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The Guardian / January 22, 2016 Documents seen by the Guardian reveal questionable practices that mean people’s drinking water is at risk in ‘every major city east of the Mississippi’ Water authorities across the US are systematically distorting water tests to downplay the amount of lead in samples, risking a dangerous spread of the toxic water crisis that has gripped Flint, documents seen by the Guardian show. The controversial approach to water testing is so widespread that it occurs in “every major US city east of the Mississippi” according to an anonymous source with extensive knowledge of the lead and copper regulations. “By word of mouth, this has become the thing to do in the water industry. The logical conclusion is that millions of people’s drinking water is potentially unsafe,” he said. Documents seen by the Guardian show that water boards in cities including Detroit and Philadelphia, as well as the state of Rhode Island, have distorted tests by using methods deemed misleading by the Environment Protection Agency (EPA). There is no suggestion that EPA regulations have been broken, but the agency’s guidelines have been systematically ignored. The revelation comes as the growing crisis in Flint, Michigan, has prompted an emergency EPA order, the condemnation of Barack Obama and the resignation of a top agency official. The documents show a pattern of behaviour in addressing public health concerns about water across the US where “gamed” tests help ensure that water utilities don’t breach federal lead and copper rules. Dr Yanna Lambrinidou, a Virginia Tech academic, has disclosed what she considers to be evidence of deceptive practices by city water authorities after she sat on an EPA taskforce that reviewed federal rules on lead and copper poisoning that have been in place since 1991. The taskforce ended its work last year, shortly before the full extent of the city of Flint’s problems with smelly, brown water hit the headlines, with Lambrinidou criticising the final report for failing to step up protections to prevent the corrosion of pipes, which leads to lead leaching into water supplies. The documents were obtained by Lambrinidou under freedom of information laws and direct requests to water authorities. They show that several cities have advised residents to use questionable methods when conducting official tests for lead content. These include encouraging testers to run taps for several minutes to flush out lead from the pipes or even removing the filter from taps. Such methods have been criticized by the EPA for not providing accurate results, with the agency telling authorities not to use them. The Philadelphia water department’s instructions to residents in November last year were to “remove the aerator from the faucet. Leave the aerator off until sampling is completed”. This practice was deemed “against the intent of the monitoring protocol” in 2008 by the EPA, which advised against in 2006. In an email to Lambrinidou in November 2015, a senior official at Philadelphia Water said: “We are trying to stay up on the latest science as best we can. We get confused by it and wish that a national forum of experts could get together and agree. But it’s often left to us to try and make sense out of everything that is published and talked about.” Philadelphia also asks testers to “run only the cold water for two minutes” before taking a water sample. This practice of “pre-flushing” the pipes before testing water is repeated in instructions given to Michigan residents, between 2007 and 2015, by cities including Detroit, which requires water to be run for five minutes before testing, Grand Rapids, Andover, Muskegon, Holland and Jackson. Rhode Island department of health documents ask testing residents to run their water “until cold” before sampling. In an email to Lambrinidou, a senior environmental scientist at the department said: “I know that the idea of flushing six hours prior is controversial but, as of now, within the regulations.” Many of these cities also advise residents who conduct tests to put test water into a container in a slow and steady stream from the tap. Containers with small openings are provided to ensure this. Again, this tactic is thought to influence the amount of lead found in a typical sample. Lambrinidou warned that the issue of misleading test results was widespread. “There is no way that Flint is a one-off,” she said.“There are many ways to game the system. In Flint, they went to test neighbourhoods where they knew didn’t have a problem. You can also flush the water to get rid of the lead. If you flush it before sampling, the problem will go away. “The EPA has completely turned its gaze away from this. There is no robust oversight here, the only oversight is from the people getting hurt. Families who get hurt, such as in Flint, are the overseers. It’s an horrendous situation. The system is absolutely failing.” The Centers for Disease Control is very clear about lead’s impacts on children. The agency emphasises that lead has no biological function in humans, and even the smallest exposure can developmentally impair children. Multiple studies over decades have shown wide-ranging and serious health consequences, including death in cases of acute poisoning. One of the most insidious characteristics of lead exposure is the heavy metal’s accumulation in the body: over years lead is stored in kidneys, the liver, teeth and bones, and can be released during times of stress, when bones are broken and during pregnancy. In children, acute lead exposure can be lethal, sending them into a coma, causing loss of motor control or causing “stupor” and hyper-irritability. Lambrinidou’s Virginia Tech colleague Marc Edwards was one of the first scientists to highlight the risks posed to Flint residents by their drinking water. The duo have previously helped illuminate suspect lead testing procedures in Washington DC and produced evidence that the disturbance of pipes in Chicago was causing lead to seep into water flows. In 2008, Cynthia Doughtery, director of the EPA’s office of ground water and drinking water, wrote to Alliance for Healthy Homes, which raised concerns about water in DC. Doughtery stated: “We do not understand why DC Water and Sewer Authority believes it should be necessary to request flushing only in households participating in the sampling. “While this may fall within a strict legal interpretation of the regulations, we believe that it goes against the intent of the monitoring protocol.” Federal regulations set a lead content limit of 15 parts per billion in drinking water. If more than 10% of “high risk” households are found to be above this limit, various procedures such as public information and water treatment are supposed to kick in. The water is tested from the tap by residents who follow instructions from water departments. A report published last year, commissioned by the American Water Works Association, found that if the water was tested directly from lead pipes, up to 96 million Americans could be found to be drinking water with unsafe levels of lead. The EPA has yet to decide whether to implement the recommendations of the lead and copper rule working group that Lambrinidou sat on. Paul Schwartz, national policy coordinator of Water Alliance, who assisted Lambrinidou during the taskforce, said the regulatory regime was inadequate. “The industry’s own reports show that if large water utilities followed the EPA standard for sampling, they would routinely exceed the lead limit,” he said. “The EPA has been in a very cosy relationship with the state regulators and the water utilities. They’ve allowed themselves to be captured and they haven’t followed the science. “What we have is a recipe for a public health disaster that is much larger than what we’ve seen so far. It will take us years to get out of this situation.” The EPA was given a day to respond to the revelations but has not yet responded. The revelations come after Susan Hedman, a regional EPA director for Michigan, resigned on Thursday. The head of the EPA, Gina McCarthy, also issued an emergency order requiring Michigan and the city of Flint to take immediate steps after determining that the response by the local governments has been “inadequate to protect human health”.

