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Kenworth T680 and T880 Now Mainstays at Chillicothe Plant Undergoing Expansion Transport Topics / May 19, 2016 Kenworth Truck Co.’s two latest models, the T680 and T880, launched in 2012 and 2013, respectively, now account for 90% of production at its manufacturing plant here, replacing earlier legacy models, said Kurt Swihart, director of marketing at Kenworth Truck Co. At the same time, the plant has begun a $17-million addition of a parts management system and automated storage facility, the company said. The new system will increase the plant’s efficiency by using technology to achieve rapid storage of painted parts, and faster delivery of those parts when needed on the assembly line, Kenworth said. The new storage facility is being constructed atop the plant, which continues to operate and build trucks during day and night shifts. Swihart spoke to reporters during a ride-and-drive event that included the latest configurations of the trucks and components, including a T880 40-inch sleeper tractor, a T680 52-inch mid-roof sleeper tractor that weighed about 14,200 with a partially filled fuel tank, the Allison 4700RDS seven-speed automatic transmission used in a T880 day cab with cement mixer body, as well as Paccar Inc.’s 10.8-liter MX-11 and 12.9-liter MX-13 engines. Swihart said Paccar, the parent company of Kenworth as well as Peterbilt Motors Co., believes U.S. and Canadian retail sales this year will range from 220,000 to 250,000. That compares with 280,000 in 2015. He said the year-end total could reach the “third-highest in the last 10 years.” He cited several encouraging trends, including: a rise in tonnage, gains in the ISM index of supply chain activity, housing and construction starts “doing well”, 5% unemployment and crude oil climbing back up toward $50 a barrel. Swihart said, “2016 is going to be a very good year for Kenworth.”

FedEx Founder Fred Smith Believes Twin 33s Will Win Approval Transport Topics / May 19, 2016 Fred Smith, founder and chairman of FedEx Corp., said he believes nationwide use of 33-foot twin trailers can gain approval during the next presidential administration. “We don’t think there is any chance 33-foot trailers will be approved until there is a new administration, but we think it will eventually because they are safer, more environmentally friendly and they save tremendous amounts of fuel,” Smith said. Smith made the comments during a media roundtable here May 19 just before the release of an updated report from the Securing America’s Future Energy group, of which he is co-chairman. The 170-page document outlined a series of environmental and technological steps the United States should take to further reduce its dependence on oil. Gaining approval of twin 33s was one goal stated in the heavy-truck section of the report. For a portion of 2015, it appeared twin 33s would gain federal approval. However, the provision ultimately was left out of the final version of a large fiscal 2016 spending bill. “We think this was a huge missed opportunity and, as in most things in Washington, it is very easy to stop something and very hard to get something done,” Smith said. Explaining his position during the media briefing, he said the entire parcel delivery and less-than-truckload sectors, “without exception,” wanted to move to 33-footers and that FedEx already runs them in Florida and a few other areas. “Adoption of the 33-foot standard would have saved 130 million gallons of diesel fuel a year, reduced emissions by thousands of tons of carbon every year and reduced the number of accidents on the road by a tremendous amount,” Smith said. He added that they are “more stable” than the 28-footers. “The drivers like them better because they don’t drift in the wind when they are empty.” Smith also had harsh criticism for advocacy groups that lobbied against them. “The ‘safety advocates,’ not one of whom operates a truck or knows what it is like to get that call at 5 a.m. when there has been an accident, somehow felt 33-footers were ‘unsafe, ’ ” he said. Smith made his comments just days after FedEx Freight CEO Michael Ducker participated in a May 16 kickoff event for Infrastructure Week event and called on Congress to authorize the use of twin 33-foot trailers as a “creative solution” to help the nation’s declining condition of roads and bridges.

Mack Trucks to Demonstrate Practicality of Zero-Emissions Drayage Trucks Transport Topics / May 19, 2016 Mack Trucks announced that it will demonstrate two zero-emission capable Class 8 drayage trucks as part of a California-based heavy truck development project designed to help reduce air pollution at freight-intensive locations throughout the state. The South Coast Air Quality Management District, which will lead the project, will receive funding through a $23.6 million grant from the state of California. Mack said its efforts will build upon its experiences in designing and demonstrating a plug-in hybrid electric drayage truck based on a Mack Pinnacle day cab model. The Mack drayage truck was built as part of an earlier SCAQMD-sponsored project and is capable of zero-emission operation using a Mack MP7 diesel engine with a parallel hybrid system and lithium-ion battery pack, according to the company. Additional lightweight and aerodynamic-enhancing components were also included to extend the benefits of the hybrid technology and maximize zero-emission range, according to the company. Plus, the trucks use geo-fencing capabilities similar to those enabled by Mack’s GuardDog Connect telematics platform to switch between zero-emission and hybrid operating modes, the company said. Geo-fencing establishes a virtual perimeter as determined by GPS coordinates. The onboard hardware can then identify each time the truck passes through the perimeter. Mack said when inside the zero-emission geo-fence — which includes locations with the heaviest freight traffic, such as a port — the truck operates in pure electric mode, according to Mack. When outside the zero-emission geo-fence — such as on the way to a rail yard or distribution center — the diesel engine is enabled, allowing for hybrid operation and recharging of the batteries. The drayage truck is undergoing evaluation and testing in a drayage fleet at the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, according to Mack. Volvo Group "Mack brand" press release - http://www.volvogroup.com/group/global/en-gb/_layouts/CWP.Internet.VolvoCom/NewsItem.aspx?News.ItemId=151886&News.Language=en-gb

