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Fire and Steel Scania Press Release / April 15, 2016 From horses to the modular system. Join us on a historic journey through decades of fire fighting from all around the world.

Without you, Scania wouldn’t be the same. Drivers, designers, fleet managers, service engineers, purchasers, passengers, fans – we are all part of making Scania what it is. Our calendars celebrate this. They tell your stories, our stories, the stories that make Scania. And since it involves all of us, we simply call it, “We. Scania.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 40 Years. But who’s counting? Scania Press Release / April 15, 2016 The first Scania truck ever built in Argentina is still going strong. And so are the gentlemen who actually put it together.

Wednesday, Nov 11 - Wade Watson speaking at an event entitled "Mack Trucks in the Lehigh Valley and in the World", in front of 200 area business professionals. (http://www.mcall.com/business/mc-mack-trucks-in-the-lehigh-valley-20151111-story.html) Video - http://www.mcall.com/videos/mc-video-mack-trucks-vp-wade-watson-is-optimistic-about-truck-manufacturer-s-future-20151111-premiumvideo.html Thursday, April 14 - Wade Watson was terminated or resigned. Friday, April 15 - Dennis Slagle (Mack brand president) officially announced the Macungie investment, via a released statement. (It would have been proper.......for him to fly up from Greensboro to Macungie and make the announcement in person) Saturday, April 16 - Volvo responds to media inquires stating that, after 16 years employment, Wade Watson "is no longer with the company."

Westport opened their chassis assembly plant at 650 Boulder Drive in June 2012. Ironically, the Westport plant is located at Allentown's Bridgeworks Enterprise Center, in the former Mack Trucks Plant 4* in south Allentown. * Mack Plant 4, built in 1926 to assemble truck chassis and paint truck bodies, was closed in 1984 In 2012, Westport Axle’s director of operations Allen Fink said average production-line wages would be $15 to $16 an hour. Related reading: http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/26449-who-got-the-contract-to-build-mack-chassis/#comment-130616 http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/43123-mack-trucks-laying-off-400-workers-at-macungie/#comment-315947

The news indicated that chassis assembly will once more be done at Macungie (rather than "down the street" in Breinigsville). But the Volvo news release didn't clearly say whether the work would be performed by lower cost non-union* Westport employees, or union Volvo (Mack brand) employees. Many auto and truckmakers nowadays have suppliers working within their plants to cut overhead costs. * http://www.mcall.com/news/local/parkland/mc-westport-axle-union-20141125-story.html

