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2020 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel Dethrones Chevrolet's Duramax Diesel with 480 LB-FT of Torque Andrew Wendler, Car & Driver / June 10, 2019 Ram fires back in the half-ton diesel truck wars with a revised 3.0-liter turbo-diesel V-6. Rated at 480 lb-ft of torque, the 2020 Ram 1500's EcoDiesel model tops the Chevy Silverado's diesel by 20 lb-ft and the Ford F-150's Power Stroke diesel by 40 lb-ft. The Ram EcoDiesel will be available across the entire 2020 half-ton lineup including the Ram Rebel. While fuel economy numbers have not yet been released, Ram is swaggering that its turbocharged 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V-6 will also be the most efficient in the half-ton diesel class. Well that didn't take long. Less than three weeks after Chevrolet announced that its 420-lb-ft, 3.0-liter turbodiesel Duramax inline-six would finally see the light of day under the hood of the 2020 Silverado half-ton pickup, Ram has staged a torque coup d'état and retakes the throne with an updated version of its turbocharged 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V-6 rated at 480 lb-ft. Not only 14 percent more powerful, it now reaches full torque output at 1600 rpm, 400 rpm lower than the previous version. That means a max tow rating of 12,560 pounds when properly equipped. The Ford F-150 Power Stroke diesel is rated to tug 11,400 pounds, while the Silverado half-ton diesel is slated to earn a 9700-pound tow rating. Ram says the 2020 EcoDiesel will be in showrooms in the fourth quarter of 2019. Ram is referring to the latest EcoDiesel engine as the third-generation model due to its myriad upgrades. Redesigned cylinder head and intake ports are said to improve both swirl and flow of the incoming air, the aluminum pistons have been redesigned and use thinner rings and a low-friction coating on the wrist pin and side skirts, the compression ratio has been increased slightly from 16.0:1 to 16.5:1, and the high-pressure injectors have been redesigned for optimal operation with the new combustion chamber. To further reduce noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH), the wrist pins are now slightly offset by about 0.1 inch. Externally, an updated exhaust-gas recirculation system features a new dual-loop design (high and low-pressure circuits), the added low-pressure loop drawing exhaust gasses downstream of the particulate filter to maximize efficiency, in turn increasing fuel economy. A new water-cooled turbocharger with variable geometry aims to improve efficiency and responsiveness, the lower portion of the two-piece oil sump uses a lightweight sandwiched polymer/metal material that further reduces NVH and the dual vacuum pump system now uses electric and a new mechanical low-friction pump with new blades said to increase overall efficiency. The compacted-graphite iron block and forged-steel connecting rods and crankshaft provide the strength and durability required by diesel engines. Built by the FCA-owned VM Motori in Ferrara, Italy, Ram's 3.0-liter EcoDiesel has always been a bit of wild card in the segment (you can find a storyline of the EcoDiesel's history here), and in addition to bragging rights, we're thinking the updates are long overdue. . .

Bears warn bleak scenario is taking shape MarketWatch / June 10, 2019 Why are stocks busting out all of a sudden? Last week, tariffs on Mexico increased the chances that the Fed would cut rates. Investors obviously like that. So, stocks rallied. This week, Trump backs off those same tariffs. Investors apparently like that, too. Stocks again are rallying. “The market wanted to go up. I don’t think it mattered what happened. We just use these things as a reason after the fact to look smart,” the CEO of the New York City-based investment advisory firm wrote. “That’s how it works. It’s not meant to be intellectually satisfying. It’s meant to take money away from people who think they can explain things. Worst traders and managers I know are the guys with answers for all this stuff.” “The macro and micro economic data continue to deteriorate,” Morgan Stanley’s chief investment officer Mike Wilson wrote, pointing to weak durable goods orders, disappointing capital spending, soggy retail earnings, lackluster freight shipments, and a “very soft” jobs number as evidence of an economy running on fumes. “This raises the risk of my core view playing out — that companies will do whatever it takes to protect margins,” Wilson wrote. “And while labor is the last lever they pull, they will use it if they need to.” Don’t be so quick to blame U.S.-China trade tensions, either, he said. “The economy was already slowing and escalation potentially makes things worse.” And if you’re waiting for a lower interest rates to ignite a rally... don’t. “A rate cut after a long hiking cycle tends to be negative for stocks, in contrast to a pause like in January, which is typically positive,” Wilson said. “I’ve been vocal about the likelihood of U.S. earnings and the economic cycle disappointing this year. Specifically, I’ve argued that the second half recovery many companies have promised and investors expect is unlikely to materialize.” Wilson is looking for GDP to hit the skids in the second half.