Heavy Duty Trucking / May 18, 2016 The American Petroleum Institute is introducing a special Service Symbol Donut designed to help buyers differentiate between the new API FA-4 and CK-4 service categories for diesel-engine oils. The new donut features a shaded section to differentiate API FA-4 oil from CK-4 oil. The API CK-4 Service Symbol Donut will look the same as the current CJ-4 Donut. API approved the new FA-4 and CK-4 diesel oil standards earlier this year, which are designed to protect the next generation of diesel engines. “API is introducing a diesel engine oil category for use in truck engines designed to meet 2017 model year on-highway greenhouse gas emission standards,” said Kevin Ferrick, senior manager for engine oil licensing. “The FA-4 donut was developed to help truck owners who need FA-4 oils easily recognize the oil and distinguish it from CK-4 oils.” Manufacturers recommending CJ-4 engine oils will most likely recommend API CK-4 oils as soon as they are available to better protect current diesel engines, according to API. API FA-4 oils will be formulated to protect diesel engines that are expected to be introduced in 2017. API recommends that technicians and truck owners check with the manufacturer of their engine to determine the correct oil to use. For more information from API on the new diesel engine oil standards, go to NewDieselOil.com. .

Big business runs the world (today's Rockefellers / aristocracy). Governments are the servants of big business. An example that came up this week in a meeting: Who decides the used car values in the Blue Book? (they're actually yellow) Do you really think the values are decided based on market data, and not by the carmaking heads whose profit model is based on repeat business). Not. Both the car AND commercial truck industries, not unlike your cellular and internet service providers, are examples of "price fixing" on a massive scale. And your government is "hands off".......as instructed.

You're right Paul. But you need to drive on the left side of the road to really appreciate it. South Africa and NZ, with their spectacular scenery, are great RHD countries to motor in.

Autoblog / May 19, 2016 A new House bill proposes decreasing the ethanol fuel-blend mandate. Some US lawmakers want to lower the minimum amount of ethanol that is required to be blended into the domestic gasoline supply. The irony is that some ethanol advocates have a problem with the fact that better fuel economy may be to blame. The idea of House Resolution 5180 is to bring this year's annual target usage of renewable fuels down to 18.1 billion gallons from 22.3 billion, a drop of about 19 percent. This would bring the amount of ethanol blended into the national gasoline supply to under 10 percent. Proponents say blending ethanol into gasoline cuts foreign-oil dependency and emissions. Opponents say ethanol production may actually increase pollution while tightening up the supply of corn that would otherwise be used for food stock. Also, some in the vehicle industry aren't convinced that ethanol doesn't damage engines, especially at higher blend levels like E15. What can't be debated is that increased fuel economy is causing an overall decrease in gasoline use. That is great news for the environment but makes it harder and harder for the country to reach its ethanol mandates because they are largely based on flat numbers and not on a percentages of total fuel use. The current fleetwide fuel economy of more than 25 miles per gallon is about 25 percent more than it was when the Renewable Fuel Standard was first enacted. For more, take a look at the EPA's "rule summary" page on the Renewable Fuel Standard proposal here. Earlier this year, the anti-ethanol camp received yet more ammunition after researchers at the Argonne National Laboratory estimated that ethanol production used about 12 times as much water as gasoline. So, basically, those folks could argue that more ethanol production is messing with both the country's food and water.

UAW Leader Suggests Union Will Back Clinton for U.S. President Bloomberg / May 20, 2016 United Auto Workers President Dennis Williams said his union won’t endorse Donald Trump for U.S. president, all but assuring support for Hillary Clinton as she closes in on the Democratic nomination. Williams said the UAW will wait until the conclusion of the Democratic primary before endorsing a candidate. Clinton has 2,293 delegates to 1,533 for rival Bernie Sanders. Clinton needs only 90 of the remaining 939 unallocated delegates to lock up the nomination. The UAW could help Clinton by cajoling its 1 million workers and retirees to vote and campaign for her in the industrial Midwest, where she struggled against Sanders in the primary elections. The union’s big issues are trade and income equality, which Sanders successfully used to win votes in current and former auto-producing states Michigan, Indiana and Wisconsin. While Williams stopped short of making an endorsement on Thursday, he said the union’s executive board likes Clinton and Sanders and won’t support Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee. Williams also exonerated her from blame for the trade agreements enacted by her husband, former President Bill Clinton. He signed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) which has been a sore point with the union ever since. “He made a bad mistake with NAFTA,” said Williams. “It has been very harmful to us. I don’t blame Hillary. That was Bill.” Blue-Collar Battle While Trump’s criticism of automakers investing in Mexico resonates with autoworkers, his suggestion that companies shift manufacturing to lower-wage states undermines the union’s efforts to preserve compensation for members in states like Michigan and Ohio. “He said he would close plants here and move jobs to lower-wage states,” Williams said. “How does that help the middle class?” The UAW has lost political influence as its membership has declined, but it still can help a candidate. Clinton, the former secretary of state, has sought to woo middle-class voters by taking on corporations like Milwaukee-based auto parts supplier Johnson Controls Inc. over a merger that would shift its tax base to Ireland. But Sanders appealed to many blue-collar voters by highlighting her support from Wall Street banks and her husband’s approval of free-trade deals. Even Trump has appeal to some workers. Williams said 28 percent of UAW members said in an internal union survey that they supported the real estate mogul in his presidential bid. He believes that support is declining since Trump made his comments to the Detroit News about moving jobs to lower-wage states. Benefit Balance The union has been struggling to find a balance between getting higher wages for its members and keeping workers competitive with factories overseas. Labor agreements ratified last year with General Motors Co., Ford Motor Co. and FCA US LLC, the North American unit of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV, gave raises to entry-level workers, who start at lower pay and with less-valuable benefits. While allowing new workers to reach to the top pay scale, the contracts didn’t prohibit automakers from investing in places like Mexico, particularly to make smaller, less-expensive cars, and importing models from China. That stunts growth of union membership at U.S. auto plants and leaves the UAW more reliant on sales of pickups and sport utility vehicles. The UAW, contending with a recent right-to-work law in Michigan, is now focused on organizing workers in other industries and at U.S. plants owned by foreign automakers like Volkswagen AG to get more members, Williams said. FCA said it will stop making its Dodge Dart compact and Chrysler 200 mid-sized cars and focus its U.S. production on Jeep SUVs and other larger vehicles. Ford has said it will stop building its Focus compact in Michigan; that work will go to Mexico, said a person familiar with Ford’s plans. Autoworkers in 2013 earned $8.24 an hour on average in Mexico, compared with $37.62 in the U.S., according to the Center for Automotive Research.