Transport Topics / April 15, 2016 Not that long ago, the mindset of many fleet operators was to get as much muscle power in engines as they wanted or could afford. That often meant 15-liter engines that could deliver a whole lot of horsepower. But times have changed. With evolving technology and additional greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions and fuel-economy regulations pending, smaller engines are becoming more common — not just 13-liter models but also those in and around the 11- to 12-liter range. In early January, Paccar Inc. upped the ante by installing in the United States its first production MX-11 engine, a 10.8-liter power station. It went into a Peterbilt Model 567 for North Dakota-based fleet Knife River, one of the largest aggregate producers and suppliers of concrete and asphalt in the United States. The move by Paccar followed the 2013 launch of the MX-11 in Europe, where it has installed more than 10,000 of these engines in trucks made by its European operation DAF. The MX-11 is built at Paccar’s engine manufacturing facility in Columbus, Mississippi, along with the MX-13. Paccar isn’t alone when it comes to having engines in and around 11 to 12 liters, with offerings in the United States from Cummins, Navistar, Volvo and Mack. So what’s driving the trend toward smaller engines? Several factors. These engines aren’t new, but the power they deliver is much more than it was, even just a few years ago, said Charlie Cook, marketing manager for vocational products at Peterbilt, which is owned by Paccar. “We are able to achieve more horsepower and torque with less displacement,” he said. “We are getting 430 horsepower and 1,550 pound-feet of torque out of the new MX 11-liter engine, something that a few years ago would have required a much larger engine.” More technically, this means several things, said Mario Sanchez-Lara, director of on-highway marketing communications for Cummins, which makes the 11.9-liter ISX12 model engine. “Increased power density is the objective, which drives adoption of aggressive compression ratios, increased injection pressures and higher fresh air induction,” he said. “Similar to what we have seen in passenger cars, truck engines are adopting dual overhead cams, variable timing, high-pressure fuel systems, multistage turbocharging and sophisticated materials like compacted graphite iron on the blocks and head castings,” the latter making the engines lighter. The increasing sophistication of engine control software is helping. Mack Trucks offers the 11-liter MP7 with 325 to 405 hp and torque ratings from 1,200 to 1,560 pound-feet, which maintains what Stu Russoli, highway and powertrain products marketing manager, calls “good efficiency numbers.” “Integration plays a role, too, particularly in the case of our mDRIVE automated manual transmissions,” Russoli said. “Our MP engines are fully integrated with mDRIVE, sharing 100% of the information 100% of the time. “Together, they sense factors like the load on the truck, incline, decline, speed and more to get the most performance and efficiency out of a smaller engine displacement.” In other words, a lot of the move to smaller engines has to do with efficiency. This is why there also are many more 13-liter engines in use today compared with 15-liter ones, said Mike Evans, senior consultant at Rhein Associates. “The race to add more horsepower has really slowed down over the last 15 to 20 years,” he said. “So now we can do more with less. In the past, you would see lots of 15-liters, and then the 13-liters came in and we saw a trend into 13-liters. That doesn’t mean the 15-liters went away, but a large proportion of that business has moved to 13-liters.” It’s largely about fuel efficiency, said John Moore, powertrain product marketing manager for Volvo Trucks, which offers a 10.8-liter D11 engine. “The fuel maps on these engines are optimized for regional haul, less-than-truckload and diminishing-load applications running on flat to rolling hills,” Moore said. ”You can post excellent miles-per-gallon numbers, if set up correctly.” In addition to technology advancements, helping to drive this trend toward smaller engines are increasing federal emissions regulations, Moore said. He believes future advances in horsepower and torque will allow these smaller engines to cross even further into their larger-displacement counterparts’ applications zone at increased efficiency. “Future GHG regulations are requiring dramatic reductions in aerodynamic drag, along with more efficient engines,” Moore said. “Because the hood slopes are more aggressive to lower drag, engine installations at higher displacements become a greater challenge to install within limited space and still have enough space available for technicians to service them.” Weight savings is another main driver, especially in certain vocational applications “where they are looking to get every pound of payload,” Rhein Associates’ Evans said. If an 11-liter can do the job and save 400 pounds of weight for a regional or bulk hauler or vocations such as refuse, that helps productivity. That weight savings is attractive to any operation concerned about grossing out before cubing out, such as bulk and tanker haulers. They also are a fit for local and regional operations as well as construction and refuse. “I think the regional haulers look to buy the most efficient truck they can,” Evans said. “They don’t need the absolute power perhaps they get from a 13, definitely not from a 15.” When you look at the horsepower and torque ranges the 11-liter engines provide, they get well into the 13-liter applications, he said. “If the customer is hauling high-cost freight, such as fuel, they will see an immediate payback for the extra 390 pounds they can now haul,” said Volvo’s Moore, who noted the D11 engine is 390 pounds lighter than the company’s 12.8-liter D13 engine. “There aren’t many options on the truck that cost less and save this much weight.” This is what drove Walpole Inc. to check out the 11-liter Paccar engine, said Keith Walpole, president of the company, a 240-tractor bulk hauler, which also has been running the 13-liter Paccar MX-13 model engine in some of its trucks. “We have never been afraid of running a smaller cube engine,” he said. “We’re in the bulk-hauling commodity movement business, and weight is our dollars.” This weight savings with the MX-11 versus the MX-13 is about 400 pounds, which Walpole said has translated into a 5.1% improvement in fuel economy — and more than 12% when compared with larger engines from other makers just a few years ago. If you worry about not having enough power with an 11-liter engine, but you don’t want the weight of a 13-liter engine, some 13-liters are actually smaller — such as Navistar’s 12.4-liter N13 model, said Steve Gilligan, vice president of product marketing. The current N13 weighs 2,400 pounds installed in chassis, about 565 pounds lighter than a Cummins ISX15 engine, about 200 pounds less than the Paccar MX-13 engine and 200 pounds heavier than the new MX-11, he said. “Right-sizing” the engine, as it is called, can be part of an overall “lightweighting” strategy. The North American Council for Freight Efficiency advocates selecting equipment and components that are lighter, allowing for better fuel efficiency and more freight per truck. “Getting a big number, like hundreds and hundreds of pounds, like you can with these engines, allows you to add some other fuel-economy technologies that are adding weight,” NACFE Executive Director Mike Roeth said, such as aerodynamic add-ons and idle reduction systems. Looking ahead, those interviewed said that engines in and around the 11-liter to 12-liter range offer more horsepower and torque than ever and are likely to get even stronger. These engines can save you weight, allowing for greater payloads and improved fuel efficiency. Thus far, they seem best for regional and local operations, depending on the geography, and for bulk and tanker applications, they said. But these engines aren’t for everybody. Planning on trucking across the Rockies or the Appalachians while loaded up to 80,000 pounds? Chances are your drivers may be cursing your name and thinking about quitting to work as a Wal-Mart greeter. However, the most crucial thing to consider may be what Keith Walpole said: “The strongest advice I would have is to analyze your current fleet’s data and just see how much horsepower you have been using and how much torque you have been using versus what you are buying, moving forward.”

