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Event - Bauma 2016 What is it? - The 31st edition of the world’s leading trade fair for construction machinery, building material machines, mining machines, construction vehicles and construction equipment Date - April 11 to 17 Location - Munich, Germany

Detroit Diesel Corp. Press Release / April 11, 2016

Detroit Diesel Corp. Press Release / April 11, 2016

Detroit Diesel Corp. Press Release / April 11, 2016

Detroit Diesel Corp. Press Release / April 11, 2016

Today’s Trucking / April 6, 2016 More stringent regulations on emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) are getting ready to phase in starting in 2017 and will become more restrictive over the coming years (see chart graphic). The on-road trucking industry has responded by focusing on a number of items to help operators and fleets achieve efficiency on their vehicles to improve fuel economy, and reduce carbon emissions and improve vehicle cost/mile. One of the first moves that happened in 2012 was the industry’s move towards lighter viscosity heavy duty motor oils (HDMO), transitioning from SAE 15W-40 to SAE 10W-30 engine oils to help achieve early gains without having to significantly adjust any engine or vehicle hardware. This will be further enhanced with the launch of PC-11 oils on December 1st, 2016 as a new fuel efficient category (API FA-4) launches to help push even more fuel efficiency when using the xW-30 (HDMO SAE 10W-30 and 5W-30) viscosity grades. Other vehicle efficiency changes though are now being implemented across the total vehicle today from both truck original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and fleets to help improve fuel economy and operating costs, while helping to reduce their carbon footprint. These include a number of items below that are continually evolving through improved technology and innovation to help drive an approach towards Total Vehicle Efficiency for operators. Diesel Engine Optimization – diesel engines are going through refinements with new components and design to help ensure improved performance and operating efficiency. There is a trend towards diesel engine downsizing from 15L to 13L size engines, down-speeding from 1600 rpm to 1200 rpm to manage optimal fuel usage, advanced combustion design and active oil temperature control, variable valve timing, and Start/Stop technology. It’s these changes that will continue to help diesel engines achieve improvements in fuel efficiency and performance for fleets and operators and also allow OEMs to achieve the strict carbon emission reduction targets required by EPA. Improved Driveline Efficiency – one of the bigger changes now impacting trucks is the move towards improved engine, transmission and axle interface and optimization. The rise in automated manual transmissions (AMTs) has grown to help improve engine transmission interface, but also driver variability by allowing computer shifting to achieve optimal performance, torque and mpg. Furthermore, there is a continued move towards lighter viscosity lubricants in both transmissions and axles to help reduce parasitic fluid friction loss and help improve component movement to help increase mpg. Aerodynamic Changes – significant changes in aerodynamics is helping on-road vehicles achieve further efficiency gains. Like planes that are tested in a wind tunnel to help reduce drag for improved fuel efficiency, truck operators are using aerodynamic changes to help streamline truck tractors and trailers. Some of the more common changes now seen on the road are the wide use of trailer skirts and also “Whale Tails” that help reduce back end drag. Additional items that are starting to become more common are the use of wheel covers over hubs and reduction of the tractor trailer gap to help provide efficient air flow over the truck. Future changes are coming, including new tractor and trailer design changes to take full advantage of the total vehicle aerodynamics that will help increase vehicle mpg. Vehicle Weight Reduction - new manufacturing and design methods from OEMs are driving towards lower weight vehicles to help reduce drag and improve fuel efficiency. This includes use of lighter alloys and carbon fiber for engines and trucks frames, a move towards 6x2 axles or a hydraulic lift axle, and revised cab designs to reduce total weight. These improvements are supporting improved vehicle efficiency compared to current vehicle models today. Tires and Automatic Tire Inflation Monitoring – low rolling resistance tires and automated tire pressure are helping to reduce drag on the road, and ensure that vehicle fuel efficiency is maximized versus manual tire pressure checks and dual tire hubs. These types of tires continue to improve in durability and efficiency and automated tire pressure systems are becoming a standard feature for newer trucks to ensure appropriate tire performance and reduction of vehicle drag. Telematics & Vehicle Automation – continued application in telematics is helping OEMs, fleet managers and operators to gather large amounts of data to optimize vehicle, engine and component operation and efficiency. Likewise, the future application of driver assisted automation will help trucks achieve another step in fuel efficiency, reliability and performance by allowing for further optimization of all truck component operations. Furthermore, technology will help make things like vehicle platooning and other forms of improved vehicle operation a reality for fleets to help save money, time and improve their efficiency. The trucking industry is becoming a new dynamic place with ever changing items driven by the need to improve vehicle performance and efficiency for both OEMs, who make the trucks, to the operators who drive them. Today, the focus on the total vehicle efficiency is critical to help drive cost efficiency and meet stricter regulations regarding carbon emissions. .

