kscarbel2

Drop another bucket - I got room. With a 12 yard side dump body, this 1951 Autocar DC-20064SN weighed 43,500 lbs empty. What's the capacity? Until it's full, and then some more. #AutocarDC #AlwaysUp #TBT #ThrowbackThursday Thanks to Mike Lusher. Always Up - Autocar Trucks .

"Hino Motors began producing trucks on American soil in 2004 at parent company, Toyota's manufacturing facility in Long Beach, California. " Wrong. The first Hinos built in America were assembled from KD kits by Jim Moran's Southeast Toyota Distributors in Jacksonville, Florida in 1983, model FFs and FGs (25,500lb to 32,000lb GVW). I was there. https://www.newspapers.com/image/?clipping_id=15709348&fcfToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJmcmVlLXZpZXctaWQiOjIzNTU4MDMwNywiaWF0IjoxNTY2NTIyODc2LCJleHAiOjE1NjY2MDkyNzZ9.6LjS10YE68KmQ6bTDTCssq4-oXxMO4wzQ1fBHQK_3KE

Heavy Duty Trucking (HDT) / August 22, 2019 Hino Motors has officially opened its new 1,000,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility in Mineral Wells, West Virginia. The ceremony took place Wednesday, August 22, capping a two-year effort that saw a former retail distribution center turned into a truck factory. The first truck rolled off the new assembly line in June. Current production stands at 66 trucks per day on one shift. Hino expects production rates to grow to 15,000 units on one shift by 2020. “Hino is committed to building its trucks and products in the market it operates in," said Hino Motors Ltd. President and CEO, Yoshio Shimo. "We have committed $100 million in capital investment into our new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility, generating 250 new jobs. Today, I am excited to announce an additional commitment of $40M to meet increased demand and product configurations, creating an additional 250 new jobs, totaling 800 team members." The current workforce stands at 470 team members with plans to expand that to 550 by next year. The facility will build all of Hino's Class 6, 7 and 8 conventional trucks, including the newly released class 7 and 8 XL Series. Hino Motors began producing trucks on American soil in 2004 at parent company, Toyota's manufacturing facility in Long Beach, California. That facility closed in 2007 and production transferred to Williamstown, WV. Hino produced over 50,000 trucks at that facility. Today the Williamstown plant is vacant but remains a Hino property. All production has since shifted to Mineral Wells. No plans for the Williamstown facility were discussed during Wednesday's ceremony. Hino Motors Manufacturing U.S.A. president, Takashi Ono, offered thanks to the town of Williamstown for being Hino's home for the past ten years, noting that all the Williamstown employees were transferred to Mineral Wells. "This plant will serve as the manufacturing foundation and define the excellence of Hino Trucks in the United States," he said. "I'm proud, knowing that from New York to Dallas to Los Angeles, the DNA of Hino Trucks will shine with the passion, dedication and craftmanship of West Virginians." "But I believe the greatest accomplishment for us may not be this new plant or the new trucks produced here, but that we managed to keep all of our team members. We could not have asked for a better outcome. You are our greatest asset. It is what you do every day that truly defines Hino." The event was attended by West Virginia Governor, James C. Justice, III, state senators, Joe Manchin (D) and Shelley Moore Capito (R), Congressman David McKinley (R) and several county and local officials. “Hino has been a tremendous partner to the State of West Virginia since 2007,” stated Governor Justice. “With 800 West Virginians planned to be employed by Hino, they continue to be one of West Virginia’s biggest employers. We thank Hino for their continued investment in the great state of West Virginia.” Prior to the official grand opening celebration, Hino executives and visiting dignitaries took part in the traditional Japanese tree planting ceremony, and later shared the Kagami-Wari ceremony to consummate Hino’s growth commitment to the U.S. In addition to producing Hino’s current line up of conventional trucks, the Mineral Wells assembly plant will produce a new line of Class 7 and 8 trucks, the XL series, powered by Hino’s A09, 9-liter engine. .

