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Fleet Owner / March 4, 2015 Navistar International announced some new features on its Diamond Logic electrical system and provided a quick overview of its Uptime program during a press briefing Wednesday at the NTEA’s Work Truck Show. Diamond Logic is getting a new body control module that offers six times the processing speed, 16 new inputs, three new data links and meets 500K baud regulatory standards, said David Hillman, general manager-vocational truck line for Navistar. “It’s faster and it has more power,” he said. “What that means for the body companies is it gives them more flexibility to interface their products with ours.” Because of the new module, Hillman said several new features will now be available on the company’s vocational truck product line. Those include intelligent start, which provides single ignition activation. The starter motor is disabled the moment the engine starts, which prevents over cranking and overheating to extend starter life. Also available is programmable real time starting, which allows a single person to program when vehicles should start. “Timed start allows a fleet manager to set the time to start all the trucks so when the drivers come in they are all ready to go, saving human work time,” Hillman pointed out. Auto start-stop will also be included. This reduces idle time and saves on fuel. But, customers recharging batteries or needing cab heat will still be able to have access without continuously running the engine. All International medium-duty and vocational trucks are equipped with the Diamond Logic electrical system. Hillman also mentioned that the company’s OnCommand Connection is now available via mobile app. Also, the WorkStar is now available with the Cummins ISB 6.7L engine or Navistar’s own N9 and N10 engines, giving customers choices. “Our customers demand that we provide more than a cookie-cutter approach to our products,” said Hillman. “[The inclusion of the ISB] allows us to get to the lighter end of the horsepower range.” The N10 engines will also be available in two new higher power ratings this summer. Those are 385 hp. with a manual transmission and 370 hp. when mated to an Allison transmission.

Heavy Duty Trucking / March 4, 2015 Freightliner is showcasing several new options for its 122SD truck model at the NTEA Work Truck Show in Indianapolis. The options are aimed at severe-terrain and off-road applications. The new options include oil pan skid plates, 12-inch frame rails, threaded front suspension spring pins and bushing, and heavy-duty bolted cross-members. Front bumper mud flaps and fog lights with rock guards are also available as factory-installed options. The 122SD can be configured for a variety of severe-duty applications, including oil and gas field services, concrete mixing, specialty, heavy-haul, crane, dump and towing/recovery. The truck boasts a GVWR of up to 92,000 pounds and a GCWR of up to 160,000 pounds. It is available with engines rated up to 600 horsepower and 2050 ft.-lbs. of torque and can be mated to various manual or automated manual transmissions. “Our new options for the 122SD are the latest in a wide breadth of products that help our vocational customers succeed,” said Mary Aufdemberg, director of product marketing for Freightliner. “We continue to listen to our customers to add valuable options across our entire Sever Duty line up.” .

Fleet Owner / March 4, 2015 Utilimaster has a history of introducing new vehicle bodies here at the Work Truck Show, most recently unveiling is Reach van four years ago. Today, Utilimaster added another option for work trucks with the Velocity walk-in van. “This vehicle is a culmination of input from customers, innovation and a product of speed and excellence,” said John Forbes, president. “In our business, we’re very focused on our customers, responding to their needs… and the Velocity is in response to that.” The Velocity will offer the lowest total cost of ownership in the segment at nearly half of a traditional walk-in van, the company said. A price point that is 15% lower than a traditional van and fuel economy improvement of nearly 60% (it gets 16 mpg) are just two of the more important, noticeable savings. “With its low entry and egress, it will save most fleets 30 to 40 minutes a day in labor costs,” Forbes added. The Velocity is built on a Ford Transit cutaway chassis and offers full stand-up height in the cargo area. Three cargo capacities are available: 574 cu. ft.; 679 cu. ft.; and 784 cu. ft. The design offers the option of rear swing doors, roll-up doors as well as curbside sliding door and optimized ergonomics. It also features a flat floor throughout, rear grip strut step bumper, and three points-of-contact hand rail. Available fuels will include gas, CNG, propane autogas and diesel. The standard engine will be the Ford 3.7L V6 gas powerplant with 274 hp. and 260 lbs.-ft. of torque. The engine can be run on E85 fuel and is available with a gaseous prep option for CNG or propane operation. An optional Ford 3.2L I-5 diesel engine with 185 hp. and 350 lbs.-ft. of torque is available. Wheelbase options include 156 in. or 178 in. and payload capacities are 3,725 lb. in the 12-ft. van, 3,600 in the 14 ft. model, and 3,200 lbs. in the 16 ft. variation. There is an optional jump seat. Full production is schedule for the third quarter. For more information: http://www.utilimaster.com/Newsroom.aspx?id=1137

Ford: “Big trucks are big fun” Fleet Owner / March 3, 2015 Ford Motor Co. reached back to the days of yesteryear during its press conference Tuesday night to kick off the NTEA’s Work Truck Show here. Back to a time when kids played in the sandbox dreaming of one day owning their own construction vehicles. A time when the only concern was whether mom thought the ground was too wet to play outside. Quite simply, it was a time of playing with Tonka trucks. To celebrate its new F-650 and F-750 models, which are entering production launch said John Davis, chief programming engineer-commercial vehicles, Ford, in partnership with Funrise Toys (which owns the licensing rights to the Tonka name), has created a special-edition F-750 Tonka dump truck. The one-of-a-kind version will tour the country at truck shows and toy shows to promote the F-750. “Remember, big trucks are big fun,” said John Ruppert, general manager-commercial vehicle sales & marketing. The truck is painted in the signature Tonka yellow with a custom blackout nostril grille and fully functional dump body from Truck Tech Engineers. Aside from the “wow” factor of the Tonka design, Ruppert and Davis took time during the event to detail Ford’s market leadership (43.2% 2014 market share in Classes 1-7, “more than the next four competitors combined,” said Ruppert), hit on a few highlights of its all-aluminum 2015 F-150 and the Transit van. The company also announced its next-generation telematics solution, Ford Telematics powered by Telogis, which will replace its current Crew Chief solution. The new solution, which will provide Ford-specific data in addition to mobile connectivity, data reporting, workflow and information gateways, in-cab alerts, driver scorecards and fuel management, will be available globally, Ruppert said. As to the Class 6 F-650 and Class 7 F-750 2016 models that will be available for purchase, Ford said it will offer 8 configurations, including a tractor model. The vehicles will be available in regular cab, SuperCab and crew cab versions and in straight frame and dock-height. “We’re leveraging our space in engineering and manufacturing and that is allowing us to take the (F-Series) to new places,” said Davis. The vehicles, which Ruppert said will be ideal for beverage, parcel delivery, towing and dump applications, will be “upfitter-friendly” and feature a 6.7L V8 PowerStroke diesel engine. The engine will offer three power ratings: 270 hp. and 675 lbs.-ft. of torque; 300 hp. and 700 lbs.-ft.; and 330 hp. and 725 lbs.-ft. The PowerStroke engine includes a 5-year/250,000-mi. warranty. Also available is a 6.8L V-10 gasoline engine producing 320 hp. and 460 lbs.-ft. of torque. The engines are mated to a 6-speed TorqShift HD automatic transmission with available power take-off provision. It is rated for 50,000 GCWR. According to Davis, the vehicles feature less noise, producing 45% less interior noise at idle, 35% less exterior noise at idle, and is 25% quieter inside the cab at 60 mph. The trucks will be available this summer and built at the company’s Ohio Assembly Plant. Wrapping up other Ford news, Ruppert noted that the Transit full-sized van has sold 23,000 units in the past three months and that December was the best-selling month for Ford vans since June 1999. That quick start to the Transit is also happening with the F-150. “Like the Transit, it’s off to a great start, selling four times faster than the segment,” said Ruppert. The F-150 is built at the Dearborn Truck Plant, which is producing them at capacity, he added. The truck will be built in Kansas City as well, starting this summer.