Infoobras / January 15, 2016 Navistar will invest US$15 million to construct a new 4,000,800 square meter parts logistics warehouse adjacent to its plant in Escobedo, Mexico. Completion is planned for July 2016. The truckmaker plans for the new facility, in the Vymnsa Industrial Park, to house 10 to 15 of its main suppliers within two years. The goal of the “One Roof” program is to reduce the plant’s lead time for parts as well as reduce logistics costs. Around 300 new jobs are expected to be created at Navistar, and up to 500 jobs at related suppliers. The production model envisioned by Navistar will allow the truckmaker to offer lower pricing, resulting in stronger heavy truck sales in Mexico. Since last summer, Navistar’s Escobedo plant has been producing all versions of its International brand class 8 trucks.

Scania Group Press Release / January 20, 2016 Today, Scania’s global online presence undergoes a major transformation and development. The new Scania Group web site will have a clear focus on news, images and videos about Scania’s operations, businesses and transport solutions from around the world. “We continue to strengthen our online channels,” says Staffan Ekengren, Head of Scania Newsdesk. “As a global company, we know the importance of a strong digital presence to reach our customers and other stakeholders.” “Over the past year, it became increasingly evident that our Newsroom has increasingly become the primary focal point for stories and the gateway to social media,” says Erica Zandelin, Head of Online Governance & Solutions at Scania. “We have now adapted to that development and combined our corporate and current information.” Scania’s new web site is a comprehensive arena for information not just about Scania, but also about developments within the transport and logistics fields – with a significant focus on sustainability. “Much of the long-lasting information on the new corporate site will be perceived as more dynamic since we link information on, for example, sustainability to current and previous stories that exemplify different aspects of the transport and logistics industry,” says Erica Zandelin. As Scania in 2016 celebrates its 125th year anniversary, the new web site also provides comprehensive historical content. For readers more interested in future transport solutions the innovation section will be a treat. The new Scania Group web site can be found at http://www.scania.com/group. For deeper and more detailed insight into Scania’s products and transport solutions, please see Direct link to Scania Trucks page - http://www.scania.com/group/en/section/solutions/trucks/ Direct link to Scania V-8 page - http://www.scania.com/group/en/section/solutions/trucks/v8/