Mack investing $70 million in Lower Macungie plant The Morning Call / April 15, 2016 Mack Trucks plans to invest $70 million over the next three years to modernize and expand its Lower Macungie plant, a signal that the company is committed to keeping the facility churning out big rigs for at least the near future. The company announced the plan Friday, laying out enhancements to its 1-million-square-foot Lehigh Valley plant that include a 75,000-square-foot expansion, new manufacturing information technology systems, equipment and tooling, and a new building to conduct quality audits on finished vehicles. Chassis pre-assembly work now being done at Westport Axle in Breinigsville will be moved to the Mack plant. Westport, which announced 50 layoffs in December, will continue to provide other "critical support operations" for Mack, the company said. "For more than 40 years, Mack's Lehigh Valley Operations has built high-quality trucks that our customers can depend on," Dennis Slagle, president of Mack Trucks, said in a statement released by the company. "This investment strategy will help ensure we continue to deliver Mack's legendary durability through a more efficient, integrated and modern manufacturing operation." Wade Watson, vice president and general manager of Mack's Lehigh Valley plant, had alluded to the company's plans at an event in November, reassuring jittery public officials that the company had no plans to move the work elsewhere, despite recent layoffs. "We have been here for a long, long time," Watson said, tracing Mack's local roots to 1905. "We're here to stay." Workers were briefed on the plans at a town hall meeting Thursday, said Ed Balukas, president of Local 677 of the United Auto Workers. "Any money coming into the plant is a good thing," Balukas said. "I think some of the improvements they have in mind will make us more efficient and add toward the quality of the product and position us for the next upturn in the trucking industry." Watson, who took the helm of the plant in May, was instrumental in keeping it in the Lehigh Valley, said Don Cunningham, president and CEO of the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp. "When Wade Watson came in, he took the bull by the horns and assessed, can we be cost-effective in the Lehigh Valley with some upgrades and investment?'" Cunningham said. "Or is it better for us to move? Then he really drove forward a plan." Cunningham said that when Watson gave him a call recently to let him know Mack's corporate parent had decided to make the investment here, it was a relief. Media reports are littered with stories of southern states offering generous incentives to lure manufacturers. "The decision on [parent company] Volvo's part to invest $70 million to upgrade and modernize the plant and expand it is huge for us," Cunningham said. "They are a top three manufacturer in the Lehigh Valley in terms of employment and beyond that they are an iconic brand internationally that has been associated with the Lehigh Valley for a long time." State, county and local officials had worked hard in recent months to improve relations with the company, which had atrophied a bit over the years. That was in evidence in October, when Lower Macungie supervisors passed a resolution in support of Mack's Lehigh Valley Operations, promising to facilitate township permits and approvals for renovations. A parade of local, state and county officials held meetings with company officials to reconnect. "On the local side, it was reengagement of relationships," Cunningham said. "Knowledge of what was going on with Mack between the local, county and state government had become distant over the years." The $70 million investment includes $12 million in projects that will be completed over the next three years and were part of a $26 million upgrade that was made public in 2014. The union has been trying for years to get Mack to bring chassis assembly in-house, Balukas said. That's a process that involves more than 310 people at Westport Axle. It's likely to require some additional hiring at Mack whenever it takes place, he said. Mack spokesman Chris Heffner said employment in the truck manufacturing industry is based on market volumes so it's difficult to say whether additional hiring will be needed. "Insourcing the chassis assembly process gives Mack greater control over more of the manufacturing process, enabling us to deliver even higher quality trucks to our customers," Heffner said. The truck-making business is cyclical, highly dependent on economic conditions. Mack's local workforce has fluctuated over the years as demand for its trucks has waxed and waned. While demand slowed in early 2016, last year was among the company's best. "We are looking at 2017 being a comeback year," Balukas said. "Even though we had some layoffs, they have been minimal compared to some of our competitors." The heavy-duty truck manufacturer delivered 27,411 vehicles in 2015, its strongest year since it delivered 36,838 vehicles in 2006, according to a report from Volvo Group of Sweden. Volvo said last year's high demand for heavy-duty trucks in North America was the result of fleet renewal and fleet expansion combined with good customer profitability because of a good freight environment, low fuel prices and low interest rates. Ninety-two percent of Mack's worldwide deliveries in 2015 were in North America. Freight activity weakened toward the end of 2015, Volvo said, and the need for fleet expansion and renewal will be lessened this year. All Mack trucks built for the North American market and export are assembled at the Lower Macungie plant. The plant employs about 1,430 workers and is Lower Macungie's largest employer. Westport Axle officials could not be reached for comment. Related reading - http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/44866-local-mack-boss-out-volvo-confirms/