Fleet Owner / March 4, 2015 Hino Trucks has introduced a new Class 4 155 model in its lineup. The announcement was made during the NTEA Work Truck Show in Indianapolis. The 155 model has a GVWR of 14,500 lbs. and is powered by Hino’s J05E-TP engine rated at 210 hp. The cabover also comes standard with a 5-year/175,000 mi. powertrain warranty, Hino’s 24 hour, 7 day a week roadside assistance program HinoWatch, and HinoCare - Hino’s two year or 60,000 mi. preventative care program. A double cab version will also be available as the 155-DC. “We are very excited to announce the addition of the 155 and 155-DC to our model line-up. We will now be able to better serve the needs of our customers with a wider range of product offerings,” said Glenn Ellis, vice president-marketing, dealer operations and product planning for Hino Trucks. The truck will be available at dealers in May. (Hino discontinued sales of its previous US market Class 4 model 145 in 2010) For further information: http://www.hino.com/trucks/story_1273.php

Transport Topics / March 4, 2015 Ford Motor Co. introduced a redesigned lineup of medium-duty trucks here that includes dedicated tractor models in two weight classes, and an updated telematics suite. The 2016 Ford F-650 Class 6 model and Class 7 F-750 will be offered in three cab styles — regular, extended and crew. In addition to the tractor models, Ford will offer straight-frame and dock-height variants. The trucks will go on sale this summer. Ford unveiled the models at a March 3 press conference at the NTEA Work Truck Show, which was held March 3-6 at the Indiana Convention Center. Ford will offer a choice of two engines; its in-house developed 6.7-liter turbocharged V-8 diesel or a 6.8-liter gasoline V-8. Both will be matched to a 6-speed automatic transmission. The diesel will be offered in three power ratings: 275 horsepower with 675 pound-feet of torque; 300 hp with 700 pound-feet of torque; and 330 hp with 725 pound-feet of torque. The gas engine has 320 hp and 460 pound-feet of torque, and can be factory prepped to operate on propane or compressed natural gas, Ford said. The trucks’ interior is 45% quieter at idle and 25% quieter at 60 mph than the outgoing models because of its new in-house diesel engine, said John Ruppert, general manager of commercial vehicle sales and marketing. “For a lot of people, this is an office on wheels. This makes it quieter,” he said. Outside the vehicle, the 6.7-liter diesel is 35% quieter at idle than the previous model, an improvement for trucks that must be operated at idle in neighborhoods or near businesses, Ruppert said. Ford also is launching a new telematics system called Ford Telematics. With architecture from technology provider Telogis, the system will replace the existing Crew Chief program and will do “what [Crew Chief] is doing today and more,” Ruppert said. Among the program’s features is mobile connectivity that permits drivers to coordinate with management on hours-of-service reporting and vehicle inspections, Ford said. The system also features data reporting on idle time and emissions-system performance, as well in-cab driver alerts for hard acceleration or braking, and excessive speed. The system also can be customized for driver-behavior reporting and the Telogis Coach driver-feedback mobile application, which is compatible with Android or Apple iOS platforms, Ford said. The system will be offered globally, Ruppert adde

Transport Topics / March 4, 2015 Volvo Group sold 1.27 million shares in Indian auto and truck manufacturer Eicher Motors Ltd. for about $300 million. The divestment has no effect on ownership or the development of the companies’ long-standing joint venture, VE Commercial Vehicles, Volvo said March 4. VECV has been owned by Eicher and Volvo Group since 2008 and is the third-largest manufacturer of commercial vehicles in the Indian market, Volvo said. Prior to the sale, Volvo owned about 8.4% of Eicher’s stock. After the sale, it holds about 3.7%, Reuters reported. “India is a key market, and the Volvo Group will continue to focus on developing and strengthening VECV as part of [its] strategy to expand in Asia and in other emerging markets,” Volvo said. Volvo Group, which makes Volvo and Mack brand trucks in North America, said the sale will generate a first-quarter capital gain of about $290 million for its truck segment.

Diesel News Australia / March 4, 2015 The ideal gift for the man who hasn’t quite grown up has gone on show at the Work Truck Show in the US. This is the Ford F 750 Tonka truck which is now on show at the NTEA Work Truck Show in Indianapolis. The joint creation of Ford and Tonka truck manufacturer Funrise Toy Corporation is now on show and getting a lot of attention from both adults and children. The 15 tonne GVM truck has a payload of 7.75 tonnes and is based on a common tipping set up in the USA. “From Generation Z to the Greatest Generation, Ford and Tonka continue to set the standards for tough trucks,” said John Ruppert, General Manager, Ford Commercial Vehicle Sales and Marketing. “People of all ages have been counting on Ford F-Series and Tonka trucks to get the job done, from construction site to sandbox, for more than 60 years.” Power for the Tonka toy comes from a 6.7 litre Power Stroke®\ V8 turbo diesel with a six-speed TorqShift HD automatic transmission. Unfortunately, for all those truck nuts out there who haven’t quite grown up, this is the only one planned for production. However, you can be certain if the show truck creates enough genuine interest, the Ford team may reconsider.

