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Ford’s F-Series Cash Haul Ranks Near iPhone Among U.S. Products Keith Naughton, Bloomberg / June 24, 2020 Ford has a lot riding on the overhauled F-150 pickup it’s unveiling this week. Rather than shy away from the stakes, the automaker has given a look under the hood of its cash-cow truck franchise. The almost 900,000 F-Series pickups sold last year generated about $42 billion in revenue. That ranks near Apple’s iPhone among the biggest U.S. consumer products. On its own, F-Series is larger than McDonald’s, Nike, Coca-Cola and Starbucks. “It’s the crown jewels of the business,” says Hau Thai-Tang, Ford’s product development chief. The $42 billion revenue figure is almost 30% of the total Ford reported for its automotive business last year. “There’s no product more important for us, and when the F-150 chief engineer calls, he usually gets all the help he needs.” Big Bucks The F-Series line of trucks supports roughly half a million jobs and contributes $49 billion annually to U.S. gross domestic product. The truck’s economic impact was calculated by looking at how much employment and revenue is tied directly to Ford and indirectly to its suppliers, dealers and employees’ tertiary spending. The F-Series stands out because it has a much higher price point than most other products. It’s quite remarkable how high the revenue is. Ford’s new F-150 will debut on June 25. The automaker will offer a much larger touch screen to counter a popular option on Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’s ascendant Ram pickup models. Another prominent feature will be a passenger seat that lays flat.

18QX41 - standard tint 18QX41P2 - heavy tint Call Watt's Mack.

American Automobile Labeling Act Ford Ranger leads with 70 percent. https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.dot.gov/files/documents/2020_aala_alpha_05132020.pdf

Salute to all of the hardworking fathers out there! Happy Father's Day ! Always Up - Autocar Trucks .

No, after Macungie Cruise-Liner production ended. We had a partial first year of MH production in 1984. The initial production parts ramp up didn’t go well. Incompetence reared it’s ugly head.

Trust me......the MH chassis was 100 percent metric. This is the chassis that introduced the "AM" part numbers for metric fasteners. Previously, most fasteners had "AX" part numbers.

