kscarbel2

http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/index.php?/topic/41544-fitzgerald-adds-kenworth-icon-900-western-star-4900-to-glider-kit-offerings/?hl=fitzgerald http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/index.php?/topic/40862-house-amendment-would-exempt-glider-kits-from-epa-proposal/?hl=fitzgerald

Fabco front driving axle and transfer case. I assume Volvo cancelled legacy Mack transfer case production. (http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/index.php?/topic/40601-can-anyone-explain-difference-between-tc15-and-tc25-transfer-cases/)

Reuters / February 11, 2016 [Apparently conducted behind a veil of secrecy last year so as not to dampen Hillary Clinton’s election bid.......IOU's cashed in] U.S. State Department investigators last year issued a subpoena to the Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation seeking documents about projects run by the charity that may have required U.S. government approval when Hillary Clinton was secretary of state, the Washington Post reported on Thursday. A U.S. official said the matter was being investigated by the Inspector General, the State Department's internal watchdog. The subpoena issued in the fall also asked for records related to senior Clinton aide Huma Abedin, who for six months in 2012 simultaneously worked for several employers including the State Department, the foundation, and Clinton's personal office. The report follows a Reuters investigation last year that found the Clinton Foundation's flagship health project did not submit new or increased payments from at least seven foreign governments to the State Department for review, in breach of the ethics agreement Clinton signed with the incoming Obama administration in order to become secretary of state. Clinton has been criticized for using a private email account hosted on a private computer while secretary of state from 2009 to 2013, a matter the FBI is investigating.

I won't speak for every global truckmaker, but customers can still spec a Scania, item by item. And we make money. In the US market though, we all know there's a lot of truth to what you're saying, particularly in the light vehicle segment. Volvo is Sweden's "penny pincher" (e.g. they use Delphi fuel injection). I'm expecting Martin Lundstedt to change this.

Not a day goes by that you don’t hear that Russia is bombing civilians and making matters worse. Rather than giving them credit for knocking off bad guys, they get additional sanctions. Go figure. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Russia says U.S. planes bombed Syria's Aleppo on Wednesday Reuters / February 11, 2016 Russia's Defence Ministry said on Thursday that two U.S. aircraft had bombed the Syrian city of Aleppo on Feb. 10, and that Russian planes had not been operating in the area. A Pentagon spokesman had accused Russian and Syria government forces on Wednesday of destroying Aleppo's two main hospitals with air strikes, though he did not specify when the strikes were alleged to have taken place. The Syrian army has made rapid advances near Aleppo in recent weeks with the help of Russian air strikes. But Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in a statement that "only aviation of the anti-ISIS coalition flew over the city yesterday", referring to the U.S.-led alliance of countries fighting the Islamic State militant group. "At 1355 Moscow time, two U.S. Air Force A-10 attack aircraft entered Syrian airspace from Turkish territory. Reaching Aleppo by the most direct path, they made strikes against objects in the city." He said the Russian targets on that day had been at least 20 km (12 miles) from the city. When asked on Wednesday whether the U.S.-led coalition could do more to help rebels in Aleppo or improve access for humanitarian aid to the city, Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steve Warren said that the coalition's focus remained on fighting Islamic State, which was "virtually non-existent in that part of Syria". {and yet, A-10s were there}

Except we didn't have to go around our elbow to get to our arm in building a 4x4 plow chassis like Volvo just did, at the "Customer Adaptation Center" (translation into truck English.....the Mod Center). No, we built our custom-built RMs on the assembly line, just as Scania builds their all-wheel-drive spec'd chassis today. Go figure.

