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Sean Kilcarr, Fleet Owner / April 5, 2017 Upward trend is expected to continue through May. Some analysts fear a mid-year lull in orders could develop. Class 8 net orders reached 22,800 units in March, slightly above expectations and much higher than a year ago for the third consecutive month. Though Class 8 net order volumes were essentially flat month-over-month, they were up 41% year-over-year in March with order backlogs now close to where they were a year ago. Orders are forecast to stay close to this level through May, similar in trend to 2013, with Class 8 orders over the past six months now annualizing to a Class 8 build rate of 243,000 units per year. “March orders are reflective of a more normal Class 8 market in a moderate, freight-driven upcycle,” an analyst said. “Replacement cycles are now getting back into a more traditional pattern. This reflects growing fleet confidence as they see freight growth returning after a difficult 2016. There is renewed optimism in the industry.” Analysts describe the current Class 8 order trend as a “reserved, contained market upswing,” meaning it will be easier for OEMs to increase builds gradually and that prices won’t fluctuate as much. “It provides some market stability,” one said. “It is good for the industry and a good sign for the economy in the second half of the year.” One analyst recently expressed an “uneasy feeling” about the ongoing increase in Class 8 build rates, largely due to worries regarding a potential “mid-year lull” in orders. “The large fleets are not buying much equipment given the lack of increases in freight rates that would typically coincide with a period of sustained strength in equipment orders,” he explained. According to one analysis, the industry currently is currently oversupplied with trucks by about 6% to 7%, largely due to the “very strong production volumes” in 2014 and 2015. “Typically, improvements in freight rates lead an uptick in equipment orders; that has not been the case this time with freight rates flattish and with spot rates still considerably below contract rates,” he said. “Therefore, the recent uptick in orders have come more in anticipation of a recovery in the freight markets rather than reacting to an improvement in the freight markets,” the analyst pointed out. “That gives us concern regarding whether the recent order pattern is sustainable, or whether increases in 2017 production estimates … will simply come at the expense of 2018 production.” Preliminary medium-duty sales data indicates North American net orders for Class 5-7 trucks increased to 24,200 units in March, up 5% from February and 3% compared to March 2016. While those comparisons were modest, March’s preliminary numbers represented the biggest month for medium-duty orders in just over nine years or since February 2008.

Cambodia clearly wants to be in bed with China. Great, their right to choose. But darn if my tax dollars are going to be spent building......anything.......in Cambodia. As it is, U.S. taxpayers now have to "unnecessarily" pay to rebuild an elevated federal interstate highway (I-85/Atlanta) because an "entitled" individual (Basil Eleby) while smoking crack started a fire under it. If I was king for a day, out of pure principle, I would deny him a (taxpayer-paid) public defender, disconnect him from government assistance (welfare, ect.), seize his assets (crack money) and garnish his wages for the rest of his life. .

Cambodia scraps US military aid deal in latest snub to Washington The Financial Times / April 5, 2017 Expulsion of ‘Seabees’ reflects regional tilt away from America and towards China Cambodia has scrapped a long-running US military aid programme in the latest sign of a Southeast Asian nation tilting away from Washington and towards Beijing. Phnom Penh has asked the US Navy Mobile Construction Battalion — known as the Seabees — to leave without explanation after nine years in the country, the US embassy in Cambodia said. Cambodia this year cancelled a joint military exercise with the US while Hun Sen, the prime minister of 32 years, has revived a campaign to scrap debt to Washington racked up during the regional wars of the 1970s. The moves by Phnom Penh, long a Chinese ally, echo shifts away from Washington in fellow Southeast Asian countries including the Philippines, Malaysia and Thailand. Cambodia notified the US last week of the indefinite postponement of the Seabees’ “community service” work, which included building maternity wards, water wells and school bathrooms, the US embassy said. “We would refer you to the Cambodian government for an explanation of their decision to curtail this long-term co-operation,” it added. Phay Siphan, a Cambodian government spokesman, referred questions to the ministry of defence. General Chhum Socheat, defence ministry spokesman, said he knew nothing about the decision. Prime Minister Hun Sen has used Trump’s arrival in the White House to renew calls for the cancellation of hundreds of millions of dollars of US loans made in the 1970s to the Washington-backed Lon Nol regime, which took power in a coup. Hun Sen, Asia’s longest-ruling leader, has over the years been irritated by US criticism of his efforts to concentrate power. Legal cases have been mounted against his leading opponents, while a law change this year allows the government to apply to the courts to have the main opposition Cambodia National Rescue party dissolved. Cambodia in January postponed its annual joint Angkor Sentinel military exercise with the US, saying its military was too busy with an anti-drug crackdown and local elections due in June. In December, Cambodia held the first “Golden Dragon” joint military maneuvers with China. The drill was part of growing Chinese security involvement in Cambodia, including the construction of a new deepwater port and the sale of helicopters and shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles. Hun Sen’s 3,000-strong prime ministerial bodyguard, a private army equipped with armored personnel carriers, missile launchers and Chinese-made machine guns, in 2010 formed an unusual “military-commercial alliance” with a Chinese-controlled company.

