — or at least all of the lower 48 states,” Kuntz said. “The ability to provide differentiated experiences for retailers, manufacturers and consumers is a primary area of strategic growth for Schneider,” said CEO Chris Lofgren. “We will continue to make significant investments to capture the full potential the combined companies now have to connect the first mile to the final mile.”

The Wall Street Journal / June 2, 2016 Acquisitions will push business-to-business trucking company into home-delivery market amid growth in online retail sales Schneider National Inc., one of the largest business-to-business trucking companies in the U.S., said Thursday it has acquired two operators that will push the company into the growing field of delivering furniture and oversize goods to homes. Schneider said the acquisitions were driven by the growing willingness of consumers to buy big-ticket items online, a trend that is pressuring traditional retailers that operate brick-and-mortar stores and reshaping distribution patterns and putting a bigger premium on home-delivery. The Green Bay, Wis.-based company said it had acquired Lodeso Inc. and Watkins & Shepard Trucking Inc. for undisclosed sums. Lodeso helps retailers arrange “white glove” service for difficult-to-delivery items that require extra care or installation, like refrigerators or sofas. Watkins & Shepard is a Montana-based operator of less-than-truckload, or LTL, service, in which orders from multiple customers are combined on each truck, and was one of Lodeso’s strategic partners. The acquisitions come as more logistics and freight companies are moving to serve the fast-growing market for online furniture sales. They bring Schneider into direct competition with XPO Logistics Inc., which has acquired both last-mile and LTL businesses in recent years, is the largest player in the arena with $693 million in revenue in 2015, according to Satish Jindel, president of SJ Consulting Group Inc. J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. is also one of the largest last-mile carrier for oversize goods, counting $200 million in revenue from that business last year, Mr. Jindel said. The market for such deliveries grew 8% last year to $6.8 billion, excluding private fleet deliveries, and is likely to accelerate with growth of 10% or more in 2016, he said. Mark Rourke, Schneider’s chief operating officer, said the transportation of furniture and oversize items is the fastest-growing segment with the greater opportunity in the e-commerce market, for Schneider. “As we talked to our customers and looked to where the market is growing, what we heard was there are pain points—product categories that don’t run through the parcel network for home delivery,” he said. “We felt that was an underserved need.” Experts say oversize items have become an attractive niche because it is a growing and profitable business where products can’t efficiently move through the home-delivery networks of well-established parcel carriers FedEx Corp. and United Parcel Service Inc. Both of those carriers recently raised their prices for handling bulky items. “FedEx and UPS are quick to tell you that they love the depth to which e-commerce is expanding—that more and more of the population buys more and more online. But they struggle with the breadth,” said Donald Broughton, an analyst at Avondale Partners LLC. “People order everything from refrigerators to microwave ovens to bicycles and trampolines to aboveground swimming pools and barbecue grills, and those packages don’t fit through their sortation systems.” Last-mile home delivery is a departure from Schneider’s core business as the second largest truckload carrier in the U.S., meaning each of its trucks haul freight for single customers, often on long distances to distribution centers. Privately-held Schneider, which closed the deal on Wednesday, will gain 800 drivers for a total of 1,300 employees, and new customers including online home goods retailer Wayfair Inc. and Home Depot Inc. Mr. Rourke said the company, which counted about $4 billion in overall annual revenue before the acquisitions, hopes to package its truckload services with the new last-mile operations together for retailers. Between the 20 distribution centers operated by Watkins & Shepard around the country and other carriers working on Lodeso’s delivery network, Schneider will be able to cover most ZIP Codes in the U.S. The executive added that the last mile business will be “one of our top two or three growth drivers” and that the company expects to expand the new operation in scale and geography.

I can imagine a North American market conventional using a variant of the current cab (revised interior, additional cab lengths), or the upcoming full-width cab. It's all a matter of design goals and aesthetics. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The original Freightliner Business Class conventional (1991-2001) utilized the Mercedes-Benz LN2 COE cab (redesignated LK in 1988). The stunning Freightliner Argosy II COE shares the same cab as the Century Class, Columbia and Coronado (the Argosy variant is 305mm wider). The Mack MS Mid-Liner COE shared the same cab used on the Mack CS Mid-Liner conventional, and Renault’s C, CBH, CLM, CLR and GBC series conventional cab models. The DAF XT conventional is based on the DAF XF105. Scania's T-Series utililzed the company's Bertone-designed 4-Series COE cab. The global market Volvo NH conventional was based on the FH/FM COE cab. The NH was full-width like the FH COE, while the North American market VN was a narrowed variant. And of course the impressive Iveco "Powerstar" conventional utilizes the Stralis COE cab.