New Zealand Trucking The temperate, climate and good soils mean just about anything will grow in the Gisborne region, and the clean environmental image of New Zealand agriculture certainly helps in international markets. The main products from here are apples, broccoli, lettuce, grapes, sweet corn, watermelon and pre-packed salads. Marist missionaries at the Taradale Mission first planted grapes in 1851, and wines from this area have since gone on to worldwide acceptance and acclaim. Getting all that produce to the end user and essential supplies back to the community is now handled entirely by the trucking industry over a road network most politely described as challenging. The distances are significant and Weatherell Transport has five Cat trucks to do the job; four 8x4s and an ex-demonstrator 6x4, mostly double-shifted, travel up to 1,400 kilometres per day. As well as the Gisborne to Auckland run, another Cat does Gisborne to Wellington and a third is on the Picton to Christchurch route. The 6x4 covers Gisborne to Auckland, usually five days a week. Weatherell’s Cats handle a diverse mix of terrain daily, including some of New Zealand’s most notorious gorges and ranges. The runs demand experienced and skilled drivers as well as damn good trucks. Breakdowns are expensive, embarrassing and mean that a load of fresh produce could well be compost before it reaches the distribution centre. Steve Weatherell has operated various makes of truck over the years and has closely monitored the performance of competitive makes. He started out as an owner driver for Trailways before moving to Freightways Express, Daily Freight and finally Mainfreight. A disagreement with Mainfreight management prompted Steve to call it quits and set up his own business in October 1994. Those first few years of any business are always tough but Steve had been operating two Scanias and an Isuzu as an OD, and had been on the Tauranga to Gisborne run for four years. He already had a solid reputation for delivering good service, and at the end of his first year was running seven Scanias. Steve and his wife Jane Weatherell have gone on to make Weatherell Transport the diverse, successful operation we see today. He places much credit on the support of loyal customers and a good team to operate the 60 plus trucks the company now has. The growing demand of line haul operations required bigger trucks and most of the solutions came from the Kenworth stable. Cummins and Caterpillar engines were both trialed but the big yellow Cat C15 soon became the preferred option and an alliance was formed with Murray Kernohan at Goughs early in the piece. At this point we should be able to say “And they all lived happily ever after”, but the story didn’t end that way. In 2008 Caterpillar made the shock announcement that they would cease supplying on-road truck engines. It was greeted with dismay, even disbelief, by long term buyers and understood to be prompted by concerns about forthcoming emission regulations. Then came another surprise, NC2, a new venture between Cat and Navistar was formed to produce their own range of trucks. In the meantime Daimler had taken full control of Detroit Diesel and the only place you could buy one of these was under the bonnet of a Freightliner truck. The first batch of 540 of the new Cat branded trucks were assembled in Australia during late 2010 on a temporary production line at their Tullamarine (Melbourne) premises. New Zealand Trucking magazine reviewed one of the Australian CT610 tractor units at the time and was told production had been brought forward as the Cat engines would not meet Australia’s forthcoming ADR 80-03 emission legislation and that there were no plans for an eight-wheeler or exports to New Zealand. More surprises came in September 2011 with the news that Caterpillar was pulling out of the NC2 alliance. Then in December of that year, word that NC2 Australia had received ADR80-03 approval for the Cat ACERT C15 after minor changes to the engine programming and addition of a crankcase breather. Why hadn’t the boffins back in Peoria thought of that? Finally, in April 2012, news that some New Zealand operators had been keenly awaiting – Cat trucks would be available here. Steve Weatherell ordered four 8x4s, but before any went into service a 6x4 demonstrator truck came on the market and Steve bought it and put it to work immediately. The eight-wheelers soon followed, utilising a twin steer conversion by Wilkinson Transport Engineers of Cambridge. With the return of the Cat engines, Murray Kernohan returned to Goughs and helped with the deal. This brings us to the fleet’s latest addition, an 8x4 Cat CT630 powered by a big yellow 550hp C15 ACERT driving through an Eaton RTLO–20918B transmission to Meritor RT46–160 rear axles on Hendrickson air suspension. It rides on a 5.2m wheelbase with the steering handled by two Meritor MFS14-143A wide track axles each rated at 6.5 tonne. It is non-load sharing setup but well up to the task and, as Steve points out, avoids the expensive and early failure of rocker bushes he has experienced with other makes. The conversion to twin steer uses the original Sheppard steering box and a new fabricated steering arm attached to a drag link running back to the second steer axle. It is an effective setup and even wear on the front tyres suggests the alignment is in order. The new Cat rides on 275/70R22.5 tyres and the suspension has been lowered front and rear to improve stability and achieve a chassis height of just 880mm. To ensure correct loading of the front axles, the fifth wheel turntable is mounted 1,100mm ahead of the centre of the bogie. The tractor unit’s low set sleek appearance is somewhat deceptive for what is every inch a heavy duty highway unit. A glance at the build plate and loading certificate confirms this with a tare of 9.6 tonne, GVM of 29 tonne and GCM of 72 tonne. The Cat has a number of features added by Weatherell Transport in light of their local experience. Long turntable supporting angles spread the weight of the trailer along the chassis, and a rail across the rear of the cab allows brake and air lines to slide smoothly as the trailer’s long front overhang swings across the chassis. Side skirts cover the fuel tanks, and neatly fabricated brackets between the rear mudguards carry the company logo. Steve says the custom Aliarc alloy bumpers have already proven their worth against falling rocks and an out of control car. He adds the LED lighting on the Cats is, “a big plus”. The trucks only have two ordinary light bulbs, even the headlamps are LED units, and Steve says the increased reliability of the lighting is a significant advance in safety and ease of maintenance. He has started swapping out the lights on other makes for LED units. The CT630 is normally coupled to a new Fairfax quad fridge that includes the latest innovations from Fairfax’s forward thinking and well proven designs. The whole trailer body is vacuum formed in one piece to avoid stress points, thermal leakage and places where dirt can accumulate. High strength structural foam insulation is bonded to the inner and outer skins during a clever patented process that ensures high strength in a thin wall profile. The wall section measures a remarkably thin 22mm resulting in a trailer that can take two conventional 1.2m pallets side by side within its 2.5m outside width. The thin walls still achieve an insulating factor sufficient down to -20 Celsius and are strong enough to support a full length Maxiloada double stacking system. The trailer is right on the legal length limit of 15.65 metres and is stickered for 22 tonne. Its design clearly demonstrates Weatherell Transport’s commitment to improvements in productivity, safety and fuel efficiency. The running gear consists of four BPW axles on air suspension (with the rear castor steering), across a 4.2 metre axle spread. It rides on single 385/55R22.5 tyres and is disc-braked, with ABS and EBS to cater for the unexpected. The refrigeration system is designed to ensure correct temperatures are maintained, minimise fuel consumption and noise levels, and offer maximum flexibility for backloads. A Carrier Vector 1950 multi-temp diesel electric unit operates evaporators at either end of the trailer and provides the capacity for two separate fridge or freezer sections. The two zones can be separated by a full height insulated moveable divider when operating both zones at different temperatures. The Carrier Transcold diesel electric system is a major departure from conventional fridge design but offers efficiency gains and reduced maintenance according to John Oates, Sales Director of the NZ Distributor, Transcold Group Ltd. Components such as main drive belts, gearboxes, clutches and vibrasorbers are eliminated. Because every powered component is electrically driven there are no mechanical drive losses and power can be reduced to match the cooling load required. The all electric design also means a fully hermetic refrigeration system is used which reduces refrigerant loss over the lifetime of the unit and eliminates maintenance costs for components which are no longer required. For on-road operation, the power source is a Kubota 2.2 litre four-cylinder diesel driving a three phase 415 volt alternator. When plugged into mains power the unit operates without the engine, just like a shipping reefer unit. A neatly curved fuel tank occupies the space immediately below the fridge unit with both filler cap and fuel gauge easily accessible. Close attention has been paid to aerodynamics with the trailer featuring side skirts which curve underneath the unit over the final 600mm of the long unit. A mesh panel between the tail lights allows air to flow out from beneath the trailer. The benefits here are threefold; a fuel saving of up to 0.2 km per litre, better brake cooling and less road grime on the rear doors. We met up with drivers Klyne Komene and Herbie Edmonds during a trailer swap at Matawai, where we got our first look at the Cat CT630 and Fairfax trailer. An overnight accident in the Waioeka Gorge meant their run had been rescheduled and we only caught a brief look at the newest trailer which was heading on to Gisborne behind a Kenworth T404. We joined Klyne in the cab of the eight-wheeler Cat for our run north with an older Fairfax quad in tow. Travelling the return trip from Gisborne to Auckland six days a week is a challenge for any truck and driver. The Weatherell Cat leaves Gisborne about 8am with a load of fresh East Coast produce. The two drivers are based in Tauranga and a driver swap takes place at the Weatherell depot there about 12:30pm and the truck then leaves Tauranga for Auckland. Arriving in the City of Sails in the afternoon, it is unloaded and picks up another load before heading to Hamilton for more drop offs and pick ups. It then makes the journey across the Kaimais to Tauranga, where the trailer is topped up if there is room and the driver swap takes place about midnight, before the trip through to Gisborne, where it starts unloading about 5am. The significant round trip of almost 1100 kilometres means the truck has already clocked up over 100,000 kilometres in little more than three months. The drivers do the Tauranga to Gisborne return trip for two weeks before having a change and doing the Auckland side of the route. Klyne acknowledges both routes have their challenges and although there is plenty of hands on work for the drivers when loading and unloading, he says it is clean work and the customers are great. Klyne is an easy going and totally professional driver who followed his father’s wheel tracks into the trucking industry. His driving career started in classic fashion, driving J model Bedfords and D series Fords for the Rodney County Council. This eventually led to his HT licence and a stint with Provincial Freightlines pulling curtainsiders in a CH Mack. Klyne has been with Weatherells for over five years and enjoys the role and the company. “I like to keep a tidy truck and present a good image to the customers,” he explains. Herbie was on his first week with the company and learning the route. An all up weight of around 35 tonne does little to bother the big Cat engine on a couple of decent grades after Matawai. We get down to fifth high in the Roadranger at one stage but this is more to do with numerous bends than any shortage of power. The C15 will pull happily down to 1000rpm at which point it is still churning out a healthy 2500Nm of torque. Even at full weight on this section of the route, 44 tonne until the bridges are upgraded, Klyne says he will not usually need the low box. Klyne’s previous truck was a Scania R730 and he compares the Cat favourably with both the Scania and the Western Star he had before that. He likes the torque and comfort, saying, “It’s doing exactly what it should be doing. The eight-wheeler is an advantage over the [six-wheeler] Scania because I don’t have to worry about the weight distribution so much.” He has even more praise for the trailer, “The trailer is awesome. It is ideal for us, it’s got cube and travels well with a load on.” The day cab has ample room and even the air ride Gramag passenger seat is quite comfortable. Instrumentation is neat and easy to read without the multitude of gauges and switches used in most American trucks. Klyne is pleased with his new steed, his only complaint being the reversed switches for the electric windows. This was noted in our original test but is apparently a function of the left hand drive CAN bus wiring setup and cannot readily be changed. He was a little reluctant to tip the bonnet for our photographs and, ever the professional driver, he apologised for some oil stains on the engine. This was the result of a cracked oil filler tube that has been replaced with a shorter one making it difficult to avoid spillage. On the downhill run some old fashioned technology, the three-stage Jacobs brake, keeps our speed under control with only an occasional service brake application needed for corners. The Cat engine’s deep growl brings back memories of when the C15 was often considered the supreme engine for long haul work and even though the Jacobs is well muffled the engine sounds restrained rather than tamed. With countless trips through the Waioeka Gorge under his belt Klyne still takes the descent with caution and keeps an eye out for the unexpected. Despite being well behind schedule he remains philosophical and takes the time to pull over and let cars overtake wherever possible, pointing out, “People can get annoyed and do silly things otherwise.” It is surprising to find that there is no cellphone coverage for over 70 kilometres here, a factor that greatly delays emergency response to any incident or accident. Whilst phone companies need to make sound commercial decisions surely there is also a responsibility to the community and customers in this area. We meet the ocean again at Opokiti and enjoy coastal views along the Matata Straights. The CT630 is cruising at just over 1300rpm at 90kph with a 0.73:1 overdrive top gear and 3.9 diff ratios. Any driver accustomed to a lower powered European or Japanese truck would be reaching for the gear lever now but the big 15.2 litre Cat engine has plenty in reserve. A few days later we caught up with Klyne and Herbie again. Herbie was about to take the wheel for the Tauranga to Auckland run and had the new trailer in tow. Normally the Auckland run takes in the Kaimais, but this time Herbie was leaving from Mount Maunganui and heading west on State Highway 2 through the Karangahake Gorge. Like Klyne, Herbie is a professional driver with more than 20 years experience behind the wheel. He moved down from Whangarei where he had been carting food and produce for a number of years, so the role is not unfamiliar and he knows a lot of the people in the industry. Herbie is a comfortable driver and guides the long trailer smoothly through the deep narrow gorge. On the flat straights across the Hauraki Plains the Cat cruises effortlessly, easily maintaining the traffic flow on the hills, including the Bombay climb as he turns on to State Highway 1 and rolls into Auckland a little after four. The first stop is Foodstuffs Fresh, where the trailer is completely unloaded of its cargo of produce. As Herbie forks out pallet after pallet it becomes clear just how long the trailer is and the immense cubic capacity of the unit. The Maxiloada system consists of a series of aluminum beams, which are rolled along tracks about 1400mm from the floor and lock together to support a second row of pallets. When not used the beams are stored out of the way against the ceiling. Loading using the system requires a procedure and Herbie demonstrated it when loading frozen and chilled pallets at Foodstuffs’ Auckland warehouse. First a couple of beams are set up on the tracks at the rear of the trailer, two pallets are forked on side by side and the loaded unit easily pushed by hand to the front of the trailer where it is locked in position. Two more pallets are then forked in under the pallets on the Maxiloada. Getting the pallets stacked to the optimum height is the job of the driver. The warehouse often has them too high or low and Herbie has to alter them when loading to take maximum advantage of the cubes available. The trailer usually travels back to Gisborne cubed out, 56 standard pallets will fit in the trailer, subject to weight limits. Double stacking using the Maxiloada avoids damage to light and sensitive food packaging and insulation dividers are placed between the frozen and chilled pallets. The trailer floor is lined with 5mm aluminum but the underlying combination of foam and fibreglass provides sufficient strength to allow a five-tonne forklift to work inside the trailer. The Cat handles its challenging route with deceptive ease and economy with fuel returns of up to 2.3km per litre. We still can’t say, “And they all lived happily ever after”, because trucking stories don’t end that way and more stringent emissions regulations will eventually mean the end of the big ACERT Cat engines. Unless yet another surprising press release arrives from Caterpillar, that is. .