First Electric Freightliner eCascadia Models Enter Freight Operations at NFI, Penske Transport Topics / August 22, 2019 YOUNTVILLE, California — Daimler Trucks North America has handed over its first two battery-electric Freightliner eCascadia models to NFI and Penske Truck Leasing for use in their daily freight operations. These Class 8 tractors will begin hauling cargo in Southern California, but more significantly, they will help pave the way for the full commercialization of electric-powered trucks in North America . DTNA celebrated the milestone Aug. 20 here at Cliff Lede Vineyards with executives from NFI and Penske and members of the trade press. “This is revolutionary. This is the start of a major change in the way companies will operate in the future,” Sid Brown, NFI’s CEO, told Transport Topics at the event. “You don’t get a chance too often in your lifetime to be at the forefront of a technological revolution,” he added. Richard Howard, DTNA’s senior vice president of sales and marketing, said the first eCascadias were the result of a “co-creation” process between the truck maker and its fleet customers, and hailed the official handoff of the trucks to NFI and Penske as “an extremely special moment.” The heavy-duty eCascadia and its smaller sibling, the medium-duty eM2, are slated to enter series production in late 2021. Ahead of that broader rollout, NFI and Penske are acting as pioneers by deploying the first iterations of those vehicles in real-world operating conditions. These initial test trucks, dubbed the Freightliner Electric Innovation Fleet, will enable DTNA and the fleets to build knowledge about how best to implement the technology. DTNA plans to expand this test fleet to a total of 20 eCascadias and 10 eM2s, a target the manufacturer aims to achieve by the end of this year, said Andreas Juretzka, director of product development for e-mobility. “We are excited,” he said. “We are hoping for so much feedback so we can tune it into our future product.” Juretzka also characterized these first steps toward commercial vehicle electrification, particularly in the Class 8 segment, as a “huge moment” for the industry. Advances in battery technology have created a real chance for electric propulsion to eventually overtake internal combustion engines, he said. But the integration of electric vehicles into trucking operations will be a long journey. “This is just the first small step,” said Michael Scheib, director of e-mobility platform at DTNA. “This is going to be a long and winding road until we scale up this technology to make it mainstream in this industry.” In the near term, electric trucks will be best suited to shorter routes. NFI plans to put its eCascadias to work in port drayage operations, hauling freight between the Los Angeles-Long Beach port complex and warehouses in Southern California, where air quality requirements are set to become much more stringent. To meet those targets, “you have to go big,” said Matt Miyasato, deputy executive officer for science and technology advancement at the South Coast Air Quality Management District, which partially funded the Innovation Fleet with a nearly $16 million grant. The greater Los Angeles region suffers from the worst air quality in the nation, Miyasato said, highlighting the value of zero-emission trucks for that region. “From an environmental standpoint, this is absolutely the best way to go,” NFI’s Brown said. For Penske Truck Leasing, operating the eCascadias and eM2s will enable the company to build expertise in this emerging technology and share that knowledge with its truck leasing customers. “We are always evaluating the latest technology because our customers are demanding that from us, so we want to make sure we understand what is out there and what is available,” said Paul Rosa, senior vice president of procurement and fleet planning at Penske Truck Leasing. “We’re just over the moon about the opportunity to put a vehicle like this in the hands of our logistics team.” Penske plans to utilize its eCascadias in dedicated shorthaul applications in Southern California. “This is going to transform the industry,” Rosa said. “When drivers get a chance to get into this type of vehicle, they’re not going to want to go into something else.” NFI’s Brown said his company’s fleet is an ideal fit for electrification because the vast majority of its vehicles return to base each day. Looking ahead, Brown believes further improvements in battery technology will expand the range of electric trucks in the coming years, which would clear the way for further adoption. “I see by 2025, about 60% of our fleet will probably be electric,” Brown said. “We’re a big believer.” He also envisions installing solar panels at NFI’s warehouses to help power its future fleet of electric trucks. In addition to the environmental impact, Brown believes electric trucks could ease the burden on maintenance shops and help address the technician shortage because the vehicles have far fewer parts than diesel trucks — and none of the diesel aftertreatment systems. Electric trucks also run much more quietly than diesels, which could allow trucks to operate at warehouses during the night without noise violations, and therefore take some truck traffic off the road during the day, he said. .