Fleet Owner / April 11, 2016 The U.S. unit of Italy’s Marangoni, Marangoni Tread North America, is introducing a wide-based precured splice-less retread for concrete mixers that run 425/65R22.5 and 445/65R22.5 tires. The RINGTREAD MIX400 is suited for all Concrete Mixer applications. It features wide open shoulders in order to keep them clean from stones, mud and water. It is non directional, no retread markings and Marangoni logo on the tread, the company explained. “Best retreads we have ever used and for sure, better than the spliced ones we were using. We are also getting better wear out of the Ringtread MIX400 which lowers our overall tire cost,” said Brad Buchanan/Plant Manager for BP&G Materials. Marangoni Tread North America is a full-service supplier and distributes its retread products RINGTREAD (The Splice-Less Retread) and UNITREAD through a network of licensed independent tire dealers and retreaders throughout the United States and Canada. U.S. website – http://www.na.marangoni.com/ Global website - http://truck.marangoni.com/products

Car & Driver / April 2016 Nobody was a bigger star than Burt Reynolds in the '70s. And his biggest film was 1977's Smokey and the Bandit. Now 80, his recent memoir is But Enough About Me. C/D: When you were growing up in Florida, how important were cars to kids back then? Did you have a car? BR: Actually it was a huge status symbol. Our family really didn’t have a car; we had my dad’s police cruiser. Later he got a Buick, and that’s what I was driving when I had a wreck. I’m lucky it was as big and strong as it was, because that Buick is what saved my life. I had an Indian Scout motorcycle during high school, but I never could take it to school. My dad would sneak out at night and pull the spark-plug wires. C/D: Stuntman Hal Needham was your friend, roommate, and director. How did that work? BR: I had known Hal for a while by the time he moved in, so I was sure we’d get along well, and we did. He’d go off and do his gigs and I would do mine, and when we were lucky we got to work on the same ones. Smokey and the Bandit was the first picture he directed, and I knew he could handle it. I had just directed Gator, and he saw my style and used that as a pattern. C/D: Did Smokey and the Bandit feel like a hit while you were filming it? BR: It was a bit of a lark when I agreed to do it, and I knew we’d have fun if we could get Jackie Gleason. But then we got Sally Field onboard and it changed the entire dynamic. About a third of the way into filming, I was in the car with Sally and there was this little moment where we kind of looked at each other, and then we both turned and looked over at Hal. He gave us a thumbs up and said, “Yeah!” And we kind of knew there was some magic going on. C/D: Is it hard to play a character like Bo “Bandit” Darville who, many people assume, is like you? BR: Funny you should ask that, because I’m really much more like Phil Potter from [the 1979 film] Starting Over. People do think I’m the Bandit, and I’m a lot more serious than that. But he helped me lighten up a little bit. He loves country, and I love jazz. He is a scofflaw while I totally respect it since my dad was the chief of police when I was growing up. C/D: You sold a lot of Trans Ams. Did you get a free car? BR: Trans Am sales went up 70 percent after Smokey and the Bandit, and I was promised a free car every year for life by the Pontiac president. A few years later, the new Trans Am didn’t show up, and I was wondering what happened. So, just to make sure there wasn’t some kind of an accident with shipping or something or maybe it got stolen, I made a call and it turned out Pontiac had a new president. He got on the phone and told me: “That was the old president. He liked your movies. I’m the new one. I don’t like your movies!” C/D: You have reportedly said that filming 1983’s Stroker Ace was a turning point in your career. Was it a mistake? BR: It’s strange the way things get taken out of context. I love Stroker Ace. I love the whole team. Jim Nabors really stole the show, and Ned Beatty, well I’ve made more of my movies with Ned Beatty than anybody else. The mistake was not doing Terms of Endearment because I was scheduled to do Stroker. All I had to do was ask Hal to wait. That was a mistake. C/D: How do Gator McKlusky from White Lightning (1973) and Gator (1976) relate to Smokey’s Bo Darville? BR: Gator was a criminal and a felon, but he had a good heart—he’s probably a cousin to Bo. Bo was not a felon and definitely never wanted to hurt anybody—the final scene confirms that. He confesses to Buford T. Justice that he is right behind him. Gator McKlusky would not have done that. C/D: You’ve done a lot of car movies. Which is the best one? BR: Definitely Smokey—it was so much fun. With Smokey II we added Dom DeLuise into the mix. So that’s a very close second. The first Cannonball was really something, but the second one had so many cameos it really was not as much fun on set. I knew that whole thing had run its course at that point. C/D: In The Longest Yard, did you all have fun beating up that poor Citroën SM? BR: That was a great car. I hated to do that, but I had fun driving it. That opening scene is oftentimes overlooked, and I think it qualified Paul Crewe as a car guy. C/D: What would you have done differently? BR: Not a thing. Well maybe spend more money . . . but like I say at the end of my book: Nobody had more fun than me.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the 8-speed Hydramatic was first developed for the M135 (single rear tire) and M211 (dual rear tire) two and a half ton 6x6s. And after being tortured and proven at Aberdeen, it was then offered to the civilian market. (There were also M215 tipper and M221 tractor variants). I think the M5 (Stuart) and M24 (Chaffee) tanks had 4-speed Hydramatics.

