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Senator calls for investigation of tariff exemption process Kevin Jones, Trailer-Body Builder / August 30, 2018 Sen. Elizabeth Warren says the Trump administration is playing politics, and handing out favors to friends, in the Commerce Department’s management of the exemption process for steel and aluminum tariffs. On Wednesday Warren called on the department’s Inspector General (IG) to open an investigation into the implementation of the program, initially billed as a "fair and transparent" way for U.S. manufacturers to seek tariff relief in certain instances. But Warren’s own preliminary investigation has revealed the process to be “replete with mistakes” and “arbitrary, opaque and subject to political favoritism.” "Thousands of companies are seeking exemptions worth billions of dollars that affect manufacturing and investment decisions nationwide," the Massachusetts Democrat writes to IG Peggy Gustafson. "But this process appears to be running on an ad hoc basis, with little transparency, and bending to political pressure from well-connected lobbyists and Administration officials." Specifically, to date Commerce has received 30,035 exemption requests for tariffs on steel (25%) and aluminum (10%) imports, and has made decisions on 3,559 of those, approving 2,101 and denying 1,458, according to department data. But, as tens of thousands of requests are left hanging, special friends of the administration have received special treatment, Warren contends. On August 7 she sent a 10-page letter to Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross after she found that Rusal America Corporation had received an exemption for aluminum, good for 6.6 million pounds’ worth, tariff free. The kicker: Rusal is a subsidiary of a sanctioned Russian company controlled by Oleg Deripaska, a sanctioned Russian oligarch and a "close Putin confidant,'' the letter states. And the day after Warren sent the letter, the Commerce Department reversed the exemption—but still has not explained how a sanctioned Russian company got an exemption for millions of dollars of aluminum imports just days after President Trump met privately with President Putin in Helsinki. More details of how the Rusal exemption was approved are “equally alarming,” the senator writes: The July exemption was approved after Commerce Department officials appeared to privately inform Rusal that the company needed to provide more information in a new submission; this even though Rusal appeared to have made no effort to find alternative U.S. producers; and over the objection of a domestic producer of the material sought by Rusal. Additional media reports have raised questions about political interference in the exemption process, Warren continues. United States Steel and Nucor—two of America's biggest steel manufacturers with deep ties to the Administration—have successfully objected to hundreds of exemption requests. And, earlier this month, reports revealed that Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney was "trying to use his influence" to urge the Trump administration for an exemption for a company whose president contributed $5,400 to Mulvaney's 2016 congressional campaign, the senator says. Warren asked the Commerce IG to conduct a thorough investigation of the department's process for evaluating tariff exemption requests, including an analysis of the processes and procedures in place to make these decisions, whether Commerce officials are following these policies and procedures, and any credible evidence that tariff exemptions granted by the department have strengthened the national security of the United States.

Subjecting non-emissions producing trailers to federal emissions requirements........go figure.