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MAN Truck & Bus Press Release / January 21, 2016

Indianapolis Business Journal / January 18-26, 2016 edition An excerpt from Cummins Chairman and CEO Tom Linebarger’s 2015 year-end letter to all employees, highlighting Cummins’ commitment to its core values such as integrity, diversity and global-involvement. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- At Cummins, we believe that when we see discrimination and intolerance toward our colleagues, friends and neighbors, we owe it to ourselves, our communities and each other to stand up and say something. Discrimination and intolerance have no place in our company, in our communities or in our country. Today, divisive rhetoric that isolates minority groups is undermining our ability to see the commonalities we share and inhibiting our efforts to improve our communities. It is wrong to use fear of those who are different to further enshrine discrimination against individuals for political purposes. For example, incendiary and discriminatory language is being aimed at those who are Muslim. Just securing basic human rights for our LGBT citizens has become a major culture war in several states. For African-Americans this is a particularly troubling time. While racism still exists in America today, what has happened in Ferguson, MO., Chicago, IL, and a number of other cities feels different. The level of mistrust between those who are charged to protect and serve and African-Americans has created a toxic environment. People are making incorrect assumptions about individuals because of the color of their skin or the fact they hold a badge. And we will not stop this cycle of fear and mistrust without everyone working together to put their assumptions aside and tackle the real issues of poverty, opportunity and education that are facing us as a country. Cummins has for decades advocated for those who have been marginalized or oppressed. We supported Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in the organization of the March on Washington in 1963. We stood up against apartheid in South Africa in the 1980s by withdrawing our business from the country. We opposed measures to ban gay marriage in several states, and we are currently working to advocate for a comprehensive non-discrimination statute in Indiana. Why? Because at Cummins we believe that no company can be successful over the long run unless the communities in which we operate are also strong and successful. As we celebrate the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I am asking all of you who share our values to speak up when you see or hear discrimination and intolerance. We must be clear that we are not okay with discrimination against our friends, neighbors and colleagues. They are contrary to our values and contrary to the ideals that built this country of immigrants. For those of us who are committed to the principles of diversity and social justice, it is our duty to stand up and be heard. Let’s speak up for those who need a voice and make our communities stronger and more inclusive. – Tom Linebarger, Chairman and CEO, Cummins Inc.

Facing a lack of skilled technicians, UK to recall BC Mack........details at 11.