CBS News / April 10, 2016 Amtrak has filed a federal lawsuit against a southwest Kansas feed yard, accusing it of gross negligence in relation to a train derailment that injured 28 passengers last month. In the suit filed Friday by Amtrak and BNSF, the plaintiffs allege Cimarron Crossing Feeders failed to notify the railroad or law enforcement after one of the company's trucks slammed into the railroad road bed and displaced the tracks by more than a foot. The train carrying 131 passengers and 14 crew was traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago when it derailed shortly after midnight along a straight stretch of tracks in flat farmland near Cimarron, a small community about 160 miles west of Wichita. Eight cars derailed and four of them ended up on their sides. The lawsuit claims the truck was being loaded with grain when Cimarron's employees left it unattended on March 13, out of gear and without any brakes applied. It rolled downhill, crossed over U.S. 50 and slammed into the tracks. Passenger Daniel Szczerba described the chaos for CBS affiliate KWCH. "All the lights went out, it was dark," Szczerba said. "People traveling in groups (of) four or five got thrown around the car as it turned over and lost people as they were trying to get out of the emergency exits." Shortly after midnight on March 14, an eastbound Amtrak train hit the damaged tracks and eight passenger cars derailed near Cimarron, about 20 miles west of Dodge City. A preliminary report released last week by the National Transportation Safety Board estimated damage from the derailment at $1.4 million. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Wichita, seeks an amount in excess of $75,000. It also requests a jury trial in Wichita.

Trucks.com.au / April 11, 2016 New vision system will allow crane operators to stay in the truck cab and work remotely Crane equipment manufacturer Hiab has announced a new vision system – the HiVision 3D control system – for mobile crane operators, allowing them to remain in the truck cab during loading and unloading. Premiering this week at the Bauma exhibition in Germany, the new solution combines four external cameras, a set of controls, and a virtual reality headset, Hiab vice president of technology and quality development Rafal Sornek says. "Based on the recent advancements in virtual reality goggles, cameras, and connectivity we have developed a system with cameras on top of the forestry crane, which enables you to see the working area and operate the crane remotely using VR goggles – the HiVision(TM) 3D control system, which is unique in the industry," Sornek says. With four cameras, located where the operator would be, providing a 240-degree view off the crane, the virtual reality googles provide a real-time video feed to the operator in the truck cabin. The googles also mean any movements of the head are reflected in the operator’s view. While removing the need for an operator to exit the truck cabin may save them from entering dangerous or uncomfortable climates, Sornek has bigger plans. "In the future the operator doesn't even have to be in the truck, but operates remotely from a distance, saving costs," he says. "I'm a strong believer that we rather soon will have driverless trucks on the roads, and it makes no sense to have crane operators sitting on these waiting passively to get to the site. "One person could even operate several trucks remotely." Autonomous and remote technology is a blossoming field for the transport and logistics sector, and JS Frakt AB’s Henrik Strömbäck who pre-tested the HiVision solution at Hiab's R&D facility in Hudiksvall, Sweden, says it has benefits. "The system exceeded my expectations," Strömbäck says. "For sure, it's very different compared to the traditional way. Still, there's no need to relearn the way you work. "You don't have to climb out in the cold - everything is close by and you can start loading immediately when you arrive at the working site. "You have a surprisingly wide field of vision." Sornek says the development stems from a desire "to be the safety forerunner in our industry, complying with regulations even before they become the actual law."

