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GAZ Group Press Release / December 6, 2017 The Gorky automobile plant of GAZ Group started production of two new models of commercial vehicles: the light duty truck GAZon NEXT with GVW 10 t and the light commercial vehicle GAZelle NEXT with GVW 4.6 t. The new GAZ products will help to renovate the transport fleets and to improve the efficiency of freight and passenger transportation in the Russian Federation. The payload capacity of the vehicle GAZon NEXT 10 is 5.9 t. This platform will be the base for creation of a wide range of specialized vehicles for municipal and road services, various spheres of business and agriculture. Application of new design solutions - a new rear suspension and an upgraded front suspension, enlarged front wheel track, a longer wheel base - allowed not only to increase the payload capacity but also to improve functionality, comfort and the driving performance of the vehicle. The vehicle features air suspension on the rear axle that makes it possible to adjust the height of the body when loading/unloading and maintain it at a constant level during the ride,providing high smoothness of driving even on rough roads. The suspension is equipped with Monroe hydraulic telescopic shock absorbers and an anti-roll bar The cargo platform with the width Increased by 27 cm can accomodate12 standard europallets (instead of 10 on the previous model). The grearbox is managed through a remote drive (joystick), located on the instrument panel. The brake system of the vehicle is pneumatic, with disc mechanisms in all wheels, with the ABS and ASR systems The YAMZ-534 engine with increased power of 170 h.p. and the maximum torque up to 664 Nm resulted in improved traction-dynamic characteristics of the vehicle and reduced fuel consumption. The spacious and comfortable cabin of GAZon NEXT equipped with a springed driver's seat with anatomical support, five levels of adjustment and waist support, a 2 DIN-recorder with control buttons on the steering wheel and the climate control system Delphi with the function of heated windshield. The driver's cab is made of galvanized steel after double priming and the fenders and wheel arches are made of high-strength plastic providing a high level of protection against corrosion. The light commercial vehicle GAZelle NEXT 4.6 can carry up to 2.6 tons of cargo. Later, the chassis of this vehicle will be the base for creation of a wide range of trucks, vans and minibuses. The structural features of the vehicle are the new rear Spicer axle, the brake system with disc brake mechanisms on all wheels and ABS, the increased width of the cargo platform. In addition to the increased payload capacity of up to 2.6 tons the vehicle differs a cargo platform with the width increased by 10 cm (up to 2160 mm). The vehicle has the drop sides made of a rolled steel profile protected by cataphoretic priming and with a minimal number of weld seams. This provides a high corrosion resistance of the body. The platform of GAZelle NEXT 4.6 absorbed all the advantages of the vehicle GAZelle NEXT 3.5 that was launched in 2013 and is the most popular model in the Russian market of commercial vehicles. It has a strong double-arm independent front suspension, a roomy and comfortable cabin, a highly informative rack and pinion steering, a reinforced frame and a new rear suspension. The project aimed at development and setting up production of GAZelle Next 4.6 is implemented with support of the Russian Industry Development Foundation. .

KrAZ Trucks Press Release / December 5, 2017 A KrAZ-64431 heavy tractor went to Subcarpathia to deliver Ukraine’s New Year Tree. KrAZ Trucks' annual New Year’s gift to Ukrainian capital residents and visitors is delivering the country’s New Year Tree at the company’s expense. A 90-year-old 30-meter-high green beauty will have been delivered to Saint Sophia Square by the beginning of the next week. It will be carried by the KrAZ-64431 truck tractor (6х4) paired with a 30-ton semi-trailer. The company’s line of truck tractors does not include a lot of models but all of them meet all the needs of customers. All the KrAZ truck tractors both AWD and non-AWD models have excellent towing capacity. The KrAZ-64431 truck tractor is mass-production model used for towing semi-trailers on public roads. The truck tractor that went to Subcarpathia is a workhorse of the company’s transportation department fleet used for delivering various cargoes. The classis version features conventional front and rear suspensions with two longitudinal semielliptic springs: front one with two hydraulic shock absorbers and rear one with equalizer bar. It is provided with mechanical power steering, air-operated drum brakes with inner shoes. The cab has a sleeper to create a good rest environment for driver. KrAZ truck tractors are used not only as intended: for carrying various indivisible and heavy loads and towing trailers and semitrailers. In African countries they are used for carrying giant logs through impenetrable jungle. The truck tractor that went to Ivano-Frankovsk region is not provided with through type powertrain but that will not prevent it from coping with lofty and challenging task on forestry rugged terrain. Last year’s New Year Tree was also delivered by KrAZ Trucks, with a KrAZ Model 6446 6х6 tractor/trailer combination. .