CNET / August 16, 2019 The US Department of Energy on Friday announced its 2019 fiscal year award funds for what it calls "advanced vehicle technologies research" and both General Motors and Ford received healthy sums of cash. The government awarded GM a total of $9.1 million including $7.1 million toward research of a "low-mass and high-efficiency" engine for medium-duty trucks. GM's stable of medium-duty trucks currently includes the Chevrolet Silverado 4500HD, 5500HD and 6500HD. These Class 4, 5 and 6 trucks boast a 6.6-liter Duramax diesel V8 engine. Across town, GM rival Ford received $7.5 million that will go toward "next-generation high-efficiency boosted engine development." If we're taking the word "boosted" in a rather colloquial sense, it sounds like Ford may have a new turbocharged engine family in the works. In total, the DOE said it awarded $59 million to 43 projects that largely revolve around electric powertrain components. Other research areas set to receive funding include alternative fuel and mobility services in rural America.

"That" is classic Ford medium. Many a school bus wore that face.

I'm sorry Shawn. I keep searching out more Western Star stories.

Peterbilt Motors Press Release / August 19, 2019 .

Navistar Gains Reversal of Massive MaxxForce Judgment David Cullen, Heavy Duty Trucking (HDT) / August 20, 2019 A state appellate court on Aug. 14 reversed a judgment against Navistar Inc. that resulted from a lawsuit in which a motor carrier alleged that trucks it purchased powered by the MaxxForce 13L diesel engine were defective. Two years ago, to the day, on Aug. 14, 2017, a Tennessee jury found against Navistar and awarded $10.8 million in actual damages and $20 million in punitive damages to Milan Supply Chain Solutions (formerly known as Milan Express), which had purchased 243 Navistar International ProStars with MaxxForce engines. Tennessee-based Milan had alleged that Navistar had failed to disclose that the MaxxForce 13L engine, which used exhaust gas recirculation to meet 2010 emissions standards rather than the selective catalytic reduction used by other truck and engine makers, was launched with “serious known defects.” The carrier also alleged that Navistar, while touting the quality of its testing program, knew that the testing had serious flaws, was incomplete at launch, and put the trucks into customers’ hands knowing that the customers would end up becoming the de facto test fleet for the new 2010-year model engine. After that judgment, Navistar said in a statement that it would evaluate its options to challenge it, noting it had successfully defended similar claims in several jurisdictions, including dismissal of claims of fraud in courts in Texas, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Alabama, and Illinois. On Aug. 14, 2019, the Tennessee Court of Appeals reversed the 2017 decision. The appellate court stated that Navistar’s appeal “raised a plethora of issues for our consideration,” including one that hinged on the court’s reading of the “economic loss doctrine” for product liability cases that is enshrined in Tennessee law. What that boils down to is that in a product liability action, what a plaintiff can recover for purely economic losses is that defined in a contract (such as a warranty), not that resulting from a tort suit. The appellate judges ruled that based on several findings, “including our conclusion that the asserted fraud claims are barred by the economic loss doctrine,” the court reversed the judgment award to Milan.

There’s no confirmation that the X15-powered model will have this same hood styling. it might very well be different, and more to everyone’s liking. For a maneuverable short-BBC construction/refuse truck, I think this short nosed model is impressive.

Family day for Kenworth Truck Company. The World’s Best Truck built by the World’s Best People. #kenworth #worldsbesttruck #familyday .

The Autocar AT64F: The Legend. King of the Road. And this one is Cat-powered, too. But, it's just one of the Autocar trucks featured in the collection of G. Lopes Construction. Check it out on http://dailydieseldose.com/autocar-mondays-g-lopes-collection/ Nice work, Ryan Pedone. #AutocarAT64 Always Up - Autocar Trucks .

Thank you Potomac Disposal and congratulations on your new Hercules Front Loader. Great job EZ Pack! EZPackStrong! Always Up - Autocar Trucks .

For the applications of the short nose models, the X12 is all the engine people need. The longer nose model will have the X15. I heard some upscale hotel managers in Paris are looking for you, saying you pulled a Joe Walsh in some rooms.