Bloomberg / May 20, 2016 Daimler AG said its truck unit’s profit will be “significantly lower” this year than in 2015. The company said the truck unit’s earnings before interest and taxes will decline as demand shrinks more rapidly than expected in North America and the Middle East, without giving a figure. Daimler Trucks earned a record 2.7 billion euros (US$3.03 billion) on that basis last year. “The situation of global truck markets has been challenging for several months and has recently got worse,” said Wolfgang Bernhard, head of Daimler Trucks. The global market for Class 6 to Class 8 trucks will contract by about 15 percent in 2016, including declines of 20 percent in Brazil and 15 percent in Indonesia, the company said. Daimler Trucks is the German company’s second-largest unit, behind Mercedes-Benz autos. The truck unit plans to take a special charge against earnings of 100 million euros related to a voluntary severance offer for workers in Brazil.

Paul, I actually enjoy operating right-hand drive trucks. Perhaps BC Mack and our members from Oz can weigh in on the benefits of right-hand drive.

Introduced in 2005, the Ural model 6464 was the truckmaker’s first attempt at a North American style conventional (bonneted) heavy truck. The 6464’s cab and hood were created by i-Design*, utilizing Iveco's old "TurboStar" cab. * http://www.i-design-izh.com/index.php?n=34 In addition to license-built 311-412 horsepower Renault 11-liter dCi in-line six-cylinder engines and proprietary 400 horsepower 14.9-liter V-8 engines produced by GAZ Group’s Yaroslavl Motor Works (YaMZ) unit, Caterpillar C15 and Cummins engines were also available options. Established in 1942, Ural is the heavy truck unit of GAZ Group. Located in the Ural mountains, the plant was established in World War 2 when the ZIS truck plant was evacuated from Moscow. Ural 6464 6x2 Tractor - Specifications Max. GCW: 49,000 to 72,000 kg (gross combination weight) Front GAW: 7,000 kg (gross axle weight) Rear GAW: 20,500 kg Engine: 400hp YaMZ-7511.10 turbocharged V-8 14.86L (Euro 2) 400hp YaMZ-6581.10 turbocharged V-8 14.86L (Euro 3) 412hp YaMZ-650.10 (Renault dCi 11) 11L (Euro 3) Transmission: YaMZ-239 9-Speed overdrive (12.24/0.78) Front Suspension: Parabolic Springs Rear Suspension: 6 rod steel spring suspension Fuel Tank: 670 Liters .

Vedomosti / May 17, 2016 A determined marketing push by truckmaker KamAZ resulted in a 30 percent sales rise over the January thru April period. The company's Russian domestic and international sales totaled 6,470 trucks, a 30 percent jump over the same period last year. According to KamAZ, Russian brand truck sales with GVWs over 14 metric tons rose 7 percent in the first four months of 2016 to 9,900 units. The truckmaker’s Russian domestic market share increased from 54 percent during the 2015 January – April period in 2015 to 65 percent in 2016 January – April period. In the first quarter of 2016, KamAZ exported 1,022 trucks, including both CBUs (completely built units) and KD (knocked down) kits, an increase of 14.2 percent over the same period last year. First quarter results in the Russian domestic market saw 12.3 percent growth to 4,190 trucks, including 4,137 heavy trucks (14-40 metric tons) and 53 medium trucks. Market share jumped to 60.7 percent, versus 48.9 percent in the same period last year. The truckmaker is forecasting 2016 year global sales of 32,000 trucks - 25,000 in Russia and 7,000 overseas. KamAZ ranks 11th among the world's heavy truck manufacturers, and is the eighth largest producer of diesel engines. .