Scania Group Press Release / April 3, 2017 Danish food wholesaler Catering Engros has saved 22,000 euro in one year through the Scania driver coaching concept. And the best part is that the drivers are equally pleased. “It is only during the last few years that we’ve started partnering with Scania. We like Scania’s concept with their services and focus on fuel economy,” says Distribution Manager Allan Klose, Catering Engros. He has always been in the logistics industry, including 12 years as a driver. “We’ve had so much success with Scania Driver Coaching that a coaching facility nowadays is mandatory in our tenders. Our customers have increasing environmental demands and at the same time we can save so much money.” Catering Engros received its first Scania in spring 2015 and 16 drivers were offered Scania Driver Coaching. Almost immediately, the results were apparent on weekly reports. “It was great to see the results so quickly and drivers were also pleased.” Each Monday, the company sends reports to the 40 coached drivers. For them it is a personal challenge to follow performance on Driver Support while driving. Most drivers quickly accepted coaching while others were more sceptical, especially the most experienced drivers. “We had one driver who from the start flatly refused to participate in this what he called ‘nonsense’ but declared that he reluctantly would take the course and that would be the end of it.” Now, no one is more engaged in economical driving than he is. “He was used to driving at full speed but after the course, he began driving a full kilometre further on one litre of fuel than he did previously. He also applies the same skills when driving his own car and says he saves roughly a full tank per month.” For Catering Engros, economical driving has resulted in satisfied drivers and economic benefits in other areas as well. “We’ve noted that when the trucks are running smoothly, we’re getting longer and longer intervals between maintenance although we don’t, as yet, have hard data.” Driver Henrik Juul, who has participated in coaching activities since November 2015, has had his truck driver’s licence for 30 years. “From the very start, I thought it was a good idea. I like the idea with sustainability and economy, and what is saved is gained.” His colleague, Thomas Pedersen joined the coaching programme in March 2016. “When I first got the call from the coach, I was adamant there was nothing he could teach me about how to drive a truck. But then we had a little chat about things and I agreed to give it a chance. I soon discovered the competitive aspect and went from an average of 2.1 km/litre to 3.7–3.9 km/litre. My driving style has changed completely and probably made me a little more laid-back.” Scania Driver Academy Manager Erling Petersen at Scania Danmark says signed-up transporters can expect an average 16-percent fuel saving with a ‘no cure, no pay’ guarantee if fuel savings do not cover the investment in driver coaching. He underlines that coaching has several more benefits in addition to fuel savings. “Uptime is improved through fewer days on workshop and lower maintenance costs,” he says. “There are examples of a threefold increase in brake pad lifetime and at the same time significantly less wear on tyres.” .

Mack brand press release / April 3, 2017 The New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) trusts a fleet of Mack refuse trucks to pick up more than 12,000 tons of municipal trash, every day. .

Then you have an MS200P, based on the VIN, with air-over-hydraulic brakes. Be sure to flush the brake fluid with new. I'm sure they've been ignored and corroding condensation is in the system. I imagine at this point, wheel cylinders (in the states) are quite expensive. I suggest Motul..............http://www.motul.com/fr/en/products/dot-3-4-brake-fluid

EPA Certifies Landi Renzo's CNG Medium-Duty Ford Trucks Heavy Duty Trucking / April 3, 2017 The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has certified Landi Renzo's dedicated compressed natural gas (CNG) versions of six medium-duty Ford trucks from the 2017 model year. The Torrance, Calif.-based vehicle modifier can now move forward with sales of dedicated CNG versions of Ford's F-450, F-550, F-650, and F-750 chassis cab trucks, as well as the F-53 and F-59 stripped chassis trucks. The trucks use Ford's 6.8L V-10 gasoline engine with a gaseous prep package. Last month, Landi Renzo USA announced it would begin offering a ship-through channel for customers to take delivery of converted CNG trucks and vans using Ford's existing distribution network from Ford's Ohio Assembly Plant.

