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Prime Mover Magazine / March 13, 2019 Governments according to the National Road Transport Association (NatRoad) should consider granting general access to heavy vehicles with widths of 2550mm and 2600mm in the case of refrigerated vehicles. The current maximum width of 2500mm costs manufacturers up to $15-30 million a year to redesign their vehicles, a reduction of between 50 to 100mm than heavy vehicles in other major markets said NatRoad. These restrictions further discourage uptake of the safer, cleaner model commercial vehicles available at a time when the industry is desperate to reduce the average age of the national heavy vehicle fleet. Work on the repercussions of making the changes advanced by NatRoad and others is being currently conducted by Austroads. In a statement on its website, NatRoad acknowledged that under section 8 Heavy Vehicle (Vehicle Standards) National Regulation heavy vehicles were permitted to be 2550mm wide when taking into account load restraint. “NatRoad believes that the arguments against the move to greater width flies in the face of available evidence,” the organisation said. “The arguments are that potential safety risks will arise because of reduced separation between vehicles and vulnerable road users such as cyclists. But the evidence shows that with greater width the capacity to install side underrun protection increases.” “These devices protect road users such as pedestrians and cyclists from slipping sideways under the wheels of trucks and trailers and may also improve the aerodynamic performance of heavy vehicles.” The assessment, according to NatRoad, of on-road performance for different heavy vehicles shows additionally that the PBS variant of each particular heavy vehicle generally performs better in safety and efficiency terms than the corresponding vehicle subject to prescriptive standards. For NatRoad the disappointing part of the work being undertaken is that it excludes assessing potential changes to vehicle mass. It currently supported greater maximum steer axle loads or at least further research on the effects of taking that step when heavy vehicles use certain tyre types. “The review of the Heavy Vehicle National Law which is now underway should mean that all of the basic building blocks of the current law, particularly about vehicle dimensions, should be under scrutiny,” NatRoad said. “A move to 2550mm maximum width should be embraced as part of the review if not sooner.”

VW, Winterkorn sued by SEC for 'fraud' over diesel emissions Reuters / March 15, 2019 WASHINGTON -- The Securities and Exchange Commission sued Volkswagen Group and its former CEO Martin Winterkorn over the automaker's diesel-emissions scandal, accusing the company of perpetrating a "massive fraud" on U.S. investors. The SEC said in its civil complaint filed in San Francisco on Thursday that from April 2014 to May 2015, VW issued more than $13 billion in bonds and asset-backed securities in U.S. markets at a time when senior executives knew that more than 500,000 U.S. diesel vehicles grossly exceeded legal vehicle emissions limits. VW "reaped hundreds of millions of dollars in benefit by issuing the securities at more attractive rates for the company," the SEC said, adding VW "repeatedly lied to and misled U.S. investors, consumers, and regulators as part of an illegal scheme to sell its purportedly 'clean diesel' cars and billions of dollars of corporate bonds and other securities in the United States." The suit seeks to bar Winterkorn from serving as an officer or director of a public U.S. company and recover "ill-gotten gains" along with civil penalties and interest. Winterkorn, who resigned days after the scandal became public in September 2015, was charged by U.S. prosecutors in 2018 and accused of conspiring to cover up the automaker's diesel-emissions cheating. He remains in Germany. VW said in a statement the SEC complaint "is legally and factually flawed, and the company will contest it vigorously. The SEC has brought an unprecedented complaint over securities sold only to sophisticated investors who were not harmed and received all payments of interest and principal in full and on time." The automaker added that the SEC "does not charge that any person involved in the bond issuance knew that Volkswagen diesel vehicles did not comply with U.S. emissions rules when these securities were sold" but repeats claims about Winterkorn "who played no part in the sales." A lawyer for Winterkorn could not immediately be reached early on Friday. VW has agreed to pay more than $25 billion in the U.S. in connection with the three-and-a-half-year-old scandal, paying claims from owners, environmental regulators, states and dealers, and has offered to buy back about 500,000 polluting U.S. vehicles. That figure included $4.3 billion in U.S. criminal and civil fines. But the SEC said VW "has never repaid the hundreds of millions of dollars in benefit it fraudulently obtained." VW admitted in September 2015 to secretly installing software in 500,000 U.S. vehicles to cheat government exhaust emissions tests and pleaded guilty in 2017 to felony charges. In total, 13 people have been charged in the U.S., including Winterkorn and four Audi managers. The SEC action also names VW arm VW Credit and Volkswagen Group of America Finance, the entity used to sell the securities.