Vedomosti / May 19, 2016 Truckmaker to establish fifth overseas assembly plant in 2017 KamAZ has announced that it will establish its fifth overseas truck assembly plant in Cuba. The operation will be a 50-50 joint venture with Cuban state company Gesime. Last month, KamAZ confirmed that it had signed a contract to supply heavy trucks to KamAZ Cuba. The trucks will be assembled from knocked down (KD) kits shipped from Russia. A plant location is expected to be chosen shortly, with production beginning late this year or in early 2017. KamAZ plans to supply 1,000 units for the 2017 model year. The truckmaker exported 6,600 trucks to the international market in 2015. The plant in Cuba will be the fifth foreign assembly site for KamAZ, who already assembles trucks in India, Kazakhstan, Lithuania and Vietnam. The company is also evaluating production in Iran. In 2015, 500 commercial trucks of all brands were sold in Cuba. This number excluded KamAZ, who last exported trucks to the Caribbean country in 2013. Though the Cuban market is presently small, KamAZ said it believes the market has a strong future with the lifting of economic sanctions. The country’s current fleet of trucks is outdated and badly in need of updating. The market is interesting for Russian truckmakers because it was open to them not that long ago. Over past years, over 15,000 KamAZ trucks have been delivered to Cuba. .

UD Trucks (Nissan Diesel) Press Release / May 18, 2016 UD Telematics is a high tech wireless communication system designed to help you keep your fleet on the road for longer, while reducing ongoing cost. Join us as we highlight the key features and how UD Telematics Services can help your bottom line improve. .

Trucks.com / May 17, 2016 As the long-haul trucking industry enters a promising new era of connected vehicles, it is also preparing to confront the cybersecurity threat that comes with it. Each gadget that is installed in the cab or under the hood potentially expands the number of targets for a global army of hackers who are increasingly sophisticated and well-funded. Already, a mind-bending number of features, gadgets, services and applications have come on the market in recent years. There are sensors in the engines to monitor performance and anticipate mechanical problems. Video systems help drivers avoid collisions and provide warnings. Awareness systems look for signs of driver fatigue. For long-haul trucking companies fighting to remain profitable, the prospect of new tools to monitor driver behaviors, avoid costly crashes and save fuel is irresistible. However, these systems are sending more and more data over the air. Each device and service increases the “surface area” for a hacker to find a way into a truck, security experts told Trucks.com. “As you connect more data centers to long-haul trucks, you create a more attackable system,” said Rod Schultz, vice president of product at San Francisco-based cybersecurity firm Rubicon Labs. “And we’ve found that when you create a platform of that data, it’s very difficult to predict the way that data is going to be exploited. The savvy attacker figures out where the vulnerability is in the system and how to attack it.” New Risks With New Technologies To be clear, there has not been a single known hacking incident involving long-haul trucks. But industry officials understand that the adoption of new technologies increases the risk. The automotive world got a jolt last summer when a team of security researchers demonstrated how they could remotely disable the engine of a Jeep as it was driving down the highway by slipping into its controller area network, or CAN bus, via the vehicle’s entertainment system. Even more alarming, a security researcher named Jose Carlos Norte recently wrote a detailed analysis of how he was able to find thousands of vulnerable telematics units, one of the trucking industry’s oldest and most commonly used technologies, using a search engine called Shodan that scans for Internet-connected devices. As wireless networks have become more robust in recent years, telematics have becoming increasingly sophisticated, two-way communications channels. As Norte found by combing through Shodan, which has proved to be popular with hackers, many of them lack the most basic of password protections. “It is possible to monitor and control float trucks, public bus or delivery vans from the internet, obtaining their speed, position, and a lot [of] other parameters,” he wrote. “You can even control some parameters of the vehicle or hack into the canbus of the vehicle remotely.” The consequences of failing to take cybersecurity seriously are all too easy to find these days. Target saw 40 million of its customers’ credit cards compromised in a massive hack back in 2013. More recently, Sony Pictures faced enormous embarrassment when hackers splattered its internal emails and documents across the Internet. In terms of connected gadgets, poor security around so-called Internet of Things devices has allowed hackers to use baby cameras to spy on families and break into a Ukrainian power plant to cut power to 80,000 people. Leaders in long-haul trucking are racing to get ahead of the problem by commissioning research and hosting industry discussions. But beyond just understanding the risks and establishing best practices, they face the challenge of raising awareness throughout the marketplace and educating companies about the need to take the issue seriously. The hope is that the long-haul trucking industry can learn from others’ mistakes. The fear is that, well, history has a devilish way of repeating itself when it comes to technology. “It’s an area we’re just really starting to broach,” said Boyd Stephenson, vice president of international supply chain operations for the American Trucking Associations. “As with all cybersecurity issues, nothing can or will be perfect. But we understand the more integrated our approach, the better we’ll be in the long run.” So far, much of the conversation about hacking vehicles has focused on passenger cars. But researchers believe that economics will drive faster adoption of connected technologies in long-haul trucking, thus making it potentially more vulnerable to cybersecurity risk. “In the U.S., the margins for trucking are in single digits, 3 to 5 percent,” said Mohammad Poorsartep, project manager for the Connected Transportation Initiative at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute. The hope is that connected technology can push profit margins higher by enabling things like platooning of trucks; avoiding more accidents; alerting companies to the need for preventative maintenance; and reducing stress on drivers to lower turnover rates. “That translates a lot to your bottom line,” Poorsartep said. “It’s not just a luxury. It serves a purpose.” Seeking Security on the Front Lines Karol Smith, safety manager at BarOle Trucking in Minneapolis, has seen the future rumbling toward her since the day she joined the business in 1997. As the pace of new technologies quickens, she’s now also wondering about the security risks that come with them. Back then, she said, her primary challenge was to move the mid-size company away from using keycards on walls for managing routes and communications toward using devices like Nextel’s two-way radiophones. Now she and BarOle operations manager Paul Gerou are fielding daily calls from new vendors they’ve never met offering a range of technologies to aid the company’s 70 drivers. For the moment, Gerou and Smith are confident that the technologies they have in place are secure. But they are learning which questions to ask about security precautions and how to evaluate vendors’ claims. They keep an eye out to make sure that their bundle of technologies doesn’t become so overwhelmingly complex that they can’t spot the vulnerabilities down the road. “All of these technologies are only as good and as safe as the end users,” Smith said. Some larger truck manufacturers, such as Mercedes-Benz, Volvo and Daimler, are hoping that customers will decide that the best solution for guaranteeing security is to buy new connected trucks built from the ground up. Their argument is that rather than cobbling together new technologies from multiple vendors, it will be safer to upgrade to new connected trucks that have a single, fully integrated platform. In the case of the Daimler Highway Pilot Connect system, which uses a Wi-Fi-controlled platooning system to save fuel, security protocols are tight, said Uta Leitner, a company spokeswoman. A hacker would need some inside information and have to access three different systems to trigger the emergency brakes, for instance. Although the company said it was still examining potential security issues, it currently believes that the chances for mischief are minimal. “We only transmit data of the vehicle in front that are relevant for braking,” Leitner said. “Therefore, externally controlled malevolent ramming of the vehicle ahead is not possible.” Still, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration isn’t taking any chances. It has already begun efforts to analyze the risks for the long-haul trucking industry. “While we’re aware of theoretical risks, there have been no known instances of this occurring in the real world,” NHTSA spokesman Derrell Lyles told Trucks.com. “The government and industry are conducting research to assess any cyber vulnerabilities in electronic control systems of vehicles today and future vehicles as they grow more connected through vehicle-to-vehicle technologies.” Last year, NHTSA reached out to the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute to launch a 14-month study of cybersecurity and long-haul trucks. The project is being led by Dr. André Weimerskirch, an associate research scientist in the institute’s Engineering Systems Group who had previously founded and sold an automotive cybersecurity startup. Weimerskirch said his team has been examining what similarities exist between passenger cars and freight trucks. One important difference with trucks is that many are often older, with legacy systems, and components (like the engine) from one company and a cab and chassis from another. That patchwork effect could create potential vulnerabilities that are not readily apparent, he said. And then there is the question of what types of attacks might be plausible, Weimerskirch said. Would they be aimed at stealing data? Shutting down a truck in a remote area to hijack the contents? Or just a little mischief by rewriting the day’s manifest for deliveries? As the Michigan study continues, groups like the American Trucking Associations have begun to make cybersecurity regular features of their industry conferences. Stephenson said that last year was the first time the group held an event dedicated to looking specifically at vulnerabilities. Much of the work ahead is going to be tough. The industry has about 500,000 firms, and 94 percent have six or fewer trucks. When the ATA polled members about top concerns, the most immediate worries remain the traditional ones, such as the industry’s driver shortage and retention rates. When these companies do start thinking about new technologies, the people handling those decisions are going to be stretched thin. “It’s a tough issue,” Stephenson said. “You’re talking about companies where the chief technology officer is the chief security officer and the chief executive officer and maybe a driver. There will be a wide, wide disparity in how these things are going to get adopted. And we have to make sure that security is not an afterthought.”