Wade Watson is no longer "thriving on change" at the Volvo Group..................http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/42985-mack-trucks-vp-thrives-on-change/#comment-314618 The question is.......why? The Lower Macungie Township's Board of Commissioners and Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp. seemed thrilled with him, and are shocked by his sudden departure from the equation. They claim he earned their trust and respect, something that other Volvo officials had failed to do. (After Volvo broke a much earlier promise and closed Mack World Headquarters and the R&D center (Research, Development and Test Center), there's little wonder for their distrust with Volvo.

The Morning Call / April 16, 2016 One day after announcing a $70 million investment at its plant in Lower Macungie Township, Mack Trucks said its top-ranking Lehigh Valley official is no longer with the company. Wade Watson, who was vice president and general manager of Mack Trucks Lehigh Valley Operations for less than a year, is no longer employed by Mack or its corporate parent, the Sweden-based Volvo Group, company spokesman Christopher Heffner* confirmed Saturday. * Mack brand public relations manager, August 2014 to present. Citing company policy, Heffner declined to say when Watson left or provide a reason for his departure. "We will soon name an acting general manager who will lead the operations until we identify Wade's successor," Heffner said. Watson did not return a call left on his cellphone. Watson arrived in the Lehigh Valley in May to lead Mack's local operations, including the company's 1 million-square-foot plant in Lower Macungie Township, a soon-to-be-expanded facility where all Mack trucks built for the North American market and exports are assembled. Don Cunningham, president and CEO of the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp. (LVEDC)), said he received a text Friday night from Watson, who informed him that he had left the company. Cunningham said he doesn't know the reason for the departure of Watson, whom the LVEDC welcomed to its 35-member board of directors March 22. "It's very surprising to me," Cunningham said. "We were working on different components related to the expansion plans. It's confusing, too. He's been such a principal player in the re-engagement of Mack really into the Lehigh Valley community." “For the last year, he has been the point person for those discussions,” Cunningham said of Watson. “In the end, what’s important is that the institutions and the companies remain and they made that clear with their expansion.” Cunningham added that Watson was instrumental in keeping Mack in the Lehigh Valley. State, county and local officials had worked hard in recent months to improve relations with the company, which had atrophied a bit over the years. At a Nov. 11 LVEDC event, Watson made it clear Mack is here to stay, also announcing an expansion to the Lower Macungie plant by adding receiving docks and putting a new facade on the 40-year-old building. On Friday, Mack made its commitment official, announcing plans to invest $70 million over the next three years to modernize and expand the plant. Before starting at Mack Trucks, Watson was the vice president of operations for Volvo Powertrain North America in Hagerstown, Md., bringing $70 million in investments to the plant during his nearly five-year run. He moved with his wife and young son to Zionsville, Pennsylvania (near Macungie) last year and, in an interview with The Morning Call in December, described himself as a fixer who thrives on change and wanted to get Mack more involved in the community. Watson also said he planned to remain in the area well into the future. "I think, for my expectations, I could see us staying here for quite some time," Watson said then. "There's lots of work to do here, and there's lots of fun stuff to do in the area." Related reading - http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/44865-mack-to-upgrade-lehigh-valley-truck-plant/. .