Trailer/Body Builders / January 22, 2016 UK truckmakers are gaining confidence for 2016 after registrations increased 27% in 2015 to 44,063 units, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). Senior industry executives remain confident that demand is now at a healthy and sustainable level after a disappointing 2014 in which registrations were depressed by the impacts of Euro-VI introduction and European Community Whole Vehicle Type Approval. Stuart Webster, Iveco Managing Director, said, “Inflation is low and under control, the deficit continues to fall, growth is going generally in the right direction, unemployment is at its lowest level for almost a decade and oil prices are low and likely to go even lower. Interest rates remain low and look set to remain that way well into 2016.” Webster predicts that between 42,000 and 43,000 trucks will be registered this year. Although that would be below 2015’s total, Webster describes it as “the real market norm.” Ian Mitchell, MAN Sales Director, is more optimistic than Webster. He said, “We see the market for 2016 being broadly in line with 2015 at around 44,000 units.” Ray Ashworth, DAF Managing Director, is bullish too. He said, “With the single exception of the Euro-VI ‘pull-through’ year of 2013, not since 1988 has the heavy end of the market been in such rude health. We’re certainly looking good for 2016.” DAF was overall CV market leader once again in 2015, with a 26% market share, ahead of Mercedes-Benz and Scania. Scania’s result was a 48.9% increase on its 2014 performance, and it is off to a flying start in 2016. It has won an order for more than 2,000 trucks from Eddie Stobart and its associated companies; the manufacturer’s largest ever European order. Martin Hay, Scania UK Sales Director, said, “We expect the confidence in the industry to continue, and do not expect to see any significant changes in the size of the market from 2015.” The tractor unit market soared ahead by nearly 36% in 2015, with Mercedes-Benz finishing on top ahead of Scania. A record number of 6x2s made up the vast majority of registrations in the sector. The buoyant tractor unit market results contrasted with far more muted growth for 7.5-tonners, which increased by only 2.9% last year. Keith Child, Isuzu Managing Director, thinks that the market for 7.5-tonners will increase during 2016. He said, “We may see demand for 7.5-tonners grow as some major fleets turn over existing vehicles as part of their scheduled replacement cycle.” A vigorous construction industry helped push sales of multi-axle rigids upwards by over 20% in 2015, to 8,522 units. DAF led the way overall, although Scania registered more four-axle trucks. Whilst the strength of the construction industry has been a boon, manufacturers are wary of any slowing in the marketplace. Ian Mitchell said, “It will be interesting to see if demand for four-axle rigids continues at the same level this year.” One factor that might affect rigid registrations in coming months is a bottleneck in getting chassis bodied. “Body builders have been hit by the double whammy of recession – when they lost people and skills – and the advent of European Community Whole Vehicle Type Approval,” said Stuart Webster. “They’re short of resources and finding it difficult to respond, which means restricted capacity and lengthened delivery times, particularly for tippers and other construction industry trucks.” Manufacturers are also concerned that a lack of drivers will limit sales, as operators won’t buy trucks if they have nobody to drive them. Webster said, “The industry is getting desperately short of drivers, and too little is being done to encourage new and younger drivers in. The working conditions put many of them off, and the legislation that rules their lives is deterring them from entering the sector. “This is a crisis waiting to happen; and the time has come for the powers that be to take action at all levels.”

Commercial Carrier Journal (CCJ) / January 21, 2016 Cummins announced Jan. 21 it too will forgo exhibiting at the 2016 edition of the Mid-America Trucking Show (MATS), joining all major truck manufacturers in opting to skip the annual trucking trade event. It will, like the others have announced, return to the show in 2017, the diesel engine maker said in its announcement. Cummins and the other manufacturers have signaled they intend to participate in the show on a biennial basis from here on, exhibiting in odd-numbered years and skipping even-numbered ones. Daimler was the first to announce its intentions to skip, and Volvo, Mack, Peterbilt, Kenworth and International later announced the same. Some truck makers say they’d like to see the show itself move to a biennial format, as to avoid the conflicts of the biennial IAA commercial truck show that takes place every other year — even-numbered years — in Hanover, Germany. Mid-America organizers have maintained they intend to continue the show as an annual event.