Ford's director of global strategic design resigns Michael Martinez, Automotive News / June 9, 2019 DETROIT -- David Woodhouse, Ford Motor Co.'s director of global strategic design who was instrumental in crafting the Lincoln luxury brand's latest styling, has resigned from the company. It's unclear why he left. In a Facebook post on Friday, Woodhouse, 50, said it was a "difficult decision," especially considering his personal investment in Lincoln. "Ending a long-standing relationship with a corporation is just like ending a personal relationship multiplied by the number of wonderful friends and colleagues," he wrote. A Lincoln spokeswoman said Woodhouse "elected to leave the company" but gave no other details. Woodhouse worked at Ford in a number of roles since joining the Premier Automotive Group, the company's onetime stable of luxury brands that included Lincoln, Volvo, Jaguar and Land Rover, in 1999, according to his LinkedIn profile. He added the title of director of global strategic design, in addition to duties as director of Lincoln design, in July 2017, shortly after Jim Hackett took over as Ford CEO. As part of the overhaul of Ford's design team at the time, Joel Piaskowski, Ford of Europe's design director, was named global director of Ford design, overseeing cars and crossovers. Woodhouse, Lincoln's design director since 2013, helped turn around the once-moribund brand with new styling centered around a philosophy the company labels "quiet flight." Woodhouse previously was chief designer in Ford's strategic design studios in London and California and was part of the team behind the Lincoln C Concept presented at the 2009 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The Ford Shelby GR1, Ford Airstream, Ford Reflex, Lincoln Continental Concept, Lincoln Mk9 Coupe and Lincoln Aviator Concept are among the key vehicles Woodhouse had a hand in styling. According to his LinkedIn profile, he was an assistant chief designer with Cadillac in Europe for less than a year starting in late 1998, where he helped craft the Cadillac Imaj concept. Woodhouse began his automotive career with BMW.

Full-size Ford Bronco test mule spotted. .

Transport Engineer / June 5, 2019 Scottish waste management business Barr has added five more Volvo trucks to its fleet, after its first Volvo vehicles “rewrote the book” on reliability and service. Supplied by dealer Volvo Truck and Bus Centre North & Scotland, the Killoch, Ayrshire-based operator’s new additions are two FM tractor units, two FM hooklift rigids and an FE rigid skiploader. The pair of FM 6x2 pusher axle tractor units feature Volvo’s 13-litre engine producing 454bhp, I-Shift automated transmission systems, sleeper cabs with air kits and sliding fifth wheels. Vertical exhaust stacks were also specified. The FM 8x4 day cab rigids come in 8x4 configuration, this time with 415bhp versions of the D13K engine and I-Shift gearboxes. The 32-tonne chassis are fitted with Multilift XR26T.55 hooklift bodies, supplied and fitted by Hiab Scotland. Completing the line-up is a Volvo FE 4x2 rigid with Hiab skip gear. This 18-tonner is powered by a 247bhp D8K engine connected to a nine-speed manual gearbox. Gordon Whiteford, Barr’s operations director, says: “Our first Volvo tractor units rewrote the book on reliability and back-up. There was no downtime to report and the back-up service was excellent. The servicing schedules are carried out either on back shifts or night shifts, and that lets us maximise the trucks’ productivity levels.” He adds: “Another plus is that Hiab Scotland travels to the Volvo dealerpoint for any bodywork servicing or maintenance, making the depot a real one-stop shop. The whole experience has been a very positive learning curve for us.” All five vehicles are supplied on five-year, full-service contract hire, and the operator’s 10-strong fleet is now 100% Volvo. .