Related reading:

Scania Group Press Release / May 4, 2016 Is it possible to run a full-sized truck solely on electricity in full speed? This month, an electrically powered truck will begin rolling along a two-kilometre (1.24 mile) test strip in Sweden. This is how the technology works. .

Scania Group Press Release / May 18, 2016 Finland is now expanding its ambitious programme to improve efficiency in timber transport. In addition to the ongoing trials with the giant 104 metric tonne (229,281 lb) Scania forestry truck, Finnish authorities have approved trials for 84 metric tonne (185,188 lb) transport operations on unpaved forest roads. Named Pikkujätti, or the Little Giant, the 12-metre (39.4 ft) Scania truck has started operations on behalf of the Finnish State Forest Enterprise, Metsähallitus, following approval by the Finnish Transport Safety Agency, Trafi. “We believe that the Little Giant has the makings of a future model for timber transport,” says Ari Siekkinen, Development Expert at Metsähallitus. The 730 horsepower V8-powered Scania R730 rigid truck has been exceptionally equipped with a shorter-than-normal cab to accommodate a longer chassis bed. The truck can carry two log bundles, which are usually 4–4.5 metres in length (13-15 ft). An additional 2–3 bundles, depending on length, are loaded onto the trailer. The truck features five axles, of which the first four have leaf springs and the fifth, a retractable tag axle, is equipped with air suspension springs. With this specification, the 25.25-metre (82.8 ft) truck and trailer combination truck can be maneuvered with sufficient traction on unpaved forest roads even while unloaded. With the first two and the last axle steered, the truck can follow previously carved tyre tracks without causing irreparable damage to sensitive roads. .