Ford targets 5,000 job cuts in Germany Reuters / March 15, 2019 HAMBURG -- Ford Motor Co. plans to cut more than 5,000 jobs in Germany and will reduce its workforce in Britain as well as it seeks to return to profit in Europe, the company said on Friday. Ford has offered voluntary redundancy programs for employees in Germany and Britain, it said in a statement. The offers are part of a turnaround plan announced in January that would involve thousands of job cuts, looking at plant closures and discontinuing unprofitable vehicle lines. "Through these programs and other initiatives, Ford of Germany expects to reduce its headcount in excess of 5,000 jobs, including temporary staff," the company said. The total number of positions affected in Britain is still to be determined, it added. Ford also announced it would streamline its lineup by "improving or exiting less profitable vehicle lines". Ford Europe has been losing money for years and pressure to restructure its operations has increased since General Motors raised profits by selling its European Opel and Vauxhall brands to France's Peugeot. Ford's turnaround plan is aimed at achieving a 6 percent operating margin in Europe. Ford said in January that it would consult with unions on changes to create a sustainable, profitable business in Europe. Ford builds a large proportion of its light vehicles for Europe in high-wage Germany at plants in Cologne and Saarlouis. The automaker is expected to end production of the C-Max compact minivan in Saarlouis as it focuses on profitable crossovers and commercial vehicles. Ford is struggling with an aging model lineup and a contracting market in the U.K., its biggest in Europe, which is in store for further disruption from Brexit.

Ford CEO Jim Hackett received $17.75 million in 2018 Michael Martinez, Automotive News / March 15, 2019 DETROIT — Jim Hackett received $17.75million in total compensation during his first full calendar year as CEO of Ford Motor Co., the automaker said Friday. Compensation for two other top executives dropped by more than half last year as the company fell short of some performance targets and paid lower incentive-based bonuses. Ford hit 100 percent of its 2017 performance targets but only 72 percent last year. Hackett's compensation, disclosed in a regulatory filing, included a base salary of $1.8 million, stock awards of $12.7 million and $2.6 million in bonuses and incentives. It's an increase from $16.7 million Hackett earned in 2017. Ford CFO Bob Shanks was the only other executive among the five highest-paid employees to receive an increase in 2018. He earned $8.42 million, up from $6.7 million in 2017. Compensation for Executive Chairman Bill Ford fell to $13.84 million from $15.6 million in 2017. Jim Farley, Ford's president of global markets, received $5.86 million, down from $13.47 million the year before. Joe Hinrichs, Ford's president of global operations, made $5.82 million, down from $12.1 million.

Heavy Duty Trucking (HDT) / March 14, 2019 International Truck has added Powertrain Packages to the LT Series MPG Fuel Efficiency Packages, designed to maximize fuel efficiency. Powertrain Packages are now available for the International A26 and Cummins X15 engines in direct-drive and overdrive offerings. The MPG Fuel Efficiency Powertrain Packages combine efficient engines with the lightweight Eaton Endurant transmission, predictive cruise control, high-efficiency rear axles, and rear axle ratios as low as 2.15 for improved fuel economy. “Improving fuel efficiency is a major opportunity for a fleet to reduce its total cost of ownership,” said Jim Nachtman, director, heavy-duty, marketing, Navistar. “We took a holistic approach when developing the MPG Powertrain Packages – from the engine and transmission, to the rear axles and lubricants – to easily maximize fuel efficiency.” The MPG Fuel Efficiency Packages will soon include a second aerodynamic option available for the International LT Series day cab, 56-inch hi-rise and 73-inch hi-rise/sky-rise cab models, which will be available for order this spring. The new highest-efficiency spec incorporates proprietary and supplier-provided enhancements included in the first Aerodynamic Package, as well as predictive cruise control and aerodynamic drive wheel fairings. .