Hendrickson Press Release / November 30, 2017 Mario Kress of MKR Technology R&D team speaks out about their fantastic cooperation with Hendrickson: “In only 4 years of getting into Dakar racing, MKR is passing the fast track. Hendrickson contributed with highly developed products that distinguish from common springs by up to 30% weight savings and a high durability. Due to a strong commitment and consistent work with Hendrickson engineering team, the next generation is already in progress. First test results are expected at the end of 2018.” . .

Dana Press Release / November 27, 2017 . . .

Truck News / January 4, 2018 Cummins Westport’s 2018 ISX12N natural gas engine has been certified by the U.S. Environment Protection Agency (EPA) and the California Air Resources Board (CARB). The ISX12N meets CARB’s optional low NOx standard of 0.02 g/bhp-hr, a 90% reduction from engines operating at the current EPA NOx limit of 0.2 g/bhp-hr. The Cummins Westport natural gas offering is the first Class 8 truck engine for larger heavy-duty vehicles to certify to the 0.02 g/bhp-hr optional standard and provides the trucking industry a near-zero emissions solution. “Cummins Westport’s 2018 product line offers customers ultra-low emissions with reliable performance,” said Bart van Aerle, president of Cummins Westport. “The ISX12N near-zero emissions natural gas engine provides truck and bus customers with an industry-leading alternative fuel option for demanding applications.” With production starting February 2018, the ISX12N natural gas engine will be available with ratings from 320hp to 400hp and up to 1,450 lbs.-ft. of torque. The engine is designed for line haul, regional haul, refuse, vocational trucks, motorcoach, and commuter buses. All Cummins Westport engines offer the option of using compressed natural gas, liquefied natural gas, or renewable natural gas as a fuel source.

Geely to invest in heavy-truck maker AB Volvo Bloomberg/Reuters / January 5, 2018 About a decade after Chinese billionaire Li Shufu bought Volvo Car Corp. from Ford Motor Co. and revived the brand, he’s turning his attention to the separately owned Swedish company’s heavy trucks in a bid to expand outside China. Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co. says it plans to buy a stake in AB Volvo from activist investor Cevian Capital AB, making it the truckmaker’s largest shareholder. Sources told Bloomberg that the deal is valued at 3.25 billion euros (25 billion yuan), verifying a report by Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter. The stake, representing 8.2 percent of Volvo’s capital and 16 percent of the votes, would mark Geely’s first foray into the heavy-truck market. In addition to its namesake heavy-vehicle brand, AB Volvo's marques include Mack, Renault Trucks and UD. "Given our experience with Volvo Car Group, we recognize and value the proud Scandinavian history and culture, leading market positions, breakthrough technologies and environmental capabilities of AB Volvo," Li, Geely’s chairman, said in a statement. ‘No plans to merge’ There are "no plans to merge" the two Volvos, a Geely spokesman told Reuters. Last year, Geely bought a 49.9 percent stake in Malaysia’s Proton Holdings as well as 51 percent of Lotus Cars. “Geely is becoming a full-range transportation company and seems to be defining itself as a company that moves people and things,” said Bill Russo, managing director of Gao Feng Advisory Co. “Any device that does this is on their radar.” Geely plans to buy Cevian’s 88.5 million Class A Volvo shares and 78.8 million Class B shares, the two companies said. Last autumn, the Chinese company sought to buy out Cevian’s stake. Board seat Joakim Kenndal, a spokesman at Gothenburg-based Volvo, said the stake sale “came as a surprise.” Geely spokesmen refused to comment on the transaction beyond the company statement. Geely plans to seek board representation, the source said. Cevian has one seat on the Volvo board. Hakan Samuelsson, CEO of Geely’s Volvo Car Group, also sits on the truckmaker’s board. Nomura and Barclays agreed to buy Cevian’s stake in Volvo and sell it to Geely once the purchase has regulatory approval, the Chinese carmaker said. Cevian has long wanted Volvo to divest its construction equipment business. While that hasn’t happened, Volvo has disposed of its information technology business and cut jobs. Revival If the successful revival of Volvo Car Group under Li is any precedent to go by, the transaction may benefit Volvo trucks as well. Li started out making refrigerator parts and later turned a bankrupt state-owned manufacturer into China’s biggest privately owned carmaker. He cemented his reputation as a savvy deal-maker after reviving Volvo Cars after the purchase from Ford in 2010. He gave Volvo’s engineering team the resources to invest in new models. At the same time, he lowered the Swedish manufacturer’s high costs by jointly developing vehicle underpinnings with Geely, while building an assembly plant in China for exports. Swedish Enterprise Minister Mikael Damberg said he welcomed the new investor in Volvo, the country’s largest company by revenue. “The new owner Geely has proven to be a serious investor linked to the development of Volvo Cars, made major investments in Sweden, grown the number of employees and has so far been a success story,” he said to news agency TT. The Chinese company said it plans to use the new tie-up with AB Volvo to enhance the truckmaker’s electrification, autonomous driving and connectivity. While Geely will be the biggest shareholder, it will rank second to investment firm Industrivarden AB in voting rights because Industrivarden owns Class A shares that have greater voting power than Class B stock.