Transport Engineer / June 4, 2019 Food supplier Apetito has taken delivery of its first Volvo vehicles, acquiring six new FH tractors as part of a three-year fleet replacement programme for trunking operations. The operator supplies food to the health and social care sectors, delivering to hospitals, care homes and community service providers across the UK, and the new vehicles are based at its main distribution centre in Portbury, Bristol. Jon Jackson, the operator’s training, safety and logistics manager, says: “All our vehicles operate out of Bristol, but they will go as far as Motherwell and many points in between. As such we undertook extensive research, including a three-week loan of an FH-500 for fuel benchmarking, before settling on Volvo.” Supplied by dealer Truck and Bus Wales and West, the 6x2 fixed pusher axle, medium height tractors units are equipped with front steel, rear air suspension systems. Powered by a D13K Euro VI engine producing a maximum of 494bhp, the 3,900mm wheelbase units also feature 12-speed I-Shift automated transmission systems and Globetrotter XL Cabs. The high-spec cabs feature leather trims, electrically-controlled air conditioning systems and height-adjustable, foldable top bunks. The vehicles are expected to clock up 200,000km a year and are supplied on three-year Volvo Gold R&M contracts. .

Transport Engineer / May 31, 2019 Liverpool-based scaffolding business George Roberts (North West) has taken delivery of three Mercedes-Benz Arocs 8x2 rigids, replacing three 6x2 models after four years’ reliable service. Supplied by dealer Roanza Truck & Van, the new additions are fitted with dropside bodies by PPS Commercials, of Bury, and Fassi 485 cranes with a maximum outreach of more than 28m. All are 3246 models with 10.7-litre straight-six engines, producing 450bhp and driving through PowerShift automated transmissions. Two of the trucks have ClassicSpace M day cabs; the other has a StreamSpace sleeper. They line up alongside another three six-wheelers and are George Roberts’ first four-axled delivery trucks. The operator is upgrading its fleet from 26- to 32-tonners meet increased customer demand, and a growth in the number of larger contracts requiring deliveries of heavier loads. “In terms of performance and reliability, our Mercedes-Benz trucks have always been superb. They’re also well-appointed and popular with our drivers,” says transport manager Andy Roscoe. “If a scaffolding delivery is late an entire construction site can grind to a halt, so it’s crucial that our vehicles are up to the task. Experience has taught us that Mercedes-Benz trucks can be relied on to deliver on time, every time.” The new trucks are supplied on contract hire through Mercedes-Benz Finance. .

The Autocar website "still" does not mention the new DC-64R. What in the world??? https://www.autocartruck.com/trucks/

Autocar Trucks Press Release / June 7, 2019 Have you seen the new Autocar DC-64R conventional work truck? It's all Autocar DNA and purpose-built for refuse. Click here to have an Autocar refuse expert in your area contact you about putting this state of the art truck to work for you: www.autocartruck.com/my-new-truck #AutocarDC #AlwaysUp .

Ford Trucks International / June 7, 2019 Like every product that rolls off our assembly line, each Ecotorq 13 engine is produced with the utmost workmanship and quality! .

https://www.stengelbros.net/Mack-Logger-Truck-Bumpers_c_781.html

Ford ready to sell Russian plants Reuters / June 7, 2019 ST PETERSBURG -- Ford said it is ready to sell its idle Russian plants and has had interest from potential buyers. "We are open to discuss potential sales to other companies," Ford of Europe Chairman Steven Armstrong on the sidelines of the International Economic Forum. "We have had interest from a number of different companies." Ford said in March that its Russian joint venture Ford Sollers would close two assembly plants and an engine factory in Russia, exiting the country's passenger vehicle market. Ford's passenger-vehicle production in Russia will cease by the end of June following the closure of its car plants in Naberezhnye Chelny and Vsevolozhsk near St. Petersburg and an engine plant in Elabug. The Vsevolozhsk factory builds the Focus and Mondeo models and Naberezhnye Chelny makes the Fiesta small car and Ecosport crossover. Ford's vehicle plant in Elabug, which produces Transit light commercial vehicles, will remain open.