Fleet Owner / January 21, 2016 Automatics and AMTs predicted to gain big ground in trucking Automated manual transmissions (AMTs) and their fully-automatic brethren are projected to gain significant ground in the North American truck market over the next decade, according to new research conducted by global consulting firm Frost & Sullivan. The firm predicts that AMTs and automatics will experience a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.9% and 2.9%, respectively, through 2025, while manual transmission demand will shrink by 2.7% over the same time period. By 2025, Frost & Sullivan expects the market share for manual transmissions among North American medium- and heavy-duty trucks will decline to 43.5%, while AMT market share will climb to 29.4%, with automatics at 27.1%. “The market is on fire,” Sandeep Kar, global VP of the firm’s automotive & transportation research practice, told Fleet Owner. “AMTs used to have less than 5% to 6% market share and they are now in the double digits. Economies of scale are shrinking the price difference [with manuals] and the benefit of higher efficiency is attracting more fleets.” Silpa Paul, the researcher in charge of the study, explained to Fleet Owner that fuel savings and driver recruitment/retention benefits are the two factors driving higher adoption of AMTs and automatics among trucking companies – with more demand for AMTs at the moment. “Fuel costs can account for 50% to 65% of a fleet’s operating costs, making it the highest cost component for fleets,” she said. “Studies show that adoption of AMTs and ATs can improve truck fuel efficiency in varying degrees depending on truck operating duty cycle [with] AMTs especially beneficial in drive cycles with high idling time in comparison to MTs [manuals transmissions and conventional ATs [automatic transmissions].” Paul added that as truck drivers from the baby-boomer generation retire and are replaced by millennials, training and retention costs are escalating because younger drivers lack basic familiarity with manuals, especially in North America, where passenger cars are now largely equipped with automatics. Fleets are also looking to leverage telematics to gain more benefits as well, she pointed out. “Manual transmissions are not ‘smart’ devices,” Paul said, noting that as AMTs and automatics are electronically controlled transmissions (ECTs), they can now be “integrated” with telematics to gain more performance data from the truck. “This is a great value-add for fleets,” Paul emphasized. Other data revealed by Frost & Sullivan’s global truck transmission study includes: - The medium-duty truck premium for AMTs averages $600-$3,000, increasing to $1,000-$5,000 for heavy-duty units. - The medium-duty truck premium for fully-automatic transmissions averages $3,000-$6,000, rising to $6,000-$10,000 for heavy-duty units. - Where newer dual clutch automated transmissions (DCTs) are concerned, the medium-duty premium averages $3,000-$5,000, while the heavy-duty premium averages $5,000-$10,000. - Those high incremental costs versus the potential fuel savings is the primary factor presently inhibiting mass adoption of ECTs as a group, the firm noted. - Globally, AMTs are expected to experience the highest rate of adoption over the next decade with a CAGR of 12.5%, while ATs will experience a CAGR of 7.7%. - Downspeeding, engine downsizing, and the increasingly “vertical integration” of truck transmissions in North America, Europe, and Asia is “catalyzing” the adoption of ECTs. Truck OEMs in particular are using ECTs to meet the higher torque requirements downspeeding places on powertrains. - European truck manufacturers already offer AMTs as “standard fitment” in both medium- and heavy-duty trucks; their market share topped 55.4% among European Union trucks last year. - However, the manual transmission will still dominate in trucks with gross vehicle weight ratings (GVWRs) exceeding 16 tons, Frost & Sullivan stressed as the fuel economy benefits of ECTs aren’t as yet conclusively proven. - That being said, manual transmissions will still experience a decline in global heavy-duty truck market share from 81.4% currently to 65.5% by 2025.

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http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/index.php?/topic/34624-mack-scania-cooperation/?hl=ds8

Mack had some large western bus operators, including San Francisco of course, and Portland. I always liked that Volkswagen advertisement. A lot to be said about flattery. .

Cummins Press Release / January 11, 2016

Mack Western Press Release Mack Trucks, Inc., Hayward, CA "The Truck Capital of the West" .

That is troubling. There's a time and place for everything, and school time is for learning. Western countries are going to regret not revising their thought processes on immigration. The situation of today is FAR different from when their policies were originally formed.