Quick spin: Volvo’s electric VNR Jason Cannon, Commercial Carrier Journal (CCJ) / February 21, 2020 The electric truck is carving out a niche in stop-and-start and low-mileage applications, so sending a small fleet of them into California’s ports sounds like no-brainer. Announced just more than a year ago, the Low Impact Green Heavy Transport Solution (LIGHTS) partnership teamed together Volvo Trucks North America (VTNA) fleet customers NFI and Dependable Highway Express (DHE) in the deployment of electric VNR trucks for use at their California port operations – part of a joint effort to demonstrate the ability of battery electric vehicles (EVs) to improve freight and warehouse efficiencies, reduce emissions and improve air quality. The first crop of LIGHTS trucks have been ordered and delivered, but delivery of one straight truck in particular may have been a little behind schedule because, last week, I was driving it around the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. My test unit, one of the first five units to be built, belonged to DHE and is part of Volvo’s LIGHTS partnership, which will see a combination of straight-trucks and tractors service dedicated routes in and around California’s Inland Empire. The number of eVNRs is expected to swell to more than 20 by the project’s end, bring along with them an array of electric support equipment, like forklifts and pickups, public and private charging infrastructure and dealership-based electric truck service and maintenance capabilities. The first five trucks were built on the line at Volvo’s New River Valley (NRV) truck assembly plant as a glider before being finished by hand in Greensboro, N.C. When the trucks enter production late this year, the electric VNR will be built in NRV on the same line as conventional VNR models but its electric driveline will be installed on a different production line. The electric VNR’s driveline is time-tested, having started on Volvo’s electric bus (Volvo has sold more than 4,000 electrified buses since 2010). It was then integrated into Volvo’s European FE electric cabover before making its way to the VNR. The truck’s radiator is functional and keeps the system heated and cooled, which supports battery life. A modular power box – basically the brain of the whole outfit – sits where a diesel engine would normally. Packs of batteries flank the cab, each weighing about 1,150 pounds, and supply onboard power. The battery system is designed like a shelf, allowing packs to be slid in and out for service. The charging port is located on the driver’s side, which prevents the driver from unknowingly pulling away while the truck is charging. You’d practically have to climb over the cable to get into the cab. The eVNR features center-mounted dual electric motors with a two-speed gearbox. The truck seamlessly shifts into second gear around 30 mph. It doesn’t take off like a rocket – nor should it – but the torque and power are instant. The electric truck may one day revolutionize the transportation industry, but very little of what matters to the driver is slated to get an overhaul. As far as the driving experience, there’s no sexy story to tell. It feels, handles and drives like a truck, which is a good thing. Of all the obstacles to overcome – lack of infrastructure, range anxiety and battery weight and cost – reinventing on-road feel and performance is an unnecessary war to fight. Gear selector buttons – neutral, drive and reverse – are mounted in the dash. To move the truck forward, you release the air brake, hit the D button and punch the throttle. There’s no creeping along at idle, so hitting the pedal is pretty important. The amount of noise coming from the truck – at least the absence of it – feels … odd. A lot of engineering has gone into a modern diesel engine to limit the amount of noise it makes, but there’s no mistaking a diesel-powered Volvo VNR for a Tesla Model 3 in a blind test. The only noise coming from the electric truck, aside from the tires making contact with the pavement, comes from the air compressor. By placing the truck in reverse, the truck’s electric motors turn in the other direction. There is no “shifting” into reverse. That makes the change in course much smoother and easier on the cargo. A gauge where the tachometer would normally be tells you the amount of load on the battery. At rest, it points to zero. Depending on speed, grade and load, it will drift to some degree of negative. Coasting downhill, for example, with the regenerative brake engaged will pump more power into the battery and push the needle toward the plus side, as you’re making more energy than you’re using. The regen brake is located on the stalk where the engine brake would be, and similarly has three stages. Each will engage after about 2 seconds of the driver having taken their foot off the accelerator. An automatic setting takes into consideration the truck’s payload and targeted range to capture the most amount of energy needed in the smoothest stage possible. Volvo will use the LIGHTS project to help determine just how far its electrified VNRs can travel on a full charge under load, but the range demand on these routes is pretty minimal – generally less than 175 miles. Volvo has logged about 2,000 test miles across the first five trucks but they’re about to be handed over full time. These trucks aren’t technology demonstrators. They’re working trucks. They have real freight moving obligations and downtime will be a problem. And that’s exactly how VTNA President Peter Voorhoeve wants it. LIGHTS isn’t a science experiment and Voorhoeve hopes it will pave the way for a greener, emissions-free electrified future where electric trucks at a port will be as ubiquitous as Maersk containers. “I would like to able to say that this LIGHTS project really changed the use of electromobility,” Voorhoeve said, noting he has a higher objective to the project than simply getting orders. “I hope to sell as many of them as possible, but this is larger than selling trucks. This is about moving the public opinion that this works. That this is the way forward. If we get that, then LIGHTS was a success.” . .