RSRT, owner-drivers become election battle Owner/Driver / April 11, 2016 Shorten comes to the defence of the RSRT as Turnbull joins Cash in seeking its abolishment Opposition leader Shorten has swung to the controversial body’s defence after days of relative silence on the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal (RSRT) issue. As the election looms, it looks almost certain the Coalition will continue to use anti-Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal (RSRT) to tar opposition leader Bill Shorten with having created it – an accusation made by crossbench Motoring Enthusiast senator Ricky Muir, as quoted on The Guardian Australia website. Prime minister Malcolm Turnbull gave extra weight at the weekend to the government’s political prosecution of the case that gained an extra populist edge with education minister Michaelia Cash urging affected sectors of the industry to take to Canberra streets in protest. "Now what we have seen is this RSRT, this tribunal established by the Labor Party, established by Bill Shorten, has produced an order which will drive owner-drivers out of business," Turnbull says. "It will make them uncompetitive with other larger businesses. "It is designed entirely and was designed entirely by Mr Shorten when he was in government to advantage the Transport Workers Union. "It was a piece of legislation that has had nothing to do with safety, everything to do with getting small businesses, self-employed people, the enterprising family businesses of Australia off the roads. Now they've made that order and we are seeking to get it revoked. "We’ll have to do that through legislation. As you know we’re bringing the Parliament back early to deal with the ABCC Bill and the Registered Organisations Bill and once they are dealt with we will seek to get a bill passed to ensure that that order is set aside until next year. "But, what we’re committing to today and this is the most important point, we will, if we are re-elected, abolish the RSRT. "It is not a tribunal that does anything effective to do with safety, it undermines owner operators, it undermines small business, it undermines family businesses. "Two reports have investigated it and each of them has recommended that it be abolished. "We’re going to carry that out, it will be abolished if the Turnbull Government is re-elected at the election this year." LAZARUS' LETTER Independent Senator Glenn Lazarus’ response comes in a letter to Turnball, calling on the federal government to provide "crisis and financial support" for owner-drivers impacted by the RSRO. "While I welcome your recent support for owner-drivers," Lazarus says in a letter, "I do not agree that the abolishment of the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal should be made a federal election issue." "Owner-drivers need a resolution now and should not have to wait months until an election outcome to have this serious issue resolved." Lazarus himself will introduce a Bill to remove both the RSRT and the RSRO during the week of April 18, the letter says. The Bill will broaden the powers of the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) to "develop solutions with all parties across the country to ensure equitable outcomes for all truckies, including owner-drivers." However, he has urged the Prime Minister to assist those affected in the meantime. "Many are already losing contracts, work opportunities, and future business," the senator says. "Trucks are sitting idle. Families are unable to bring in an income. Truckies are going broke and many are set to lose their livelihoods, trucks, homes, and families." Lazarus says he is also afraid that some may attempt to take their own lives. Lazarus lended his hand to the owner-driver cause in Queensland last month, attending and speaking at a Anti RSRT Freight Rate Convoy. SHORTEN BLASTS BACK Using terms common with the Transport Workers' Union's (TWU) backing for the tribunal and before its creation, Shorten returned fire - though he did hold out the possibility of a bipartisan approach. "We want to make sure that our roads are safe for truck drivers and indeed everyone else who uses Australia's roads," he says. "There's a clear correlation between low payment of drivers driving through the night, employee owner drivers and indeed poor safety. "The heavy transport industry has a fatality rate 12 times the national average. "The cost of heavy vehicle collision crashes and loss of life costs $2 billion a year. "It's been clearly proven in Government report after report, independent reports, there is a correlation; if you pay your truck drivers very poorly, some of them will be forced to take risks with their safety and the safety of all other Australians. "We call upon Mr Turnbull to work with the Labor Party in ensuring a fair deal for Australia's truck drivers and indeed Australia's road users." TWU'S SAY The TWU’s response was more pointed and looked to turn the 2016 PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) analysis, Review of the Road Safety Remuneration System Final Report, and the 2014 Jaguar Consulting Review of the Road Safety Remuneration System against the government’s position. "Malcolm Turnbull is defunding and abolishing independent judicial investigations into holding banks, oil companies, retailers, manufacturers and ports and wharves to account for unsafe, economic pressure on their transport supply chain," TWU national secretary Tony Sheldon says. "These are the same people who bankroll the Coalition’s Liberal National Party. "The prime minister’s own reports show that road transport has the ‘highest fatality rates of any industry in Australia’ with 12 times the average for all industries [PwC]. "His own reports show that this Tribunal will reduce truck crashes by 28% [Jaguar]. "Yet he is attacking the Tribunal – the one body which can provide a solution. "It is clear he is doing this because this Tribunal will hold the major companies which are his party’s donors to account for the low cost contracts they give out to transport operators." ALBANESE CALLS HYPORACY Opposition transport spokesman Anthony Albanese also looked to turn Coalition-linked reports back on the government, citing the 1999 Beyond the Midnight Oil: Managing Fatigue in Transport report of the Howard government to show that the issue has been around for many years. He also returned serve to Cash on calling for a protest convoy to Canberra. "You have a government basically provoking industrial action, in terms of ‘bring your trucks to Canberra’, ‘stop working, bring your trucks to Canberra for a political protest’ – at the same time, as that’s precisely the sort of activity they are saying should be ruled out by other working people," Albanese says. He also points to the lack of government interest in the RSRT over the past four years and its lack of a submission to the tribunal on the draft Contractor Driver Minimum Payments Road Safety Remuneration Order 2016.