Heavy Duty Trucking / February 10, 2016 A custom Mack Granite snow plow model outfitted with all-wheel drive was built for Somerset Township, Penn., to deal with hilly terrain and windy roads in the area, Mack announced. The OEM is using it as example of how it can spec trucks to meet customer needs. Mack took a Mack Granite model originally built as a 4x2 and spec’d a factory-installed all-wheel drive system, 11-foot front snow plow and an aluminum body and salt spreader. The truck is powered by a Mack MP8 engine with 455 horsepower. Somerset Township is located just over an hour southeast of Pittsburgh and maintains 123 miles of roads that must be plowed after each snowstorm. The township required a truck that could deal with the hills, twists, and turns of its roads as well as the snow, limiting its options. Somerset’s local Mack dealer Legacy Truck Center worked with Somerset to take their desired specs and develop a solution through Mack’s Customer Adaptation Center, where it was assembled. Somerset took delivery of the truck in late 2015 and it is currently in service. “When we began the process of ordering a new truck, it quickly became clear that we wouldn’t be able to do what we had in the past,” said Randy Beistel, Somerset Township supervisor. “Mack stepped up to the plate. We worked closely with our local Mack dealer, Legacy Truck Center, and we built the truck we needed.” .

Dodge 2500 HD pickup gets new 4x4 option Fleet Owner / February 11, 2016 Will become available in the third quarter this yearDodge Truck is rolling out a new off-road package for its Ram 2500 HD pickup at the Chicago Auto Show this week: an optional beefed up 4x4 suspension for short- and long-wheelbase Ram 2500 crew cab and mega cab models, powered by either gasoline or diesel engines. Dodge added that the new Ram 2500 4x4 off-road package will be offered on all trim levels – including Tradesman, SLT, Big Horn/Lone Star, Outdoorsman, Laramie, Laramie Longhorn and Limited – and will become available in the third quarter this later. “Truck customers require a wide range of off-road capability options,” noted Bob Hegbloom, head of FCA's Dodge Truck division. “Anyone who spends most days on the outskirts of a job site or the weekend on the shore of a favorite fishing hole will benefit from the standard features on our new Ram 2500 4x4 off-road package.” Those features include: - Bilstein monotube shock absorbers to soak up the bumps at all four corners and distribute excessive heat that can be generated when driving rough sections for extended periods of time. - Firestone LT 275/70R 18E OWL on/off-road tires for added traction, with some models spec’d with Firestone LT 285/60R 20E OWL on/off-road tires. - Transfer case skid plate at the lowest mid-point of the truck to prevent underbody strike damage. - Hill-decent control, to help drivers control speed down steep grades using the buttons on the column shifter and without the need to use the throttle or brake pedals. - A rear anti-spin differential, which turns both rear wheels in tandem when increased torque is applied.

Automotive News / February 11, 2016 Dodge Trucks is updating back-country, heavy-duty offerings for 2017 with a freshened Power Wagon trim and expanded off-road packages across its three-quarter-ton pickup lineup. The new off-road packages will be available across the Ram 2500 lineup and include a number of options to improve the pickup’s performance in rough terrain, such as hill-descent control, which allows the driver to automatically and safely descend steep terrain without using the brake. The feature had been available only on the heavy-duty’s traditional off-roader, the Power Wagon. “We’ve had customers ask us for an off-road truck in our heavy-duty series, but we’re not going to limit it. We’re going to have it available with every single cab, with every single powertrain, in all the trims and with all the colors,” said Dodge brand head Bob Hegbloom. The off-road packages, available beginning in the third quarter, will feature all-terrain tires and larger fender flares, underbody protection devices, limited-slip differentials, improved shock absorbers and special badging. Pricing was not announced. Power Wagon The freshened Power Wagon features an updated grille that trades the current model’s chrome and crosshairs for a blacked-out version similar to that used on the Ram Rebel 1500. Also making the leap from the Rebel 1500 is badging that trades the traditional ram’s head logo for the brand’s name in bold block lettering on the grille and tailgate. New Power Wagon graphics on the rear quarter panels complete the look and evoke an image of the off-road pickup’s 1979 version. The Dodge Power Wagon was the first mass-produced 4x4 civilian pickup in 1945 and was a favorite workhorse for soldiers returning to the farm after World War II. It was reintroduced into the brand’s pickup lineup in 2005. For the 2017 model, designers freshened the exterior and interior of the Power Wagon, with a new hood featuring a large gloss-black graphic. For the first time, the Power Wagon will have an interior that is unavailable in other Dodge pickups. Inside the cabin, designers picked up cues from the Rebel, including embossing the pickup’s off-road tire pattern into the seat backs. The Power Wagon will offer an optional backup camera in its tailgate, along with a second optional camera high on the center-mounted stoplight that allows the driver to monitor the pickup’s bed from its 8.4-inch infotainment display. The Power Wagon retains its 410-hp 6.4-liter V-8 and eight-speed transmission, which delivers 429 pounds-feet of torque. The 2017 Power Wagon is rated at up to 1,510 pounds of payload, with towing capacity of up to 10,030 pounds. (A diesel-equipped Power Wagon remains unavailable) The Power Wagon will continue to be manufactured in Saltillo, Mexico, and the 2017 version is expected in U.S. dealerships in the fourth quarter. Photo gallery - http://www.autonews.com/article/20160211/OEM04/160209825