Kenworth’s Ohio Plant Getting New Parts Storage Facility Heavy Duty Trucking / May 18, 2016 The Kenworth plant in Chillicothe, Ohio, is getting a $17 million automated storage facility to bring cab parts inside, out of the weather, and add efficiency to assembly operations, executives said on Wednesday. They also foresee another healthy sales year for Class 8 trucks. Contractors are adding a second story that will house the facility, along with a computerized material handling system that will store parts as they’re delivered and retrieve them for trimming and positioning on the assembly line, where they’ll be matched to chassis. The facility is scheduled for operation in November, said Judy McTeague, the plant’s manager. The plant now is on two shifts: The first shift is at capacity, 80 trucks per day, and the second assembles 45 a day, following a “feathering” of production last year to react to a slight softening in new-truck orders, she said. Healthy sales Class 8 retail sales in North America his year should reach 220,000 to 250,000 – still a healthy number following last year’s 280,000, Swihart said. Overall economic factors have turned upward in recent months, boding well for continued high freight tonnage and therefore demand for trucks to haul various commodities and products. Construction in particular is strong as “new-housing starts are the highest they’ve been since 2006-2007,” Swihart said. That maintains the strong market for vocational trucks. “We have anecdotal stories from around the country that it’s difficult for dealers to keep stock dump trucks on their lots,” he said, “because they’re selling so fast.” Plant production The Chillicothe plant makes Kenworth’s two latest models, the T680 highway tractor and the T880 vocational model, along with “legacy” T660 and T800 models. The T680, introduced four years ago, now comprises half of all KW sales, said Kurt Swihart, marketing director. The T880, introduced in 2013, accounts for 30% of all sales. The remainder of sales are of legacy trucks with some customers still prefer, but the percentage is dwindling as buyers discover the room and technology advantages of the more recent models, he said. The new parts facility and handling system will boost efficiency through rapid storage of painted parts, and deliver them faster when they’re needed on the assembly line, McTeague said.The 25,000 square-foot addition, being built on the top of the current plant, will have a climate-controlled environment to provide quality improvements for painted parts. The first Kenworth truck rolled off the Chillicothe assembly line in 1974. Employees at the state-of-the-art Kenworth factory produced the plant’s milestone 500,000th truck in February. Throughout the plant’s 42-year history, Kenworth-Chillicothe employees have maintained a strong focus on quality, efficiency, customer satisfaction, and environmental stewardship, executives said.

Kenworth remains optimistic about truck market Truck News / May 18, 2016 Class 8 truck orders have fallen sharply in the early months of 2016, but Kurt Swihart, director of marketing for Kenworth, is maintaining an optimistic view. Speaking to trade press journalists today, Swihart said Kenworth predicts Canada/US Class 8 retail sales to total between 220,000 and 250,000 units this year. That’s down from about 280,000 last year, but Swihart pointed out this year is still likely to be the third best year in the past decade. “It’s still a very healthy market, a very good market for the truck industry,” he said. Swihart gave a number of reasons why he thinks demand for new trucks will remain healthy, including an uptick in US for-hire truck tonnage, the return of manufacturing activity to positive territory and strong housing and construction activity. There has also been lots of road and commercial construction in the US, driving demand for vocational trucks. “Anecdotally, we hear stories from dealers saying it’s difficult for them to keep stock dump trucks on their lots,” Swihart related. “As soon as they get T880 dump trucks in stock, they’re able to sell those.” And with oil prices on the rise, Swihart said he’s anticipating the return of demand in the oil and gas industry. “There are a lot of good indicators out in the market and we feel this year is off to a good start and that 2016 will be a very good year for Kenworth,” Swihart predicted. The Chillicothe truck plant, where Kenworth T680s and T880s are built, has been busy, producing 128 trucks a day. The day shift is running at capacity while the second shift is running at about half of capacity. Judy McTigue, plant manager, said Kenworth reacted quickly to softening market conditions, which allowed it to adjust its staffing levels in accordance with demand. That has kept things steady so far this year. There’s also a major construction project underway at the plant. A new 25,000 sq.-ft. parts management system and automated storage facility is being built on top of the existing plant, at a cost of US$17 million. Currently, Kenworth stores painted cabs and hoods outside in the elements, but the new storage facility will allow it to free up outside space while keeping painted components protected from the elements. “Painted product will never go outside anymore,” McTigue said. The new facility is expected to be up and running by November. Swihart said these are exciting times for Kenworth, which is riding the popularity of its new flagship T680 and T880 models. Those two trucks now comprise 90% of Kenworth truck production in Chillicothe.