Reuters / March 4, 2015 Truck maker Volvo is looking to sell $250 million worth of shares in Eicher Motors, with an option to increase the sale to up to $300 million, according to a term sheet seen by Reuters on Tuesday. The share sale is happening at an indicative range of between Rs.14,636 and Rs.15,907 a share, according to the document. A Volvo spokeswoman in Stockholm declined to comment. Volvo owns 8.4 per cent of Eicher Motors, according to data from the BSE. The marketing term sheet seen by Reuters did not specify how many shares were being sold. Volvo and Eicher also own a 50-50 truck and bus making joint venture called VE Commercial Vehicles (http://www.vecv.in/), but Volvo's stake may fall to 46 percent after the sale of Eicher shares, according to auto analysts in India. Volvo is under pressure to demonstrate the benefits of years of cost cuts aimed at boosting its profit margin by 3 percentage points by the end of 2015. In addition to major staff cuts, Volvo has made big divestments in recent years. It sold its aerospace division in 2012, and is conducting a review of its IT business with thousands of staff, to determine what is essential to its operation.

ABC News / March 3, 2015 The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is investigating reports of steering problems that could affect up to 1,500 Pierce fire trucks nationwide. Appleton, Wisconsin-based Pierce Manufacturing is a wholly owned subsidiary of Oshkosh Corporation. The NHTSA says the probe covers trucks made since the 2004 model year. The agency says it received a complaint in January from a fire department that a driver had trouble steering a truck and never felt in control. Mechanics found problems in the ball joints, which connect wheels to the steering system. Also, the agency cited media reports of wheels falling off trucks three times the Baltimore area. No injuries were reported. In November the company recalled 135 trucks because suspension parts can fail and wheels could fall off. The NHTSA says it will determine the size of the problem and how risky it is.