Fleet Owner / August 1, 1998 At the end of the 1980s, the EPA announced fairly stringent emissions standards for heavy-duty diesel engines and essentially told engine makers that they would have to invent the technology that would allow them to meet those standards. Manufacturers responded with electronic engine controls that have not only satisfied the requirements, but have also delivered major improvements in engine performance, durability, and fuel economy. Now, prodded by a number of environmental watchdog groups, the EPA is saying that the technology is too good, that it sidesteps federal emissions requirements, and that manufacturers are violating the law even though all of their engines have been certified by the agency. What's happened is that the EPA designed a certification test cycle that mimics stop-and-go conditions. That's where emissions are highest for mechanically controlled engines, and the EPA assumed that emissions for more fuel-efficient operating states such as steady highway speeds would be similar, if not better. In essence, the EPA told engine makers to develop new technology to meet the law, but wrote enforcement procedures based on old technology. The electronic controls are far more sophisticated than the EPA anticipated. They can control combustion for low emissions during the types of conditions they experience under the test cycle, and then move to more fuel-efficient timing under more typical over-the-road conditions. It seemed like everyone won - the government was satisfied because the engines passed its tests, and engine users were happy because they were getting better fuel economy. The problem is that the engines produce substantially higher emissions when they're operating in that more fuel-efficient mode. The discrepancy was common knowledge, but EPA chose to ignore the issue until political pressure was applied earlier this year. http://fleetowner.com/mag/fleet_new_tech_old http://articles.mcall.com/2002-05-15/news/3407299_1_engine-manufacturers-detroit-diesel-mack-trucks

E-Tech was launched in 1998 (after the EPA's stunt), and Volvo took over in 2000. Volvo wanted Mack's Hagerstown engine plant......to produce Volvo engines. Thus, the days of the Mack engine were numbered from 2000 as they set a schedule for incorporating Volvo global components into the Mack truck for economy-of-scale.

The list below is a compilation of all the factory branches in the history of Mack Trucks (I need to grab my 1980s directory to add a few). The largest of the branches were operated into the 1980s and 1990s, and you know many of them.......Allentown, Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas, Maspeth (Queens), Chicago, ect. I had long been told that the IRS changed tax rules in the 1980s which made their ownership considerably more expensive.