Bill Ford has the boys in Stuttgart rather upset. It's rumored that Daimer Truck & Bus head Wolfgang Bernhard threw his gold pen across the room. This all because Orkun Group was, and I emphasize the word "was", a Mercedes-Benz fleet account. But now, Orkun is switching to Fords.

You can click on "Distributors And Dealers", and see if they have a service point near you to do your job. http://www.scaniausa.com/

At least 33 US cities used water testing 'cheats' over lead concerns The Guardian / June 2, 2016 At least 33 cities across 17 US states have used water testing “cheats” that potentially conceal dangerous levels of lead, a Guardian investigation launched in the wake of the toxic water crisis in Flint, Michigan, has found. Of these cities, 21 used the same water testing methods that prompted criminal charges against three government employees in Flint over their role in one of the worst public health disasters in US history. The crisis that gripped Flint is an extreme case where a cost-cutting decision to divert the city’s water supply to a polluted river was compounded by a poor testing regime and delays by environmental officials to respond to the health emergency. The Guardian’s investigation demonstrates that similar testing regimes were in place in cities including Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, Detroit and Milwaukee. Thousands of documents detailing water testing practices over the past decade reveal: Despite warnings of regulators and experts, water departments in at least 33 cities used testing methods over the past decade that could underestimate lead found in drinking water. Officials in two major cities – Philadelphia and Chicago – asked employees to test water safety in their own homes. Two states – Michigan and New Hampshire – advised water departments to give themselves extra time to complete tests so that if lead contamination exceeded federal limits, officials could re-sample and remove results with high lead levels. Some cities denied knowledge of the locations of lead pipes, failed to sample the required number of homes with lead plumbing or refused to release lead pipe maps, claiming it was a security risk. The disaster in Flint, sparked when authorities failed to treat drinking water for lead, prompted criminal charges against three government employees: Mike Glasgow, Stephen Busch and Mike Prysby. Marc Edwards, the scientist who first uncovered the crisis in Flint, described water testing in some of America’s largest cities is an “outrage”. “They make lead in water low when collecting samples for EPA compliance, even as it poisons kids who drink the water,” Edwards, a Virginia Tech scientist, said. “Clearly, the cheating and lax enforcement are needlessly harming children all over the United States. “If they cannot be trusted to protect little kids from lead in drinking water, what on Earth can they be trusted with? Who amongst us is safe?” For 25 years, the Environmental Protection Agency has required water utilities to test a small pool of households for lead contamination at least every three years. Typically, city water departments ask residents to collect these water samples. But the way residents are instructed to sample their water, as well as which households are chosen for testing, can profoundly impact how much lead is detected. Testing methods that can avoid detecting lead include asking testers to run faucets before the test period, known as “pre-flushing”; to remove faucet filters called “aerators”; and to slowly fill sample bottles. The EPA reiterated in February that these lead-reducing methods go against its guidelines, and the Flint charges show they may now be criminal acts. The arrest warrant for Glasgow, Busch and Prysby states that the men “did properly manipulate the collection of water samples by directing residents to ‘pre-flush’ their taps by running the water for five minutes the night before drawing a water sample and/or did fail to collect required sampled included in the tier 1 category of service lines.” The tactic of pre-flushing, which helps clear lead from home plumbing prior to a test, is rampant across many large cities. In their most recent test cycles, Philadelphia; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and Buffalo, New York, tested water for lead in this way. The EPA has warned since 2008 that pre-flushing is problematic and go against the “intent” of regulations designed to detect lead. Nevertheless, the federal agency failed to properly police state agencies who included the method in sample instructions for years, including at the Maine and Rhode Island departments of health. Further distortion is achieved through the removal of “aerators” – the small metal filters at the tip of faucets. These filters can collect lead particles and add to lead detected in tests. The EPA has warned against this practice since 2006, when it became clear that a lead poisoning case in Durham, North Carolina, was missed by the water department at least partly because it routinely removed the filters. Philadelphia, a city accused of having the worst water testing in the US, asks testers to pre-flush their pipes, remove aerators and slowly pour water into a sample bottle. The EPA has warned against all these testing methods, which could “mask the added contribution of lead at the tap”. Documents show some authorities have also removed high-risk homes from testing or sought to obscure their dangerous lead levels. In Michigan, a department of environmental quality (MDEQ) official told the director of a town water department in a Detroit suburb called Howell to “bump this one out”, referring to a sample with high lead levels, by taking additional samples. “I would suggest at least five more samples,” Adam Rosenthal, an official at the MDEQ drinking water office wrote in an email in 2008. New Hampshire offered similar advice to water system officials in that state, advising water departments to test early so any high results could be re-tested. “If your water system samples early in their compliance period, then time remains for you to collect a second set of samples,” reads advice from New Hampshire’s department of environmental services to local water systems. “This may result in a 90th percentile below action levels.” Thousands of Flint’s children are expected to suffer developmental problems as a result of the lead contamination. Hundreds of thousands of bottles of water have been distributed to the city by the national guard, deployed in January. Barack Obama called Flint’s lead contamination a “man-made disaster” and a symptom of urban neglect suffered by poor, largely black communities across the US. Since the crisis in Flint prompted a federal state of emergency, the city, state and its new water supplier, Detroit, phased out water testing distortions. But other cities have failed to do so – against the advice of EPA guidelines.. In the nine years since the EPA last updated lead regulations, a substantial body of peer-reviewed science has shown no level of lead is safe for humans. Tiny amounts are associated with impaired development and behavioral problems in children, and exposure is linked to a propensity to commit violent crimes. Also in that time, peer-reviewed studies by EPA scientists and academics showed how testing methods that flout guidelines miss lead contamination. Some of these studies even stemmed from previous lead contamination crises, such as in Washington DC in 2001. “What on earth can you do when the environmental policemen at EPA have condoned open cheating on the water lead rule for more than a decade now?” said Edwards, the author of several studies. In a statement, the EPA did not respond to the widespread testing distortions but said it is currently working on “long-term revisions” to its lead and copper rule, expected in 2017. “During our review, EPA has been evaluating critical issues related to increasing public health protections under the rule while maintaining an approach that can be feasibly implemented by the states and drinking water utilities,” the regulator said. “As we develop the proposed revisions to the rule, we are also focusing on enhanced oversight of the states, including implementation of the existing rule. In EPA’s recent letter to the states, we make clear that approaches are not to include aerator removal or allow pre-stagnation flushing prior to collection of samples by residents.” The crisis in water testing could be even more widespread than evidence unearthed by the Guardian shows. Several large cities sell water onto almost 400 adjacent cities and towns. Many of these locations also test their own water as part of EPA recommendations. As part of its investigation in the wake of the Flint disaster, the Guardian sought water testing documents from 81 of the largest cities in states east of the Mississippi River. Eastern states are considered to have a high risk of lead contamination due to their aging infrastructure. Forty-three cities provided information, and 33 of these used distortions in their water testing in the past decade. Several cities do correctly follow EPA guidelines on testing, according to documents provided to the Guardian, including: Cincinnati, Ohio; Jacksonville, Florida; Louisville, Kentucky; and Mobile, Alabama. Several said they intend to change protocols when they next test, including Mount Pleasant, South Carolina; Buffalo, New York; Worcester and Boston, Massachusetts; Lewiston, Maine; and the Rhode Island and Maine health departments. Chicago stopped aerator removal and pre-flushing by 2012. In response to the Guardian’s investigation, many water departments said the EPA had not issued clear guidance on the issue in the past. Some said they had never received a previous EPA memo regarding testing protocols, or that the practices are not illegal.