Fleet Owner / April 3, 2017 Hendrickson announces through advanced bushing design and innovative construction, TRAXX ROD, a new benchmark for vocational torque rods, in weight and bushing walk-out performance. According to the company, the TRAXX ROD design achieves up to 3x longer life versus conventional forged or cast torque rods. TRAXX ROD bushings and rod bodies are specifically designed for each capacity and application criteria. The flexible rod design can accommodate a straddle or taper pin bushing and package with any hub size and length, the company noted. “The TRAXX ROD Family of torque rods has set a new benchmark for durability and performance. With its fabricated construction, this lightweight solution is now the benchmark for heavy-duty applications worldwide,” said Gerry Remus, general manager of sales and business development for Hendrickson Truck Commercial Vehicle Systems.

Fleet Owner / April 4, 2017 Company says this new tactic is one of 24 “product expectation” topics being addressed by its engineers at annual SAE gathering. Reducing weight is becoming a major engineering focus for light vehicle and commercial equipment manufacturers alike largely as part of an overall effort to generate fuel economy gains. Along those lines, the U.S. division of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA US LLC) is experimenting with “poking holes” in car and light truck frame assemblies at precise locations the reduce weight. Phil Jansen, head of product development for FCA–North America, explained this week at WCX 2017, the annual international gathering of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) in Michigan, that weight reduction is a key contributor to improved fuel economy and can be achieved by using less material. The challenge, he said, is determining which components can withstand weight reduction – and by how much – while still satisfying customer expectations for vehicle durability and performance. To that end, FCA US engineers developed multiple algorithms to quickly and precisely determine the optimal size and shape of “lightening holes” and can apply them to any number of vehicle components. The company said simulations using those algorithms on virtual truck-frame components, for example, produced weight savings of 3% to 5%. “With such a tool at their disposal, [our] vehicle development teams can accelerate their work, which benefits customers by reducing the time required to bring new products to market,” Jansen noted in a statement. “Such progress bodes well for our ongoing investigation of strategic material placement.”

Your truck's VIN, the last 6 numbers after the zero......does it begin with an 8 ?

Why does the customer have to pay "extra" for wheel-well liners, an important part that used to be included with the trucks? It's shocking what some automakers are doing today. .

https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/40235-ford-truck-targets-middle-east-bound-long-distance-fleets/