It's important to remember that the success of the D-Day landing depended so much on what was going on at the Eastern Front. Had not so many veteran German divisions been allocated there, the outcome might very well have been different. It was a massively long front that required the allocation of huge numbers of German soldiers. The Allies knew that, hence the reason that massive amounts of equipment ranging from jeeps, tanks to airplanes were given to the Soviet Union under Lend-Lease. .

The quality of a Bayswater-built Kenworth blows away the cheap stuff they sell in the US market. Australian-spec Western Star trucks are well built also. In the past, I preferred the Peterbilt COEs including the 320, 352, 362, 372 and 520. But I do like the appearance of the new 567 Heritage.

These are two older videos (but the latest offered by Oshkosh and McNeilus.....both clueless about sales marketing). . .

Heavy Duty Trucking (HDT) / June 6. 2019 McNeilus Truck and Manufacturing, Inc. has taken the Oshkosh S-Series front discharge concrete mixer and improved it with an array of new features and technologies that pay off with better visibility, increased hauling capability, and a tighter turning radius, according to the company. “Our S-Series has always been known for strength, stability and reliability;” said Christopher Yakes, vice president of Corporate Engineering and General Manager, S-Series Business. “We’re excited to continue to enhance the total cost of ownership for our customers with this latest introduction.” The reimagined Oshkosh S-Series backed by McNeilus was introduced by Yakes at the company’s Innovation Day. The new S-Series features enhanced cab visibility and accessibility. Oshkosh engineering teams conducted multiple visibility studies that resulted in a design that maximizes the view and enhances operator assurance. A larger cab allows for easy in and out, with improved ergonomics and more accessible electrical systems. Proprietary FLEX Controls work to increase the life of the concrete mixer. The controls help improve concrete mix and efficiency with consistent loading, mixing, and pouring. Additionally, programmable settings help reduce operating inconsistencies. A focus on adjusting the trucks for easier steering benefits drivers by reducing fatigue and increasign comfort while the front axle features field-proven Oshkosh Defense military components to provide maximum durability. The lighter truck also provides more payload capability, to allow for more concrete per load and decreases the number of trips. .

Ford says Fusion output will continue at least through 2021 Michael Martinez, Automotive News / June 5, 2019 DETROIT -- Ford Motor Co. will discontinue the Fusion Sport trim for the 2020 model year as it focuses on offering more popular versions in the sedan’s final years. But other versions of the sedan will remain in production until at least 2021, Ford said Thursday. "Our goal in the final production year is to further simplify the offering and focus on maximizing the more popular SE, SEL, and Titanium models," a Ford spokesman said. Ford will build the Fusion at least into the 2021 calendar year, a spokesman said. The spokesman previously said that production would end in the 2020 calendar year, but on Thursday said that information was incorrect. The news of the Sport trim’s death marks the end of what could be considered a failed last-ditch effort to save the vehicle. Amid declining sales, Ford made the Fusion Sport the centerpiece of its 2016 Detroit auto show display. It used media personality Ryan Seacrest to reveal the new trim -- part of the Fusion's midcycle freshening -- in a callback to its 2012 elaborate celebration in New York's Times Square for the second-generation Fusion. Ford management hoped the Fusion Sport's flashy performance figures — 325 hp and 380 pound-feet of torque from a 2.7-liter V-6 engine — would help pump up sales and differentiate it in what some considered a bland segment. It failed to generate much buzz. Spokesman Jiyan Cadiz on Wednesday said the Sport trim accounted for less than 10 percent of total Fusion sales. Overall Fusion sales in the U.S. topped 300,000 in both 2014 and 2015, although the sedan could not topple Toyota, Honda and Nissan in the competitive midsize sedan segment. U.S. sales of the Fusion dropped 17 percent to 173,600 last year but rose 8.8 percent to 77,578 in the first five months of 2019.