That's right, installing electronic unit pump (EUP) injection on the E7 occurred because the U.S. government abruptly closed long time emissions loopholes. In October 1998, a court settlement was reached between the EPA, Department of Justice, California Air Resources Board and engine manufacturers over the issue of high NOx emissions from heavy-duty diesel engines under certain driving conditions. I hope to impress on everyone how massive and irresponsible in scope this politically-driven EPA scam was. (President Bill Clinton was behind it). Since the early 1990’s, the manufacturers utilized engine control software that allowed engines to switch to a more fuel efficient, but higher NOx output, driving mode at highway cruising speeds. The EPA considered this engine control strategy an illegal “emissions defeating device” The court settlement resulted in a consent decree that dictated: 1. Civil penalties for engine manufacturers and requirements to allocate funds for pollution research 2. Upgrading existing engines to lower NOx emissions 3. Supplemental Emission Test (steady-state) with a limit equal to the FTP standard and NTE limits of 1.25 × FTP (with the exception of Navistar) 4. Meeting the 2004 emission standards by October 2002, 15 months ahead of time Mack officials at the time said the EPA had long been aware of how its injection timing control system worked and never complained. Terrence Grube, Mack's executive vice president and general counsel, said: 'If the agency {EPA} would like to change emissions standards or testing procedures in the future, we'd be happy to help in that process, but we refuse to sit still in the face of assertions that we have ever violated the law!' So confident was Mack Trucks that it was acting legally that it cut off talks with the EPA. Mack has installed the controls on 62,000 engines during the 1994 through 1998 model years, accounting for about 60 percent of its production, said spokesman John Mies. 'Throughout this period, these Mack engines have passed the only test for emissions [that the] EPA requires for such engines,' Mack's suit said (http://www.autonews.com/article/19980622/ANA/806220764/epa-says-mack-engines-pass-tests-but-pollute;-truckmaker-sues). As a result, CAT, Cummins, Detroit, Mack, Navistar, Renault and Volvo had to pay over one billion dollars in fines. (https://www.dieselnet.com/news/1998/10epa.php) Though I generally like Robert Bosch, I never liked their unit pump injection. Having said that, their common rail injection represents near perfection in fuel injection. Rather then depend o Bosch, Scania and Cummins began cooperating in 1992 on the development of high-pressure injection systems, forming the Cummins-Scania High Pressure Injection LLC joint venture in Columbus, Indiana in 1999. Cummins launched the first system, electronically controlled HPI (high pressure injection) on the Cummins Signature 600, and Scania followed with HPI-equipped Euro-3 engines for the 2001 model year. In 2005, Cummins and Scania formed their Cummins-Scania XPI Manufacturing joint venture to produce XPI (extra-high pressure injection), the truck industry's leading common rail system. As I've said before, some customers operating E7 E-Tech engines encountered issues, but certainly not all. Some camshaft problems, due to an H-ring caused lifter misalignment condition*, were an unacceptable inconvenience to the customer. The E-Tech was popular with many customers. In fact, the E7-460XT made quite a name for itself. The E-Tech EUP (Electronic Unit Pump) version of the Mack E7 engine featured Bosch's widely used PLD electronically-controlled high pressure (up to 1800 Bar) unit injector pumps.

Ford's Mexico expansion plans amount to a nice gift for Trump Automotive News / November 9, 2016 So as it turns out, Donald Trump was right about Ford Motor Co. Sort of. Last year, Trump criticized Ford for starting to build a new assembly plant in Mexico to take production away from the U.S. It hadn’t. He threatened to put a 35 percent tax on all the vehicles Ford would import from Mexico. He can’t. He also said Ford was closing plants “all over Michigan” to go to Mexico. It wasn’t. Then he said he persuaded Ford to reverse those plans. He didn’t. But now, news has leaked out that Ford is, in fact, planning to build a big, new assembly plant south of the border. It’s also expected to expand a plant that’s already there. Together, the projects will more than double Ford’s production capacity in Mexico. Within a few years, Mexico could account for more than 30 percent of Ford’s North American vehicle production, up from 14 percent last year. Thus, Trump’s criticism of Ford was based on information that he made up but later became true. I have to think that someone who can predict the future would make a very good president. Of course, he also picked Carolina to win the Super Bowl and forgot to walk on stage when his name was called at the New Hampshire debate, so maybe he just got lucky this time. Ford hasn’t confirmed it’s building a new plant in Mexico, but word is that an announcement should come by the end of March. You know, right in the heart of primary season, when the candidates are eager to latch onto any issue they think can win votes. Announcing a big expansion in Mexico would be a huge, perfectly timed gift to Trump after Ford spent the past few months trying to tell everyone that Trump’s criticism was off base. “It’s a shame that the facts get lost in the politics,” Ford CEO Mark Fields told Automotive News in December when asked about Trump’s badgering of the automaker. “Our approach is always to just say here are the facts. And the facts are since 2011 we’ve invested over $10 billion [in the U.S.]. We’ve created over 25,000 jobs. We do our part, and we take it very seriously, to support economic development here in the U.S. We’ll continue to just lay the facts out when sometimes they’re obscured.” In addition to Trump, the UAW is upset about Ford’s Mexico expansion. Just last week, UAW President Dennis Williams took aim at Ford and General Motors for ramping up output south of the border instead of at unionized plants in the U.S., while their profits pile up. GM is investing $5 billion to double its capacity in Mexico, too. “The fact of the matter is companies continue to run to lower-wage countries to get larger margins on vehicles,” Williams said. “How much profit do you really need to make?” The UAW opened the door to exactly this result during contract negotiations last fall. Workers were focused on getting their first raises in a decade and eliminating the two-tier pay system that divided factory floors, so to achieve those gains they allowed Ford, GM and Fiat Chrysler to go outside the U.S. for more of their production. Take the Fusion, Ford’s top-selling sedan. In 2011, the UAW got Ford to commit to building a portion of its Fusions in Michigan, in addition to Mexico. But last year, the union agreed to let Ford consolidate Fusion production in Mexico again. Ford agreed to invest $9 billion in the U.S. to create or retain 8,500 jobs over the next four years -- down from $16 billion and 12,000 jobs promised in the 2011 contract. (It ended up exceeding both of the 2011 figures.) Without a compelling reason to expand in the U.S. now, Ford is choosing Mexico instead. UAW members can certainly be mad about that, but they also need to look at their higher paychecks and the contract they ratified less than three months ago. Meanwhile, Ford can expect another round of election-year attacks from Trump -- and possibly other candidates -- after its plans in Mexico become fully public. And this time, he wouldn’t even have to make up the facts.