A nice 4670. .

International Harvester Co. Press Release .

International Harvester Australia Ltd. Press Release / 1957 .

Defense Update / December 21, 2017 The Romanian Ministry of National Defence awarded Iveco Defence Vehicles (Iveco DV) a contract for the supply of 173 military trucks to be supplied within 2018. The delivery includes specially designed 6×6 military logistic vehicles from Iveco DV's high mobility truck range. Designed as troop and transport the trucks are equipped with a self-recovery winch, and Central Tyre Inflation System (CTIS) the vehicles offer exceptional mobility and fording capability. The trucks are C-130 air transportable. This is the second batch of Iveco-DV trucks Romania orders. In 2015 Iveco delivered 57 vehicles to the Romanian MOD, This previous batch included high mobility trucks in 6×6, tractor 6×6, 8×8, 8×8 with hook lift, 8×8 with trans container configurations, these vehicles have already been fielded with the Romanian forces. .

Transport Engineer / January 3, 2018 Recycling and renewable energy company Viridor’s Trafford Park, Manchester operation has received nine Volvo trucks, supplementing the six already in its fleet. Logistics unit manager Chris Hanson-Jones said: “After a lengthy national procurement exercise by Viridor, we chose a mixture of Volvo FMX and FE skip loaders and roll-on roll-offs, plus one Volvo FM front end loader.” The new group of rigids was supplied by Thomas Hardie Commercials, which also provides full repair and maintenance for the Trafford Park fleet. The Volvo choice, he added, “comes down to suitability of the vehicle for the job, which comes ahead of cost. The Volvo product is reliable and operates particularly well on landfills.” One of the major aims of the current fleet replacement project is to improve driver safety. “If you are a Viridor Trafford Park driver and you're driving a skip vehicle it will now always be a Volvo chassis cab with a Boughton Engineering skip loader on the back so you'll always be familiar with the vehicle and controls,” Hanson-Jones explained. This should also eliminate one basic cause of driver injuries; missing their footing when entering vehicles, because the steps are in a different place to their usual truck. He added: “It sounds silly, but that's actually a big cause of accidents, especially now that drivers are increasing their efficiency and moving from truck to truck throughout the day.” The other big attraction of Volvo for Viridor is its green credentials, including the D8K and D11K Euro 6 engines and I-Shift transmission. “We deal with big brands like Manchester United and Media City, so ecological concerns are a big part of the tender process we do with them,” he points out. .

Transport Engineer / January 2, 2018 Scottish haulier JL Wilkie & Co says its Volvo FH-540 tractor with I-Shift Dual Clutch transmission has “far exceeded” expectations, with “remarkable” fuel returns. The tractor was one of a pair of new arrivals and the first Volvo trucks to join the Dundee-based operator’s fleet. The other vehicle is an FH-500 with standard I-Shift transmission. Both are 6x2 pusher axle chassis with Globetrotter cabs, and were supplied by Volvo Truck and Bus Centre North & Scotland. Both are specified with Alcoa Dura-Bright alloy wheels, Xenon headlights and Hyva tipping gear. The interiors also feature twin bunks, leather seats, fridge-freezers and microwave ovens. David Wilkie, operations manager at JL Wilkie & Co, says the I-Shift Dual Clutch is “the best gearbox I’ve ever used in a truck”. He adds: “Our operation sees trucks regularly go off-road on to farm access tracks, and the public roads to reach these locations are also challenging. That environment brings its own mpg challenges and includes a fair share of soft surfaces. I-Shift Dual Clutch never requires any manual intervention and it never gets stuck in the mud, as there’s no interruption to power delivery.” Using Dynafleet, Volvo’s fleet management system, Wilkie is monitoring fuel performance for both vehicles. The FH-540 I-Shift Dual Clutch transmission is delivering better figures than its standard I-Shift stablemate, although Wilkie expects returns from the latter to improve as the vehicle beds in. “But the current returns from I-Shift Dual Clutch are remarkable. That transmission is undoubtedly the future and it has to be specified with every new truck we order from now on.” Both trucks are supplied on a four-year contract hire with Volvo Gold Plus R&M contracts. .