Mack invests $70 million into its Lehigh assembly plant Truck News / April 15, 2016 Mack Trucks announced a plan to pour around $70 million over the next three years into its Lehigh Valley, Penn. truck assembly operations to further improve manufacturing quality, efficiency and to modernize the facility. “For more than 40 years, Mack’s Lehigh Valley operations has built high-quality trucks that our customers can depend on,” said Dennis Slagle, president of Mack Trucks. “This investment strategy will help ensure we continue to deliver Mack’s legendary durability through a more efficient, integrated and modern manufacturing operation.” Mack plans to include a 75,000-square-foot expansion to the plant, as well as add a new manufacturing IT system, equipment and tooling and a new building for conduction audits on completed vehicles. Chassis pre-assembly work currently completed by Westport Axle will also be moved to the Mack plant to streamline the manufacturing process. Mack’s one-million-square-foot Lehigh Valley facility opened in 1975 and manufactures all Mack trucks for the North American market and export.

Heavy Duty Trucking / April 15, 2016 Mack Trucks announced it will invest about $70 million in its Lehigh Valley, Penn., truck assembly operations over three years “to further improve manufacturing quality and efficiency and modernize the facility.” The investment will cover a 75,000-square-foot expansion to improve material handling and flow; new manufacturing IT systems; equipment and tooling; and a new building for conducting quality audits on completed vehicles. In addition, "to better manage and streamline the manufacturing process," chassis pre-assembly work currently completed by Westport Axle in Breinigsville, Penn., will be moved into the Mack plant. Mack noted that Westport will continue “several other critical support operations” for the OEM. Mack said the investment plan includes about $12 million in projects that will be completed over the next three years, but were included in the $26 million upgrade of its Macungie cab and vehicle assembly facility in Macungie, Penn., that was announced in 2014.

CNBC Africa / March 29, 2016

Glenn, I humbly suggest the absolute minimum front axle in a tipper application is the FAW538 (14,300 lb).

Common rail, in any configuration, will allow them to reach higher injection pressures, a necessity for meeting present and future emissions regulations.

Band-Aid is an apt description. Martin (Lundstedt) came into the picture too late to effect this.

You're right Tim. And think of New Zealand, heavy trucks for instance...........every global truck brand is represented there. Those Great Wall V-Series pickups and X-Series SUVs are actually quite good now. Do you remember the Isuzu Axiom that followed the Trooper but didn't sell. The always financially-troubled Isuzu sold GW the design, and they made it good looking. Their 2.5L diesel is based in the Isuzu 2.8L, and their 2.0L......they bought from Hyundai Group. They buy their automatic trannies from Hyundai as well. The V-series pickups (aka. ute, bakkie) are solid trucks too. I'd buy the diesel Ford Ranger, but it depends on how much you want to spend. http://greatwallmotors.com.au/showroom/x-series http://www.greatwallmotors.com.au/showroom/v-series-dualcab My gripe in the states is that Toyota won't import the 70 series Land Cruiser. The FJ40 and FJ55 established the brand in America. They were affordable trucks, a CJ-5/CJ-7 alternative. But the states today only gets the ridiculously overpriced Land Cruiser 200 series with all the options, and the Lexus equivalent. There's no Land Cruiser for the mainstream market. The 70 Series is the direct descendant of the FJ40. http://www.toyota.com.au/landcruiser-70-series E-Brochure - http://www.toyota.com.au/static/vehicles/landcruiser-70-series/content/pdf/landcruiser70_ebrochure.pdf South Africa: http://www.toyota.co.za/ranges/land-cruiser-76 http://www.toyota.co.za/ranges/land-cruiser-79 Gibraltar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltWdbnRhoNI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzgoiQd-mcI Another oddity is the states gets the Lexus GX, but not the much more affordable Toyota version that started it all.....the Land Cruiser Prado. http://www3.toyota.com.au/prado?WT.ac=Toyota_ShowroomPage_Suvs_Prado_Visit http://www.toyota.co.za/ranges/land-cruiser-prado

The arrangement appears strange (wrong) because they're going the cheap route (and with a cheap supplier - Delphi), jury-rigging common rail onto an architecture designed for unit pump injection. Due to their cash flow problems, a new purpose-intended common rail engine architecture (e.g. DD/M-B) was ruled out this time around.