Automotive News / February 9, 2016 General Motors will increase production of the Chevrolet Colorado midsize pickup, which has been in tight supply since its debut 18 months ago, a company executive said today. Work is being done at GM’s Wentzville, Mo., plant -- where the Colorado and it sibling, the GMC Canyon are assembled -- to add “hard tooling capacity on the line,” said Sandor Piszar, Chevy’s director of truck marketing. “We will have additional production capacity at Wentzville” to support the fast-selling trucks, Piszar told reporters at a GM event today. Darin Copeland, a GM spokesman at the Wentzville plant, said work is being done to “increase the line speed to make more trucks for our customers down the road.” He said that process should be completed sometime in coming weeks. “Small production increases daily can mean bigger numbers over the course of a year,” he said. GM wouldn’t quantify the increase in production. Sales of the Colorado and Canyon have exceeded GM’s initial estimates. The trucks sold 114,507 units combined last year, vs. forecasts from four outside research firms that had ranged from 73,000 to 99,000. The St. Louis-area plant, which has about 3,700 workers, has been running three shifts a day plus weekend overtime to squeeze out more pickups and commercial vans (the factory also produces the Chevy Express and GMC Savana full-size cargo vans). Production of the pickups began in the summer of 2014. In November, a GM memo circulated to plant workers said that GM is considering a partnership with Indiana-based contract manufacturer AM General to take on some van production, which would create capacity for more Colorados and Canyons. Spokespersons for both companies declined to comment. The supply crunch has eased in recent months. Chevrolet dealers had a 58-day supply of Colorados as of Feb. 1. That’s still relatively tight given the various cab types and bed sizes offered, but down from 20 days on June 1. There was a 90-day supply of Canyons.

A act intended to stir up hatred has no place at America's Super Bowl. Her performance was obviously planned and practiced, prior to the game. The larger question is, which entities gave their approval for this performance so intensely geared at dividing America?

Sergio certainly needs the money. But buying Iveco would hold no benefit. There's a total overlap in products, and they already compete in the same markets. I know a number of Iveco engineers. The truckmaker is a labor of love for the Italians. Today, they build a very impressive lorry.