Transport Topics / August 30, 2018 Attorneys for the U.S. Department of Justice and trailer manufacturers are sparring in court over just how much information the government should provide in a lawsuit about whether truck trailers should for the first time be subject to federal emissions requirements. The Truck Trailer Manufacturers Association in late 2016 asked an appeals court to block a provision in the Obama administration’s Phase 2 greenhouse gas emissions rule that includes trailers. Now, the group has complained that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have been dragging their heels in reporting to the court their progress and timeline for making a decision on whether to keep the rule intact or repeal it. EPA and NHTSA issued the rule regulating trailers. This month, Justice Department attorneys complained in court documents that the trailer manufacturers are unfairly trying to speed up the rule-making process. “First, the agencies cannot provide the kind of detailed report to satisfy petitioner’s curiosity without revealing protected deliberations,” lawyers for EPA and NHTSA said in a response to the court. “Second,” they added, “a litigant’s mere dissatisfaction with the pace of a discretionary administrative proceeding is no reason for the court to order relief.” TTMA told the court last month it is dissatisfied with the slow pace and lack of transparency by attorneys for the federal agencies. Outside the courtroom, the agencies have told manufacturers they don’t believe they have the authority to regulate trailer manufacturers, according to TTMA President Jeff Sims. In the end, that could make the lawsuit a moot issue. “EPA has written us a year-and-a-half ago that they agree trailers are not supposed to be in it, and said ‘we’ll get you out of it,’ ” Sims told Transport Topics, referring to the regulation. “We got a carbon-copy letter from NHTSA also. So they have both agreed they don’t have the authority to regulate trailers and they’re working to get us out of it. But they’re not doing it very fast. We just want closure on this thing.” In court filings, the association said it is merely asking this court to compel respondents to “comply meaningfully with the court’s order to file status reports, by substantively addressing the status of their progress and providing a timeline for completion of their administrative reconsideration processes.” Despite delays in the lawsuit, trailer orders reached a record high of 29,300 in July, shattering the previous high of 28,058 for the month that had stood for 24 years, ACT Research Co. reported. Dry vans and refrigerated trailers paced the overall performance, closing the month with backlogs that now stretch into March of next year, ACT recently reported. “After a steady June [20,048 orders], fleets came roaring back into the market in July. Trailer makers had their strongest July net order volume in history, breaking a record that was set in 1994,” Frank Maly, ACT’s director of commercial vehicle transportation analysis and research, said in a statement. He said while strength was evident across all industry segments, it is noteworthy that cancellations remain low, indicating strong fleet confidence. Glen Kedzie, energy and environmental affairs counsel for American Trucking Associations, said ATA does not support elimination of the trailer provision. “It is never prudent to threaten the Department of Justice or EPA’s internal administrative regulatory timelines and priorities, especially given that the 2018 trailer requirements under Phase 2 are not currently being implemented by stay of the court.” Kedzie added, “Given the wide-range of proven fuel-efficient technologies for trailers that are readily available in today’s marketplace, as well as the marginal 2018 fuel efficiency milestones under Phase 2, it would not surprise me if the initial greenhouse gas targets for trailers are being met in the absence of the rule being implemented.” .

Trump Threatens to Pull US out of WTO if It Doesn’t ‘Shape Up’ Transport Topics / August 30, 2018 President Donald Trump said he would pull out of the World Trade Organization if it doesn’t treat the United States better, continuing his criticism of a cornerstone of the international trading system. “If they don’t shape up, I would withdraw from the WTO,” Trump said Aug. 30 in an Oval Office interview with Bloomberg News. A U.S. withdrawal from the WTO potentially would be far more significant for the global economy than even Trump’s growing trade war with China, undermining the post-World War II system that the United States helped build. Trump said last month that the United States is at a big disadvantage from being treated “very badly” by WTO for many years and that the Geneva-based body needs to “change their ways.” U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer has said allowing China into the WTO in 2001 was a mistake. He has long called for the United States to take a more aggressive approach to WTO, arguing that it was incapable of dealing with a nonmarket economy such as China. Lighthizer has accused WTO dispute-settlement system of interfering with U.S. sovereignty, particularly on anti-dumping cases. The United States has been blocking the appointment of judges to WTO’s appeals body, raising the possibility that it could cease to function in the coming years. Since World War II, successive U.S. presidents have led efforts to establish and strengthen global trading rules, arguing that they would bring stability to the global economy. WTO was created in 1994 as part of a U.S.-led effort by major economies to create a forum for resolving trade disputes.

Trump: EU offer to drop auto tariffs is 'not good enough' John Micklethwait, Margaret Talev and Jennifer Jacobs, Automotive News Europe / August 30, 2018 WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump rejected a European Union offer to scrap tariffs on cars, likening the bloc's trade policies to those of China. "It’s not good enough," Trump said of the offer from Brussels during an Oval Office interview with Bloomberg News. "Their consumer habits are to buy their cars, not to buy our cars." Trump's comments come just hours after Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom told European Parliament lawmakers that the EU would be "willing to bring down even our car tariffs to zero, all tariffs to zero, if the U.S. does the same." Autos were previously excluded from the discussions that focused on manufactured products bought and sold between the two markets. Trump compared the EU to China, where the president is engaged in another escalating trade war. "The European Union is almost as bad as China, just smaller," Trump said. Last month, the U.S. and EU agreed not to impose new tariffs on each other after Trump and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker met at the White House. The two sides agreed to open discussions about a trade agreement on industrial goods but at U.S. insistence left out cars. Trump has set achieving zero tariffs, zero subsidies and zero non-tariff barriers for industrial goods as part of those talks. European leaders and the continent's auto industry have been offering to drop the EU's 10 percent tariff on passenger vehicles, a persistent target of Trump's complaints. He has used the gap between that EU duty and the U.S.'s own 2.5 percent tariff on passenger cars to justify his plan to impose an import tax of as much as 25 percent on imported cars and parts. But that complaint ignores the much higher 25 percent tariff the U.S. applies on light trucks, the most profitable segment for the U.S. auto industry. Eliminating tariffs on U.S. auto imports would do little for General Motors and Ford, but would lend a major boost to Germany's BMW and Daimler. SUVs built by the German carmakers in the American South dominate the models exported to Europe from the U.S. BMW for example is projected to sell nearly 70,000 X3 SUVs in Europe made in its South Carolina factory this year, according to data from LMC Automotive. Compare that to roughly 15,000 units of Tesla's Model S sedan, which LMC, an industry data consultancy, projects will be the top-selling model in Europe assembled in the U.S. by an American automaker. Trump has ordered his Commerce Department to investigate whether car imports imperil national security, under the same provision he invoked to impose global tariffs on steel and aluminum earlier this year. The findings of the auto study are due by February, though the president could decide to act before then. This week, Trump threatened Canada with auto tariffs if the country failed to join his trade deal with Mexico to replace NAFTA.