New Zealand Trucking On looks alone, the Kiwi Mack Trident 8x4 is a winner with the raised cab, massive square chrome plated snout and external air cleaners. A big polished alloy bumper sweeps neatly as far as the wheel arches without looking obtrusive. It is unmistakeably Mack and that familiar chrome plated bulldog reminds us of a truck-building heritage now stretching back over 100 years. The unit on test this month has just clocked up two months of service in a demanding HPMV operation with Fulton Hogan in Christchurch. It is double-shifted, hauling aggregate to their inner city retail depot and back loading concrete rubble and demolition spoil to the quarries out of town. The Trident pulls a four-axle Adams and Currie tipping trailer with HPMV approval to operate this combination at 53.8 tonne gross on the agreed route. Tare weight of the Mack is 11,820kg and the trailer comes in at 6280kg providing a payload of over 35 tonne. We meet up with the new Mack and day shift driver Chris Findlay at Fulton Hogan’s Pound Rd quarry. Chris’s night shift colleague, known only as Rabbit, has scrubbed and polished the combination the night before and that familiar company livery of blue and white has come up a treat. What is not so impressive is a flat tyre on the trailer, the bane of all tipper operators, but the company’s contracted Bridgestone tyre fitter soon has this changed. Everything is being done by the book here, wheel nuts being tightened with a torque wrench and two red plastic indicators fitted to remind the driver of the need to recheck it. It does give us time to have a closer look over the new unit and arrange a ‘family photo’ with two of its older brothers. That second steer axle lifts the manufacturer’s GVM of the Trident from the 26 tonne of the six wheeler (tested last year) to a productive 30 tonne. The six wheeler Trident is offered in both ‘axle forward’ and ‘axle back’ configuration and this 8x4 version uses the later configuration with a second steer axle behind the cab. A non-load sharing set-up is standard for the New Zealand market and will suit most operators until NZTA offers an additional weight allowance for load sharing systems. The second axle is steered by a relay arm set-up and slave hydraulic cylinder on the right hand side. The standard wheelbase of the 8x4 Trident is 6435mm but the Fulton Hogan unit has been reduced to 5835mm to meet the requirements of the HPMV permit and retain manoeuvrability in tight situations. Availability of the Trident in 8x4 form has been instrumental in Mack’s success at higher weights in New Zealand. Although the Granite and Trident share the same 1435sq in radiator, the raised cab and external air cleaners of the bigger bulldog provide greater cooling capacity and use of the 535hp/1920lb/ft rating of the MP8 engine. The Trident cab sits 200mm higher and uses a four point suspension system rather than the rubber bush/airbag setup of the Granite. Some will say this is a Volvo D13, but Mack’s marketing folk prefer the term ‘group engine’. Whatever your thoughts, the MP8 is a proven performer and takes Mack through Euro 5 and on to Euro 6 when those regulations arrive here. In simple terms, it is not far behind the top rating of Mack’s legendary E9 V-8 and a lot kinder on fuel and the environment. The MP8 meets Euro 5 by means of SCR reduction, and a 125 litre DEF tank sits neatly between the batteries and hydraulic tank on the left hand chassis rail. That big bonnet flips forward easily after releasing four rubber toggles and daily checks can all be done from ground level. The additional airflow provided through the larger grille and under the cab is obvious when standing here. Engine access is good with the chassis rails splayed outwards above the front axle. Mack use a 300x 90 mm chassis for all models now with a different thickness to suit the application and in this case it is 9.5mm. Mack’s own triple countershaft boxes and the ubiquitous Roadranger are still available but Mack’s 12-speed mDRIVE is the most common choice. The mDRIVE is based on the Volvo I-Shift with the main difference being the dash-mounted controls in lieu of the shift lever. The day cab model is easy to access from the driver’s side but a little more awkward on the passenger side where the muffler gets in the way of the first two steps. Once you’re seated, there is ample room for larger drivers and an ISRI ‘Big Boy” drivers seat to smooth the way. The walnut trimmed dash is classic American with the traditional parking/emergency controls on the left but with a Euro style trailer brake handle above them and rotary headlight switch on the right side. Controls for the mDRIVE transmission are now mounted horizontally at the top LH side of the dash and a large ‘MaxBrake’ engine brake button has been added. Mack’s Powerleash engine brake can be engaged from here and gives up to 315kW of retardation at 2100rpm, down or up shifting as required. It can also be set to operate in conjunction with the cruise control, reducing the chances of exceeding the speed limit on a downhill grade. Vision from the driver’s seat is good with the air cleaner pipes being largely hidden behind the A pillars and the twin vertical exhausts not protruding much beyond the cab. The mirrors are traditional West Coaster type, without bulky housings, and include a great 120mm diameter round spotter on each side as well as a kerbside mirror over the passenger door. A two-piece windscreen is standard on the Trident, no doubt to suit the Aussie market, but Mack will fit a single piece screen as an option. There is a storage console above the windscreen and a useful compartment between the seats, all trimmed in pleated burgundy leather with a Mack logo finishing touch. Once our tyre troubles are sorted, it is time to get loaded up for a run into the city and the company’s 35 tonne Volvo L250G loading shovel soon has us loaded with 20mm aggregate. The skill of the operator and use of modern scales makes this task far more accurate than it used to be and we come in at 53,200kg on the weighbridge, slightly under the 53,800kg allowed. Chris explained there is no tolerance allowed on the HPMV permit and if overweight he would not be allowed to leave the site. He likes the new Trident and has quickly become a fan of the mDRIVE transmission despite having driven constant mesh boxes for decades. “Its easy, doing a better job than I could,” Chris explained modestly, as we negotiated busy roundabouts and peak hour traffic congestion on our way into the city. He certainly knows his trucks, having started out on Thames Traders and S model Bedfords quite a few years back, served his time on livestock and fridge trucks and worked his way through to the 8x4 Mack Granite and trailer which preceded this combination. Even grossing 53 tonne, there is ample power from the MP8 engine and the transmission skip-shifts unless ‘power’ mode is selected. Chris also demonstrates the kick-down function, where holding the accelerator right down produces the same result. A brief spell on the southern motorway gives the Trident an opportunity to stretch its legs and it cruises at 90kph with little apparent effort at around 1500rpm. It runs 3.07 to 1 ratio Meritor 46,000lb rear axles riding on airbag suspension. Fulton Hogan and other contractors have a huge task ahead restoring the roadways of Christchurch once plumbing works are completed but the Trident seems to take the inner city potholes and temporary patching in its stride. Parabolic springs over both steer axles, cab suspension and air ride seats both sides all contribute and the cab and interior remain rattle free. There are a couple of tight turns to get into Fulton Hogan’s ‘retail’ yard in Ensors Rd, Waltham, but Chris is well used to the routine by now. He quickly has the trailer tipped off into a storage bin and then jack-knifed around to unload the truck. This yard is busy with contractors dropping off broken concrete or soil and collecting material for backfilling. It saves them a trip out of town and having a crew waiting around for the delivery. Fulton Hogan backloads the dumped material out to its quarry where it will help with rehabilitation of the site. To deal with the backloaded material, this new eight wheeler Trident and the Adams and Currie trailer are fitted with Hardox steel rather than aluminium bodies. The Hardox bins add only about 400kg to the weight of the outfit compared with aluminium ones, according to Peter Laurenson from Adams and Currie, who did all the engineering calculations required for the HPMV permit. This permit is limited to a set route agreed with NZTA, the Christchurch council and Fulton Hogan. Our next couple of runs into the city are much the same except that we load AP40 road base from another quarry just up the road. Easier traffic conditions allow better progress outside peak hour and on a good shift Chris can do five or six round trips whilst his elusive offsider Rabbit gets a better run on the night shift. A little quick maths shows the 35 tonne payload of new combination soon adds up to 840 tonne of material being moved in a 24 hour period. We finally meet up with Rabbit (Shane Ratahi) that afternoon whilst the drivers are changing over. ‘Rabbit’ was a successful league player in his day, still enjoys playing the game but admits to having lost the on-field speed that earned his nickname. He is pleased with the new Trident and describes it as “way good” at moving the mountains of material needed for the rebuild task. Looking around Fulton Hogan’s Islington depot we saw a range of Japanese and European makes, so we spoke to Transport Manager Jeff Barnes and Contracting Divisional Manager Tony Thompson to find out some background on the latest addition. It soon becomes evident Fulton Hogan is a large, diverse operation and the focus is on long term profitability and service. The company operates a large workshop and its own spray booth as well as an ‘in house’ employment agency. Geoff has been with the company 36 years and he clearly recalls his first day on the job, working on a road gang alongside company founder Bob Hogan. Tony has been there ‘only’ 31 years but his son is now working for the company and carrying on the family tradition. Tony’s father Lex Thompson also worked for Fulton Hogan for 20 years as transport manager and regional manager in Central Otago. Whilst Japanese trucks have been found ideal for road sealing gangs and lighter tasks, in the HPMV particular application it finally came down to a choice between Mack and Volvo, with a well proven automatic transmission high on the shopping list. The SCR emissions system fitted to both makes was a preferred part of the specification, due to overheating problems encountered with an older EGR Granite. Neither had the ideal wheelbase ex factory but the lighter tare weight of the Mack finally turned the decision in its favour according to Tony. Whatever the reasoning, Fulton Hogan’s newest Bulldog is delivering the goods needed for the Christchurch rebuild and proving its self ‘way good’ in the HPMV role. .