Good point Bob. As said, the European IPO market is decent right now, so their excuse is a smoke screen for another reason. It is said the Chrysler- Daimler merger failed because the company cultures were so far apart. I wouldn’t disagree. I don’t see a Ford - Volkswagen cooperation being any different. They’ll never admit it, but both parties have reason to be a bit desperate. And desperation breeds friends of convenience.

Volkswagen Pulls Truck Unit IPO in Setback to CEO's Revamp Bloomberg / March 13, 2019 After a poor start to 2019, the European IPO market doesn’t look that bad. It’s more likely that the German giant couldn’t get the value it wanted. Volkswagen AG canceled plans to sell a share of its Traton SE division due to weak market conditions, dealing a setback to the automaker’s plan to generate fresh funds for the heavy-truck unit’s expansion outside Europe. “We regret that we have to refrain from a stock listing of Traton SE,” Chief Financial Officer Frank Witter said Wednesday. “The management board continues to aim for a stock listing in a better market environment.” VW decided to delay after a difficult start to the new year for the global automotive industry. In Europe, Traton’s biggest market, the economy is forecast to grow this year at the slowest rate since 2013. Activity has declined in part due to uncertainty surrounding the U.K.’s departure from the European Union and U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats to increase tariffs on European-made cars. Carmakers including VW are also suffering in China, the world’s biggest auto market and the top region for the company’s sales. A slowdown there has worsened in the first two months of the year, and VW this week said that its growth forecast for the year would depend on improvements in the second half. The truck unit decision was disappointing, said Arndt Ellinghorst, an Evercore analyst. The announcement came a day after the VW Chief Executive Officer Herbert Diess and Witter, the CFO, updated investors on the company’s strategy. “VW certainly takes it responsibility to maximize shareholder value seriously, which we think has been the rationale behind pulling the IPO on current valuations,” Ellinghorst said. VW on Monday said a listing, valued at as much as 30 billion euros ($34 billion), would be “highly desirable,” while warning of volatile markets and economic uncertainty. The planned minority share sale would have been the biggest in Europe this year. The IPO, which has been in the works for more than two years, is VW’s most tangible effort thus far to become less centralized and boost efficiency as part of a strategy overhaul through 2025. Gaining fresh funds would help Traton challenge global leaders Daimler AG and Volvo AB in markets outside Europe. The decision is a setback for Diess, who’s under pressure to keep up the pace on a revamp to ready the world’s biggest carmaker for the industry’s transformation to electric cars. VW seeks to gain speed and lower costs to deliver on a plan for 70 electric models by 2028 and keep up profitability.