Experimental Volvo All-Electric VNR Enters Limited Service Heavy Duty Trucking (HDT) / June 18, 2020 Volvo Trucks North America deployed its first pilot VNR Electric truck in Southern California as part of the Volvo LIGHTS (Low Impact Green Heavy Transport Solutions) project. The first pilot Volvo VNR Electric truck will operate at the Volvo Trucks North America TEC Equipment dealership in Fontana, California. The zero-emission truck will transport local parts between the TEC Equipment dealerships in Fontana and La Mirada. Volvo LIGHTS is a collaboration with the South Coast Air Quality Management District and 13 other organizations to develop a blueprint to introduce battery-electric trucks and equipment into the market at scale. “Volvo Trucks is proud to lead the way in the sustainable electrification of freight movement. Working with our dealership, TEC Equipment, to pilot the first Volvo VNR Electric on the road and in real-world applications is an exciting step toward our plans to commercialize these zero-emission trucks in North America this fall,” said Peter Voorhoeve, president of Volvo Trucks North America. “The all-electric Volvo VNR will become the ideal truck model for short- and regional-haul applications, such as urban distribution and drayage.” The TEC Fontana dealership has two 50-kW chargers inside its truck maintenance bays, as well as a 150-kW charger located outside to let fleet customers fast charge at the dealership. Over the past year, the Volvo LIGHTS team worked with Southern California Edison (the local utility) and San Bernardino County to safely install the high-power infrastructure. “This experience in designing, planning, and installing high-power chargers for electric trucks has taught us how critical it is to engage a variety of stakeholders early on,” said Aravind Kailas, advanced technology policy director for Volvo Group North America. “The Volvo LIGHTS project has provided valuable insight into how to build realistic project timelines. Despite the unavoidable delays due to the COVID-19 situation, we’re proud the team has been able to continue moving the project forward.” Starting in 2021, Southern California businesses will have the opportunity to lease Volvo VNR Electric trucks from TEC Equipment to gain firsthand experience with these advanced trucks in their fleet operations. TEC’s Fontana team will be fully trained and equipped to safely perform maintenance for its fleet customers. In addition to being outfitted with personal protective equipment for working with high voltage, the technicians have been trained on the proper procedure to isolate the high voltage for diagnosis and service repairs. As part of the Volvo LIGHTS project, two local fleet operators—NFI Industries and Dependable Supply Chain Services—will also begin demonstrating the pilot Volvo VNR Electric trucks for full operations in their regional routes later this summer. More About the Volvo LIGHTS Project The Volvo LIGHTS project was made possible by an award to South Coast AQMD of $44.8 million from CARB as part of California Climate Investments. CCI is a statewide initiative that puts billions of Cap-and-Trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy and improving public health and the environment – particularly in disadvantaged communities. As a result, South Coast AQMD contributed $4 million from the Clean Fuels Fund and awarded a $45.6M contract to the Volvo Group to design and implement the project. Volvo and its partners have promised no less than $45.7M matching contribution to increase the total project value to over $91M for South Coast AQMD to administer. The Volvo LIGHTS team also includes partnerships with Rio Hondo College and San Bernardino Valley College to create electric vehicle repair and service technician programs to prepare the region’s workforce for the introduction of battery-electric freight trucks. The colleges have already begun introducing the curriculum in the classroom and enrolling students for the fall. Rio Hondo and SBVC are also working with the Volvo LIGHTS team to design a training program with fire departments within the Inland Empire communities—including San Bernardino County (which covers the TEC Fontana dealership), Chino, and Ontario—to ensure that the region’s first responders are fully prepared to safely respond in case of an incident or accident involving a heavy-duty battery-electric vehicle. .

Jacobs’ Technology Demonstrates Fuel Economy, After-treatment Efficiency Heavy Duty Trucking (HDT) / June 18, 2020 Jacobs Vehicle Systems’ cylinder deactivation technology (CDA) combined next-generation diesel engines has delivered performance-enhancing benefits, according to recent independent validation tests. The engines, currently under development, are being designed to meet the upcoming round of new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Phase 2 Greenhouse Gas Emissions standards for heavy-duty diesel engines manufactured from 2021-2027. Independent engine tests have been conducted on Navistar and Cummins engines by Tula Technology, a California-based company that specializes in combustion control and software technology. These tests have confirmed that the Jacobs’ CDA engine systems can deliver improved fuel economy while keeping diesel exhaust after-treatment systems operating at optimal temperatures, supporting the reduction of NOx and CO2 emissions. “Jacobs’ CDA features a hydraulically-activated mechanism integrated into a collapsing valve bridge system for overhead camshaft engines, or with a collapsing pushrod system for cam-in-block engines,” said Robb Janak, director new technologies for Jacobs. “When this is combined with disabled injection in selected cylinders, any combination of cylinders can be deactivated as needed.” Jacobs’ CDA can be used to shut down engine cylinders at highway cruising speeds, or very low engine loads to improve fuel economy and still keep exhaust after-treatment systems hot and operating at optimal temperatures to limit NOx emissions, explained Janak. In the most recent tests with the Cummins engine, Jacobs’ CDA hardware combined with Tula’s Dynamic Skip Fire (DSF) algorithm improved the control of these thermal management modes to simultaneously maximize exhaust temperatures and CO2 reductions. “At 1,000 rpm, diesel DSF shows an increase in exhaust temperature of nearly 100⁰ C while still improving fuel consumption by 25%,” as stated in a paper presented to the International Vienna Motor Symposium, along with similar improvements at other operating conditions. “The Jacobs’ CDA system has been developed over the past 10 years and was specifically designed for the heavy-duty trucking market,” added Janak. “We believe these systems are ready for the market and we are excited with how technologies such as these will improve drivability, emissions and fuel economy.”