Today's Trucking / March 3, 2015 Apples and oranges. That's how Brian Mormino describes the difference between the emissions regimes of the previous decade and the one that was launched last year and will enter its second phase in 2020. Executive director, worldwide environmental strategy and compliance at Cummins, he says all the hard work and heartache of dealing with engine emissions from 2002 on to 2010 has left us well equipped for the next steps. We've already taken the first of those steps, starting a year ago, with Phase 1 of the fuel economy and greenhouse gas regulations as decreed by President Obama. Back in 2010, with so-called 'criteria' pollutants like nitrogen oxide (NOx) under control, he ordered the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Highway Traffic Administration to move on. He told them to cut carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, along with other gases in lesser amounts, while improving fuel economy in medium- and heavy-duty trucks. The challenge was anything but small, the timeline short, but the 2014 targets were met, largely because so much had already been achieved. And the next target in 2017 will be met as well. "I'd like to help people understand that the industry is in a great place from the standpoint of technology and the future," Mormino told me in a lengthy recent interview. "What I mean by that is that we now have diesel particulate filters, we have SCR systems, we're taking care of emissions in the exhaust. And we have learned and improved on those systems. "And so when we look at meeting the first GHG and fuel-consumption standard in 2013, a year early, how did Cummins do that? We did it by improving the engine architecture that we already had in place. And what are we going to do for 2017? We're going to improve on the engine architecture that we already have in place. And I would even venture to say that when we look at 2021, we're going to improve on the engine architecture that we already have in place." The New Regime Phase 1 of the GHG and fuel-economy regime does not involve just engines as in the past, but trucks as well, with tires and aerodynamic devices tested and taken into account. The present 2014-19 rules say that heavy-duty tractors must achieve as much as a 20-percent reduction in CO2 emissions and fuel consumption by 2017, a little more by 2019. Engines, tested separately, had to improve three percent by 2014, and six percent by 2017. Mixers, refuse haulers, and other vocational machines must get to a 10-percent reduction in fuel consumption by 2017. None of this change caused a stir last year, and initial targets were met with ordinary improvements of existing hardware and software. Things will get tougher on engines in 2017 but radically new hardware -- like waste-heat recovery -- won't be required. When these rules were announced it seemed to many observers that, with so many variations in commercial vehicles, it would be near impossible to find a standard that applies to all. But not so, apparently, and for reasons similar to those cited by Mormino. "It's complicated but we've been able to manage all the configurations in Phase 1," said Sean Waters, director of compliance and regulatory affairs at Daimler Trucks North America. "Mostly we're able to manage all the differences because we spent a lot of money developing fuel-efficient technologies years ago. All those decisions that have paid off for our business and paid off for our customers, have also paid off in the regulatory world and enabled us to deal with all the different configurations out there." Phase 2 Tougher Phase 2 of the fuel-efficiency/greenhouse gas regulations will soon be unveiled. A draft rulemaking proposal was due to be released this month by the EPA and NHTSA, but I'm hearing there's a delay. Regardless, the final rule is due some time in 2016, affecting trucks built in 2020 and beyond. We don't know much about it, and even the people I've talked to lately who keep track of what's going on in Washington can only guess. All we really know is that Phase 2 will demand even tougher, more stringent CO2 and fuel-consumption reductions. Much tougher, it seems. But our firm knowledge stops there. Will trailers be added to the mix? It's almost certain, it seems, and there are suggestions that it will happen in 2018. At least for dry vans and reefers. One test or two? Engines and vehicles are tested separately in Phase 1, but there are those who urge that just one test, with engines rolled into the whole truck like any other component, is the better approach for Phase 2. Both sides are pretty vehement. As things stand now engines are tested on a dynamometer as they have been all along, and Cummins thinks it should stay that way. Among other reasons, Mormino says that this would preserve spec'ing flexibility for truck buyers and ensure repeatability in the testing process. Trucks, on the other hand, are tested by way of computer modelling in Phase 1, with some inputs coming from on-track trials using standard SAE protocols and that data then fed into the modelling software. Daimler and Volvo (including Mack), the only fully integrated OEMs, are arguing that a single all-inclusive test would be simpler and more cost-effective. Mormino says the implementation of Phase 1 was pretty much seamless, and he attributes that success largely to the continued use of familiar regulatory tools and testing methods that had been in place for decades. For 30 years engine makers have tested NOx and particulates on the dyno, and it was easy to include CO2 as well. "We just added CO2," Mormino says, "which means that we allowed all that diversity to continue in the marketplace because the engine is certified to operate in a wide range of vehicles and applications. So customers and end-users still have all the choice that is really, really important... in terms of all of their preferences and the types of work they have to do. The regulation didn't... limit their choices." Perhaps a more compelling argument is the one he makes about the huge number of fuel-economy variables when a truck is put to use. Like driver skills, terrain, trailer type, highway or city, load, and countless others. "That is a challenge for any type of regulation that tries to drive technology on vehicle aspects that are highly variable," Mormino says. "And the way that the regulation attempted to deal with that is that it separated out the most certain aspect, the engine, and provided a much brighter focus on something you can repeatably and accurately measure and do so in a way where it can be enforced." On the other side of this argument sits DTNA's Sean Waters, as well as the Volvo Group's Tony Greszler. "Our goal has always been to provide our customers with the lowest total operating costs to increase their revenues, and the most effective way to do that has been to provide better fuel efficiency," says Waters. "Regulations have interfered with this goal in the past where criteria-pollutant emissions control technology had a great negative impact on fuel economy. "It's critical that regulations to reduce fuel consumption do not in actuality result in negative impacts on real-world fuel efficiency gains, and this is where the current separate engine standard program has failed. Engine test cycles are based on historical operating data and cannot reflect changes in engine size, powertrains, or vehicle power demand and do not accurately represent the fuel used in the real-world, nor were they ever designed to do so," Waters suggests. "DTNA believes the best way to ensure that the Phase 2 regulation provides a total-cost-of-operation benefit to customers is to give manufacturers the ability to focus on improving the entire vehicle as it operates on the road and in the application for which its customers want to use the vehicle. Any regulation that doesn’t give manufacturers the flexibility to meet it in the manner that works best for our customers, results in vehicles that customers can’t afford, or doesn’t provide sufficient real-world payback and risks creating a pre-buy prior to the regulation becoming effective." Waters goes further, saying that the tests for criteria pollutants -- NOx and PM -- are based on a test designed in 1990 or 1991 "when trucks had higher horsepower, more torque. It was just a different way of operating an engine. The test was never designed for CO2." Nor was it designed to measure fuel economy, he adds. He figures the test was used for convenience in Phase 1 to get a rule done quickly. At Volvo Group North America, Tony Greszler is vice president of government and industry relations, and he's the point man on Phase 2 rules. "The bottom line here is that the engine test doesn't test the engine the way it runs in the truck," he says. "It's impossible for any engine test to do that. And it also doesn't account for the impact of the engine on the rest of the truck. Waste-heat Recovery "The technology of most concern is what we call waste-heat recovery," Greszler goes on. It's a tool that Cummins expects to deploy in 2020 or so, though Brian Mormino says some customers may get field-test units in 2017 or 2018. In fact all engine makers are developing it, and a variation is even used in today's Formula One race cars where they add it to the standard V6 and call the package a hybrid. It recovers exhaust heat and turns it back into energy. "It's essentially a second engine," says Greszler. "And it requires that you run the exhaust heat through a fluid, via a heat exchanger in the exhaust, and run it through an expansion machine to make power, and then condense that fluid again. Which means that you've got a lot more cooling demand. You've now got to cool most of the heat from the exhaust, because the process isn't very efficient, so most of that heat ends up in your condenser. "And we end up having to add substantial weight, space, and cooling capacity into our trucks," he continues, "which means that we lose aerodynamic performance and we lose freight capacity because of weight. So we add efficiency to the engine but we take it away from the truck. That doesn't make sense. "Why would you force us to do something like that? Give us the flexibility to look at the truck as a complete entity and make the best, most cost-effective decisions about how to improve the fuel efficiency in a way that meets the target," Greszler urges. "I think it's also obvious that a system like that adds a lot of components, a lot of sensors, a lot of complexity, and potentially a lot of unreliability. Which customers don't want or need. And if you're not getting the full benefit from it anyway, you're really kidding yourself when you measure the efficiency of the engine in a test cell where weight, space, and cooling demand are not accounted for at all." Waste heat recovery is just an example, of course, and there might be any number of similar examples that could come up in the future. "A particular customer could well benefit from efficiency improvements that have nothing to do with the engine and hit the overall targets that EPA will establish," Greszler continues. "Are we going to force him into engine efficiency solutions that don't necessarily match his operational requirements because EPA structured a rule that said X amount had to come from the engine? It just doesn't make sense to us." Depending on the stringency of the coming rules, and whether or not we have a separate engine test, waste-heat recovery may or may not be needed. "If we have a fairly stringent engine efficiency requirement measured in a test cell, then WHR may be the only available technology to meet that target," Greszler says. "If it's not applied to the engine but to the truck, we may find quite a few other options. "We're all developing waste-heat recovery," he adds, "don't get me wrong. I'm not saying it's a technology that shouldn't be explored and exploited when and where it makes sense, but it ought not be forced into production on a time schedule that doesn't allow adequate reliability development and it shouldn't be forced into applications where it doesn't really deliver." So, much remains to be seen on this topic, and given how much information couldn't be packed into this space, a Part Three seems to be in order. Stay tuned.

Truck News / March 3, 2015 Kenworth has announced availability of a heavier front axle for its T370 Class 7 truck. Customers can now choose between 18,000- and 20,000-lb axles. “The Kenworth T370 is already an extremely versatile truck, but now with the new 18,000-pound and 20,000-pound front axles, customers can put more weight on the front ends in fuel hauling, dump, mixer, utility and crane applications,” said Kurt Swihart, Kenworth’s marketing director. “This also allows more payload in a shorter BBC truck package – something our vocational customers will find attractive.” The announcement was made at the NTEA Work Truck Show. The package includes a heavy-duty, cross-brace reinforced front frame assembly. Bolted cross-members and either 10-3/4” or 10-5/8” frame rails with inserts complete the package. “These new axle options continue the momentum we’re seeing with our medium duty products,” said Swihart. “We had record sales and market share in 2014 and we expect that trend to continue in 2015. Customers are finding more versatility, driver comfort and durability with their Kenworths and it’s paving the way for mutual success.”

Heavy Duty Trucking / March 3, 2015 Ford's redesigned 2016 F-650 and F-750 trucks will offer a lower noise level than outgoing models mostly due to the redesigned turbo diesel engine, Ford announced on the eve of NTEA's Work Truck Show. The 2016-MY medium-duty trucks are powered by a Ford 6.7-liter Power Stroke V-8 that's 25 percent quieter in the cabin, according to Ford. When idling, the engine is as much as 45 percent quieter in the cabin and 35 percent quieter in front of the grille. "While the truck is able to work harder, we also made life inside the cab easier," said John Ruppert, general manager of Ford Commercial Vehicle Sales and Marketing. "Lowering in-cab and exterior noise levels improves driver comfort and minimizes disturbances while idling at work sites." When traveling at 60 mph, the level of engine noise in the cabin drops to 68 decibels from 74 decibels compared to the prior model, according to Ford. Idling levels have fallen to 48 decibels from 63 decibels. Ford achieved the quieter cabin through a engine engineering. Specific design upgrades were made to the fuel injectors to optimize the combustion process, which features a two-stage combustion event instead of a single-injection event to avoid harsh, sudden and loud combustion. A starter or pilot fuel injector in the engine begins the compression process before the main injection. The result is smoother combustion with less diesel clatter and a reduction of intrusive engine sound both inside and outside the truck, according to Ford. At idle, two pilot injection events make the firing process even smoother to aid in quietness. The "ticking" of the high-speed injectors is masked by specially designed covers on the engine. Mounting the engine’s turbocharger inside the engine block valley also brings improvements in overall noise, vibration and harshness. The trucks will be available this summer.