I believe the EPA can't do more than give Navistar a slap on the wrist, because Ustian obediently volunteered his company to run with the EPA's MEGR technology. Had it worked, they would have succeeded with the EPA having paid much of the development costs (actually John Q. Taxpayer). The EPA has a long history of funding technological development, at the taxpayer's expense, and coming up with few results. The EPA's years of funding EGR development, for example, was a waste of money (http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/index.php?/topic/40932-epa-accuses-navistar-of-clean-air-act-violations-with-big-diesels/?hl=megr#entry296787). Has their funding made the American truck engine makers stronger.......no. We only have one left, Cummins, and they're behind the curve. Cummins appears quite busy at being politically correct, rather than on designing the world's best truck engines. It's just a matter of time............. http://social.cummins.com/celebrating-womens-history-month-positively-impacting-community/ http://social.cummins.com/celebrating-womens-history-month-fostering-inclusive-workplace-nursing-mothers/ http://social.cummins.com/celebrating-womens-history-month-effects-inclusive-work-environment/ http://social.cummins.com/celebrating-womens-history-month-maintaining-diversity-workplace/ http://social.cummins.com/celebrating-womens-history-month-fostering-acceptance-workplace/ http://social.cummins.com/celebrating-womens-history-month-valuing-inclusive-work-environment/ http://social.cummins.com/celebrating-womens-history-month-feeling-pride-inclusive-work-environment/ http://social.cummins.com/celebrating-womens-history-month-embracing-diverse-perspectives/ http://social.cummins.com/celebrating-womens-history-month-diverse-workplace/ http://social.cummins.com/celebrating-womens-history-month-commitment-core-values/ http://social.cummins.com/cummins-named-breastfeeding-friendly-workplace/ http://social.cummins.com/celebrating-black-history-month-importance-inclusive-workplace/ http://social.cummins.com/celebrating-black-history-month-fostering-acceptance-global-markets/ http://social.cummins.com/celebrating-black-history-month/ http://social.cummins.com/celebrating-black-history-month-working-inclusive-environment/ http://social.cummins.com/womens-conference-empowers-female-leaders-connect-inspire/ http://social.cummins.com/cummins-supports-united-nations-womens-empowerment-principles/

New York Daily News / February 8, 2015 Beyonce’s “Black Power” salute during the Super Bowl halftime show divided people with some praising her stance and others, like former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, slamming her. "I think it was outrageous," Giuliani said. "The halftime show I thought was ridiculous anyway. I don't know what the heck it was. A bunch of people bouncing around and all strange things. It was terrible." "This is football, not Hollywood, and I thought it was really outrageous that she used it as a platform to attack police officers who are the people who protect her and protect us, and keep us alive," he said. "And what we should be doing in the African-American community, and all communities, is build up respect for police officers. And focus on the fact that when something does go wrong, okay. We'll work on that. But the vast majority of police officers risk their lives to keep us safe." Kamron Huber commented, “Still asking myself why is it okay for the halftime show dancers to be dressed up as black panthers. I’m not racist but really? Cmon.” The performance that stirred everyone was of her latest song, "Formation." Fist in air, the bandolier-wrapped Beyonce gave the Black Power symbol in front of a corps of dancers all donning black berets, another symbol of the militant political movement that formed 50 years ago this October. It’s the same gesture, fist high and proud, that Olympic athletes raised in the 1968 games, setting off a firestorm of controversy. With just the football field and her dancers, she couldn’t have the dramatic scenes from the video, but she and her dancers spelled out X, apparently referencing to Malcolm X. Wearing all black and evoking the Black Power gesture, Beyonce and dancers riled up the crowd just 42 miles south from where Huey Newton, Bobby Seale and others started the Black Panthers. Beyoncés dancers in black berets paying homage to the Black Panthers 50 years. One dancer held a sign that read: “Justice 4 Mario Woods.” San Francisco police killed Mario Woods on December 2 after he slashed a stranger with a knife and refused police instructions to surrender. The video “Formation” opens with Beyonce sitting on top of a police car in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina as the flood waters rise. And the haunting video ends with Beyonce going underwater as the police car sinks. There’s no mistaking her anger as she gives the finger during part of the video. The release of the video Saturday heightened expectations that Beyonce would make a political statement at the halftime show. On Friday, her husband, Jay Z, pledged $1.5 million to the Black Lives Matter movement. Related reading - http://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/feb/08/beyonce-black-panthers-homage-black-lives-matter-super-bowl-50