Paul, Malaysian automaker Proton has become much better, but the Japanese brands still outsell them there for a reason. GM bought Daewoo in 2001, but used the name until 2011. The GM global designed products coming out of the former Daewoo today, like the Chevy Captiva, Cruze, Spark and Buick Encore, are all of good quality. You speak of the Kia from a decade ago (they've come so far so quickly!). This review reflects the Kia of today (http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2016-kia-sorento-long-term-test-review). The Japanese brands are truly fearing Hyundai and KIa now.......and they should.

Via Renault Trucks Components Partnerships, it all started with them importing Kerax vocational in CKD form. But that means being too expensive and impractical, and with attention shifted more to on-highway tractor (prime movers), it evolved into a Premium hybrid with local production. Today's truck is far from a Premium, essentially a self-design.

Hyundai Group's Hyundai and Kia brands have come a long way in record time. From 2005, they hired a number of global designers* including the fellow who did the original Audi TT. Today, the latest models are on par with Japan in all aspects, having overcome their last shortcoming.....handling. Thus, the resale value of the latest model Hyundai Group products is holding up in the US market. * including: VW Group's Peter Schreyer, BMW's Chris Chapman and Thomas Burkle, and Bentley's Luc Donckerwolke.

Truckies fear pay rise will leave them jobless Big Rigs.com.au / April 15, 2016 Lockyer Valley truck drivers who own and operate their vehicles fear they will be left jobless if legislation forcing contractors to increase their pay rate is passed. The Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal (RSRT), which sets pay and conditions for road transport drivers, announced the new minimum pay rates in December, stating they were designed to promote safety and lessen pressure on owner-drivers being paid per-kilometer. While a higher pay rate may initially sound like a good thing, owner-drivers like Hatton Vale's Wayne Schultz argue the legislation will put them out of business as they will be forced to charge well above competing transport businesses that are exempt from the new pay rates. "The legislation targets owner-drivers, not multinationals, and it's going to drive me out of business," Mr Schultz said. "A lot of blokes are going to lose everything over this and some already have. "A lot of little towns also depend on owner-drivers and mobile mechanics and tyre fitters will also lose out." The new rates were due to come into effect on April 4, but the Federal Court granted a stay of the Order following an urgent application by the National Road Transport Association (NatRoad). New legislation will now be introduced to Parliament on Monday to ensure orders setting mandatory remuneration rates cannot commence any earlier than January 1, 2017. Mr Schultz, who has been driving trucks for 40 years, said safety needed to be addressed but the RSRT was not the way to go about it. "If the RSRT was set up right and applied to drivers across the board, it would be a good thing," he said. "In its format now I hope it's scrapped and they come back with something else completely." Federal Member for Blair Scott Buchholz said, although legal concerns prevented most transport businesses from saying so, the rise in costs would force the majority in the region to stop employing owner-drivers. "We have roughly 200,000 trucks on the road of which approximately 26,000 are owner operators. The RSRT was put in place with good intention to try and offer a better rate of pay for these owner operators," he said. "It was pushed heavily by the Transport Workers Union. Union membership in the company sector is quite large (compared) to membership in the owner-driver sector. "My concern is we're going to have 26,000 owner-operators having to sell their trucks (and) losing their homes because they've lost their income. "Whilst the RSRT intent was good the effect is they'll wipe out the entire owner-driver sector. It's a cruel blow and it's an invasion of economic freedom to do business. Local owner-operators are furious." Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull agrees and has said, if re-elected, he would move to abolish the Tribunal which was set up by the Gillard government in 2012 to improve road safety. Mr Turnbull based his decision on the findings of two independent reviews of the Road Safety Remuneration System that outlined economic consequences and a lack of conclusive evidence around safety. "We will, if we are re-elected, abolish the RSRT," he said. "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."

