TeamsterGrrrl

Basicly, a way to run "doubles" where they're prohibited with few advantages... Still need one driver per trailer, two power units, etc.. Better to run double 40s (most common container/trailer size in the world) with a steering converter dolly. Then maybe add hybrid power to the dolly...

Says something of the confidence that industry veterans have in the future of Mack...

http://www.aasnessauctioneers.com/auction/282883/large-vining-henning-area-auction/#detail-tabs-morephotos It's a ways down the page.

Thanks, that's what I've been hearing rumors of. Just saw a late friday news dump from Volvo, they're spinning off Mack and Renault and going back to making oversized wheeled refrigerators...

Been kinda slow here for April 1st, usually we have a slew of news of new products on April 1st. I've been busy covering VW AG's announcement that they're re-entering the tractor business with their TDI models and also solving their EPA and CARB problems: http://gearheadgrrrl.com/2016/04/01/porsche-and-vw-re-enter-the-tractor-biz/ I heard that Mack Australia was going to start exporting their feisty breed of bulldogs to the rest of the world, and thanks to some quirks of obscure treaties there's nothing Volvo can do to stop them. And given that a stash of NOS old cabs and tooling to build more was recently found, will the set back front axle MH prototype Truck Magazine revealed back in the early 80s finally enter production? And will the upcoming EU monopoly investigation force VW to sell Scania and Volvo sell Mack to the Swedish Investment Consortium? Lots of great stories here folks, let's get writin"!

I tend to agree- take away the subsidies and much of the propane, natural gas, and electric vehicle market disappears.

Rattly Freightliner aluminum cabs were not a bug, the rattling that kept you awake was a "feature". When I worked at Hostess, we never had a driver fall asleep at the wheel of an aluminum cab Freightliner, they only fell asleep at the wheel in steel cab Fords and the Mercedes LN2 steel cabbed Freightliners.

Thanks Barry, looking forward to KSC's regular updates on trucking everywhere!

There was an owner operator in southern Minnesota who had a V8 powered conventional with sleeper, haven't seen him in over a decade though. He was very happy with the Scania, last I talked to him he had over a million miles on it.

In New England a regional trucking company, Holmes Transportation, ran a lot of Scania cabovers as well as Macks in the 70s.

The only major difference between the 600 and 700 was the length of the hood, otherwise they were pretty much the same. The 700's longer hood allowed for the installation of some of the bigger engines like Mack's V8 and big block Cummins and Cat 6s, and more than a few 700s were ordered with the Mack 6s, even though they would fit in the 600... I suspect some buyers wanted more room to work on the engine or liked the looks the longer hood. The "Valueliner" name was kind of dumb, as it cost more than a standard R model because it came with premium lightweight components.

The only major difference between the 600 and 700 was the length of the hood, otherwise they were pretty much the same. The 700's longer hood allowed for the installation of some of the bigger engines like Mack's V8 and big block Cummins and Cat 6s, and more than a few 700s were ordered with the Mack 6s, even though they would fit in the 600... I suspect some buyers wanted more room to work on the engine or liked the looks the longer hood. The "Valueliner" name was kind of dumb, as it cost more than a standard R model because it came with premium lightweight components.

The Valueliner was an East Coast built continuation of the California built Mack Western RL600 (aluminum frame rails) and RS600 (steel frame rails). The earlier long hood RL700 and RS700 were replaced by the Superliner.

Also has mild winters and just a few hours from Chicago if you feel a need to visit the big city.

The Ford Focus RS, Suburu WRX, and VW Golf R can all turn 13 second quarters, yet thanks to four wheel drive and excellent electronic stability control you'd have to work at it to get into trouble with one. While blowing the doors off almost every classic supercar they get 30 MPG and carry 5 people, or fold the back seats down and load it up. I'd love a Golf R with a TDI diesel!

Hard hats, safety glasses, ear protection, reflective clothing, backup alarms, etc. are required on most construction sites. Doesn't matter if you're an employee, contractor, visitor, or the boss. That's why you'll find such safety equipment on many fleet trucks now.

BTW, UPS has a similar but more workable solution- Anyone working on or in a trailer places an orange cone in front of it. The driver is not allowed to back under the trailer until the person who placed the orange cone removes it. The railroads do something similar by placing a blue flag on whatever rolling stock they're working on. In industrial maintenance, the workers "lock out" the equipment or circuits they're working on.

Is Navistar toxic? http://gearheadgrrrl.com/2016/03/03/navistar-cant-guide-a-lost-wall-street/

The conventional Maxidyne has a power band from 1200 to 2100 RPM. With an R suffix the governor is set for around 1800 RPM, reducing the power band to 1200 to around 1800 RPM. Their was also an L suffix version of the six cylinder Maxidynes that shifted the power band down to around 1000 to 1800 RPM.

Warren is different... Still lives in the same modest house he bought in Omaha years ago, and takes a fraction of the salary execs in such big corporations usually take. Better yet, Warren's been sharing with me... All you gotta do is buy some stock to share in the profits!

Got some friends who farm who still use an 80s Steiger, they like it so well that they've been scouring the area for spare parts to keep it going. Given that simple repairs on the new big tractors are running into thousands of $$$, I can see why!

If you want to learn about economics from a couple of the field's foremost experts, spend a little over $100 for a share of Berkshire Hathaway B stock and come to the annual meeting in Omaha. And if you get bored with the all day annual meeting, get out your plastic and take advantage of the bargains BK's corporations will be offering, especially at Nebraska Furniture Mart.

Last nights debate showed just how incompetent most of the republican candidates are... Kindergartners are better behaved!

This is the real cause of the "driver shortage"... Low pay and outright stolen pay.

Volvo is basicly trying to set up their line to build trucks at the rates seen in pickup and car assembly plants. What Volvo hasn't figured out is at those line rates of 50 to 60 trucks an hour, one plant could supply the whole North American class 8 market. So to succeed in class 8, you have to customize your trucks to customer's demands.