Quality takes toll on Ford exec bonuses Automotive News / April 2, 2017 Ford Motor Co. fell short of its internal quality targets in 2016, meaning executives lost out on hundreds of thousands of bonus dollars. The automaker's top brass achieved 52 percent of the quality goals its board of directors set in 2016, down from 118 percent in 2015, according to its annual shareholder proxy statement released last week. Ford measures quality in three ways: things gone wrong at three months of ownership, customer satisfaction at three months of ownership, and warranty spending per business unit. Each of those three metrics is recorded for Ford's five business regions: North America, South America, Europe, Middle East and Africa, and Asia Pacific. Ford hit 41 percent of its goals for things gone wrong, 27 percent of its customer satisfaction goals, and 88 percent of its warranty goals. Ford declined to break down each segment performance across the company's individual business units. It did say that its North American performance on things gone wrong was similar in 2015 and 2016, but the company set more stringent targets for itself last year. Door-latch recall Part of the miss stems from a $640 million warranty hit Ford took in the third quarter for a recall of 1.5 million vehicles with faulty door latches. The Ford brand ranked 15th out of 29 brands in Consumer Reports' annual owner satisfaction study.In that study, 72 percent of owners said they'd buy a Ford again. Lincoln ranked 12th, with 73 percent of owners saying they would buy the brand again. The survey focused on the 2014-17 model years. The quality shortfall drove down Ford's overall performance measurements -- used as the basis for executive bonuses -- to 76 percent in 2016, down from 113 percent in 2015. Management achieved 8 percent of their targets for automotive segment revenue and 82 percent of Ford Credit pretax profit goals. They exceeded expectations for automotive operating margin and operating cash flow. Bonus cuts The missed expectations were costly. CEO Mark Fields, for example, made a $2.7 million incentive bonus from hitting 76 percent of Ford's total goals. He could have earned $864,000 more if the company reached 100 percent. Fields' total compensation was $22.1 million, which included a $2.5 million equity incentive grant for the progress he's made expanding the company's alternative mobility services. (For details, see chart). Joe Hinrichs, president of the Americas, would have made an additional $255,120; Executive Chairman Bill Ford would have made an additional $240,000; President of Europe, Middle East and Africa Jim Farley could have made an additional $222,000; and CFO Bob Shanks could have earned an additional $207,360. The compensation committee of Ford's board of directors has set 2017 targets, which will be disclosed in next year's proxy. Ford's annual shareholders meeting will be May 11, but this year it will be virtual. Normally the meeting has been held in Delaware, where the automaker is incorporated. Bill Ford said in a statement that the virtual meeting "will enable us to increase shareholder accessibility, while improving efficiency and reducing costs." Shareholders will be able to listen, vote and submit questions from any location with Internet connectivity. On the agenda again is a shareholder proposal to end Ford's two-tier class stock system, which allows family members to maintain control of the company. Compensation for Ford executives Base salary Bonuses Stock awards Total* Mark Fields $1.8 million $2.7 milllion $14.3 million $22.1 million Bill Ford $1.6 million $760,000 $8.7 million $13.9 million Joe Hinrichs $1.1 million $807,880 $3.9 million $6.7 million Jim Farley $918,750 $703,000 $3.6 million $6.6 million Bob Shanks $858,000 $656,640 $3.8 million $6.3 million *Includes changes in pension value and deferred compensation earnings, and other compensation including perquisites such as private use of company aircraft. Source: Proxy statement

Ford recalls F-250 pickups that could roll while in park Reuters / April 1, 2017 Ford Motor Co. is recalling about 52,600 F-250 [Super-Duty] pickup trucks sold in the United States and Canada because the vehicles could roll after the driver moves the automatic transmission lever into park position, the company said on Saturday. The recall, the third announced by Ford this week, affects 2017 model year F-250 vehicles powered by 6.2-liter gasoline engines and built in its Louisville, Kentucky, truck plant, it said in a statement. Ford said it was unaware of any injuries or accidents associated with the issue.