I suggest that you ask your Mack brand dealer to quote you on an in-frame overhaul.

I hear you.......but still it’s beginning to grow on me.

The Autocar website now includes the all-new DC-64 conventional cab (bonneted) truck line-up. https://www.autocartruck.com/dc/ Introducing......the DC-64M mixer chassis https://d3w5dxa1iffln.cloudfront.net/media/1493/dc-64m-spec-sheet-2019-6.pdf .

Paul, I just recently read this article. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/aug/11/recalling-the-horror-of-long-tan-i-was-too-bloody-busy-to-be-frightened

Diesel News Australia / August 2019 The globalisation of the truck manufacturing industry is leading to improvements in the level of technology available in a new generation of Japanese prime movers. Now it is the turn for Fuso to come up with a heavy duty prime mover loaded with European sophistication, Diesel News takes a prototype for a drive. It has been a long process as the global giants in truck manufacturing have integrated the various offerings they have available on different continents. Basic technology and trucks have gradually, over the last 20 years, changed from geographically diverse components in trucks to those which are adapted from a basic global platform to suit local conditions. One of those global truck manufacturers is Daimler, which has developed a series of global platforms in engine, transmission and axles. The first project to come to fruition was the heavy duty engine, known variously as the Detroit DD range and the Mercedes-Benz OM range, and now as the Fuso heavy duty engine. Another trend amongst these worldwide truck makers is the decision to retain the heavier 13- and 15-litre engines for the European and US-based trucks the companies produce and specify smaller heavy duty engines around 11-litre for product coming out of Japan. We have seen this from the Volvo Group with the UD Quon appearing with an 11-litre as the top power option and the new generation of Fuso heavy duty truck will also use the 11 litre engine in the Heavy Duty Engine Platform (HDEP) as the power plant. Another trend, which the Daimler Trucks organisation in Australia seems to have decided upon is the testing of vehicles in plain sight, rather than the highly secretive testing regimes favoured by both truck and car makers. It all started with the introduction of the new generation of Mercedes Benz trucks back in 2016. The all new Benz had been released in Europe in 2012 and was a radical redesign of cabin and driveline, moving from V6 and V8 engines to the straight six HDEP style. This meant the new driveline couldn’t be tested here with the old cabin above it. The engine just wouldn’t fit. Daimler bit the bullet and carried out the evaluation phase for the new models with trucks which were clearly identifiable as different with a matt black wrap to disguise some of the cabin shape and clearly marked ‘Evaluation Vehicle’. By tying this project in with the marketing build up to the launch of the new truck, Benz gained valuable eyeballs in the run up to the launch and considerable traction in the truck market. This was followed by the Freightliner Cascadia, another truck which had been on sale elsewhere in the world for some time, in fact, since 2009. The testing in plain sight has been even more obvious with decision to paint the evaluation vehicles in a blue camouflage style, which makes them very obvious when seen out on the highway. The first two are also left hand drive making them even more visible. The actual trucks are expected to be launched sometime next year. So, when Daimler decided to run an evaluation program for the next generation of heavy duty trucks from Fuso, the obvious thing to do was to make the new prototypes even more obvious. The camouflage style artwork chosen by Fuso is even brighter and even more instantly recognisable than the Cascadia. The bright reds and blues mean anyone can see this is a very different truck from a mile off. In fact, visually the new truck doesn’t look much different to the current Fuso heavies and could be run in an evaluation program on the roads of Australia and not attract any attention as being something different. This tells us the ‘camouflage’ is not any form of disguise in this particular case, but more a component of the prelaunch marketing program for the new truck. .