The Guardian / May 18, 2016 The salary threshold for workers to qualify for overtime pay will double to $47,476 by December 2016, but the new rule has faced opposition More than four million working Americans could get a bigger paycheck by the end of the year, thanks to a new overtime rule to be finalized by the US Department of Labor on Wednesday. Previously, only salaried workers who earned below $23,660 were eligible for overtime pay. As of December 2016, that threshold will double and be set at $47,476 a year. “If you work overtime, you should actually get paid for working overtime,” vice-president Joe Biden said. People who work more than 40 hours a week should be paid time and a half of their regular wages for the extra time. “In 1975, 62% of workers automatically qualified for overtime. Today, that’s 7%. Not a mistake, 65 to 7 – and you wonder why the middle class is struggling.” US secretary of labor Tom Perez said the current salary threshold is “woefully out of date” and that had it kept up with inflation, it would have been close to $57,000 a year by now. The rule was last updated 12 years ago. In future, the threshold will updated every three years. The labor department expects that due to such adjustments the threshold will grow to more than $51,000 by January 2020. “More than four million workers are either going to get paid more or get their time back to raise their family, go back to school or retrain to get a better job,” said Biden. The Obama administration predicts that the workers who will benefit from the new rule, such as retail manager and book keepers, will earns as much as $12bn more in higher wages over the next decade. Not everyone, however, believes that the new rule will help US economy move forward. In an attempt to block the new overtime rule from taking effect, Republicans in Congress led by South Carolina senator Tim Scott and Michigan congressman Tim Walberg have proposed a new bill that would require US labor secretary Tom Perez to carry out additional analysis on how the new rule would affect small businesses and their employees. “The Obama administration’s decision to drastically redefine overtime will hurt our workforce and our employers. It will lead to reduced hours, confusion for job creators, and will limit growth opportunities for employees,” Scott said in March, when he introduced the bill in Congress. A coalition of more than a dozen organizations, including Americans for Prosperity and Competitive Enterprise Institute, penned a letter to the US congress on Tuesday in support of the bill. “We write to express our strong support for the Protecting Workplace Advancement and Opportunity Act, and all efforts to defund, block and otherwise nullify the Obama Administration’s effort to change our nation’s overtime rules,” they wrote. On a call with reporters, Perez pointed out that prior to finalizing the rule the Obama administration listened to more than 270,000 public comments, many of which came from the US businesses. As a compromise, he said, the labor department made no changes to the “duties test” and allowed bonuses and incentive payments to count toward up to 10% of the new salary level. The “duties test” is a set of requirements that salaried workers must meet in order to be exempt from overtime pay. For example, it is not enough to just be classified as manager or a supervisor. These managers must actually be in charge of two or more full-time employees during a fraction of their work week in order to be exempt. Biden and Perez both pointed out that some US workers are misclassified as supervisors and miss out on overtime pay. Perez pointed out that when he was growing up, being a manager was a good job that meant being middle class. Managers worked long hours but were compensated for it. “These good paying middle class jobs were not a fluke brought about by an invisible market forces. They were good paying middle class jobs by design,” he said. While the White House won’t adjust the duties test, it is clarifying it in hopes of expanding overtime pay to more workers. According to Perez, there are an estimated 750,000 workers who are incorrectly classified as overtime exempt. The rule will go into effect on 1 December and the US labor department will immediately “pivot” to compliance assistance in order to help US businesses to meet its requirements by that time. “We don’t go out there with our ticket books trying to play the gotcha game,” Perez said on Tuesday. “We want to work together with employers.”

200th Kenworth added to the McColl’s fleet Paccar Australia Press Release / May 16, 2016 On April 29 2016, McColl’s Transport took delivery of its 200th Kenworth truck, which was painted in the company’s traditional Rich Blue and Ice White fleet colours to commemorate the milestone. The K200 was handed over at the Kenworth plant in Bayswater, Melbourne by PACCAR Australia’s Managing Director Andrew Hadjikakou. The production line was stopped while the Kenworth staff, along with McColl’s Transport executives, gathered for the official ceremony. Andrew Hadjikakou thanked McColl’s Transport for their business and made note of the important history between the two companies. “We are very proud of the long history between the two companies and particularly honoured to have been able to assist McColl’s in their endeavour to support their customers in the best way they can. We are pleased to be handing over this 200th truck today, and we look forward to working together on the next two hundred.” Jamie Bolton, Chief Executive Officer of McColl’s, received the keys from Andrew and acknowledged the Kenworth Trucks staff for a job well done. “For 20 years McColl’s Transport has been buying new Kenworth trucks. Over that period the quality of the trucks and the support experience we’ve had with Kenworth has been extremely good for us. Kenworth builds trucks to suit the conditions we work in, and they have always been reliable – that’s why we are standing here today taking ownership of our 200th vehicle.” During the official presentation, a 200th commemorative decal dedicated to both companies was applied to the side of the K200, which will now start its service in McColl’s chemical line haul operation that runs along the eastern seaboard of Australia. Features of the 200th Kenworth include a 2.8 metre Sleeper Cab with a king single bed. The cab-over model is driven by a Cummins ISXe5 engine rated at 550HP, and comes with a manual RTLO20918 Eaton transmission, a 4500 wheel base with a Jost ballrace turntable, Meritor RT46-160 rear axle, and Alcoa Dura-Bright rims. Kenworth Electronic Brake Safety System (EBSS) has also been specced with the truck regulated for Class 3 Dangerous Goods, and set up for a GCM 97 tonne limit. “This truck is certainly all about safety,” said John Hovey, General Manager of McColl’s Fleet Division. “We spend a lot of money on quality and reliability, now more than ever, and that goes for just about everything we purchase. We buy quality trucks and quality tankers to get the safest and best lifetime out of the vehicle.” The K200 will be pulling a mixture of Byford and Tieman B-Double tankers, and will clock up 240,000 kilometres a year, hauling between 64 and 68 tonne loads on trips throughout Victoria, South Australia, New South Wales and Queensland. “Our company runs on cents per kilometre,” explains Hovey. “We measure most of our costs by cents per kilometre and compared to other manufacturers, Kenworth stacks up the best in terms of maintenance, overall life of the truck and resale value.” Ron Ludbrook, new truck salesman at Kenworth DAF Melbourne in Laverton, facilitated the 200th sale in late 2015, which was part of a 15 unit order earmarked for delivery in April this year to replace some of the older vehicles in McColl’s fleet. “I took over the McColl’s account in 2003, and from 2008 to the start of 2016 the company has ordered 126 Kenworth trucks,” said Ron. “I met the previous owner, David Stevens in 2003, and around that time David said to me: ‘Ron, if you look after us, we will look after you.’ “Here we are, 130 plus trucks later, and we’re still doing business with McColl’s and we’re still discussing new concepts with them. It’s not just about the sale. It’s the after-sale support, the finance, and working with McColl’s to custom-build specialised equipment to suit their different requirements – it’s a whole package approach.” McColl’s specialises in bulk tanker haulage with three main divisions including bulk food transport, farm pickups and bulk chemicals. Their trailer and truck inventory tally up to more than 600 tankers and more than 200 vehicles, employing 400 staff plus 60 subcontractors to tow the tanks. The first Kenworth truck McColl’s took ownership of in 1996 was a K100 cab over model. Their 200th vehicle, the K200, happens to be another cab over. In addition to this, McColl’s also runs four bonneted models in their fleet including T359s, T409s, T409SARs and T609s. “Ever since I began at McColl’s 20 years ago we’ve had a great relationship with Kenworth Trucks and PACCAR Australia. We use PACCAR Financial to finance our prime movers and trailing equipment, and we use PACCAR Parts to supply all our workshops across the country,” said Hovey. Hovey signed off on the 200th truck and was sentimental about shifting back to the traditional McColl’s fleet colours; a design that stretches back to 1952 when Stuart McColl founded the company. “I’d like to thank Kenworth Trucks for the effort they’ve put into this 200th truck. We’ve gone back to our traditional blue and white fleet colours to revisit our history. This 200th Kenworth not only looks great, but it symbolises McColl’s true identity.” .