The New York Times / March 31, 2017 Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, President Trump’s daughter and son-in-law, will remain the beneficiaries of a sprawling real estate and investment business still worth as much as $740 million, despite their new government responsibilities, according to ethics filings released by the White House Friday night. Ms. Trump will also maintain a stake in the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C. The hotel, just down the street from the White House, has drawn protests from ethics experts who worry that foreign governments or special interests could stay there in order to curry favor with the administration. It is unclear how Ms. Trump would earn income from that stake. Mr. Kushner’s financial disclosures said that Ms. Trump earned between $1 million and $5 million from the hotel between January 2016 and March 2017, and put the value of her stake at between $5 million and $25 million. The disclosures were part of a broad, Friday-night document release by the White House that exposed the assets of as many as 180 senior officials to public scrutiny. The reports showed the assets and wealth of senior staff members at the time they entered government service. Those disclosures included the assets of Gary D. Cohn, the former president of Goldman Sachs who now leads the National Economic Council, Kellyanne Conway, the pollster and counsel to Mr. Trump and Stephen K. Bannon, the chief strategist to the president. Mr. Bannon disclosed $191,000 in consulting fees he earned from Breitbart News Network, the conservative media organization, $125,333 from Cambridge Analytica, a data firm that worked for the Trump campaign, and $61,539 in salary from the Government Accountability Institute, a conservative nonprofit organization. All three are backed by Robert Mercer and his daughter Rebekah, financiers and major Republican donors. Mr. Bannon’s most valuable asset was Bannon Strategic Advisors Inc., a privately held consulting firm into which income from his other investments appeared to flow. It was valued at between $5 million and $25 million. He also held bank accounts valued at up to $2.25 million, and rental real estate worth as much as $10.5 million. Kellyanne Conway earned at least $842,614 last year, and perhaps slightly more, the filings show. Her assets are valued at between $11 million and at least $44.2 million. Mr. Cohn is far wealthier, with assets valued between $253 million and $611 million, and income last year as high as $77 million. Another White House official, Reed Cordish, who heads up technology initiatives, accumulated assets as a Maryland developer valued as high as $424 million. Mr. Trump’s administration is considered the most wealthy in American history, with members of his senior staff and cabinet worth an estimated $12 billion, according to a tally by Bloomberg. The Friday filings will add voluminous detail to that top-line figure. The White house chief of staff, Reince Priebus, for example, earned at least $1.18 million — nearly half of which came from the Republican National Committee, which he formerly led. His assets totaled between $604,008 and at least $1.26 million. Until January, Mr. Kushner was the chief executive of Kushner Companies, a family-run real estate investment firm with holdings across the country. It is a growing business that has taken part in at least $7 billion of acquisitions over the past decade. Although Mr. Kushner has stepped down from his management positions at the more than 200 entities that operated aspects of the family real estate business, he will remain a beneficiary of a vast majority of the business he ran for the past decade, through a series of trusts that already owned the various real estate companies. The plan laid out on Friday “is not sufficient,” said Larry Noble, a former general counsel and chief ethics officer for the Federal Election Commission. “While removing himself from the management of the businesses is an important step, he is still financially benefiting from how the businesses do. This presents potential for a conflict of interest. Given his level in the White House and broad portfolio, it’s hard to see how he will recuse himself from everything that may impact his financial interest.” While the filing discloses Mr. Kushner’s personal lenders, it does not provide information on his business partners or lenders to his projects. His real estate firm has borrowed money from the likes of Goldman Sachs, the Blackstone Group, Deutsche Bank and the French bank Natixis. It also received loans from Israel’s largest bank, Bank Hapoalim, which is the subject of a United States Justice Department investigation into allegations that it helped wealthy Americans evade taxes using undeclared accounts. Most recently, his firm’s flagship property at 666 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan was the subject of controversy: Around the time his father-in-law received the Republican nomination last spring, Mr. Kushner’s firm began conversations with a Chinese company with ties to some of the Communist Party’s leading families about a plan to invest billions of dollars in the troubled office tower. Mr. Kushner’s company and the Chinese firm, Anbang Insurance Group, agreed to end the talks on Wednesday after weeks of negative publicity about the deal, criticized as a bailout of the Kushners. The building had already been rescued by a number of prominent firms, including the private equity giant Carlyle Group, and Zara, the Spanish fashion retailer founded and owned by Amancio Ortega, one of the world’s wealthiest men. Mr. Kushner has divested his stakes in any businesses connected to that property. The disclosures do not reveal the names of investors and lenders to ventures that Mr. Kushner is retaining a stake in. For example, the form shows Mr. Kushner is retaining a stake in a limited liability corporation that owns a Trump-branded luxury rental high-rise building in Jersey City worth as much as $5 million. That project was financed with tens of millions of dollars from wealthy Chinese investors through a controversial visa-for-sale program called EB-5. However, the filing does not disclose the names of any of those investors — or partners in any of his other projects. “We don’t know who the business partners are in many of these investments,” Mr. Noble said, “and those business partners may also have interests that will be affected by how he advises the government. And that’s a concern.” “He could have foreign business partners who have a real interest in policy, and he may be advising the president on those policies,” Mr. Noble added. “This is a dark area where we just don’t know what’s going on.” In all, the Kushner company owns more than 20,000 apartments and approximately 14 million square feet of office space. Previous disclosures by the United States Office of Government Ethics showed that Mr. Kushner had divested his interests in several entities, mostly partnerships connected to a venture capital firm run by his brother, Joshua, called Thrive Capital, that invests in technology firms like Instagram. He also shed his interests in funds run by the private equity giant Blackstone Group — whose chief executive, Stephen A. Schwarzman, is an economic adviser to Mr. Trump — as well as BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager. Over all, he has shed his stakes in 58 businesses. He is still the sole primary beneficiary of a majority of the trusts that will retain assets, with his children as the secondary beneficiaries. Mr. Kushner was required to submit some limited financial information for his wife, Ms. Trump, who will continue to receive payments from the Trump Organization as well as her fashion brand. Ms. Trump, who now serves as an assistant to the president, resigned from her leadership roles at both companies. Instead of performance-based payments, Ms. Trump will receive fixed payments from T International Realty, the family’s luxury brokerage agency, as well as fixed fees from two entities related to real estate projects, the documents show. Ms. Trump had previously rolled her fashion brand into the Ivanka M. Trump Business Trust, which is overseen by her brother-in-law, Josh Kushner, and sister-in-law, Nicole Meyer. The documents released on Friday valued the trust at more than $50 million. The brand is largely a licensing operation, meaning that it sells the use of Ms. Trump’s name to partners who manufacture her clothes, shoes and other accessories. Since it is privately held, little is known about the company’s financials, but The New York Times has previously reported that revenues were roughly between $4 million and $6 million in 2013, before the debut of a major partnership. The disclosure forms released Friday for less senior White House staff members were not reviewed by the federal Office of Government Ethics. Only the White House Counsel’s Office examines their assets to determine if there are potential conflicts, and to decide what steps employees must take to sell assets, resign positions or recuse themselves from decisions. Already, a complaint has been filed against at least one White House staff member for taking actions that might benefit his own financial interests. Christopher P. Liddell, an assistant to the president and the director of strategic initiatives, had been the chief financial officer of companies including Microsoft, International Paper and General Motors before taking his White House job. Until recently, he also owned stock in General Motors, according to disclosure forms, among more than 750 other companies. But in late January and early February, according to a complaint filed by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, Mr. Liddell participated in meetings that involved several of the companies in which he still owned a total of about $2 million in stock, including International Paper and General Motors. Mr. Liddell, according to disclosures, sold these stock holdings by mid-February. “It is Ethics 101 — the most basic thing you are not supposed to do: using your official capacity to benefit your financial interest,” said Norman Eisen, who served as a White House ethics lawyer during the Obama administration and now is a co-chairman of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.