Commercial Motor / January 3, 2018 To mark our middle East special issue, featuring the Top 10 Best Middle East books in this week's issue of Commercial Motor (on sale 4-10 January), we are giving away a complete set of our favourites (including a DVD) to one lucky reader. Old Pond has a comprehensive and exciting selection of books and DVDs on the long-distance road haulage routes that became collectively known as the Middle East runs, and you can enjoy them first hand by answering the following question: What, according to our book round-up, was Astran Transport previously known as? A - Asian Transport B - Asia Transport Email your answer with the subject Old Pond Competition to competitions@roadtransport.com, including a contact number and your full mailing address. A winner will be picked at random and their details sent to Old Pond, which will dispatch the set to you. The deadline for entries is 12pm on 11 January. .

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Team PETRONAS De Rooy IVECO on the podium in the first stage of the Africa Eco Race 2018 Iveco Trucks Press Release / January 3, 2017 Team PETRONAS De Rooy IVECO placed its two IVECO Powerstar trucks in the top 10 in the first stage of the tough rally raid competition. Gerard de Rooy crossed the finish line in third position, followed by Wuf Van Ginkel in sixth, having tackled the difficult stony and dusty conditions of the track. The 10th edition of the Africa Eco Race is underway, with a record number of competitors. The participants started early in the morning of Tuesday 2nd January in the Moroccan port town of Nador, with the short, 92-km first stage taking them from Ameziane to Merada, across cultivated areas with hard ground on tracks made of mostly gravel and rocks. This is familiar terrain for the Team PETRONAS De Rooy IVECO pilots Gerard De Rooy and Wuf Van Ginkel, who have both driven on rallies in Morocco in the past. Gerard De Rooy, Team leader, made his mark right from the first stage of the competition on board his #400 IVECO Powerstar with his experienced co-pilot Moi Torrallardona and the technical support of mechanic Darek Rodewald. He finished in third position, 5’25” behind the leader, Russian Vladimir Vasilyev. He was careful on this first stage to avoid the risk of punctures on the stony ground of the track. Wuf Van Ginkel finished in sixth position on the second IVECO Powerstar (#403) with co-pilot Erik Kofman and mechanic Bert van Donkelaar. The Sentinel warning system that signals the arrival of a faster vehicle or a stationary one on the track was not working on any of the trucks, making it difficult to overtake: “it took a lot of time to overtake small SSVs and slower cars took a lot of time” commented Gerard de Rooy. The second stage will take the competitors on a 443-km route, which will include the renowned dune section of Erg Chebbi. Follow all developments on www.iveco.com/TeamPetronasDeRooyIveco IVECO will keep fans updated during the rally on www.iveco.com/TeamPetronasDeRooyIveco with daily updates from Africa published in English. Social media channels and the IVECO press site will also be updated with news, reports, videos and photos. . .

FORD: A strong finish, thanks to trucks Michael Martinez, Automotive News / January 3, 2018 Ford Motor Co.'s U.S. light-vehicle sales rose 1.3 percent in December, driven by strong light-truck sales. But those gains couldn't overcome a rough year for car sales, as Ford's full-year volume fell 0.9 percent from 2016. Still, the Ford brand retained the title of best-selling U.S. brand for the eighth year in a row, and the F series was America's best-selling truck for the 41st straight year. Brands: Ford rose 2.4% in December and declined 0.9% on the year; Lincoln declined 17% in December and 0.5% on the year Notable nameplates: F series up 2.1% in December to finish the year at 896,764; Mustang up 9.2% in the first full month for the freshened 2018 model; Fusion down 8.8%; Explorer up 31%; Edge up 7.6%; Escape up 1.8%; Focus up 9.7%; Lincoln Continental down 34%; Lincoln Navigator up 30%. Incentives: $4,662 per vehicle, up 9.9% from a year earlier, according to ALG. Average transaction price: $37,958 per vehicle, up 4.6% from a year earlier, ALG said. Fleet mix: 27.2%, 3.7 percentage points higher than a year ago. 29% year-to-date, down 0.1 percentage points. Inventory: 630,435 vehicles, representing a 68-day supply. That's down from 659,977 vehicles, a 78-day supply, a month ago. Quote: "We're really well positioned from an inventory standpoint heading into 2018,"said Mark LaNeve, Ford's head of U.S. marketing, sales and service. Did you know? Ford's fleet sales to rental-car companies ended the year at 11.1 percent of total sales, in line with Ford guidance. Daily rental sales had been at 11 percent each of the past three years, Ford said.