Owner/Driver / January 21, 2016 Todd Malycha is a big Mack fan, especially the 2005 Titan he drives for Corbet’s Timber Haulage around the pine plantations of Central Queensland. In 2014 Cyclone Marcia carved its way through the Queensland coast, laying acres and acres of pine plantations around Byfield, an hour or so up from Rockhampton. Today, there are around 40 trucks running 24 hours a day, five days a week, salvaging the pine before it rots. Andrew Corbet has nine trucks hauling pine, one of which is a 2005 Mack Titan with an enthusiastic Todd Malycha behind the wheel. The Titan has been recently rebuilt and refurbished in Corbet’s Timber Haulage own workshops. "They just don’t make trucks like this," Todd says. "The Cummins and its 600hp in this Titan are just awesome." Corbet’s trucks are doubled shifted, keeping them running around the clock from Monday to Friday with Todd sharing the Titan with another driver, Barry Merchant. The pine is hauled from Byfield down to the port of Gladstone where the majority is chipped for export. There is a regular "log jam" during school days however, with a curfew taking place around the Byfield School from 6am to 9am and again from 2pm to 4.30pm. "We’ve got two years of work here hauling out millions of tonnes of timber. Each shift you do a trip and a half, so you don’t get bored. It’s a pretty good job!" The fold-up B-double Kennedy trailers were built in 2002 and have since been refurbished. Although Todd is no stranger to hauling logs, he admits operating the Elphinstone fold-up B-double takes some getting used to. "I think I’m going to do some damage but no, they are great, well designed and easy to operate," he says. Todd has driven mainly Kenworths or Volvos over the past 20 years, apart from the occasional Mack, including a Super-Liner out of Mount Gambier. Todd later moved to South Australia’s Riverland district before relocating to Queensland, which is where he’s been for the past couple of years. His career has included road trains, hauling triples to Darwin for ABC Transport and over to Perth for HPS Transport. However, it’s the Titan that maintains Todd’s level of driving enjoyment, with its V8 underneath. "The rig looks great, a little bit of scroll work and a few stickers and it looks a million bucks," he says. "Why drive a new truck when you can drive one as good as this?" Photo gallery - http://www.ownerdriver.com.au/industry-news/1601/salvaging-pine-from-a-cyclones-carnage/

Burrumbuttock Hay Runners promise April convoy Australasian Transport News / January 20, 2016 Convoy founder says they will be finishing off the job they started earlier this month Just weeks after organising the transportation of over 5,000 bales of hay to struggling farmers in Queensland, Riverina-based farmer and Burrumbuttock Hay Runners founder Brendan Farrell has announced the job isn’t finished. In a post to the convoy’s Facebook page, Farrell says only half the farmers received hay in the first hay run to Ilfracombe, and another run will be taking place on April 1. "There's 120 truck drivers at the moment screaming ‘let's get this show on the road’," Farrell says. "So, let's do what we do and drop some more hay off." He is even promising a bigger convoy than the 125-truck convoy that travelled the 1,860km journey in January. "It's going to be huge – bigger than the last one, trust me," he says. "So April 1 we will be there and all we're doing is keeping the dream alive." Farrell’s hay convoy, which has run on ten occasions in the last two years, has received a surge of praise over the past fortnight from farmers and concerned members of the community, attention that the founder shrugged off. "People need to realise I’m just a bloke with a truck," Farrell says in an earlier video post. "You don’t have to be famous to help people. "You don’t need to have a million dollars to help people. "You put your hand up and you just get on and do it." While he is currently on a holiday in Fiji, Farrell says he will be organising the next run on his return, creating a committee and allocating area managers to drought-affected zones. For truck drivers, he says they should get in contact but stay patient. For those looking to donate, he says they can send funds to the Rotary Club of Sydney, details of which are on the Facebook page, or to Drought Angels.

The Engineer / January 20, 2016 UK-based automotive contract engineering firm Ricardo has received two contracts to produce natural gas engines for heavy commercial trucks that would operate under California’s tight emissions environment. The contracts will see Ricardo partnering with the Gas Technology Institute, a US organisation headquartered near Chicago, devoted to energy and environmental technology development. The project aims to develop alternatives to diesel engines for medium and heavy commercial trucks to reduce NOx emissions and improve fuel efficiency. Some funding is coming from the Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas). In one project, Ricardo is to test two ignition systems that can be used with natural gas-fuelled engines – high-frequency discharge and pulsed nano-plasma – to measure and evaluate their effect on engine performance. The other project is aimed at developing an ultra-low emission engine for class 4-7 medium and heavy duty trucks, whose current diesel engines are in the top ten sources of NOx emissions in the Southern Californian Basin and are projected to remain major polluters even as the current fleet is replaced by newer vehicles meeting the most recent emissions standards, set in 2010. The new engines would produce 90 per cent less NOx than even the best-performing current diesel engines, Ricardo claims, adding that their performance “would approach the regional NOx emissions associated with operating an equivalent all-electric heavy-duty vehicle, when the emissions associated with the electricity production are taken into account.” According to Ricardo president Clive Wooton, “trucks such as these are not as amenable to the type of electrification and hybridization approaches that have been applied very successfully in the passenger car and SUV sector. However, the substitution of diesel with natural gas as a transportation fuel for these classes of vehicle offers some attractive potential benefits in reducing NOx emissions.” Related reading: http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/tech/techreport/ng_tech_report.pdf http://www.ricardo.com/en-GB/News--Media/Press-releases/News-releases1/2016/Ricardo-to-help-develop-technology-for-ultra-low-emission-natural-gas-heavy-truck-engines/