Trump says he is thinking about pegging capital gains taxes to inflation Market Watch / August 30, 2018 President Donald Trump on Thursday said he was considering linking capital gains taxes to inflation. Speaking with Bloomberg News in the Oval Office on Thursday afternoon, Trump told the publication: "I'm thinking about it." Reductions to capital gains are seen by some as benefiting the ultrarich, including hedge funds and private-equity firms, with a cut trimming the tax bills on the sale of stocks, real estate and other assets depending on the going rate of inflation. Trump economic adviser Larry Kudlow has argued that such a move would promote job growth and economic expansion. In commentary last year, Kudlow, who had been a longtime CNBC contributor, explained how he viewed capital gains "perverse" effects on Wall Street investing: "Consider this: You invest $1,000 and, after ten years, you sell that investment for $1,200. But if inflation averaged 2.5 percent in that period, the $1,200 you receive will be worth less in real terms than the $1,000 you invested. And yet, under current law, you will pay a tax on your $200 capital gain." Kudlow estimated then that pegging capital gains taxes to inflation "would by 2025 create an additional 400,000 jobs, grow the U.S. capital stock by $1.1 trillion and boost gross domestic product by roughly $500 billion," citing economic research. To be sure, skepticism about the merits of such an approach to capital gains abounds. A Penn Wharton Budget Model analysis released in the spring estimates that the top 0.1% of earners, in particular, would reap more than 60% of the tax cut. The middle class, by contrast, would get a mere 0.1%. Another analysis projects that such a plan would cost $102 billion over 10 years, wrote MarketWatch's Robert Schroeder earlier in the month.

Jim, I think that you would thoroughly enjoy attending the IAA commercial vehicle show in Hanover next month. It's the largest and most international truck show in the world. MAN and Mercedes-Benz each rent entire buildings. It's a massive show. All the suppliers are there too, including the American ones. If you'd like to attend and need assistance, please don't hesitate to reach out to me.

Volvo owns UD.