March 15, 2016 The corporate board of Jiangling Motor Company (JMC) has given written approval of the J19 Heavy-Duty Truck Project Engineering Service Agreement for JMC Heavy-Duty Vehicle Company, the heavy truck joint venture of JMC and Ford Motor Company. According to the agreement, JMC will pay 24.4 million Euros (US$27.8 million) to Ford as an engineering service fee to produce the newly developed J19* heavy trucks in China. * J19 is the designation for the upcoming China market Ford Cargo Related reading - http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/38795-fords-china-heavy-truck-joint-venture-plans-take-off-in-2016/

The MetroWest Daily News / April 9, 2016 The auto manufacturing landscape throughout the 1920s was a wild scene of small upstarts all over the country with investors and entrepreneurs hoping they could be the next Henry Ford. For the years and decades that followed, mergers, economic recessions, the Great Depression and the changing tastes of the American driver sorted out the industry with cruel efficiency. One of those victims? Natick. From 1918 to 1925, on a sprawling 30-acre manufacturing campus on Speen Street (the Massachusetts National Guard owns the property now), the Northway truck company tried to make its mark. Despite the innovation and reputation of their heavy trucks, the company, like many others folded. But the company's existence is not just legend or sheets of yellowing paper. Thanks to a group of passionate historians and a local car aficionado, a long lost relic of Natick's auto manufacturing lore is home. The Owner: Joey Gagliardi, 50, Natick Occupation: Owner Natick Coach and Carriage, Middlesex Avenue The Truck: 1919 Northway When and where did you find this truck? Last November, Cary Holmes of the Morse Institute Library made contact with my friend Peter Golden. Peter spoke to me about this Northway truck being sold at an auction in Hudson. The bidding on the Northway was the main attraction and highest dollar amount (about double what the other antique trucks in the collection were selling for). After fees, I won the auction with a bid of about $28,000. What do you know about this truck's previous ownership? This was a truck that was resold used by the factory in Natick to Al Yurgan in 1924 in Ashland for $1,350. Then, in 1964 Paul Johnson saved this truck in a field with a tree growing through it in Hudson. Paul enlisted a group of his former Northway co-workers to restore this truck to its present day 1964 condition. Paul passed it on to his son Dave who eventually sold this heirloom to Bill Semple in 1991. Bill is a past president of the New England Antique Truck Association So what happened to the Northway company? Ralph Northway and some principles founded the company in 1918 and built the plant in Natick. After the war (World War I), orders all but stopped. The economy in 1921 really hit the auto industry hard. Many car companies did not survive. At the time, Lincoln closed. Ford shut down some plants and Northway did not see it coming. The trucks were among the best of the time, maybe too costly for the needs of the time. So back to this truck, do you know if it was used in Natick? I know it was always in the MetroWest area. The truck was most likely very busy. It had 12,600 miles on it for its short life span. We do have a photo of this truck believed to have been taken in the 1920s hauling a house down the middle of a street in Natick. Some of the options include the first lubrication systems, 4-cylinder overhead valves, a heated cab, headlights (those were actually a novelty in 1919), a starter motor and oil gauge. Joey, what is your personal history with cars and trucks? What are your first memories of cars and trucks? My grandfather and my father were both truck drivers. I grew up behind the wheels of trucks. I was a little boy playing with bulldozers, trucks, cars, etc. What does your current business do that keeps your automotive history going? I am watching the evolution of autos and trucks. From the way they drive to the way they crash to the comfort of a living room style interior to airplane type technology such as hybrid and electronic engines and drive-by-wire technology. It’s all going so fast, it’s nice to stop and look at how we started and have evolved. With the Northway truck, how does this fit into your automotive history? For 25 years, half of my life, I have been fixing cars in Natick Center. It was amazing to find out about a truck and auto manufacturer plant in the area almost 100 years ago, just a mile down the road. Its history is pretty grand – and the story – one that almost got away. I feel as though I have the duty to be the custodian, like the folks before me. What are the future plans for this truck? I want let people enjoy it and show the history. We plan to drive the truck in the Natick Fourth of July Parade and on April 14 at the Morse Institute Library, 14 East Central Street in Natick at 7 p.m., people can learn more about the truck and the Northway company. The program is the sixth installment of a series at the library on Natick's lost history. It's free and refreshments will be served. Photo gallery and video - http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/news/20160409/1919-northway-truck-made-and-saved-in-natick?rssfeed=true