TATRA PHOENIX – successfully premiered at the 2016 Dakar Rally! Tatra Truck Press Release / January 20, 2016 The crews of the TATRA BUGGYRA RACING team contributed to the thirty-year celebrations of the TATRA brand at the world's toughest long-distance rally with the excellent finishes at the 2016 Dakar Rally. Jaroslav Valtr finished eighth with his Phoenix truck, and Martin Kolomy sixteenth with his Fat Boy. The key goal of the new TATRA PHOENIX vehicle was to finish the race. And to test and tune the truck for the next one. Having switched to the TATRA from Liaz, Jarda Valtr got the feeling soon after the race started that he could let the Phoenix "fly" and battle for the top positions. After the initial "tuning" and some bad luck for the Phoenix, he fought his way from the 33rd starting position to the second ten, and from there repeatedly made a play for the "podium". "I came back after a year's break, and now we have the result of a lifetime. We had problems primarily at the beginning of the race and it cost us an even better finish. The race was fantastic. We showed several times that both the Fat Boy and new Phoenix belong to the absolute best and that our vehicles are ready to fight for the Bedouins," said Valtr. His teammate, Josef Kalina, who stood at the start of the TATRA vehicle with Karel Loprais 30 years ago, added after Stage 13: "It was a perfect stage for our Phoenix. He was flying today! But we had some mistakes in navigation, and it cost us valuable time. But we have another top ten finish as a result and we're defending eighth place overall, which is an excellent outcome." Martin Kolomy strove for the highest positions and turned in a fantastic ride during the whole competition, illustrated by his victory in the 3rd stage, but unfortunately he had bad luck for a moment in the seventh stage when a stone jammed his steering, resulting in the truck crashing into a riverbed bank, causing fairly extensive damage to it. With new TATRA-brand servicing tools and technology on hand, the mechanics of the TATRA BUGGYRA RACING team managed to repair everything. Martin then tested the robustness and resilience of the TATRA 815 Fat Boy vehicle by getting back into the top ten from the depths of the starting field, where he dropped back to due to delays from the crash, and once again he put up a fight for a stage "podium", but finally ended up only in fourth. "This year's Dakar was very hard, because we had an accident and some technical problems. One truck fared better and the other worse, but I'm excited. Both our crews finished and are healthy. It's a marathon contest, difficult to prepare for. The stages were difficult but nice, and I hope that we shall get together here in a year's time again and do even better, maybe get the best possible results. Even after today's stage, I know there is no better brand to start with," the sixteenth-place Martin Kolomy said in praise of his Tatra at the finish line. The TATRA trucks of another Czech team – Bonver Dakar Project – also didn't do too badly with their international crews but were held back in the race by some minor accidents and defects rather than any fundamental technical problem. Arthur Ardavichus from Kazakhstan also had excellent results with an 11th place finish overall. Team boss and driver Tomas Vratny finished in 17th place and handicapped driver Andorran Alberto Llovera in 35th. With a Tatra truck adapted for manual steering, he became the first handicapped truck driver to finish the race and huge thanks go to both him and the whole Bonver Dakar Project team that enabled him to achieve this result and fulfil the TATRA brand's motto – "TATRA takes you further..." Photo gallery - http://www.tatratrucks.com/about-the-company/press-and-media/news/tatra-phoenix-successfully-premiered-at-the-2016-dakar-rally/

Life in a western country, including the United States, is completely different from countries under Islamic Law (Shariah). If one chooses to [legally] immigrate to the United States, then one needs to make a conscious decision about adapting to the American way of life. The U.S. is a global symbol of diversity; however we have norms, just as every country does. You can’t expect to put a square peg into a round hole. Live in the countries where your beliefs fit in.