Trade Trucks.AU / May 17, 2016 Milestone marked with a Kenworth K200 delivery ceremony held at Paccar Australia headquarters Transport operator McColl’s Transport has received the keys to its 200th Kenworth from Paccar Australia, marking a long-serving relationship with a milestone celebration. The new Kenworth K200, decorated in the company’s blue and white fleet colours, was handed to McColl’s Transport at the manufacturer’s plant in Bayswater, Melbourne by managing director Andrew Hadjikakou. With the production line halted to commemorate the milestone, the Kenworth staff and McColl’s Transport executives attended the ceremony where McColl’s CEO Jamie Bolton took the keys. "For 20 years McColl’s Transport has been buying new Kenworth trucks," Bolton says. "Over that period the quality of the trucks and the support experience we’ve had with Kenworth has been extremely good for us. "Kenworth builds trucks to suit the conditions we work in, and they have always been reliable – that’s why we are standing here today taking ownership of our 200th vehicle." The vehicle, which will shortly start a chemical line haul run along the Australian eastern seaboard, was marked at the event with a 200th commemorative decal dedicated to both companies. The decal highlights a relationship that began in 1996 when McColl’s Transport received a K100 cab-over, and includes a range of bonneted models, such as T359s, T409s, T409SARs, and T609s. In the last six years alone, Kenworth has delivered 126 models to McColl’s. General manager of McColl’s fleet division John Hovey, who signed off on the milestone truck, says "ever since I began at McColl’s 20 years ago we’ve had a great relationship with Kenworth Trucks and PACCAR Australia." "We use PACCAR Financial to finance our prime movers and trailing equipment, and we use PACCAR Parts to supply all our workshops across the country," he says. The milestone truck features a 2.8m (9.2 ft) sleeper cab with a king single bed, a Cummins ISXe5 engine with 550hp, and a manual RTLO20918 Eaton transmission. Set up for a GCM 97 metric tonne limit (213,848 lb), the K200 also includes the Kenworth Electronic Brake Safety System (EBSS), a 4500 wheel base with a Jost ballrace turntable, Meritor RT46-160 rear axle, and Alcoa Dura-Bright rims. "This truck is certainly all about safety," Hover says. "We spend a lot of money on quality and reliability, now more than ever, and that goes for just about everything we purchase. "We buy quality trucks and quality tankers to get the safest and best lifetime out of the vehicle." The K200 will travel up to 240,000km (149,129 miles) annually on its runs through Victoria, South Australia, New South Wales, and Queensland, Hovey says, pulling a mixture of Byford and Tieman B-Double tankers weighing between 64- and 68-tonne per trip (141,096lb to 149,914lb). "Our company runs on cents per kilometre," he says. "We measure most of our costs by cents per kilometre and compared to other manufacturers, Kenworth stacks up the best in terms of maintenance, overall life of the truck and resale value. "I’d like to thank Kenworth Trucks for the effort they’ve put into this 200th truck. "We’ve gone back to our traditional blue and white fleet colours to revisit our history. "This 200th Kenworth not only looks great, but it symbolises McColl’s true identity." Thanking McColl’s Transport on its business, Hadjikakou says the Paccar team "are very proud of the long history between the two companies and particularly honoured to have been able to assist McColl’s in their endeavour to support their customers in the best way they can." "We are pleased to be handing over this 200th truck today, and we look forward to working together on the next two hundred," he says. .

Radio Free Europe / May 12, 2016 A journey with the men who make their living on "thin ice" As temperatures dip below 30 degrees Fahrenheit, the rivers of Russia's Arctic north freeze solid. While for most it's an excuse to stay indoors, winter is when the trucking business truly comes to life. Truck drivers ferrying supplies to the farthest, coldest reaches of Russia hop into their vehicles and drive over those frozen arteries. The work is dangerous — especially as the ice eventually melts and thins — and lonely. Photographer Amos Chapple of Radio Free Europe recently joined one young truck driver on a 12-day journey to deliver groceries to Russia's Arctic north. See what it's like to do one of the most dangerous jobs in Russia. http://www.rferl.org/fullinfographics/infographics/on-siberias-ice-highway/27706633.html#