News 7 Miami – Fort Lauderdale / April 8, 2016 Police continue to investigate one day after a City of Miami dump truck slammed into a taxi cab at an intersection, killing one woman and triggering a chain-reaction crash that injured 10 other people. According to police, the dump truck caused the crash when it plowed into vehicles standing at the intersection on Northwest Seventh Street and 17th Avenue in Miami, Friday, at around noon. "The driver of that city dump truck is the one that impacted that yellow taxi," said Miami Police Officer Kenia Fallat. Surveillance video from a local business captured video of the dump truck plowing into the Diamond Cab taxi cab and then into the numerous vehicles ahead of it, including a medical transport minibus and a scooter. Kevin Euceda, who was riding the scooter, said he was waiting for the light to change when the truck seemed to come out of nowhere. "Like an explosion. My scooter was under the tire of the big truck, so I went flying," he said. Investigators said a woman sitting in the back of the taxi cab was killed. She was later identified as 66-year-old Pamela Kay Plummer. Police shut down the intersection of Northwest 17th Avenue and Seventh Street at around 12:30 p.m. It reopened to traffic about eight hours later. Those injured were transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital, including Euceda, a 5-year-old boy and the taxi cab driver. Four of the victims sustained serious injuries. Crime scene investigators remained at the scene for hours. It wasn't until 6 p.m. that many of the vehicles involved were placed on tow trucks. The taxi cab was towed away with the woman's body still inside. Police are trying to determine what caused the deadly crash. "There are a lot of things that we need to consider," said Fallat. "We don't know what the driver was going through at that precise time. We don't know if there was a truck malfunction, if he was suffering a medical condition." The City of Miami released a statement, Friday afternoon, which stated, "The City of Miami deeply regrets the loss of life and injuries that occurred as the result of a multi-vehicle crash, which included a Public Works dump truck." On Saturday, city officials identified the driver of the dump truck as Larry Ellis. In a video statement, Miami City Manager David J. Alfonso said, "Our hearts go out to the family members of those people that have been injured. We wish that those people get well as soon as possible, and to the family of the deceased, we wish that there's comfort for them."

Tribunal protecting owner-operator trucks may be abolished Sunshine Coast Daily / April 10, 2016 The controversial tribunal that granted owner-operator truck drivers a pay rise will be abolished if Malcolm Turnbull's government is elected. The Prime Minister announced yesterday that if the Coalition government was returned it would abolish the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal. Late last year the RSRT announced a pay rise for owner-drivers - despite many of those drivers claiming it would make them uncompetitive with bigger companies. Mr Turnbull said the tribunal had failed to deliver and should be abolished. "There is no evidence that the Road Safety Remuneration System has achieved any safety outcomes in its four years of operation," he said. "The Government has acted on the evidence found in two reviews of the RSR System, which found that the rationale for the system is flawed." But Labor shadow workplace relations minister Brendan O'Connor backed the tribunal's ruling that better pay would reduce deadline pressure for drivers and improve road safety. "This decision is extraordinary and extremely dangerous given the body of evidence that links pay and safety on our roads," Mr O'Connor said. "The Turnbull Liberal Government has gone from seeking to delay the decision by legislation to now recklessly trying to kill off the tribunal, simply because Malcolm Turnbull doesn't like its decision. "Labor doesn't want to see people dying on our roads and the facts are that when truck drivers are overworked, safety for all road users is jeopardised." Mr Turnbull pointed to two independent reviews of the RSRT that called for the body to be disbanded. A PriceWaterhouseCoopers review found abolishing the tribunal would "result in significant net benefit to the economy and community at large". The Federal Court last week overturned a stay on the tribunal's ruling.

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

Iveco Trucks Press Release / April 8, 2016

Volvo Group Press Release / April 8, 2016

Volvo Group Press Release / April 6, 2016 Volvo Trucks North America recently delivered the 100,000th truck equipped with its groundbreaking I-Shift automated manual transmission (AMT). The landmark truck, a Volvo VNL 670 model, was presented to Watkins & Shepard Trucking during a brief reception at Transport Equipment, a Volvo Trucks dealer in Missoula, Montana. Originally introduced in Europe in 2001, the Volvo I-Shift has had a significant impact on the global truck market. To date, Volvo has sold more than 575,000 I-Shifts globally. In 2007, Volvo introduced the I-Shift in North America, becoming the first truck OEM to bring an integrated AMT to the market. Volvo made the I-Shift standard on all Volvo-powered models in 2013. In 2015, I-Shift penetration in North America reached a record 83 percent. “When we first introduced the I-Shift, many said that it would not be successful in this market,” said Göran Nyberg, president, Volvo Trucks North America. “Yet thanks to the significant efficiency, performance and productivity benefits the I-Shift delivers to our customers, we’re celebrating the delivery of the 100,000th I-Shift-equipped truck.” Driver Rick Candler was selected by Watkins & Shepard CEO Ray Kuntz and President Walt Ainsworth to receive the VNL 670 model, in part due to his nearly 28 years of service with the company. Several company leaders were on hand as the keys were presented to Candler, including Ainsworth and Dwayne Hill, maintenance manager. The truck was customized with Candler’s name on the driver’s door, a hand-painted decal recognizing its significance and a one-of-a-kind custom silver shifter. “We are honored to accept delivery of the 100,000th I-Shift-equipped truck,” Ainsworth said. “In addition to the efficiency and productivity gains we’ve seen, we’re also finding that the I-Shift makes it easier to hire, train and retain drivers.” Watkins & Shepard has been a pioneer in logistics planning, technology implementation and asset utilization since 1976, specializing in LTL freight management, distribution, consolidation and warehousing. The 12-speed I-Shift is a key component of Volvo’s integrated powertrain. Equipped with sensors to identify factors such as load, road grade and more, the I-Shift helps ensure the truck is in the right gear for the conditions. The I-Shift is also the enabling component of Volvo’s XE – eXceptional Efficiency – powertrain packages, which help improve fuel efficiency by lowering engine cruise rpm. This concept, called “downspeeding,” allows XE-package-equipped trucks to reduce engine rpm at cruising speeds by 200 rpm or more, providing drivers a fuel efficiency improvement of up to 3 percent. With no traditional clutch pedal to operate, the Volvo I-Shift helps improve driver attraction and retention by reducing fatigue during the work day. The I-Shift also contributes to safety, as drivers are able to maintain focus on the road ahead.