Quebec’s TM4 part of drive toward electric vehicles Steve Bouchard, Today’s Trucking / March 8, 2019 BOUCHERVILLE, Quebec — In a facility that appears more laboratory than assembly line, a Quebec-based company is looking to play a leading role in the future of electric vehicles. Boucherville’s TM4 – a former division of Hydro Quebec – once focused on the idea of developing electric motors for automotive wheel ends. These days, though, the focus is on developing electric motors, inverters, and electric propulsion control systems for ever-larger commercial vehicles. It also has a global partner in the work. Last summer, Dana secured a majority interest in the business. Hydro-Québec still retains a 45% share, and keeps the engineering expertise in Boucherville. This is more than a research lab alone. The facilities could also produce 5,000 electric motors and related electronics per year. And it’s where TM4 is developing prototypes of engines to run on fuel cells, as well as electric motors for passenger vehicles. A global presence The first commercial customer was Novabus, and TM4 has since secured work with start-up Thor Trucks and Quebec-based Lion. “We have a factory in China that produces about 8,000 TM4 SUMO [medium-duty and heavy-duty] motors a year. If we have a big order, that’s where we produce them. The market is very strong in China, so it is important to be there to benefit from economies of scale,” says Eric Azeroual, vice-president – sales and marketing. The 12,000 Sumo motors produced to date have traveled a collective 550 million km in commercial service. The work has hardly come to an end. During a visit to the Boucherville facility, we saw a new generator, developed in collaboration with Cummins. It will power a hybrid plug-in bus as part of a pilot project with the Transportation Society of Laval. Using the on-vehicle generator to charge the all-important batteries, this could open up the option of using electricity in an urban center but a combustion engine on the open road. The TM4 SUMO motor is available in different power ratings, but is largely designed for direct drive applications – replacing an internal combustion engine and transmission. The current focus is on medium-duty trucks, but there are plans to apply the technologies to heavy trucks as well. The TM4 SUMO has a power output of 350 kW, about 470 hp, and delivers 1,991 to 2,591 lb-ft of torque. It weighs 760 lb. A question of application The electric motor and its control system costs less than a diesel engine and transmission, but the price of the required batteries continues to be a barrier. The more range is required, after all, the higher the price of the truck. “We have to size the battery according to customer needs,” says Olivier Bernatchez, sales manager – commercial vehicles. “If we put enough batteries to drive 500 km, but in the end the vehicle only travels 250 km, we carry unnecessarily weight that is very expensive.” Says Azeroual: ” The time is over when we bought a big diesel engine and a big transmission in case we went into the mountains once a year. That’s what’s interesting for us with trucking. Fleets are used to making choices based on their needs, and they are able to calculate their return on investment on a given route.” Beginning in 2021, the business expects to go to market with electric axles used to support Class 8 vehicles. It’s interesting, he says. “The axle manufacturers will become engine manufacturers.” .

Volkswagen pauses plans of taking truck unit public Jason Cannon, Commercial Carrier Journal (CCJ) / March 13, 2019 Just shy of one year ago, then-Volkswagen Truck & Bus announced a name change to Traton Group – a move that was largely seen as a precursor for the company becoming a publicly traded entity independent of its Volkswagen parent. Citing economic conditions, Volkswagen says it will now put such a move on the back burner. “In the current market environment, Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft [Wednesday] decided not to continue with the preparation of an IPO of TRATON SE for the time being,” the company said via release. “The Board of Management is still aiming for an IPO of the TRATON SE once market conditions improve.” Traton is the umbrella company for MAN, Scania, Volkswagen Caminhões e Ônibus and RIO and owns a nearly 17 percent stake in Navistar, parent company of International Trucks. While the global automotive market is off to a slow start, the U.S. truck market is fresh off a record 2018. Many OEM build slots are booked solid for 2019 with limited sales slots open for the remainder of the year. That has suppressed order intake this year, a trend that is likely to slog along until boards start opening up again in 2020. Class 8 orders for the past 12 months have totaled 429,000 units.

Trailer-Body Builders / March 12, 2019 Dana Inc. has taken an equity position as a lead investor as part of a strategic partnership with Hyliion Inc., the companies report. Founded in 2015, Hyliion develops electric-hybrid architectures for Class 8 vehicles that can be installed on new trucks or retrofitted on existing models. The Hyliion 6X4HE system features machine learning algorithms and battery technology to optimize fuel savings and vehicle performance for reduced emissions. Under the agreement, Dana has becomes Hyliion’s source for traditional driveline components, as well as fully integrated e-Axles – which include motors, inverters, controls, gearboxes, and thermal-management technologies. In addition, Mark Wallace, president of Dana Commercial Vehicle Driveline Technologies, will become a member of Hyliion’s board of directors. “Together with Hyliion, we have a unique opportunity to develop long-haul solutions that revolutionize power conveyance and support fleets in meeting their efficiency goals, while simultaneously advancing decarbonization efforts,” said Wallace. “Dana’s wealth of knowledge and extensive strategic experience in the commercial-vehicle market creates a dynamic combination for our Class 8 hybrid platform,” said Thomas Healy, CEO of Hyliion. “We are excited to be joining forces to offer a go-to-market solution for fleets seeking e-propulsion technologies available today in the Class 8 segment.” Related reading - https://www.hyliion.com/6x4he-solution/ .