Nice FWD.

Yes, they do have it right.

Paccar has one of the most arrogant corporate company cultures on the planet. So much so that German companies including Volkswagen nod approvingly. It is that arrogance, that "know it all" (besserwisser) attitude that holds them back in the states from reaching their full potential.

French President Emmanuel Macron told American D-Day veterans that “France doesn’t forget” their sacrifice for his country’s liberty. “We know what we owe to you veterans: our freedom,” Macron said. “On behalf of my nation, I just want to say, thank you.” .

BUCKETS & BLADES | Company Profile – Cleary Bros Power Torque Magazine / June 2019 A familiar sight on the roads of the Illawarra region, about an hour south of Sydney, is the distinctive “highway yellow” trucks of Cleary Bros. Highway yellow was the colour adopted by Caterpillar in the 1950s to replace the original grey for any equipment working near roads in a bid to improve visibility (and here was I, thinking Hi-Vis was a recent development!). Initially established in 1916 by John (Jack) Cleary and his two brothers as a timber-getting business, Cleary Bros (Bombo) Pty Ltd in its current south coast form eventuated when the original three brothers split the business up in 1947, with Jack focusing on business in the Illawarra at the original company site in Bombo. Jack Cleary had four children − John, Jill, Brian and Denis. After Jack’s passing in 1958, the running of the company fell to his children; in particular, John, who was eight years older than his younger twin brothers. The Bombo site is still operated by the company as a concrete plant and maintenance workshops, with further workshops and administration located at Port Kembla, along with quarry operations at the company’s Albion Park site. The latter extracts around 900,000 tonnes of material per year, much of which is transported to Sydney by road. Cleary Bros now employs in the vicinity of 400 staff and operates a large mixed fleet of trucks, trailers and equipment associated with the quarry, concrete and earthmoving industry. Mack trucks have been, and still are, a dominant brand within the fleet. Cleary Bros is very much a family-run company, with Denis Cleary still overseeing operations as chairman, and several third-generation family members working within operations. On my visit to the company’s Port Kembla site, the home of the Cleary Bros Museum, I was met by Denis, Brett Cleary (Brian’s son) and Louise Sullivan, Director and Company Secretary/Executive General Manager. Collectively, they provided me with an insight into the company and the inspiration behind the museum, one of the most comprehensive displays of plant and earthmoving equipment in Australia. Caterpillar equipment played a crucial role in the early days of the Cleary Bros story, and these beasts of burden hold fond memories, particularly for Denis as he sits at a table within the museum. Casting his mind back to the early days as a young lad of 14, he vividly remembers the day the D7 Caterpillar bulldozer resting behind him was delivered. “It was brought down on a rail car and it ran out of fuel while we were unloading it. They were too miserable to put much fuel in it. Enough to get it on, but not enough to get it off,” he recalls. (Truck and equipment dealers take heed: such small details remain in customers’ minds for a lifetime.) “That was 1954. I remember we traded one of our old ‘dozers in on it and we were supposed to send the trade-in back to Sydney on the Friday afternoon. My older brother John went down to the stationmaster and paid him two pounds to keep the rail car from leaving until Monday morning, and we worked on that old ‘dozer all weekend before sending it back.” The museum display is home to around 25 pieces of varied trucks and equipment, representative of the kind that carved out Cleary Bros’ success. Caterpillar equipment encompassing traxcavators (an early precursor to the modern excavator), and bulldozers of varying size dominate the display, accompanied by pieces from International Harvester and two immaculately restored NR Mack Trucks of 1942-43 vintage. As I’m guided around the display, Brett Cleary explains the operation of some of the vintage equipment and points out the hazards experienced while trying to start some of these old workhorses. This involved a bar lodged into a hole in the flywheel to spin them over, and a prayer that it wouldn’t kick back and knock your head off with the cranking bar. Later models became a little safer with small petrol-powered pilot engines taking on the risky starting task. Brett explains that the exhibits housed in the display are not all original Cleary