Commercial Motor TV - sponsored by DAF Trucks / March 31, 2017 .

Scania Group Press Release / April 1, 2017 The Scania S-series, which has been crowned Truck of the Year 2017, introduces a more spacious cab than ever with a flat floor. But Scania is now examining how this roomier cab can be gainfully used in new applications. The first of these is the Limited Cuisine Edition, whereby the cab has been fitted with purpose-built cooking utilities. “Although many drivers are content with the microwave, we’ve been well aware for some time that more discerning drivers require a higher level of cookery,” says Marcus Simmer, Head of Special Cab Design at Scania. “We can now offer them an attractive alternative.” Drivers that spend nights in cabs often feel that the limited and monotonous fast food selection at roadside stops is nutritionally and aesthetically unsatisfactory. “There are many gifted cooks among drivers that are frustrated by the inadequate cooking opportunities that they have when they are on the road.” The truck has been specially equipped with a small state-of-the-art electric cooker with induction hob and a vertical chimney hood with an exterior exhaust. A separate storage cupboard has been added for cooking utensils. “Although this is our largest cab, it’s been challenging to fit in the extra equipment without compromising comfort and safety features,” says Simmer. Scania called on renowned Swedish chef, Jimmie Hensson, to provide expertise in designing the equipment. “We’re not striving for fine dining but there should be adequate facilities for making a tasty and wholesome meal,” he says. “I’m passionate about food and thrilled by the idea that Scania has realised the needs of this overlooked group.” Extensive field trials in the French region of Alsace – home to many Michelin-starred restaurants – have confirmed that enough owners and drivers are prepared to pay a little extra for cooking facilities. “I can easily recoup the added cost in lower restaurant bills,” says French driver Antoine Sauté of the haulage firm Poisson D’avril. “Although space is limited, I’ve no problems at all in preparing tasty dishes. And the best thing is that I’ve won new friends; cooking for one is never fun and fellow truckers have been enthusiastic when I have invited them to dine with me.” The Limited Cuisine Edition, which has already been dubbed the ‘Scania Chefline’, is initially being marketed in Europe, but Scania is also examining the possibility of introducing the concept to the Asian market, where drivers will soon be able to wok and roll. .