FCA to recall 862,520 vehicles that don't meet U.S. emissions standards David Shepardson, Reuters / March 13, 2019 Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV will recall 862,520 gasoline-powered vehicles in the United States that do not meet emissions standards, the EPA said on Wednesday. The recall was prompted by in-use emissions investigations conducted by the EPA and testing conducted by Fiat Chrysler as required by EPA regulations, the agency said. The EPA said it will continue to investigate other Fiat Chrysler vehicles that are potentially non-compliant and may become the subject of future recalls. “EPA welcomes the action by Fiat Chrysler to voluntarily recall its vehicles that do not meet U.S. emissions standards,” EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler said in a statement. “We will provide assistance to consumers navigating the recall and continue to ensure that auto manufacturers abide by our nation’s laws designed to protect human health and the environment.” The recall includes the 2011-2016 Dodge Journeys, 2011-2014 Chrysler 200s and Dodge Avengers and 2011-2012 Dodge Calibers. FCA said another 103,221 vehicles are being recalled in Canada for the same reason. Not a safety issue Fiat Chrysler said in a statement the EPA announcement "has no safety implications. Nor are there any associated fines." "The issue was discovered by FCA during routine in-use emissions testing and reported to the agency," the company said. "We began contacting affected customers last month to advise them of the needed repairs, which will be provided at no charge." The EPA said vehicle owners "will receive notification from FCA when parts are available for them to bring their vehicle in to be repaired. In the meantime, owners can continue to drive their vehicles." "Due to the large number of vehicles involved and the need to supply replacement components -- specifically to the vehicle’s catalytic converter -- this recall will be implemented in phases during the 2019 calendar year beginning with the oldest vehicles first," the EPA said in its statement. In January, Fiat Chrysler agreed to a settlement worth about $800 million to resolve claims by the U.S. Justice Department and state of California that it used illegal software to produce false results on diesel-emissions tests. It is awaiting the outcome of a criminal probe. The hefty penalty was the latest fallout from the U.S. government's stepped-up enforcement of vehicle emissions rules after Volkswagen Group admitted in September 2015 to intentionally evading emissions rules.

Bill Ford: We 'fit together' with VW Bloomberg / March 13, 2019 Ford Motor Co. and Volkswagen AG, which have been in talks to team up on electric and autonomous vehicles, make for good partners because both recognize the extent of the challenges ahead, according to Bill Ford, executive chairman of the U.S. automaker. "We fit together geographically really well, product line-wise, we fit together well," Bill Ford, the great-grandson of founder Henry Ford, said Tuesday at the CERAWeek energy conference in Houston. "We both came to the same realization that as big as our balance sheets are, no company can do this alone." Talks between Ford and VW are still at an early stage, Ford said, but there's been promising progress made in building on the partnership the two companies solidified in January to jointly produce commercial vehicles. The U.S. and German automakers have established a framework for VW to invest in Ford's autonomous vehicle partner Argo AI, people familiar with the negotiations have said. The companies also are considering joining forces on electric cars. "We're really in the early days of exploring what the possibilities could be," Ford said. "We have some clear ideas of where we want to go with it and they do, too." VW CEO Herbert Diess said separately Tuesday that his company is in " very good talks" with Ford on expanding their commercial-vehicle collaboration to include autonomous vehicles. Ford also is considering using VW's electric-car platform, dubbed MEB, in Europe and China, Diess said. "The supertanker is picking up speed," Diess said in a speech at VW's annual earnings press conference. "We are aligning Volkswagen with e-mobility like no other company in our industry." Such a deal could help position Ford for a future where electric and self-driving cars will help address problems including urban congestion and pollution, Bill Ford said. He said he's attempting to reposition the 115-year-old company for the dramatic changes that are coming, which could include selling fewer cars and developing new forms of mobility such as electric scooters. "I'd like Ford to be around another 100 years, and if that's going to happen, it's clear that we really have to branch off into new directions to try to solve some of these problems," Ford said. "It's hard because our current business model is providing all the earnings and cash flow that fund a lot of this change. So we have to do both really well. If we don't make great cars and trucks today that people want, guess what? There is no tomorrow."