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Ford's redesigned F-150 pickup will offer sleeper seat Reuters / June 18, 2020 DETROIT -- Ford Motor Co. next week will show the next generation of its brawny F-150 pickup truck that offers a new sleeper-seat feature and over-the-air software updates. The new F-150, part of the best-selling vehicle line in the U.S., accounts for $50 billion in annual revenue, and a significant share of Ford's annual profit. While Tesla Inc and General Motors Co have moved faster on over-the-air software upgrades and high-speed in-vehicle data networks, the new F-150 will bring such technology squarely into the mainstream. The new truck, expected to launch later this year, is a critical plank in Chief Operating Officer Jim Farley's plan to slash $5 billion in warranty costs, speed Ford's push into vehicle connectivity and add to the No. 2 U.S. automaker's already-strong position in the North American commercial vehicle market. Automotive News in February reported on some of the new F-150's design ques. Ford has borrowed more than $20 billion to ride out the economic shock from the coronavirus pandemic. Revenue generated from the new F-150 will be key to paying that money back. Ford is not taking big risks with the exterior look of the new truck given its sales dominance, instead focusing on improving the interior, according to those who have seen it. Ford is scheduled to publicly show for the first time the new F-150 online on June 25. "It's really about technology and productivity," Farley said at a Deutsche Bank conference on June 10. One prominent feature will be the lay-flat passenger seat like those seen in first-class cabins on some planes, said a person familiar with the plans who asked not to be identified. "You can basically live in the truck," the person said. Ford's nicer interior, including a larger display screen, follows a similar move by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles with its new Ram truck, which received enthusiastic reviews for its stylish interior and optional 12-inch display screen. "Ram taught everybody a little bit of a lesson," said Rhett Ricart, owner of Ricart Ford in Columbus, Ohio. "The old 5-inch screen for your navigation and radio controls is gone. They're all going to be 10-, 12-, 15-inch screens. That was started by Tesla." The F-150's new electrical architecture will allow Ford to provide over-the-air updates to key modules controlling the vehicle, replacing trips to the dealership. The new truck's connectivity also will help Ford boost sales to commercial customers, and reduce warranty costs, Farley told investors. The F-Series truck has been around since 1948, while the F-150 debuted in 1975. Sales of the current version have remained strong despite its age, and the new model could help Ford hold or even build its position in the segment, said Sandy Munro, CEO of Michigan-based consulting firm Munro & Associates. "If they add the same stuff as what Ram did and if they can add more stuff like Tesla's doing, there'll be a gigantic gap between Ford, and Ram and Chevy," he said. The key for Ford will be to avoid the kinds of costly production problems that hobbled the launch of the new Explorer SUV last year. Ford acknowledged it erred in trying to launch the Explorer and Lincoln Aviator simultaneously while breaking in a new assembly line at its 95-year-old plant in Chicago. Farley has been visiting the plants in Dearborn, Mich., and Kansas City, Mo., that will build the new F-150. Despite delays related to the virus, he said the launch is in "really good shape."

Today's new generation of CEOs that routinely lie get upset when you point it out.