After the scandal was at first publicly announced last September, VW set aside $8 billion. More recently, with all banks having cold feet toward them, VW had to approach no less than 13 banks to get a US$21.3 billion (Euro 20 billion) line of credit. US$28 billion is far less than they're going to need. Who would buy Scania? In Sweden, Investor AB and/or the Wallenberg family. Outside Sweden, a Chinese truckmaker, or possibly Navistar led by a gutsy Icahn. Icahn, if he wants to, can easily raise the cash. "Davids" do acquire "Goliaths" from time to time......it's all a matter of having the right supporters. Scania would rather be owned by Americans than the Chinese. And, it would allow Scania to become global, participating once more in the only market they're not currently in today. Scania designs and produces the best drivetrains in the world. Navistar would benefit tremendously from Scania's advanced R&D expertise, particularly at a time when Navistar has lost so much R&D talent.

Renschler declined to comment on specific plans or targets. “We’re keeping all options open on our way to becoming a global champion.” Translation: VW is sweating bullets over how they're going to pay US$45 to 90 billion to cover the diesel emissions scandal, and Scania is the only brand of meaningful value that anyone would buy in today's economic situation. Though it will kill Renschler to see his one profitable truck unit sold off, VW has few options.

Bloomberg / February 8, 2016 Volkswagen AG’s heavy-truck division is exploring options for growth that could include acquisitions and an initial public offering as it seeks to reap the benefits of more independence within its rapidly reorganizing parent company. Trucks chief Andreas Renschler said in an interview that the U.S., the only major market where the unit has no significant presence, and China are among key regions for possible expansion. The strategy would challenge global industry leaders Daimler AG and Volvo AB as well as smaller rivals in emerging markets. Truck models are dramatically different in individual regions, so expansion in the U.S. would probably involve an acquisition. Renschler declined to comment on specific plans or targets. “We’re keeping all options open on our way to becoming a global champion,” Renschler said in the interview in Munich. “We want to be industry leaders in terms of profitability, customer-oriented innovations and global presence, not necessarily in terms of sales volume.” Unlike most of its passenger-car siblings, Volkswagen’s trucks unit isn’t dealing directly with fallout from the diesel-emissions scandal. Still, the crisis besetting the parent company triggered a management revamp and accelerated a push kick-started a year ago to give the automaker’s 12 brands more leeway to make their own choices, handing Renschler, who previously held the same post at Daimler, more room to maneuver. Empire Building “Shareholders would certainly welcome an IPO of VW’s trucks business as the company would start lifting value after decades of empire building” and address investor skepticism regarding conglomerates comprising passenger cars and commercial vehicles, Arndt Ellinghorst, a London-based analyst with Evercore ISI, said in a note. He estimates the combined value of VW’s truck assets at about 20 billion euros ($22.3 billion). The shares fell 2.3 percent to 100.75 euros at 11:04 a.m. in Frankfurt. The company has lost almost 22 billion euros in market value since emissions cheating at its passenger-car units became public on Sept. 18. North America remains the largest undeveloped territory for the truck holding Volkswagen formed last May to better coordinate MAN, Scania AB and its namesake VW truck and bus brand. By contrast, both Daimler and Volvo enjoy large North American market shares with the Freightliner and Mack nameplates. Still, sales in that market are entering a lull because many trucks on the road were recently replaced. Volvo has revised its outlook and predicted Friday that truck industry deliveries in North America will shrink 7 percent this year. That means belt-tightening for some competitors. Good Fit “In the long-term, the North American market is of course interesting for us, but it has to be a good fit for us as well as for a possible partner,” Renschler said. He declined to comment on whether Volkswagen would be interested in buying Paccar Inc. or Navistar International Corp., the truckmaker partially owned by billionaire Carl Icahn. In China, the world’s biggest market for heavy trucks, the likelihood of a flat market this year hasn’t deterred Volkswagen from growth plans. “We’re pursuing a dual-track strategy in China,” Renschler said. Volkswagen is seeking to expand with partner Sinotruk Hong Kong Ltd. in the mass-market segment as well as boosting the higher-end business of selling its own MAN and Scania vehicles. Volkswagen is also in talks about joint projects with other peers, including the commercial truck unit of China’s FAW Group. The negotiations with FAW are separate from expansion discussions for a car joint venture the two companies also operate. Intensifying Cooperation Renschler took over a few months before the truck holding was created. Hiring one of the industry’s most high-profile executives from a rival underscores the sense of urgency at Volkswagen about finally reaping financial benefits from the multi-billion-euro takeovers of MAN and Scania. That means intensifying cooperation between MAN, where a downturn in South America has eaten away at profits and a restructuring program is under way, and the smaller, higher-margin Swedish Scania unit, which has been more resilient to swings in the cyclical truck industry. MAN is cutting about 1,400 administrative jobs and 400 production jobs to lower costs as part of a revamp program to be completed next year. The program also includes a substantial expansion in digital services for truck drivers and logistics operators. Cooperation will focus on joint procurement, research, business development, finance and personnel. Volkswagen’s factory in Salzgitter, Germany, will produce non-driving axles for both brands, and the two independent assembly facilities in Russia will be combined, according to Renschler. Efficient Alliance Forging an efficient alliance will play out principally in western Europe, where Scania and MAN have a combined market share of about 30 percent. Cooperation had been hampered in the past by memories of MAN’s ill-fated 2006 attempt at a hostile takeover of Scania. Volkswagen opposed the attack, then took control of both companies, buying out Scania’s minority shareholders in 2014. Overcoming cultural differences and ensuring collaboration will be crucial for the strategy to pay off. They’ll also need to weather some gloom, with Renschler predicting that Brazil, a key South American market, won’t turn around before 2018. “You don’t change corporate culture by sitting down and holding each other’s hands,” Renschler said. “You need to get people to really work together to achieve common results.”