Engineering News / August 29, 2018 VE Commercial Vehicles (VECV) South Africa, a Volvo Group and Eicher Motors joint venture, has entered the domestic heavy-duty truck market, with the start of sale of its Pro 6000 series trucks. This will add to the Pro 3008 8.5 t gross vehicle mass (GVM) truck range introduced when the company officially kicked off local sales last year. “We are launching product step-by-step,” says VECV South Africa VP and country head Surender Singh. “Once we have stabilised one variant, we can come in with the next variant.” The new range consists of the Pro 6016 (eight-ton payload) 16 t gross vehicle mass (GVM) heavy-duty freight carrier and Pro 6025T (10 m3) 6 x 4 25 t GVM heavy-duty construction tipper. The trucks are powered by VEDX engines, which have been designed and developed in collaboration with the Volvo Group. “The Eicher Pro 6000 Series is the range of next-generation heavy-duty trucks that offer class-leading fuel efficiency, superior uptime, and enhanced driver comfort, safety and efficiency through various cabin features and intelligent systems,” promises Singh. “The trucks have undergone rigorous endurance and performance testing for over 100 000 km in South Africa.” The Pro 6000 Series are aimed at the haulage, distribution, construction, industrial loads, courier and perishables markets. While Singh acknowledges that the local truck market is highly competitive at the moment, especially in the Pro 3000 segment, he believes that the eight-ton manual transmission market has room for growth. “We do not compete on sticker price,” he adds. An Eicher Pro 3000 truck is the one to buy when “people want a truck with not so many frills”, or they want “to upgrade from a small Fuso or FAW”. Pro 6000 trucks will be available at 15 dealer locations in South Africa. VECV has joined hands with a number of well-established dealership groups such as the AAD Group, BB Motor Group, Billson Trucks, CMH Group, Ermelo TTC Group, Imperial, Morgan Group, Shorts Commercial Vehicles and Premier Truck and Bus. VECV SA has sold 103 Pro 3008 trucks from July 2017 to July 2018. The aim is to sell 300 trucks this financial year, which ends on March 31, 2019. Singh notes that VECV SA is still studying assembly in South Africa, “which is a critical market for us. Once our plans are finalised we’ll communicate it to the market. We should know by around December.” However, he notes that local assembly is not a question of if, but rather how and when. VECV SA is also investigating the launch of a commuter bus, assembled on the Pro 6000 series chassis, with the bus bodies then built in South Africa. The company aims to bring some bus prototypes to South Africa by the end of October. VECV SA also expects to make an announcement on the introduction of a light-duty truck by the end of March next year. In terms of regional markets, VECV SA has received an order of 57 trucks from Zimbabwe, with 22 already delivered. The India-based VECV sold 65 932 trucks on the global market in the 2017/18 financial year. “By 2020 we want to reach 100 000 units, so exports are important,” says Singh. VECV has set its initial sights on three export clusters, namely the Middle East, Africa and South East Asia. “We have 26 distributors in Africa,” notes Singh. The next phase of expansion should see the group enter South America. .

Scania Group Press Release / August 29, 2018 The vineyards of Bordeaux are doubtless best known for the fine wines they produce. But they are getting things right in more ways than one. With grape marc, the residue produced in the wine-making process, being used to make biofuel, transport operator Citram Aquitaine is running the ED95-driven Scania’s Interlink LD Euro 6 bus between Bordeaux and Blaye. Citram Aquitaine is a transport operator for our times, committed to sustainable methods of energy transition. In an experimental bid to move away from fossil-free transport, it is now testing Scania’s Interlink LD Euro 6 bus on its intercity 201 route between Bordeaux and Blaye: a vehicle adapted to long-distance travel which is powered by bioethanol produced by Raisinor France Alcools. “We have to be at the forefront of innovation,” says Nicolas Raud, director of Citram Aquitaine. “I believe that the ability of a carrier to reconsider its energy mix is essential.” The environmentally sound bus is hard to miss, with the proud message “I run on bioethanol produced from grape marc” emblazoned on its side. “We were immediately drawn to Raisinor and Scania’s proposal of locally produced, environmentally friendly power, so we asked to be involved in the experiment to measure the efficiency and viability of this solution,” says Raud. Partnership for the planet The collaboration between Scania and Citram is enabled by the key contribution of Raisinor France Alcools, which supplies the biofuel required to run the experiment. In a bold and ambitious move, Raisinoor has brought together the French wine cooperatives, with Union Coopératives Vinicoles d’Aquitaine (UCVA) producing 100,000 tonnes of grape marc every year on its site at Coutras in the Gironde department, which is in the Bordeaux wine-making region. “Their production potential would supply 1,000 vehicles locally,” says Jérôme Budua, Director of Raisinor France Alcools. Citram on sustainability Established in 1921 as a private company, Citram has been the main passenger transport company in the Gironde department for years. “We are responsible for 80 percent of intercity operations in Gironde,” says Raud. “This covers 42 routes, some of which play a pivotal role in the network, completing up to 19 return journeys a day.” As the trailblazer of cutting-edge coaches offering services such as Wi-Fi, electrical sockets, and on-board TV), Citram is now busy thinking about a sustainable methods of energy transition. “By using the waste products from our local wine industry to manufacture the fuel that is used in some of our vehicles locally, we are joining the green intelligence movement,” says Raud. Commitment to alternative energy at a cost A vehicle running on ED95 consumes more because the energy output of ethanol is half that of diesel, and it is more expensive to buy compared with a diesel vehicle: “To cause less pollution, we must accept the bill,” says Raud. “Reappraising our fleet of vehicles by investing in alternative energy can only be done with the support of the region, and we know that the region views this approach favourably. It is up to us to suggest an economically acceptable energy mix. “Bioethanol and gas allow us to develop an energy mix that is suitable for our area. In our network, some remote places do not have and probably will never have a petrol station with gas. They could easily accommodate this locally produced, ecologically relevant energy.” Scania’s Interlink: a bus for an environmental boost Comfortable, strong, well finished, the Scania Interlink is suitable for use as a school bus as well as on scheduled transport routes. The “green” benefits of the bioethanol-fuelled bus are undeniable. “The bioethanol/diesel comparison is irrefutable, with 85 per cent fewer carbon emissions, 50 percent less nitrogen oxides and 70 per cent fewer particulates,” says Budua. And so while bioethanol is more demanding than diesel, requiring shorter oil change intervals and maintenance/service periods, Scania offers a wealth of experience with this fuel, having operated biofuel buses in Sweden since the 1990s. Why Raisinor and Scania go back a long way It was during the 1990s that Raisonor signed its initial contact with Scania, supplying bioethanol for buses in Sweden. Their partnership was solidified in 2009 with the arrival of the European directive encouraging the use of ethanol in fuel (E85 or SP95-E10). “From that time, we discovered the benefits of launching biofuel in France,” says Budua. We had to obtain approval for bioethanol in France. We are now talking of a second-generation bioethanol which stands out from the first-generation alcohol produced from beetroot and cereals.” .