Nikola, Maker of Upcoming Badger Pickup, Angry at Bloomberg for Critical Article on Its Semi Car & Driver / June 18, 2020 Bloomberg reported that Nikola showed a non-running prototype of its one semi-truck that was missing essential parts in 2016 and claimed it was functional. There was a time when a startup founder could get on stage, make a claim, and the assembled audience would nod their heads in agreement mumbling disruption, innovation, and whatever other buzzword was in vogue at the time. Then medical-technology startup Theranos swindled investors, companies, and even government officials with technology that never worked, and positive reactions without any sort of proof somewhat dwindled. The blowback was that the world is much more critical of newcomers to the market. And that's an important change, especially for companies, like automakers, that deal with the lives of customers. To that end, this week Bloomberg posted a critical article about hydrogen fuel-cell truck and long-haul semi-truck company Nikola. According to Bloomberg sources, the Nikola One semi that was unveiled at an event way back in December 2016 wasn't as drivable as CEO Trevor Milton implied. The article stated that people familiar with the vehicle and its status at the event were "alarmed" by suggestions that the truck being shown was drivable and noted that there weren't even any fuel cells in the semi at the event. CEO Milton took to Twitter to blast the Bloomberg report, stating that neither the reporter, Ed Ludlow, or any other Bloomberg reporter would be allowed in a Nikola building or event. Later in the day, Milton shared a letter that Nikola's chief legal officer, Britton Worthen, was sending Bloomberg and reporter Ed Ludlow. The document says that the statements in the Bloomberg article are "inaccurate, misleading, taken out of context, and hide behind alleged inside sources" and theatened legal action against both the reporter and Bloomberg. We watched the event that took place on December 1, 2016, that was referenced in the Bloomberg piece. At one point Milton says, "We will have a chain on the seats to prevent people from coming in, just for the safety I don't want someone to end up doing something and driving this truck off the stage. So, it's a little expensive. You could probably buy a jet with that cost to build this thing. So we're gonna try to keep people from driving off but this thing fully functions and works which is really incredible." He later states that the chain will keep people from hitting the controls "because they do work." Milton also said to the assembled audience that were about to tour the vehicle that "You’re going to see that this is a real truck, not a pusher." A pusher is a show vehicle that doesn’t have the capability to run and needs to be pushed on stage. When interviewed by Bloomberg ahead of the publication of the article, Milton said, "I never deceived anyone."

No. You have an RS Value-Liner with an SAE frame, not an RWI Super-Liner with a metric frame.

The MH entered limited production in 1984. and the RWI arrived in 1985.

Reuters / June 16, 2020 STOCKHOLM - Truck- and construction equipment maker AB Volvo plans to cut its white-collar workforce by 4,100 positions during the second half of 2020, it said on Tuesday, citing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The outbreak of the novel coronavirus has slammed demand for trucks, forcing Volvo and its rivals to cut costs, with fellow truck maker Scania earlier this month flagging it was planning major job reductions. “The corona epidemic and the global measures taken to fight it has led to a market situation impacting our industry severely,” Volvo CEO Martin Lundstedt said. “The effects are expected to be lower demand going forward and we need to continue to adjust our organization accordingly.” Volvo said around 15% of the expected reductions were consultants, adding that about 1,250 positions were expected to be cut in Sweden. The Gothenburg, Sweden-based company, which employs some 104,000 staff, said late in April that net order intake of its trucks had dropped by 75% in March versus February and been net negative since then.

Actually, the cutting edge all-new chassis used first with the MH Ultra-Liner and later the RWI second generation Super-Liner was our first "metric" frame design. Naturally we used metric fasteners including "body bound" bolts as well. https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/42109-mack-frames-1989/

"Let him who is without sin cast the first stone" While I don't agree with all of this member's thoughts, he/she has often spoken over the past with a great deal of intelligence. I respect their knowledge. And, we can agree to disagree. Traveling around the world interacting with people in every corner of the globe, contrary opinions gave me a more open-minded thought process.

A report from the BBC said that dexamethasone, a cheap and widely available steroid, is being seen as a success in low doses to combat patients who are suffering serious symptoms from COVID19. The BBC report cited a study from Oxford University, which included 2,000 hospital patients who were given the steroid and were compared with more than 4,000 who didn’t get the drug. The report indicated that for “patients on ventilators it cut death risk from 40% to 28%,” and for “patients needing oxygen it cut death risk from 25% to 20%.”

The highlight of my Mondays is Jay Leno's videos.

Renault "Premium" cab. https://public.fotki.com/modeltrucks25thscale/truck_brochures/mack/mack_quantum_specsh/mackquanspec2003-01.html

What is the part number? 230SX?