Trade Trucks Australia / August 8, 2019 Heavy-duty trucks wearing the three-pointed star are once again a common sight on Australian roads. The latest generation of big Mercedes-Benz trucks has been a sales hit since they arrived in late 2016, reminding many of just how popular the brand has been. FIRST SIGHTINGS Australians have had a long relationship with Mercedes-Benz trucks dating back to the early 1950s when trucks were assembled in Melbourne from CKD kits sent from Germany. Local assembly of Mercedes-Benz trucks was carried out in four different locations over the years, including a line on the grounds of the current Daimler Truck and Bus Australia Pacific head office in Mulgrave, Victoria. The truck that would really put Mercedes-Benz on the map in Australia was the 1418 (see separate story on page x) that was introduced in 1965. There are several prominent Australian transport operators who built their businesses with the help of the tough and efficient LS 1418. Even though production ceased in 1978, you can still find 1418s working hard to this day at some operations, often as a yard tug. Mercedes-Benz moved to the ‘forward-control’ LPS 1418 in 1968. This is the first of the cab-over models that would come to dominate European roads and become the go-to truck for many operators in Australia. A newspaper ad from the time boasted of 205hp (153kW) from the OM346 direct-injection diesel and had a price of just $13,608 including tax. Sounds like a good deal! Cab-over NG models would follow from 1975, joining the rugged bonneted 911; while the SK was introduced in 1989. The SK became the first truck sold in Australia fitted with anti-skid brakes as standard. You can still see many of the NG and SK Mercedes-Benz trucks working away today. Indeed, veteran truck driver Howard Dicker still gets behind the wheel of his 2233 SK Mercedes-Benz to haul material for his family’s company in Kingston, South Australia. It has done some 3.5 million km and Howard reckons its sits on the road beautifully. NEW STARS RISING The new Actros was introduced in Europe in 1995 and arrived in Australia in 1998. It was an advanced truck with a range of clever innovations, including a lightweight frame, electronic brakes as standard, ventilated discs all round, a CAN bus electrical system and an aerodynamically designed cab. There was also a Telligent three-pedal transmission that pre-selected the synchromesh. Mercedes-Benz also introduced an all-new family of V6 and V8 engines that delivered impressive fuel economy and performance. Unfortunately, the engineers pushed the engines too hard and there were some frustrating engine failures initially. Mercedes-Benz had not been able to undertake local testing of the truck, so it had not been aware of potential issues. The company worked hard to keep customers moving and its engineers vowed to never introduce a new model without a significant local testing program. A raft of changes was made and the greatly improved and vastly more durable second-generation Actros arrived in Australia in 2007. This model did much to win back customers for the brand with an offering of both Euro 4 and Euro 5 engines that arrived well before that emission standard was mandated by the federal government. The new model was also made available with the revolutionary active brake assist (ABA), which used radar to detect a moving object in front of the truck and automatically hit the brakes. It also introduced the Powershift 1 automated manual transmission with constant mesh, which was a two-pedal system. In 2009, the first SLT heavy hauler arrived in Australia with a 250-tonne plus weight rating and three of them were used a mega construction job in the mining industry. NEW GENERATION The following year saw the introduction of the third-generation Actros, which introduced the Euro 5 EEV (enhanced environmental vehicle) emission rating (even cleaner than Euro 5). Mercedes-Benz continued with its safety push with electronic stability control introduced as standard on all 6x4 prime movers; while the latest generation of ABA was also offered. Another ABA upgrade followed in 2012 and there were some minor changes, such as hypoid axle options on particular models, which delivered excellent fuel economy. A heavy-haul SLT version was also offered, now with a smart turbo clutch, and several were dispatched to construction sites and mining sites in remote parts of Australia. By now, the Actros was seen as a solid bet. The niggles had been ironed out long ago and the truck was well suited but there were holes in the line-up that would not be filled until the new truck arrived here. Over in Europe, Mercedes-Benz was already selling the all-new Actros. Introduced there in mid-2011, it represented a huge step forward over the existing truck. The V6 and V8 engines were gone, replaced by a whole new family of in-line six-cylinder engines, while improved AMT transmissions were introduced along with new interiors. The truck sported a dramatic new design language, which was both aggressive and aerodynamic. It also rode so much better than the previous model, sitting solidly even over the bumpiest roads. The new model represented a big jump over the existing product, much like the new Actros had when it first arrived here. Mercedes-Benz Australia resisted the urge to bring the truck to Australia straight away and decided to instead wait until it could be sure that it could get the right specification truck for Australia. Then it invested in an 18-month local evaluation program involving 35 customers, 20 trucks and well over one million km travelled in trucks wearing a matt-black wrap. This would enable the Mercedes-Benz team to make sure the technology was up to the job and also make sure the specification selected was exactly what Australian customers wanted. The Australian team worked on locally-developed long-range fuel tanks that would suit the truck but also deliver adequate range required by local operators. An Australian inner-sprung mattress was selected, a local-developed information/entertainment system was tested and bull bars were evaluated to make sure they worked with the new integrated safety systems. In October 2016, Mercedes-Benz was finally ready to launch the new Mercedes-Benz truck range. The Actros name was not used locally, with the team focusing instead on the numbers that had long been a part of the naming pattern. That means, for example, that the 2663 is a 26-tonne rated truck, with 63 indicating it generates 630hp (470kW). It was an immediate success and Mercedes-Benz had delivered the right truck at the right time with the power, efficiency and safety that its customers had been waiting for. The high-performance 13-litre 530hp (395kW) 2653 was one of the most popular models early on thanks to its remarkable fuel economy; while the 16-litre engine, which cranked out up to 630hp, was also winning a lot of friends. Mercedes-Benz introduced the new truck with Euro 6 across the entire range, not just specific models, and operators found the new truck not only delivered fuel economy savings over the previous model, but also used less AdBlue. Word soon spread about the fuel efficiency of the new Mercedes-Benz truck and it started attracting customers from other European manufacturers as well as operators who had always purchased traditional bonneted trucks but were willing to give the Mercedes-Benz a go because it was so economical. The new truck soon broke sales records to become the most popular Mercedes-Benz truck in Australia ever, which is quite something given the success of the mighty 1418. Mercedes-Benz offered a free scheduled servicing offer on most new-generation trucks, which could well still be active on many of the used trucks currently available. The ‘Best Basic’ coverage is tied to the truck, not the customer, and covered the trucks for 500,000km or five years (whichever came first). Mercedes-Benz is now looking to introduce further improvements to keep its truck out the front of the pack including cameras to replace traditional mirrors to increase visibility and cut Heavy-duty trucks wearing the three-pointed star are once again a common sight on Australian roads. The latest generation of big Mercedes-Benz trucks has been a sales hit since they arrived in late 2016, reminding many of just how popular the brand has been. .