Volvo I-See is an imitation of Scania’s "Ecocruise" technology introduced in 2008, "Active Prediction" in 2011, and "Eco-roll in 2013". http://www.scania.com/global/trucks/main-components/transmissions/transmission-technology/scania-ecocruise/ https://www.scania.com/global/trucks/safety-driver-support/driver-support-systems/active-prediction/ http://www.scania.com/group/en/using-gravity-and-eco-roll-to-lower-fuel-use/

Volvo Group Press Release / April 7, 2016 In an effort to further increase productivity and fuel efficiency, Volvo Trucks North America developed Volvo I-See, a new feature that memorizes thousands of routes traveled and uses that knowledge to keep the truck in the best, most fuel-efficient gear possible. When cruise control is activated, Volvo I-See will record the topography of the route, storing up to 4,500 hills in its memory. The next time the vehicle travels that route, I-See will recognize it and work in tandem with the Volvo I-Shift automated manual transmission to choose the optimal gear. “Volvo I-See is another example of Volvo’s leadership in integration,” said Göran Nyberg, president of Volvo Trucks North America. “Because Volvo I-See memorizes the road gradient, Volvo I-Shift is prepared and automatically shifts to the best possible gear for the terrain. This would not be possible without integration, where all components seamlessly communicate with each other.” While in cruise, I-See’s built-in electronics constantly monitors factors such as road grade, speed, weight and engine load to help maintain the most efficient gear possible. Working with I-See, Volvo I-Shift will prepare for upcoming inclines by building speed, keeping the truck in a higher gear for better power and performance, while avoiding unnecessary downshifts, which can waste fuel. I-See is not dependent on constant GPS connections. Once a hill is recognized, it can pull from its memory to prepare for upcoming road variations. Volvo Eco-Roll disengages the driveline just before the start of the downhill gradient to let the truck roll for the optimum period to save energy. I-See then works to maintain the truck speed, managing the kinetic energy of the vehicle by gently engaging the engine brake to control speed. I-See recognizes when the slope is coming to an end so it allows the truck to maintain the vehicle momentum for the following hill. I-See uses the learned road topography with the integrated Volvo powertrain to provide the most efficient transport through rolling terrain. “I-See, Volvo Eco-Roll and the intelligent Volvo Engine Brake (VEB) work seamlessly together to minimize the need for braking, reducing driver fatigue and brake wear,” said Allison Athey, Volvo product marketing manager – transmissions. “The driver is more productive, and the vehicle is more efficient.”