Daimler invests $22.7M to expand Freightliner Custom Chassis Fleet Owner / January 20, 2016 Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) announced it will invest $22.7 million in Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp (FCCC) to expand facilities and improve operations in South Carolina. “The investment will positively impact a number of key business operations for FCCC, including the construction of a new logistics center, as well as expansions of the current office building, employee parking lot, completed chassis parking and loading/delivery operations,” according to DTNA. Daimler added that the investment will drive implementation of a new line side delivery process, which will utilize nearly 60% more component kitting. “The investment shows our commitment to the employees in Gaffney, our customers and to the future of FCCC,” said David Carson, president, Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp. “We will continue to build the best chassis with the best features and customer support, and this investment will ensure we are well positioned for future growth. I’d like to thank the officials from the state of South Carolina and Cherokee County for their help in making this project possible.” According to DTNA, in addition to the logistical and process improvements, the investment will provide an expansion to the current office building, which will provide a 25% increase in personal work stations, increase the training room capacity from 25 to 100, double the amount of available team work space and increase the cafeteria capacity from 15 to 119. “The leadership team at DTNA wants to ensure we have the tools and facilities we need to continue delivering the best chassis for all of our customers across all of our product lines,” Carson added.

Fleet Owner / January 20, 2016 Dual-stage design streamlines replacement process, OEM says. Ford is introducing a new “dual-stage” replacement turbocharger for vehicles equipped with its 6.4-liter Power Stroke diesel engine, shortening the replacement process and lowering costs as well. “The new dual-stage turbocharger allows installers to provide one repair at a lower cost that also includes peripheral parts like an oil supply line and an installation kit that would otherwise need to be purchased separately,” said Dan Goering, Ford’s diesel product manager, in a statement. “Customers and installers now have options in terms of replacement, and the dual-stage choice definitely saves time and money.” He added that replacing the high- and low-pressure turbochargers on the 6.4-liter Power Stroke used to be a two-step process with two distinct costs. Thus this new dual-stage turbocharger creates a one-stop option addressing the need to replace both turbochargers at the same time, Goering noted. Ford pointed out that recent analysis shows that 33% of high pressure turbocharger repairs also include a low pressure turbocharger. Moreover, replacements of just the high or low turbocharger may soon be followed by replacement of the other – causing inefficiencies, especially for fleet vehicles when time off of the road is critical. On top of that, the OEM said its new the dual-stage unit comes fully assembled, saving labor costs while still coming in at a lower price. Customers can order the dual-stage system from their Powertrain Distributor or Ford dealer using part number 8C3Z-6K682-CRM for 6.4-liter Power Stroke engines 2008, 2009 and 2010 Ford F-250s through F-550s.

Trailer/Body Builders / January 20, 2016 Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) announced the investment of $22.7 million in Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp (FCCC) to expand facilities and improve operations in Gaffney, South Carolina. The investment will positively impact a number of key business operations for FCCC, including the construction of a new logistics center, as well as expansions of the current office building, employee parking lot, completed chassis parking and loading/delivery operations. In addition, the investment will drive implementation of a new line side delivery process which will utilize nearly 60 percent more component kitting. “The investment shows our commitment to the employees in Gaffney, our customers and to the future of FCCC,” said David Carson, president, Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp. “We will continue to build the best chassis with the best features and customer support, and this investment will ensure we are well positioned for future growth. I’d like to thank the officials from the state of South Carolina and Cherokee County for their help in making this project possible.” In addition to the logistical and process improvements, the investment will provide an expansion to the current office building, which will provide a 25 percent increase in personal work stations, increase the training room capacity from 25 to 100, double the amount of available team work space and increase the cafeteria capacity from 15 to 119. “The leadership team at DTNA wants to ensure we have the tools and facilities we need to continue delivering the best chassis for all of our customers across all of our product lines,” Carson added.