Diesel News Australia / August 2019 There’s a new heavy duty brand in town and from a new source country, South Korea. On first impressions, people might be surprised by the sophistication of the new Hyundai Xcient prime mover which has recently arrived from South Korea. The design suggests the Hyundai team has been closely examining top of the range European prime movers and it seems to have done a good job. This is a spacious, comfortable and well built cabin, coupled with an effective driveline. A batch of production trucks have arrived and are touring the country’s small band of Hyundai truck dealers. This is not a big splash launch, this is a ‘bring the trucks into the country and let people touch and feel the new product’ campaign for customers to see what they think. Hyundai have been active here in Australia for some time, but at the lower end of the GVM scale. The current models being offered come in at 4.5 or or 6.5 times GVM. They are the kind of light duty truck we have seen arriving from many Asian manufacturers. They have had some success, so far this year Hyundai has recorded 62 truck sales, according to the figures published by the Truck Industry Council on a monthly basis. This is not earth shattering but at least the brand has been able to bother the scorers. The new Xcient prime mover is something completely out of the box. It is a full blown European-style cabover prime mover with a 520 hp Engine coupled with the tried and tested ZF ASTronic automated manual transmission, including an effective four stage retarder. Diesel News took the opportunity to test drive this new heavy duty brand in town and put it through its paces on the roads of Southeast Queensland. The tests that included an ascent and descent of the arduous Cunningham’s Gap. It is on climbs this where you can demonstrate the true mettle of a driveline, the quality of the power, torque and retardation available from the Hyundai engine.