Bros equipment. A lot of the trucks and machinery were saved from a rusty purgatory in bush graveyards and lovingly restored, almost out of obligation to honour their lengthy devoted service. As Denis says: “We bought and restored models that we used in our business. Models that served us well and we liked operating.” One machine that is a Cleary Bros original is the previously mentioned D7, which was tracked down via its serial number and located in the Atherton Tablelands in QLD. The owner still had the original toolkit that was supplied with the machine. “This D7 was purchased back 30 years ago and became one of the first pieces of equipment restored,” Denis explains. “It all just started from there and didn’t seem to stop; the shed is not really big enough anymore.” Denis points out that most of the visitors to the museum express how gratifying it is to see someone taking such an active role as custodian of these historical pieces of equipment. I believe that for Denis, it’s hearing comments such as this that make it all worthwhile. As pointed out by a placard in the museum: “All the machines on display have been restored to fully operational standard by Cleary Bros workshops.” To this day, Cleary Bros employs highly skilled teams of panel beaters, spray painters, fabricators and mechanics in their workshops. When they are not manufacturing truck bodies and equipment for the company’s trucks or carrying out repairs and maintenance, they are entrusted with the task, when it arises, of completing the restoration projects housed in the museum. The level of workmanship and skill apparent in the museum display is testament to skills and passion invested into these restorations by the Cleary Bros workshops. It also might go some way to explain the colour scheme of the fleet, all of which still wear the same Caterpillar “highway yellow”. After all, why buy two colours when one does the job so well? The exception comes in the form of some Army Jeeps and a few motorbikes that call the museum home, plus a 1939 Oldsmobile which belonged to Jack Cleary. The historical equipment restoration bug has also bitten Brett Cleary, although, like his father (Brian), his interest lies with trucks. Especially for my visit, Brett organised for two of his own trucks, both having been restored by the Cleary Bros workshops, to grace the entry of the museum. Sitting either side of a CH Mack in Cleary Bros livery was a Centennial Mack, of which only 25 were made to herald in the new millennium. All of these Macks, with the exception of two white ones, were given the names of national highways. Brett located the “Cunningham Highway” truck through a Facebook post and contacted the owner in Perth, to find that he had three of the models. The truck was subsequently bought and transported back to NSW for restoration. On the other side sits a Caterpillar-powered Kenworth SAR, also purchased from Perth with a seized engine, but now fully restored to its former glory. Louise Sullivan adds: “As a family and as a business in general we are still really passionate about what we do, and this is reflected in the museum. We have a lot of long-term employees and don’t have a high turnover of staff. I believe this is because while we are a large company, we are still very much a family business.” Cleary Bros is a regular participant in the hugely successful Illawarra charity convoy held each year when a long yellow caterpillar of Cleary Bros trucks line the roads of the Illawarra while contributing to raising funds for a great cause. Background Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dLxO8BLXZk .

Newest PBS B-quad unveiled and on the road Owner-Driver / June 4, 2019 The newest performance-based standards (PBS) super B-quad has hit the road in Australia. Developed by Southern Cross Trailers and operated by Symons Clark Logistics, the PBS level 3A-quad spans 36.5m – including a Kenworth K200 prime mover – and is the second B-quad on-road in Australia. It was given the tick of approval by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) in South Australia, with the launch attended by CEO Sal Petroccitto and chief engineer Les Bruzsa. The first B-quad, also boasting the work of Southern Cross Trailers and operated by Rocky Lamattina & Sons, was launched in August 2018. The regulator notes the number of PBS combinations has doubled in the last five years, led by truck and dog approvals, which overtook prime mover and trailer combinations for the first time in 2018. There are now almost 18,000 separate PBS heavy vehicles registered since the scheme commenced, making up nearly 9,000 PBS combinations. .

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