Renault Trucks Press Release / August 27, 2018

Good video, and they sourced a terrific narrator.

MAN Truck & Bus Press Release / August 27, 2018 At MAN Truck Modification, we optimize our series-production vehicles according to your needs and specifications. With over 30 years of experience in building special-purpose vehicles, we design, construct and build exactly the MAN you need, focusing on three modules: driver’s cab, chassis and driveline. .

DAF Trucks Press Release / August 28, 2018 Proud of our Heritage, Leading Today, Ready for the Future That is the overall DAF theme at the IAA 2018, which will be held in Hanover, from 20 to 27 September. DAF Trucks will proudly showcase its innovation capabilities throughout its 90 year history, which is illustrated by the classic DAF A1600 from 1967 through to the future DAF CF Electric Innovation truck – both of which will be displayed on the DAF Trucks stand in Hall 17. A prominent position will be taken by DAF’s latest LF, CF and XF ranges, setting the industry benchmark in quality, reliability and fuel efficiency. DAF celebrates its 90th anniversary this year. Starting as a small workshop in Eindhoven, the company has grown into the premier truck manufacturer in Europe. DAF’s heavy-duty market share in Europe grew from 15.3% in 2017 to 16.5% in the first half of this year. DAF Trucks is the heavy duty market leader in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, Romania, the Czech Republic and Hungary, and is Europe’s market leader in the tractor segment. DAF is the number 1 import brand in Germany, Europe’s largest truck market. Prominent position for new LF, CF and XF The DAF vehicles on display at the IAA include the LF for distribution transport, the versatile CF for a wide variety of applications and the flagship XF for heavy and on-highway transport. The LF distribution truck was awarded ‘Fleet Truck of the Year 2018’ in the United Kingdom. The new CF and XF were voted ‘International Truck of the Year 2018’ thanks to a number of technical innovations, resulting in 7% fuel efficiency improvement, setting the benchmark in the industry. The CF and XF are the leading tractors. DAF will also be showing its vocational vehicles, including the new lightweight CF 8x4 mixer chassis and the unique 6x2 CF with BDF frame for demountable bodies available from the factory for maximum quality, vehicle availability and efficiency. CF Electric Innovation Truck Alongside the LF, CF and XF, DAF shows one of its Innovation Trucks: the DAF CF Electric. The CF Electric is a 4x2 tractor unit developed for up to 40-tonne GCW distribution applications within urban areas. The vehicle uses VDL’s advanced E-Power Technology for fully electric operation. The center of the intelligent powertrain is the 210 kW electric motor drawing energy from the 170 kWh lithium-ion battery pack. The CF Electric has a range of approximately 100 kilometers – suitable for high volume distribution applications. Fast charging of the batteries can be performed in 30 minutes, while a full charge can be completed in as little as 1.5 hours. First series of CF Electric trucks will be put into field test operation with customers this year. 90th Anniversary Edition One of the eye-catchers at the IAA is the DAF XF 90th Anniversary Edition. This highly exclusive truck commemorates the founding of DAF in 1928. The vehicle features a premium options package, exclusive striping and exterior design elements, as well as the most powerful 530 hp/390 kW PACCAR MX-13 engine. DAF’s famous historic logo is proudly displayed on the front of the truck, on the sides and back of the cab, as well as in the luxurious, fully leather upholstered interior. Well positioned for the future “DAF has always provided and always will provide a complete range of excellent trucks that offer the industry’s lowest operating costs, best transport efficiency and highest driver comfort,” said Richard Zink, Director Marketing & Sales and member of the Board of Management of DAF Trucks. “We are building on a rich, 90 year heritage that has resulted in our market leading position. Our strong capabilities will enable us to create trucks and power trains which lead us into the future.” DAF Trucks stand DAF Trucks can be found in Hall 17 of the IAA exhibition complex. Occupying an area of 2,500 m2, the exhibition stand will showcase the complete prize-winning product range, setting the standard in innovation, quality, low operating cost, environmental leadership and vehicle performance. To highlight the importance that DAF Trucks and its 1,100 sales and service dealers attach to a full range of services to support their class leading products, PACCAR Financial, PacLease, PACCAR Parts, TRP and DAF MultiSupport Repair and Maintenance are presented prominently at the DAF IAA stand. .