Owner-Driver / August 6, 2019 Trevor and Phyllis Davies share a mutual love for the rare and rarely seen Mercedes Benz 1418. And they now have three 1418’s in their collection, including this beautifully restored 1972 model named ‘Thelma-May’ Hindsight is a wonderful thing isn’t it. It allows us to look back and judge the choices of those before us with an air of superiority. We can be especially judgemental when it comes to aesthetic choices. When it comes to the 1970s there are many things we can shake our head in bewilderment at: bell-bottom jeans, flower power, lava lamps, even afros, though I do believe tube tops were invented then and there are very few complaints about them! Another immediately recognisable symbol of the 1970s that cops a fair bit of flak for its out-there appearance is the bulging bonnet of a big 1418 Mercedes Benz. The unmistakable front end of the 1418 may have given it a face that only a mother could love, but the fact is the early Benz’s were a staple of the Australian transport industry. Mercedes garnered a real foothold in the Australian market with the 1418 when it landed on local shores in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. Even though they were only packing 180hp they surprised more than a few with their reliability and strength. There were even a few spotted doing the truck-breaking run between Adelaide and Darwin with double road trains in tow, on roads a lot less sophisticated than the 1418s were at the time. Another feature that seems to make the early-model Mercedes unique, the 1418 and 1419s in particular, is there are very few of us older truckies (yes, I remember the days of changing spider rims and before cell phones so I’m in the older bracket now) that haven’t got at least one or two memories directly related to our Mercedes’ experiences. It is a truck that seems to have played a role in the development of many companies and many people; from big companies to small operators like the team we are looking at today – Trevor and Phyllis Davies. For those involved in the heritage truck scene, Trevor and Phyllis will be two extremely familiar names. Trevor is the president and Phyllis the secretary of the Heritage Truck Association Australia Inc. In fact, Trevor is known as ‘The Voice of the Show’ for the work he does running commentary at as many of the Heritage Association shows that the couple get to. What got the couple involved in the association in the first place was a mutual love of the aforementioned Mercedes Benz 1418. The couple unintentionally now have three 1418 Mercedes Benz in their collection, four if you count the poor blue girl sitting in the paddock supplying parts. The couple have a 1972 1418 named ‘Thelma-May’; a 1974 1418 called ‘Gracie’; and a yet-to-be-named 1977 1418. The Davies family affiliation with the trucks stems from both Trevor’s and Phyllis’ lineage. Though Phyllis has only had her HR license for the past seven years, her life has revolved around the transport industry. With her entire family being involved, it was only natural that she would enter the industry at a young age and stick with it. Phyllis’ Mercedes crush stems back to her dad who owned several 1418s himself. Technically, ‘Thelma-May’ is Phyllis’ truck and it is in the same colours as her dad’s original 1418. Trevor’s Mercedes Benz crush goes back almost as far, to his early working days when he purchased a 1418 for his first interstate truck. Trevor had worked as a subbie for Simons Transport and the regular work had him all over Australia. "His sister helped pay the rego," Phyllis tells me, "and his mum would pack a lunch box full of sandwiches and off he’d go." The 1418 become the building block for Trevor’s long and successful owner-driver career. Though the 1418 would be replaced with a 3070 International and then an S-line, it would always be a special truck. So much so that when Trevor chose to leave the owner-driver life, he and Phyllis decided to hunt one out to purchase. That decision led them to ‘Gracie’, the 1974 1418. It was no easy feat though. The couple had actually been touring around Australia looking for a 1418 for a while. It seemed every time they heard of one for sale they arrived just after the truck had been snapped up. Fate has a way of intervening with these kinds of things though and it just so happened that Trevor and Phyllis were visiting the Mt Gravatt Show in Brisbane when it was announced over by the in-field commentary team that Roy Thompson was looking to sell his immaculate 1418. Before he’d even put the microphone down Phyllis had sent Trevor over to lock up the deal. Within the week ‘Gracie’ was in the Davies’ shed. The truck was already in exceptional condition. Roy Thompson was the truck’s third owner and used it to cart his restored Dennis trucks around to shows. The name ‘Gracie’ came from the previous owner Ian Chapman, who bought the truck to cart machinery around. He set it up