Ford's downshift defect recall could expand, NHTSA says Jackie Charniga, Automotive News / January 2, 2018 Federal safety regulators are investigating whether to reopen and expand a previous Ford recall by more than a million vehicles for unexpected downshifting. The initial 2016 recall affected more than 153,000 Ford F-150, Ford Expedition, Lincoln Navigator and Ford Mustang vehicles from the 2011-12 model years. A second recall would increase that number to an estimated 1,375,577 vehicles affected, and expand into the 2013 model year. Since the initial recall, NHTSA's Office of Defect Investigations received 123 complaints of select Ford vehicles with automatic transmission slipping unexpectedly into first gear, "causing the vehicle to slow down suddenly without warning," according to documents published Dec. 25. The unexpected downshift can also lock up the rear tires, or cause them to skid. The defect investigations office said it has received reports of two crashes and no injuries. Several complaints allege their vehicles were not included in the initial recall despite having the same defect. Other reports to the office say that attempts to fix the problem in recalled vehicles have been unsuccessful.

Major security flaw found in Intel processors The Guardian / January 3, 2017 A security flaw has been found in virtually all Intel processors that will require fixes within Windows, macOS and Linux. Developers are currently scrambling behind the scenes to fix the significant security hole within the Intel chips, with patches already available within some versions of Linux and some testing versions of Windows, although the fixes are expected to significantly slow down computers. The specific details of the flaw, which appears to affect virtually all Intel processors made in the last decade and therefore millions of computers running virtually any operating system, have not been made public. But details of the fixes being developed point to issues involving the accessing of secure parts of a computer’s memory by regular programs. It is feared that the security flaw within the Intel processors could be used to access passwords, login details and other protected information on the computer. “Modern operating systems rely upon Intel’s chips to provide some essential security services – but if a flaw has been found then the operating systems themselves will need to be updated to do the job that they believed Intel’s chips were doing properly,” said independent security expert Graham Cluley. The fixes involve moving the memory used by the core of the computer’s operating system, known as the kernel, away from that used by normal programs. In that way, normal programs, including anything from javascript from a website to computer games, cannot be manipulated to exploit the hole and gain access to the protected kernel memory. But implementing the fix is expected to significantly affect the performance of the computer, making some actions up to around 30% slower. While normal computer users could see performance problems, the security flaw also affects cloud servers, with Amazon, Microsoft and Google all expected to have to fix the bug with similar performance-reducing patches. The exact severity of the flaw has not yet been publicly disclosed, but the lengths being taken by the various operating system developers to fix something indicates that they view it as a serious problem that apparently cannot be patched with a small update. “The good news is that it sounds as if this flaw has been known about (but kept quiet) for a couple of months. The bad news is that users will once again have to install a security update, and businesses are likely to have to restart thousands of computers to apply the fixes,” said Cluley. More details are expected to be divulged as soon as the end of this week, along with fixes for operating systems.

Chris Bruckner, dealer principal of Brucker Truck Sales, said allowing gliders puts his 26 Mack and Volvo dealerships at an unfair disadvantage in the marketplace. Additionally, he said that existing gliders avoiding the excise tax are skirting money that is needed for the Highway Trust Fund. “We miss out on the sales of the very vehicles that would be deployed in the construction and repair of highway infrastructure,” said Brucker, adding that “I simply want a level playing field so that we can fairly compete.” Chris, when Volvo took over Mack and discontinued the sale of glider kits, you had the freedom to dump the Mack franchise and take on another brand that still offered glider kits, if you felt that lacking glider kit product would impair your distributor's ability to compete in the market place. You made your decision to stay put.....don't complain now. Rather, you should join the Mack distributor council in demanding from Volvo the return of Mack glider kit offerings. .