Today's Trucking / August 29, 2018 .

The S&P 500 vs. everyone who said the market was about to crash .

Ford downgraded by Moody's to one level above junk status Michael Martinez, Automotive News / August 29, 2018 DETROIT -- Roughly six years after Ford Motor Co. returned to investment grade and reclaimed its mortgaged Blue Oval, the automaker is once again in danger of plunging into junk bond status. Moody's Investors Service on Wednesday downgraded Ford to Baa3 from Baa2, a move the credit agency telegraphed earlier this year when it changed its rating outlook on Ford to "negative" from "stable." The agency cited "erosion in the company's global business position and the challenges it will face implementing its Fitness Redesign program." Ford last month said it would undergo an $11 billion global restructuring effort over the next three to five years. "The Fitness program is a necessity, but it will take several years for material financial and operating benefits of the program to be realized," Moody's said. "Success could be challenged by having to address the serious performance problems in multiple business units simultaneously. At the same time, Ford will have to continue investing in the areas critical for the future of the auto industry. These areas include alternative propulsion, autonomous driving, ride sharing and connectivity." Ford shares fell 0.4 percent to close Wednesday at $9.97 in New York. Ford, in a statement, said it's delivered "year after year of solid financial results" since the Great Recession. "The company has a strong balance sheet, which provides financial flexibility," spokesman Brad Carroll said. "We know we can capitalize on our strengths, bolster underperforming products and regions and disposition where we cannot make an appropriate return. We’re confident that as we do, the market will recognize our progress.” Moody's said the prospect of an upgrade to Ford's rating through 2020 is "very modest," and that it could fall to junk status "absent clear progress in pursuing the Fitness initiatives by early to mid-2019, with evidence that the company is on a strong trajectory for recovery." Ford is in the midst of reorganizing its business in North America by slashing $25.5 billion worth of engineering and other costs. That includes a product overhaul that involves cutting virtually all of its sedans, redesigning most of its utilities and adding products in new segments like off-road utilities and midsize pickups. Earlier this week, Ford announced the creation of a new management organization tasked with studying customers to develop more profitable and competitive vehicles.