with the deck and ramps and admitted the cost of the truck and the work it did meant the truck became his saving grace, hence she became known as ‘Gracie’. There wasn’t much that was needed to be done to ‘Gracie’ as Roy had kept it immaculate. Trevor did replace the diffs and a few other little jobs to keep it in top condition. His plan to get a bull bar for ‘Gracie’ would be the decision that would result in Phyllis getting her own 1418, ‘Thelma-May’. A quick side note: with the purchase of ‘Gracie’ came the introduction to the Heritage Truck Association. Trevor and Phyllis both joined as a way to meet and learn from like-minded truck enthusiasts. It was one of the friends they met there that happened to phone Phyllis up one day in 2013 and point out that there was a 1418 being used as a garden ornament down in Jimboomba that had a perfect bull bar on it. Trevor and Phyllis took ‘Gracie’ down to ‘stiff-bar’ the old girl out of a paddock and onto the back of a friend’s transporter. When the truck was dropped in at their property another good friend and expert in truck restoration, Ron Toy, had a look over and declared: "It’s in good nick, it wouldn’t be hard to fix up." At this suggestion Trevor lost the bull bar and Phyllis vowed this would be her truck. So began the restoration of ‘Thelma-May’. The single-drive 1972 1418 they had rescued from paddock life had been used as a water truck for a construction company in Pimpama, south of Brisbane. Most of the truck was in good condition with the exception of several holes in the back of the cab where people had drilled randomly to affix different equipment. "It looked like it had been shot with a machine gun," Phyllis says. At the end of its water truck days it had been sold to another Mercedes fan in Adelaide; unfortunately that gentleman passed away suddenly and the truck ended up out to pasture on his daughter’s Jimboomba property. The timing of the purchase of ‘Thelma-May’ coincided with Trevor having some time off the road with a shoulder injury so it was a perfect project for the Davies family. Trevor and Phyllis spent the next 12 months removing all of the rusted-out pieces, all of the bolted-on extras and ripping out the dilapidated interior. Phyllis laughs as she recalls the family effort that went into fixing the dashboard wiring. "Trevor had the bonnet off and was on that side, our daughter Sonya and I were inside sticking labels to each wire, left hand indicator, right hand indicator, it was a mess!" Trevor took care of the mechanical side of the old girl. Though in true testament to the longevity of the Mercedes motors the old 1418 still fired up after nearly five years sitting in a paddock. "I got covered in a lot of black when she started up," Phyllis laughs. It did fire up though. Trevor gave it a full work over during its tear-down stage. Once all the rusted and unwanted extras had been removed the truck was sent off to another friend who repainted the cab in the new Caterpillar yellow, with its original white guards and bull bar. The interior had been rewired and then new upholstery fitted. A little extra sound proofing was added around the firewall and all the original gauges reinstalled. "The hardest part was finding the little warning lights," Phyllis admits, referring to the lights that sit just above the rear of each door. The advantage of being members of the Heritage Association really came to the forefront when undertaking projects like the one Trevor and Phyllis were into. "There’s always someone who knows someone or has tried something that will help," Phyllis says. Though she does admit a lot of the expertise and knowledge around some of Australia’s iconic trucks is being lost as the old timers pass on. In a little under 12 months ‘Thelma-May’ (Thelma is Phyllis’ mother’s name and May her middle name) had gone from a slowly deteriorating garden ornament to a revitalised iconic Aussie truck. The care and precision that Trevor and Phyllis took in restoring her show the passion they have for the 1418s. Since it’s restoration they have added a third 1418 to their collection, ‘Albert Charles’ (named after Trevor’s father), a 1977 model. This one was actually a New Zealand truck that had been sold to a steel company in Sydney. It was used there to cart coils of steel to the rail sidings. The heavy work took its toll, with the chassis having to be welded together after snapping, but the sturdy Mercedes running gear is still in top notch condition. The 1418 Mercedes Benz is a truck that’s played a major role in Australia’s transport history and preserving that history is just as important. It’s because of people like Trevor and Phyllis Davies – as well as the Heritage Truck Association – and all the work they put in that we can all enjoy the view of these classics. In particular, the rather rare and rarely seen, 1418 Mercedes Benz. Photo gallery - https://www.ownerdriver.com.au/industry-news/1908/70s-star