Fleet Owner / April 8, 2016 Winery owner said trucks parked on Interstate were ‘unsightly’ A North Carolina Highway Patrol crackdown last year on truckers parked on ramps – resulting in more than 400 issued tickets – was prompted by a large political donor who complained to the governor about "unsightly" tractor-trailers parked along I-77. The donor and his brother own a winery that is 3.3 miles from exit 93 on I-77. They also own a hotel adjacent to the exit. The ticketing campaign was justified by flawed traffic crash and fatality data, errors which were uncovered by Bruce Siceloff a newspaper reporter for The News & Observer in Raleigh. (Among other news stories, Siceloff writes a blog titled Road Worrier every Tuesday.) He found that the data used by the Highway Patrol was off by a magnitude of more than four times. Although parked truckers were largely targeted by the ticketing blitz, they were involved in only 1 percent of interstate highway crash deaths in North Carolina from 2010 to 2014, according to DOT records. Moreover, alcohol-impaired, automobile drivers were responsible for the overwhelming majority of crashes involving trucks parked beside the interstate. Siceloff's interest in the parking crackdown was piqued last June when the Highway Patrol announced an emphasis on what he had thought was an obscure law against parking beside interstate highway ramps. He was surprised at the announcement, because if it had been a safety issue, he probably would have heard about it. "I thought that if it happens that much - and you occasionally hear about something like this happening - but if it happens that frequently, it seems like you’d hear more. I asked the Highway Patrol to give me some examples. I thought they would have far more examples at the tip of their tongue, but they didn’t have any." The reporter says that the Highway Patrol's response was vague so he asked what prompted the crackdown. "They said: 'Our colonel, the Highway Patrol commander, just noticed this as a problem when he goes around the state, and he thinks we need to do a better job of enforcing it.' It still sounded really vague and puzzling to me." Adds Siceloff: "And it didn’t have a specific mention of ramps, either, so I asked questions about that, and pretty soon, I heard from truckers. I asked them for information and the truck drivers let me know that this [parking] is a problem for them, and so I focused on their concerns." Then Siceloff got a tip that perhaps the crackdown was prompted by complaints from a particular business owner in Surry County. "He just thought it was a terrible kind of eyesore to see all of these truck parked on ramps, up and down Interstate 77." The complainant was Charlie Shelton, who, along with his brother Ed, own a popular winery that is a tourist attraction, says Siceloff. The brothers are large political donors to both parties including current Republican governor Pat McCrory. According to Siceloff, brother Charlie had met with Gov. McCrory in February or early March last year to press for action against truckers parking illegally to take naps on the shoulders of I-77 ramps. He emailed again his annoyance to the governor in March after which Highway Patrol officers began their ticketing campaign focusing at first on exits near the winery, according to public records. Charlie Shelton noted publicly and to the reporter that parked trucks on I-77 ramps in several counties were "unsightly." The Highway Patrol had supported the crackdown by citing statistics compiled by a DOT traffic operations engineer showing that crashes involving parked vehicles along interstates statewide were less than 1 percent but comprised nearly 20 percent of all fatalities on the interstates. When Siceloff pressed the Highway Patrol further about these figures he was told "we would have to look at every single crash report." That's exactly what Siceloff and his database editor did. "When we finally had a chance to do that, the working number was just much, much smaller than the one they had given us. And so I asked them to explain the discrepancy since perhaps both were correct as the result of different ways of creating a database. It was then that their sloppy database person discovered that he had made an error; he had counted each of the deaths about four times instead of just once," says Siceloff. Rather than double checking their figures before announcing the crackdown, the Highway Patrol went with the hastily put-together statistics, even telling the traffic engineer in an email "This is good information!" Says Siceloff: "They never looked at it twice. They said that they're [the Highway Patrol] data driven, that they scrutinize the data, but they didn’t scrutinize the data. They took it and ran with it." In response to the News & Observer stories uncovering the discrepancy, a Highway Patrol spokesperson wrote in an email published in the newspaper: "While we were surprised to discover the discrepancies in the data we were provided, we were reassured to learn that vehicles on the shoulder of the highway are not as deadly as we first thought. However, one death is too many and unacceptable.”

EU driverless truck project moves into fast lane after road trip The Financial Times / April 10, 2016 An experiment in which self-driving trucks crossed Europe has paved the way for adoption of the technology ahead of a crucial meeting of EU transport ministers this week. Six European truck companies — Volvo, Scania, Daimler, Iveco, DAF and MAN — took part in the project, in which they drove in connected convoys along motorways. The technique, known as “platooning”, is key for the future of the industry as it can save fuel and allow for more efficient use of the roads. The road trip, which ended last week in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, was the first time the technology had been tested on public roads. The trucks communicate with wireless technology, allowing them to brake and accelerate together. They can therefore drive much closer together, cutting down wind resistance and therefore fuel use. “The technology is clearly there,” said Erik Jonnaert, secretary-general of the ACEA, the European Motor Manufacturers’ Association. “Every manufacturer has proved that.” He said the focus was now on transport authorities to work together to provide regulations that will allow the convoys to cross borders and operate across the continent. “The regulatory barriers are still enormous . . . if you want to turn this project into something that has become mainstream,” he said. EU transport ministers are meeting this week in Amsterdam for a two-day conference on the future of transport and logistics. They will look at results of the truck platooning challenge as part of the programme. “The results of this first ever major tryout in Europe are promising,” said Melanie Schultz, the Dutch minister for Infrastructure and the Environment who spearheaded this initiative. “It will certainly help my colleagues and I discuss the adjustments needed to make self-driving transport a reality.” Driverless trucks are expected to be allowed on European roads by the end of the decade. The UK will trial these platoons later in the year with the Department for Transport expected to tender as soon as this month. Logistics companies could save €1.6bn annually in fuel costs from platooning, according to calculations from Dr Lori Tavasszy, professor of freight transport and logistics at the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. The technique could also have far-reaching consequences for the use of the road networks, as well as areas that handle large amounts of freight, such as port terminals. Companies that transport vast amounts of product, such as retailers and consumer goods groups, will also be likely to benefit. “The European Truck Platooning Challenge has been a huge success,” said Harrie Schippers of DAF Trucks, speaking on behalf of the Commercial Vehicle Board of ACEA. “It has fostered much-needed co-operation, facilitated cross-border driving and encouraged compatibility on legal and technical issues.” He added: “Harmonisation is now needed if we want a widescale introduction of platooning.”