Heavy Duty Trucking / March 3, 2015 Navistar International Corp. announced on Tuesday that it is still losing money, but nowhere near as much as it did a year earlier. In releasing earnings for the three months ending Jan. 31, the truck and engine maker reported a net loss of $42 million, or 52 cents per diluted share, compared to a first quarter 2014 net loss of $248 million, or $3.05 per diluted share, better than many analysts were forecasting. The company attributed the improvement to higher sales and lower warranty costs. Revenues in the quarter were $2.4 billion, up 10% from a year earlier but slightly less than many analysts were expecting. "Our first quarter results reflect our continued momentum and ongoing progress in improving the fundamentals of our business," said Troy Clarke, Navistar president and chief executive officer. "In the first quarter, we once again increased our production, chargeouts and order backlog. Our improved product quality is driving reduced warranty spend and we continue to lower our breakeven point." Navistar implemented a financial turnaround plan when it began losing market share about three years ago, following problems with its engines meeting federal emissions standards that led to a big decline in sales. The higher revenues in the quarter were driven by a 17% year-over-year increase in chargeouts (trucks that have been invoiced to customers) for Class 6 through Class 8 trucks and buses in the U.S. and Canada. This included a 42% increase in school buses; a 25% increase in Class 6 and Class 7 trucks; a 7% increase in Class 8 heavy trucks; and a 5% increase in Class 8 severe service trucks. Higher sales in the company's export truck operations also contributed to the increase, according to Navistar, partially offset by a decrease in used truck sales. The company finished the first quarter with a 27% year-over-year increase in order backlog for Class 6-8 trucks. In a conference call with investors Tuesday morning, Clarke said 2015 is an important year for Navistar. Company plans call for it to begin with a strong first quarter, which he said it did, with sales momentum building in all of its core truck markets, while achieving cost savings in many areas. "We increased our sales across every product line in the first quarter, and we were especially pleased with our strong year-over-year gains in the medium truck and school bus markets, two key areas of strategic focus that will deliver profitable market share gains," Clarke said. According to Navistar, during the first quarter of 2015, structural costs continued to decrease with cost-reduction initiatives, while productivity improvements helped to further lower its breakeven point. Navistar previously announced changes in its reporting segments. The export truck and parts operations, formerly in the Global Operations segment, are now included within the results of the Truck and Parts segments, respectively. Parts required to support military trucks, formerly within the Parts segment, are now included with the rest of Navistar Defense operations and recorded in the results of the Truck segment. For the first quarter 2015, the Truck segment recorded a loss of $18 million, compared with a year-ago first quarter loss of $208 million. The Truck segment's year-over-year improvement was driven by a shift in product mix toward medium trucks and school buses as well as a $55 million benefit for adjustments to pre-existing warranties, according to Navistar. The Parts segment recorded a profit of $145 million, compared to a year-ago first quarter profit of $108 million, a 34% increase. The Global Operations segment recorded a loss of $15 million compared to a year-ago first quarter loss of $35 million. Navistar said the improvement was due to lower manufacturing and structural costs as a result of restructuring and cost-reduction efforts in the company's South American operations, and lower foreign exchange losses. For the first quarter 2015, the Financial Services segment recorded a profit of $24 million compared to first quarter 2014 profit of $23 million.

Wall Street Journal / March 3, 2015 Navistar International Corp. on Tuesday said cost reductions and improving sales of its medium-duty trucks and school buses helped the company narrow its loss in the January quarter. The company’s results for the quarter ended Jan. 31 were mostly within the company’s projections for the quarter. Pretax income on an adjusted basis topped the company’s forecast and analysts’ expectations. “First-quarter was very much in-line with our expectations and we plan on building on that momentum,” said Chief Executive Troy Clarke during a conference call with analysts. Navistar’s stock was recently trading up 4.5% at $30.25 a share. The Lisle, Ill.-based maker of International brand trucks has been struggling to gain market share in a red-hot market for commercial trucks in North America. Navistar is in fourth-place in the heavy-duty truck market behind Volvo AB, Paccar Inc.–the maker of Peterbilt and Kenworth trucks–and Daimler AG ‘s Freightliner unit. Navistar’s marketing efforts have been emphasizing the improved reliability of the company’s trucks and engines after widespread problems with Navistar-built engines after 2010 eroded the company’s market share. The company said it is seeing improving sales of medium-duty trucks to rental companies, a major user of medium-duty trucks. The company said its share for the medium-duty market in the U.S. and Canada rose to 21% in the quarter from 19% for the quarter ended October 31. But the company’s share of the heavy-duty market–the largest segment of the truck market–slipped to 11% from 15% in October. Navistar’s truck business recorded a loss of $18 million in the quarter, compared with a year-earlier loss of $208 million. Income from replacement parts rose to $145 million from $108 million. The company said adjusted income before taxes and income expenses was $54 million on improved margins. Analysts expected $52 million. Overall for the fiscal first quarter, Navistar reported a loss of $42 million, or 52 cents a share, compared with a year-earlier loss of $248 million, or $3.05 a share. Revenue grew 9.6% to $2.42 billion. Analysts had expected a loss of $1.09 a share and revenue of $2.6 billion.

Two valve versions of the EM6-275L and E6-350 remained available for the DMM, and were equiped with Series Charged Air Cooling (SCAC) rather than Chassis-Mounted Charge Air Cooling (CMCAC). Is this DM possibly a DMM?

Press Release Diamond Specialty Vehicles LLC has announced the company will launch an all-new vocational and specialty truck model range in April featuring the truckmaker’s new T-Line “Driver II*” aluminum construction conventional cab. In addition, the company’s new set-forward axle TCS20 and set-back axle TCL20B powered and non-powered glider kits are now available for order (http://tlinetrucks.com/glider-kits-2/). For further information: http://tlinetrucks.com/ * The first generation "Driver" cab was designed by Autocar and introduced in 1950. The last Autocar to use the driver cab rolled off the line in Ogden, Utah in 1987. The last Western Star to use the Autocar cab, dubbed the Heritage cab by that truckmaker, was produced in 1997 (the new Constellation cab, designed by an team of Australian Western Star and DAF engineers, had been introduced in 1996). The Diamond Story - History Timeline: Harrisburg, Pennsylvania-based Loyal Osterlund, a former Diamond Reo dealer, obtained the legal rights to the name, all the spare parts at the Lansing, Michigan factory and the manufacturing dies following the truckmaker’s bankruptcy in 1975. FYI: Fire apparatus, custom truck chassis and Utilimaster brand body manufacturer Spartan Motors was founded in 1976 by former Diamond Reo Engineers effected by Diamond Reo’s bankruptcy. Osterlund created the Diamond Reo “Giant” range and established a 50 dealer nationwide sales network. Osterlund operated from 1977 thru 1993. It appears that in the summer of 1995, Loyal Osterlund's son Jan explored selling the operation to S&S/Superior of Ohio, who planned to produce Diamond T trucks as the Superior Truck & Tractor Manufacturing Company (ftp://nhtsa.gov/MfrMail/01-22-N11B-6002.pdf). In December 1995, William Snyder operating as the Diamond Reo Truck Company purchased Jan Osterlund’s assets and inventory, and built trucks until 1997 in Somerset, Pennsylvania. In 2003, Diamond Vehicle Solutions LLC under former Osterlund engineering head Joseph Whitman and other Osterlund veterans began supplying spare parts to Reo, Diamond Reo and Diamond T customers. In 2007, Diamond Vehicle Solutions LLC relocated to the Harrisburg plant constructed by Osterlund in the early 1980s. In 2008, the new company launched its “T-Line”* range of Diamond T trucks. Like Osterlund, Diamond Vehicle Solutions decided to target the vocational segment. * Not to be confused with the International Harvester "T-Line" heavy trucks once sold in Australia (http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/index.php?/topic/30957-those-magnificent-aussie-international-transtar-4670s/). (Because Sheller-Globe had stopped producing the Western Star cab, the Navistar S-Series cab was substituted until a proprietary cab could be created) In December 2013, Joseph Whitman announced that T-Line range production would resume in 2014, with order acceptance from January 6. Designed for vocational and specialty applications, component options include Cummins diesel and natural gas engines; PSI gasoline and natural gas engines; Allison, Fuller and Spicer transmissions; Dana and Meritor axles; TRW-Ross power steering; and Hendrickson and Neway suspensions. In addition, all T-Line models will be available as glider kits. .