Roadway had a few Macks, but never a lot. Only the last few were Mack powered. Some big Mack fleets were, to name just a few in addition to Overnite, Air Products, APA, A & P, BFI, Burns Motor Freight, Carolina Freight Carriers, Chemical Leaman, Hennis, Mason Dixon, Matlack, Mushroom, National, Penske, Ryder, Smith's Transfer, Southeastern, Waste Management, UPS and USPS.

It sounds like you've blamed everything and everyone, leaving no stone unturned. However, the truth is bit different. As for Renault, they were no more a "wolf" than the Signal Companies. Rather, they were supportive of a successful Mack Trucks. Renault respected Mack's R&D capability as world leading. As Mack President Al Pelletier said in March 1979 during his announcement that Renault would purchase a minority stake in Mack, "In the long run, we will need a partner to compete with all the giants of the industry. We looked for a partner and we found one in Renault." And Al Pelletier’s successor John Curcio accurately said of Renault, "They came to the party in 1983 when nobody else loved us." I have nothing but respect for Renault (i.e. RVI - Renault Vehicules Industriels, the truck unit of Renault). And, I have the utmost respect for Elios Pascual. He genuinely cared about Mack Trucks, as anyone at Mack World Headquarters during his tenure will tell you. In the big picture, the UAW weakened Mack in the 1980s. I'm not speaking of Local 677, but rather the international in Detroit. As I've stated before, Jack Curcio realized the threat presented by the foreign truckmakers in the United States, and was trying to reshape Mack Trucks in the face of changing times, enhancing efficiency and profitability to ensure Mack’s long-term survival. But the union didn’t heed his warnings of the dark clouds ahead, and chose to proceed with business as usual (when the Big 3 were on the verge of collapse, threatening the UAW’s existence, it amazingly became very cooperative).

French politics. Remember, Renault had long been a state-owned enterprise (company). Even today, France owns 20 percent of Renault (the car unit partnered with Nissan), and enjoys roping in CEO Carlos Ghosn to remind him that France's interests matter. In order for the French government to approve the truck deal, Renault had to keep some of its autonomy. In America however, the government handed over America's most iconic truckmaker to a foreign aggressor with only one concern......refuse trucks (and I imagine you know why).