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UAW VP blasts GM for using temps, increasing Mexico production Michael Wayland, Automotive News / March 12, 2019 DETROIT — The UAW is ready to "fight" General Motors during collective bargaining negotiations this summer, according to UAW Vice President Terry Dittes. Dittes used a speech Tuesday to UAW delegates to heavily criticize GM for its use of thousands of temporary workers, increasing production in Mexico and the potential closure of four U.S. plants by January 2020, among other union issues. "Brothers and sisters, you can see what we're up against as we open negotiations this coming summer," he said during the UAW's 2019 Special Bargaining Convention. "But I can tell you, we are ready for the fight and I know you're ready for the fight and I know our members are ready for the fight." Dittes, who oversees the union's GM Department, said there are "more plants that may be in jeopardy as time goes on." He did not provide specifics. A GM spokeswoman, in response to Dittes' comments, said the company continuously looks at its "global operations for greater efficiency and capacity utilization." She reiterated GM remains "committed to maintaining a strong manufacturing presence in the U.S," including more than $22 billion investments in domestic operations since 2009. Dittes, a first-term vice president, particularly took aim at GM being the largest automaker in the U.S., but with fewer union members in the U.S. than Ford Motor Co. and, potentially, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in the near future. He also noted the company's increasing production in Mexico. GM last year became Mexico's largest auto producer, topping Nissan Motor Co. in a year when it reduced output by an estimated 5 percent in the U.S. and an estimated 33 percent in Canada, according to the Automotive News Data Center. Automakers routinely use temporary workers to assist during launches, heavy times of vacation and other short-term work. The UAW has argued companies overuse and misuse temp workers who do not receive the same benefits as company employees doing the same job. Dittes' comments come weeks after the UAW filed a lawsuit in federal court that accuses GM of breaching its 2015 collective bargaining agreement with the union. FCA expansion Dittes' speech, which drew a standing ovation, was in contrast to one earlier in the day from UAW-FCA Vice President Cindy Estrada, who previously led the GM division. Estrada, who drew several cheers, discussed FCA's investments under the current four-year contract exceeding expectations, increase in union employment and upward of $100,000 in additional income over the last four years for members. Estrada also noted additional oversight and efforts to fight against the company "pencil whipping." "We can negotiate all these great things, but we need to make sure they are implementing them on the shop floor," she said. UAW-Ford Vice President Rory Gamble and UAW President Gary Jones are scheduled to speak Wednesday at the convention, which sets bargaining priorities for the negotiations with the Detroit automakers. Contract deadline This year's contract negotiations are expected to be the most contentious in years, as automakers look to cut costs ahead of a potential downturn and the union pushes for higher wages and benefits to recover past concessions. Jones on Monday said the UAW boosted its weekly strike pay by $50 and will raise it an additional $25 in January to better support members if such action is deemed necessary. The pay UAW members receive if on strike is now $250, up from $200. It will reach $275 in January. Striking members would also receive continuing health care coverage, according to Jones. The current contracts between the UAW and Detroit automakers end Sept. 14, but it's common for that deadline to be extended.