Global Ford Trucks is witnessing massive changes. - All new on-road European 4x2 platform - All-new on-road 6x2 twin-steer and 6x4 platforms (purposed for China) - All-new vocational platform - The switch to vertical integration. Alike the former Mack Trucks and the European truckmakers. Ford is now building most of its own components (no Cummins), or having components built as Ford proprietary designs under contract. The future – H62X – the modern new full-width global cab for model year 2018. Bill Ford is making Ford Trucks a global truckmaker once more. “Ford Means Business In Big Trucks”.

Ford Trucks Press Release / May 14, 2016 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. It’s why we invest in the latest truck technology to make them both lightweight and tough. And then we back them with a global service network second to none, including dealers who specialize in heavy trucks and have some of the finest sales and service facilities in the world. The new 2016 Cargo heavy truck range from Ford Trucks. Compare it with any heavy truck on the road today. Ask the many Ford heavy truck customers operating in the four corners of the world across 3 continents. At Ford Trucks, we’ve got your back. Ford Trucks and You – "Sharing the Load" Website Homepage https://www.fordtrucks.com.tr/ Tractors (prime movers) https://www.fordtrucks.com.tr/vehicle/index/32 Vocational (construction) https://www.fordtrucks.com.tr/vehicle/index/33 Regional https://www.fordtrucks.com.tr/vehicle/index/34 Bodybuilder Solutions https://www.fordtrucks.com.tr/content/bodybuilder-solutions-38 Global After-Sales Support https://www.fordtrucks.com.tr/content/aftersales-39 About Ford Trucks https://www.fordtrucks.com.tr/content/factory-32 https://www.fordtrucks.com.tr/content/history-36 Find A Dealer https://www.fordtrucks.com.tr/content/find-a-dealer-42 Have you driven a Ford heavy truck.......lately?