Linfox calls order impracticable and unworkable Big Rigs.com.au / April 15, 2016 Linfox (www.linfox.com) has addressed questions raised about its position on the introduction of a the safe rates order by the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal (RSRT). The large transport provider has supported the tribunal as a way to improve our industry's safety standards from the beginning, but the company says the current order is, "impracticable and unworkable". Linfox Executive Chairman Peter Fox claims that Linfox leads the industry in safety, when responding to the Order. "Linfox leads the industry in safety, training and innovation," he said. "This is evidenced by our Vision ZERO safety campaign. Despite rumours Linfox will stand to gain from the Order, they say owner drivers are a valuable part of their operations. "Owner drivers are important to our business and we operate with a limited number of owner drivers who provide services during peak periods," said Mr Fox. "Media reports claiming that Linfox stands to benefit from the long distance order are inaccurate, create confusion and exacerbate concerns in the industry and among members of the public." Despite calling the current order unworkable, Linfox does support the introduction of minimum safety standards. "Linfox does support the introduction of minimum national safety standards for the transport sector. These standards are long overdue and need to be developed and implemented as a matter of urgency," Mr Fox said. For over a decade, Linfox has advocated for improved safety on Australian roads and the compulsory introduction of in-cab telematics or European style 'Black Box' technology.. "Addressing safety requires real commitment and it is the view of the business that the compulsory introduction of advanced telematics is a top priority for both the industry and government regulators," Mr Fox said. "Linfox implores the Federal Government to legislate in this area. To do so will bring about an immediate and real improvement in safety on Australian roads." Linfox submissions to the RSRT on Friday 25 March, 2016: ...The setting of minimum rates for contract owner drivers engaged in long distance operations is a more complex task than the setting of minimum rates for contract drivers engaged in local supermarket distribution operations. ...it's also not right to all of a sudden put a transport operator in a position where his freight charges double. He has no ability to recover that from a consignor. ...It would just be a fundamental turning on its head of the current transport arrangements. ...Linfox is presently unable to support the setting of specific minimum rates for contract owner drivers engaged generally in long distance operations.

Prime Mover Magazine / April 15, 2015 The Victorian Government has announced the launch of a set of digital maps that are able to provide real-time information on the State’s High Productivity Freight Vehicle (HPFV) network. The Victorian Minister for Roads, Road Safety and Ports, the Hon. Luke Donnellan, presented the new online tool during a breakfast event hosted by the Victorian Transport Association (VTA) in Melbourne this week. Available on the VicRoads website, the maps are part of a new HPFV policy that will see the Government focus stronger on providing access for longer heavy vehicles to improve freight productivity. As such, Donnellan said they would not only indicate the maximum load capacities specified for each Victorian road, but also list the types of vehicles permitted. They also include an overview of current access restrictions and potential obstacles, with live information on what authorities are planning to do to resolve each bottleneck. “A simple mouse click will reveal details like construction status and a specific ‘due for completion’ date,” Donnellan said – pointing out that the tool would allow industry to hold the State Government accountable. “That way we enable operators to organise the right equipment and obtain the relevant permissions in time for construction projects to be finished.” Indicating that Higher Mass Limits (HML) are bound to become “the norm” in the State, Donnellan added the road network must be adjusted to deal with the more productive vehicles. "We want to see the freight network throughout the State open to 30 meter (98.4 ft) HPFVs at Higher Mass Limits,” he said. “In regional areas, we will also permit combinations up to 36 meter (118.1 ft) long – as we are already doing on the road-train network in north-west Victoria." VTA CEO Peter Anderson commented the new HPFV policy and maps were the start of a “State-based mapping system that will see transport operators use to strategise and plan within their freight businesses”. He explained, “The VTA has worked closely with the Andrews Government and Vicroads to see this policy come together and we’re pleased it’s now a reality. “These new HPFV network maps are a powerful tool for freight operators. Their interactivity and the depth of information available will help operators plan their journeys with certainty and, in turn, quote with certainty.” While currently the HPFV map only displays information relevant to Super B-Doubles in both quad/tri and quad/quad configurations, it will reportedly receive on-going updates, with A-doubles up to 85.5 metric tonnes (188,495 lb) to be added over the coming months.