Boeing is having a really bad day. Now Senators Mitt Romney, Richard Blumenthal and Dianne Feinstein are calling for all 737 MAX 8 aircraft to be grounded until what is obviously a problem has been identified and corrected. If this was a US military aircraft, the subject aircraft type would have all been grounded already. Why not a civilian aircraft? Answer - Because too much money is at stake.....the wealthy aristocracy that profits from airline investment will lobby against it.

Transport Engineer / March 11, 2019 Cornwall-based Combellack Vehicle Recyclers has taken delivery of two 26-tonne Volvo FM car transporters – the first in the UK to be fitted with fully galvanised eight-car salvage bodywork, by Belle Trailers. Supplied by dealer Stuarts Truck and Bus, both FM-420 6x2 rear-steer lift axle chassis are powered by D13K Euro VI engines rated at 415bhp and drive through I-Shift 12-speed automated transmissions. Inside the Sleeper cabs, Combellack specified full leather trims, refrigerators and Volvo sat-nav/audio packages, along with heated and cooled drivers’ seats. The twin-deck transporters’ specification also includes winches, solid decking and snatch blocks. “The new Volvo FMs are definitely the right truck for our operations and came in at the right price,” says Darren Combellack, general manager at the family-owned business. “Our drivers were involved in the specification process and they’ve been able to personalise the vehicles. The FMs are quiet and comfortable, with good pulling power for the many hills in Cornwall and Devon,” he adds. “The drivers also love the cooled seats, and both vehicles are regularly returning around 9mpg.” Both vehicles are supplied on a seven-year Volvo Gold repair & maintenance contract. .

Trucks Planet / March 8, 2019 Daimler AG subsidiary Western Star Trucks has presented an updated version of their 4700 Series truck, the most popular product in the brand's line-up. First introduced in 2011, the 4700 in 6x4 configuration has a GVW from 24 tonnes and are available as a rigid and tractor. This year the trucks got major technical improvement. The newest 11.9-liter Cummins X12 turbodiesel has the power range from 350 to 500 hp, and the torque from 1700 to 2300 Nm. Old engines are still available: 9.0-liter Cummins L9 and a 13.0-liter Detroit DD13. The advantage of the Cummins X12 is its lightweight design, which increases the load capacity and economic efficiency of the trucks. Another important innovation of the 4700 is the new automated Detroit DT12 gearbox. It has a hill climb assistance function and a clutch control system. The new gearbox provides a smoother ride. With this upgrade the Western Star 4700 Series has got new high-comfort mattress, a lane keeping function and an automatic braking system. .

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"Mack says its on backorder & no idea of when it will be available." Have your Mack brand dealer's parts manager contact their district parts manager (DPM) and ask for their help. If that fails, call Volvo Group's Mack brand "Customer Satisfaction" department in Greensboro, North Carolina at +1 (866) 298-6586. If they try to tell you that they don't help Mack customers with trucks "older than 5 years/500K Miles", tell them your opinion on that given your revenue generating Mack truck is "unit down".