Ford CEO Jim Hackett talks X's and O's of leadership with Michigan's Jim Harbaugh Nick Bunkley, Automotive News / August 29, 2018 Imagine GM CEO Mary Barra plays on Ohio State's offensive line. That's basically how Jim Hackett pictures her. The Ford Motor Co. CEO says he got the idea from his football coach at the University of Michigan, the late Bo Schembechler. Hackett, a backup center on Schembechler's powerhouse teams in the mid-1970s, was a guest on this week's episode of "Attack Each Day," a weekly podcast hosted by Michigan's current coach, Jim Harbaugh, and his father, Jack. Hackett explained one of Schembechler's motivational strategies: "He would have your position and your name, 'Jim Hackett,' and he'd have the center from Ohio State, and he'd say, 'Are you going to outplay him today?' So I do this thing where I go, 'Is Jim Hackett going to outplay Mary Barra today?' " He continued: "Is Clare Braun, my chief of staff who's here today, is she better than the people at Chrysler? He made you see that competing was what you had to get yourself ready to do." Since replacing Mark Fields as CEO in May 2017, Hackett has talked repeatedly of the need to improve Ford's "fitness," so it can "compete and win." It's clear that his football days were a major influence in how he has approached the business world, in 20 years running the Steelcase furniture company and now in his time at Ford. In between, Hackett did a brief stint as Michigan's interim athletic director and hired Jim Harbaugh to resurrect the Wolverines' troubled football program. Hackett was hailed as a hero in Ann Arbor for nabbing Harbaugh and reversing other unpopular moves by his predecessor, but things haven't quite played out on the field as many fans had hoped. Harbaugh logged a 28-11 record in his first three seasons and has yet to beat Michigan's chief rival, Ohio State. Meanwhile, just a short distance away, it's tough to argue that Hackett is outplaying Barra, at least on the scoreboard that Wall Street and other outsiders can see. Ford's stock price is down, analysts have been agitated by vague messaging, and Hackett has launched a turnaround effort that's more extensive and costly than many experts had anticipated. Hackett said Harbaugh's critics are misguided and short-sighted. "If I hear that," Hackett said, "I ask them if they know football." Hackett's comments left the impression that he, similarly, hasn't been rattled by the mounting questions about his leadership of Ford and intends to keep barreling forward, demanding patience from stockholders and employees. Hackett said he often listens to sports talk radio while commuting from Ann Arbor to Dearborn and grows agitated by callers criticizing Harbaugh, who opens his fourth season this weekend as a one-point underdog against Notre Dame. "One of the things I worry about is I'm going to call in one day," Hackett said near the end of his hourlong appearance on the Harbaughs' podcast. (The episode, released Tuesday, was titled "Think Ford First" and also revealed that Hackett gave Harbaugh a Mustang convertible this summer.) "I can't take some of the mythical -- they don't understand how good we are, how great we have it, so I hold back," Hackett said. "They won't give him enough credit for what he's done since he's here." .

Call Watt's Mack at 1-888-304-6225 and ask for a 32MK53 (black painted) or 32MK53P4 (chrome).

Trailer-Body Builders / August 28, 2018 ROUSH CleanTech, an alternative-fuel technology company, recently developed the first available propane autogas engine certified to California Air Resources Board’s optional low oxides of nitrogen emissions standard for heavy-duty engines with 0.02 grams per brake horsepower-hour (g/bhp-hr). The engine is 90-percent cleaner than the current Environmental Protection Agency’s most stringent 0.2 g/bhp-hr heavy-duty engine standard, ROUSH said. “Last year, we introduced a propane autogas engine that was 75-percent cleaner than the EPA’s emissions standard,” said Todd Mouw, president of ROUSH CleanTech. “But, we knew our next challenge was to meet CARB’s lowest NOx standard at 0.02 g/bhp-hr. “Our newest propane autogas engine reinforces ROUSH CleanTech’s commitment to provide vehicle solutions that reduce the impact to the environment while leveraging an abundant, domestically produced fuel that costs less than diesel.” NOx emissions are regulated under federal air quality standards because they are harmful to human health and the environment, contributing to regional ozone attainment challenges, smog and other air-quality issues. Heavy-duty diesel trucks are the single largest source of NOx emissions, contributing to smog in a majority of the nation’s most populated urban regions. According to the EPA, operating vehicles with ultra-low emission engines can make significant improvements to regional air quality and reduce a wide variety of human health impacts. “In Southern California, the development and deployment of near-zero emission vehicle technologies are critical to meeting clean air standards,” said Wayne Nastri, executive officer for the South Coast Air Quality Management District. “We congratulate ROUSH CleanTech on this achievement.” This new certification covers all of ROUSH CleanTech’s 6.8L V10 3V propane engines for Class 4-7 vehicles. Installation of the new optional ultra-low NOx engines has begun with some 2018 Ford commercial vehicles and Blue Bird Vision propane school buses. ROUSH CleanTech, which has deployed more than 18,000 propane autogas vehicles, will manufacture both the low-NOx 0.05 and ultra-low NOx 0.02 g/bhp-hr propane engines. School, shuttle and transit buses and Class 4-7 medium-duty trucks equipped with ultra-low NOx engines are expected to be very competitive in seeking funding from the Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust settlement, the company said. “The certification of this ultra-clean propane engine could not have come at a more opportune time as private and public fleets can now begin applying for a piece of the $2.9 billion Volkswagen settlement funds,” said Tucker Perkins, president of the Propane Education & Research Council. “The settlement is meant to fund projects that cost-effectively reduce NOx emissions, so vehicles powered by the new ultra-low NOx ROUSH propane autogas engine are an ideal fit for accomplishing this goal.” .