Transport Engineer / June 1, 2016 Five new Volvo FMX 8x4 tippers delivered to Patersons Quarries’ Rigside, South Lanarkshire, depot in April are successfully handling 20-tonne payloads and keeping drivers happy. “We took drivers off our other make tippers, all of which were registered during 2015,” explains Gordon Carlton, transport manager at this Scottish operator. “Reaction to the new FMXs was amazing [with] all reporting a noticeable increase in fuel consumption levels, with a truck straight out of the box, and a big difference in cab comfort.” Carlton says some drivers comment on how relaxed the driving experience is with Volvo’s I-Shift automated gearbox while others are say the aren’t as tired after a full day shift. “With the current nationwide shortages of experienced professionals, happy drivers are good news to me,” he adds. All the new FMX trucks were specified with Volvo’s 11-litre, D11K370 370bhp engine driving through the 12-speed I-Shift gearboxes running with Volvo’s distribution and construction range management software. They all run with Day cabs and were fitted with X-High B-Ride suspension, straight front axles and high mounted, 330 litre fuel tanks for quarry work. Patersons Quarries fitted Weightlifter lightweight alloy tipper bodies with high sides and three-point contact, as well as Hyva hydraulics and a Dawbarn automatic sheeting system – yielding a kerbside weight of 12.1 tonnes. Each FMX also has safety access steps a Volvo reversing camera and Smart Witness front facing and vehicle perimeter camera systems. The new trucks were supplied by Volvo Truck and Bus Centre North & Scotland, Glasgow West and are being operated under full R&M packages. .

Ford Trucks Press Release / June 1, 2016 “The construction industry is a tough and forgiving business,” says Orkun Group CEO İlhan Karadeniz. “But if you have the right partner, they can help lighten your load." . 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/ .

Lotta Engzell-Larsson, Dagens Industri / June 2, 2016 Di wrote on Wednesday about how Volvo will continue to recruit aggressively from the worst competitor Scania. The two companies have a long history of rivalry, but the Sodertalje truckmaker [Scania] has for over two decades had the best trucks, the best production processes, and the best profitability. When the British magazine Commercial Motor last year ranked the world's best truck of all times, the models must have at least ten years old to qualify, the Scania 3 series won first place. Volvo F88 came in second. The two companies are the only ones who have more than one model at the top-ten music charts. The trademarks and cultures of the two truckmakers are quite different, and both have strong identities. There have been recruited by the competitor, but it has been unusual. But the last year something has happened. Scania CEO Martin Lundstedt took over as CEO of Volvo, then came Scania veteran Lars Stenqvist from Volkswagen's research and development to head R&D at Volvo Trucks. Previously there was CFO Jan Gurander, also a Scania veteran who spent some time at MAN. The latest addition is German Andrea Fuder, who is leaving Scania to become purchasing manager for Volvo. Also on the lower level, people have jumped. The reason is of course the feeling that it is Volvo potential lies ahead. For although Volkswagen's new truck chief Andreas Renschler claims that increased integration, the development of a common platform and common components will not to dilute Scania’s independence and identity as a Swedish truck, there is concern that an era has ended. And anyone who has ever worked with a merger knows that the point is to preserve the superficial differences that are visible to customers, and reduce the real, less visible, which means that you can produce more units at a lower unit cost. It is common for acquired companies to lose both key personnel and focus when they are purchased. In Scania's case, it took an unusually long time. Volkswagen has been a major shareholder in Scania since 2000, but it remained a Swedish company until 2014 when it became wholly owned by VW Group. This opened for the integration of MAN and Scania to provide savings amounting to 8 billion per year. The person holding the baton, Andreas Renschler, from archrival Daimler. It's like placing a Christian, a Jew and a Muslim in a room and letting one of them decide which religion henceforth will be followed. It is laid out for dropouts. Large mergers always have their proponents: In the investment banks that earn money selling and administration of the business. At the CEO who receives additional bonus to push through the merger and then a higher salary to lead the larger, combined company. Shareholders are attracted by the promised value. But Professor Rikard Larsson of Lund University has shown that half of all mergers fail, in the sense that the promised synergies do not materialize. It is difficult to increase, or even maintain, the profitability for a large merger. If one omits one-time costs, it becomes more difficult to recoup. The losses of human flight and selling pins are also difficult to calculate. Martin Lundstedt had been CEO of Scania for less than three years when he accepted the Volvo offer. Probably because of Volkswagen, he was not even division manager, even if he had held the CEO title. But at Volvo, he is “really” number one. All moves, and sometimes it is healthy with new blood in the organization. But the movement we now see from Scania is no coincidence. As an independent company sucked into a larger group and to subordinate themselves so many lose the desire. The smaller maneuver the acquired company gets, the harder it is to recruit the best, most active, creative people. The owners should keep in mind the next time they are looking to buy or sell. Perhaps we should do more often an issue if you want to grow? Right now, the feeling at Volvo trucks is that they have everything to gain and nothing to lose. At Scania? Well, in a few years, the company may nothing more than just a brand [like Mack]. .