CAT trucks are assembled by Navistar, but as is obvious, Caterpillar has gone to great lengths to create for themselves a uniquely designed truck for the Australian on-highway market. In the beginning, CAT Australia trucks were assembled at a NC2 CAT-Navistar joint venture plant in Tullamarine, Victoria. But when Navistar NC2 Global Australia became a wholly owned subsidiary of Navistar in 2011, and was renamed Navistar Auspac Pty Ltd, production shifted to North America in 2012. In the US market where CAT is focused on vocational with the CT660 and CT681, due to incompetent people, the company is going nowhere. However in Australia where CAT is focused on on-highway, and has some real truck people on the team, the company's efforts down under have legs. With the closing of Navistar's Garland, Texas plant (the former Marmon truck plant) in late 2012 where WorkStar, PayStar, TranStar and MaxxPro military vehicles were built, some Prostar* and all CAT truck production shifted to Navistar's Escobedo, Mexico plant. * Prostar production, as well as Durastar, is spread between Springfield and Escobedo. US market CT660 and CT681 vocational models are also built in Escobedo. http://www.internationaltrucks.com/trucks/experience/escobedo_plant I have to tell you, I feel the Australian market CAT trucks are extremely good looking trucks (unlike the Tonka toy-like US market CT660). The CAT C15 is well liked down under, and the company seems to have resolved its issues. In comparison, the next generation Kenworth T680 and Peterbilt Model 579 with the new cheaper-for-Paccar common cab are hideous looking. And this brings forth a little discussed matter. In the past, each evolutionary step in truck development provided operators with greater value in terms of operational costs, durability and comfort. Truckmakers competed by offering the customer more value. But we have now arrived at a juncture where truck development is focused around saving the truck manufacturers money to enhance their bottom line (not unlike today's car industry). Content is being removed where truckmakers perceive the customer either won't mind, or won't notice. The price you pay will continue to escalate, but the value of the truck you receive is going down. Make no mistake about it, you're getting less truck for your money. Paccar's new common cab is a perfect example, with a drastically lower production cost than the Kenworth and Peterbilt cabs it replaces. The introducion of Paccar's common cab is entirely about injecting greater profitability into the company's bottom line, and has no benefit to the customer.

Caterpillar's CT630S and CT630SC are engineered for Australian B-double applications, as well as B-triple and road train double configurations. http://www.cattrucks.com.au/trucks/ct630-s/#tab=1 http://www.cattrucks.com.au/trucks/ct630sc/#tab=1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKRiiw5Z1Yo#t=27

Truck News / February 27, 2015 US and Canadian trucking companies have much in common, including their growing frustration over government interference in their businesses, with seemingly little thought given to the full implications of their decisions. That was evidenced during a panel discussion on The Impact of Rules and Legislations on Fleet Operating Costs, hosted by Performance Innovation Transport at its second annual conference. Providing a fleet perspective on the subject were Mike Kelley, vice-president, YRC Freight and Mark Irwin, director of maintenance, eastern region, Bison Transport. Among their shared frustrations was the idea that government does not hesitate to foist costly regulations on the industry, while it continues to prohibit the use of safe and proven systems such as larger pup trailers in the US and 6×2 axle configurations in Canada. YRC’s Kelley said the LTL trucking industry in the US would like to move from 28-ft. pup trailers to 33-footers, which would provide an 18% increase in capacity. “The last time we’ve had any significant productivity increase was in 1982,” he complained. “We can save four billion tonnes of CO2 annually. But this will be anything but an engineering decision, it’s going to be a political decision and we’re in for a dogfight.” Closer to home, Irwin would like to see the latest generation 6×2 axles allowed in Canada, pointing to weight savings of several hundred pounds. “We need to get into this,” Irwin said. “This is something where we’re seeing significant fuel savings. It has been tested by PIT and we have confidence in PIT and what they do. The restrictions or the limitations of operating in Ontario as a result of this actually impacts our ability to perform business in Ontario.” He noted US carriers are coming into Canada using 6x2s and gaining a competitive advantage and that some Canadian fleets are also using the system, despite it being illegal. Geoff Wood, vice-president of operations and safety with the Ontario Trucking Association and Canadian Trucking Alliance warned they do so at their own peril. “If you have technology that is not allowed and doesn’t fit within the provincial framework and something happens, you might have a problem on your hands legally and civilly,” he suggested. He noted the associations are discussing the issues related to 6x2s with government, but added a formal position has not yet been taken. While governments in both countries seem bound on limiting productivity in some ways, they are also not afraid to introduce new legislation that brings tremendous cost to the industry, Kelley pointed out, citing electronic logging devices as a timely example. “We’ll have two years to put ELDs in 8,000 trucks. This is ironic, because we’ve been talking about this since 1997 and we’ll have a two-year implementation window and we can’t act on it now because we don’t know what the standards will be,” Kelley said. He is also worried about talk a Pigovian tax could be applied to the trucking industry as punishment for the carbon emissions it produces. Kelley would prefer to see a modest increase in fuel taxes, since only 2-4% of the money collected in this manner goes towards administrative costs. A Pigovian tax, which is an extreme tax intended to change behaviour, won’t work in trucking, because the deliveries must still be made, Kelley pointed out. He would prefer the government shift its attention to helping the industry, through the elimination of barriers, including traffic congestion. He cited a stat that suggested traffic congestion at freight chokepoints in the US each year produce an outcome equivalent to 51,000 trucks and drivers sitting idle for an entire year. “We should be able to align industry, environmentalists and the Administration to get a long-term comprehensive plan to address freight chokepoints,” he said. Kelley also had concerns with how the latest emissions standards for heavy trucks have been implemented, driving up costs of new trucks by 45% while at the same time, cars have increased in price just 15%. While Kelley said he agrees with the importance of cleaning the air, the new standards have resulted in less reliable equipment that has been especially troubling in an LTL environment with ever-tightening delivery windows. “The nation’s commerce is on wheels,” he said. “We have some of the biggest retailers in North America that we serve now and if we are late by three hours, they don’t have product on their shelves and they get really upset with us and then they don’t pay us.” Bison’s Irwin agreed that customer expectations are constantly rising and that regulations that curtail productivity are a hindrance. He’d like to see Ontario’s long combination vehicle (LCV) program expanded more rapidly, as one example. The company has been running LCVs for 11 years and they now account for 26% of all its miles travelled, or 2.8 million miles per month. They average about 5.5 mpg compared to the single-trailer fleet’s average of 6.5 mpg, but looked at another way, they nearly double trailer productivity to 11 mpg per trailer. “That’s pretty efficient and that’s the world we want to live in,” Irwin said. He also has an issue with roadside enforcement being overly aggressive when inspecting LCV equipment. An ABS light out results in the loss of a permit for three to four months, even though the braking system is still functional. Irwin would like to see government trust the research done by organizations such as PIT and the OEMs and more quickly approve new technologies that can improve freight.

Navistar (International Harvester) left South Africa in the late 1970s because of then-occurring financial problems. The Cummins distributor for South Africa, ProPower Diesel, became Navistar’s importing distributor in 1986. In 1988, Tyco International became Navistar’s importing distributor. After the U.S. Congress passed the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act in 1986 forcing Navistar, Cummins and other U.S. companies to withdraw from South Africa, spare parts had to be imported from nearby Botswana and elsewhere. American truckmakers were “officially” allowed to return to South Africa in 1995, and within two years attained a 40 percent market share. In 1997, South Africa’s vehicle distributor titan Imperial Group bought a stake in Tyco, and took it over in 1997. International Trucks Southern Africa (NITSA) was formed in 2008, talking over the importer/distributor role from Imperial and adding SKD (semi-knocked down) manufacturing at its new $40 million Apex assembly plant in Benoni outside Johannesburg. In 2013, Navistar subsidiary NC2 South Africa decided to end production at its Apex assembly plant (which was assembling 7600 and 9800 models). Navistar is now only providing parts and service out of its Gaoteng office while it looks for a buyer willing to carry on the South African business at the very least for after-sales support while assuming all financial responsibilities. As of 2010, around 10,000 Navistar trucks had been sold in South Africa (mostly 9800s). The total population including gray market trucks is around 12,000 units. Footnote: While an American in South Africa might be pleasantly surprised by the country’s beauty, they will probably be shocked at the sight of seeing the highways highly populated with late model American cab-over-engine (COE) International 9800i and Freightliner Argosy heavy trucks. They typically run 14,000lb to 16,000lb front axles and 46,000lb drive axles, paired with 315/80R22.5 rubber. .