Ford Expects Health-Care Costs to Top $1 Billion in 2020 Bloomberg / March 12, 2019 Ford expects the cost of health insurance for its 56,000 hourly workers in the U.S. to top $1 billion for the first time next year, according to a person familiar with the situation, highlighting a growing expense for automakers even as car sales slow. Those mounting health-care costs represent a potential sticking point in this year’s contract talks between the United Auto Workers and the three U.S. automakers that tried and failed four years ago to address an expanding outlay that threatens profits and jobs. At Ford, General Motors and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, the tab for health insurance topped $2 billion in 2015 and has only grown since. Bargaining negotiations get underway this summer on contracts that expire in September with each of the three automakers. Some experts say divisive issues including cost-sharing for health care benefits may lead to striking. The UAW must balance its protection of benefits with the need to keep workers on the job at a time when GM is shuttering five North American factories and Ford is slashing shifts and cutting jobs as part of an $11 billion restructuring. Although the three automakers remain profitable, they are bracing for a slowdown that could become a recession while spending billions to prepare for a future dominated by electric and self-driving cars. Hard-Won Benefit Nationwide, health expenditures are projected to grow by 5.5 percent annually from 2018 to 2027, more than twice the rate of inflation, according to a new study by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. But unionized auto workers enjoy some of the most generous medical coverage plans in the country and have been spared premium increases. The UAW sees that as a hard-won benefit that helps make up for concessions to automakers in other areas. But automakers view these gold-plated worker plans as a growing burden that puts them at a disadvantage against rivals with non-unionized factories. “We’re returning to major concession negotiations in the auto industry,” said Gary Chaison, professor emeritus of industrial relations at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts. “The major manufacturers are saying: Give us a reason for why we should expand in the U.S. as opposed to China or India or somewhere else.” Thin Contributions With little or no co-pays or deductibles, UAW members contribute just 3 percent to their health-care coverage, compared with 30 percent by Ford’s salaried workers, said the person familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified revealing internal data. Without changes, the growth in health-care costs over the life of the next contract would be the equivalent of a $3 hourly wage increase, the person said. In the U.S., workers with health insurance contribute an average of 18 percent of the premium for single coverage and 29 percent of the premium for family coverage, according to a study last year by the Kaiser Family Foundation. Health-care coverage has been sacrosanct at the UAW, which gave up wages and jobs in 2009 to help keep the automakers afloat but didn’t give back medical benefits. “The union has fought hard in the darkest of economic times to ensure its members remain protected,” said Harley Shaiken, labor relations professor at the University of California at Berkeley. “It’s not a rhetorical commitment. It is a substantive commitment at the bargaining table.” In 2015, when then-UAW President Dennis Williams proposed creating a health care co-op that leveraged the buying power of almost 140,000 UAW members working for Detroit automakers, workers soundly rejected it, fearing it would erode their benefits. That’s why labor analysts expect health care to be a flashpoint in negotiations for the contracts. ‘Cadillac’ Tax As the union gathers in Detroit this week to map out its bargaining strategy for this summer’s contract talks, it has made retaining and expanding health-care benefits a top priority. The union said it will seek to eliminate disparities in coverage, which have left newer workers with less-generous coverage than veterans. It also is looking to reduce co-pays on prescription drugs and avoid any “cost shifting” from companies, according to the bargaining resolutions prepared for the convention. Looming over the talks is a provision in the Affordable Care Act -- also known as Obamacare -- that will tax so-called “Cadillac” health care plans like the UAW’s at 40 percent starting in 2022. That cost would be crippling for the automakers and its workers, both sides say. But finding a way around that will be tricky. Labor experts say neither side is eager to make concessions, which could bode ill for the negotiations. “I don’t think any of the Big Three can absorb that cost, so they’re going to want more cost sharing,” Wheaton said. “But I can see the UAW saying, we’ve given up so much money on other things and we’ve tried to claw back some of that, and now you’re saying we need to make up for a 40 percent hit on health care. I think you’re talking strike.”

The BMT family aims to please. Glad it worked out.

China switches 4.8 million homes to gas, electricity from coal Reuters / March 11, 2019 BEIJING - China expanded its coal-to-gas and coal-to-electricity projects to 35 cities in 2018 from 12 cities the previous year, China’s environment minister, Li Ganjie, said on Monday, as the world’s second-largest economy stepped up its fight against smog. China’s winter heating program used to burn an estimated 400 million tonnes of coal a year, and switching it to cleaner types of fuel was identified as a major part of the country’s war on pollution, now in its sixth year. The program to convert households to low-emission heating ran into difficulties last winter amid widespread natural gas shortages, but 4.8 million households still managed to make the switch from coal to natural gas and electricity last year, up from 4 million households switched in 2017. China has also installed ultra-low emissions technology at more than 80 percent of its total coal-fired power generation capacity.