30 years of axle production at the Salzgitter plant | 200 new jobs and investments of €30 million | Production of MAN and Scania axles on a single assembly line MAN Truck & Bus Press Release / March 29, 2017 MAN Truck & Bus has put its new assembly line for axle production at its Salzgitter plant into operation. From 2018 onward, it will see non-driven MAN- and Scania-branded axles roll of the line next to each other. This is a joint large-scale MAN and Scania project in the field of production. MAN Truck & Bus has put its new assembly line for axle production at its Salzgitter plant into operation. From 2018 onward, it will see non-driven MAN and Scania axles roll off the line next to each other. This is a joint large-scale MAN and Scania project in the field of production. Plant manager Thomas Rennemann is delighted: “The new direction that the MAN Salzgitter site is taking within the context of our PACE2017 program for the future is continuing to take shape through this. We have invested €30 million in a new, state-of-the-art assembly line. Around 200 new jobs are set to be created in connection with this, which is good news for Salzgitter and the region. Our plant plays a key role in Volkswagen’s commercial vehicle holding group Volkswagen Truck & Bus. Chairman of the Works Council Hilmar Pawel adds: “We are pleased that we finally have a unique selling point within the Group and we will do everything to keep axle production future-proof.” Workforce and Management joined in celebrations to mark the ramp-up of the new axle assembly line and 30 years of axle assembly in Salzgitter. 30 years of axle assembly in Salzgitter – Milestones Summer 1986: Assembly of the first axle in Salzgitter The new assembly line in Salzgitter was primarily taken over 1:1 from Braunschweig for cost reasons Production of around 100 front axles in the early shift alone on the front axle line First paint robot in axle assembly Type label printer the first “computer” Production of the LT-40 axles (front and rear axles) for Volkswagen (extended workbench) right up to the 1990s Approximately 90 workers employed in axle production Exclusive assembly of drum brakes (brake pads with asbestos, loud impact wrenches, solvent-based paint Around the turn of the century: Setup of A1 and A2 lines Up to three shifts Production of MAN hydrodrive axles since 2006 Over 100,000 axles for the first time in 2006 2008 through 2009 Restructuring of axle assembly | Dismantling of the old A3 line and setup of the current A0 and A3 lines Material made available pre-commissioned on the line thanks to a driverless transportation system o Annual capacity of 141,000 axles in two shifts 2012 and 2013 Awarded the “MNPS-Award Achse” for the flow of materials Axle the beacon area for “end-to-end business health management” Still to come The A5 line, which will make the cooperation with Scania visible Around 200 new jobs are set to be created in order to provide the Volkswagen Truck & Bus Group with non-driven axles Investments in the region of €30 million 940 axles to be assembled per day in two shifts in the future New technologies in the field of painting to be used for the first time at MAN (CO2 washer, dry filter for paint residues) 16 robots to ensure correct corrosion protection in the future 76 driverless transportation vehicles are to be used for assembly and logistics tasks .

Ford CEO Fields' compensation rose 19% last year Automotive News / March 31, 2017 Percentage of quality goals reached dropped to 52% from 118% Ford Motor Co. CEO Mark Fields’ total compensation jumped 19 percent last year, a regulatory filing by the automaker showed. His total compensation was $22.1 million, up from the $18.6 million he made in 2015, according to the company's annual shareholder proxy statement, released Friday. That includes a $1,787,500 base salary, a $2,736,000 million cash bonus and $14,298,356 worth of long-term stock and performance-based equity awards, making the value of the compensation awarded to Fields during the year -- excluding changes in pension value and other costs -- $18.8 million, up 8.4 percent from the prior year. Part of the raise included a leap in pension values from $858,157 last year to $2.8 million this year. Pension values vary year to year and change based on factors Ford does not control. Ford last year also spent $288,965 on Fields’ use of a private airplane. Bill Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford’s total compensation rose 7.8 percent to $13.9 million last year, from $12.9 million in 2015. That included a $1,625,000 base salary, $760,000 in bonuses and $8.7 million in long-term stock options. The automaker spent $189,489 on Ford’s use of a personal aircraft and $898,066 on security for him. Joe Hinrichs, president of the Americas, made $6.7 million in total compensation, up slightly from the $6.4 million he earned in 2015. His awarded compensation, including a base salary of $1,053,500, came to $5.8 million, down 4.7 percent from $6.1 million a year earlier. Jim Farley, president of Europe, Middle East and Africa, received total compensation of $6.6 million, up 14 percent from $5.8 million in 2015. That included a $918,750 base salary, $949,050 in bonuses and $3,597,900 in long-term stock awards. CFO Bob Shanks’ total compensation rose 13 percent to $6.3 million from $5.6 million a year earlier. That included a base salary of $858,000, $656,640 in bonuses and $3,793,207 in long-term stock options. Missed targets Last year, Ford Motor hit on 76 percent of its targets for executive bonuses, compared to 113 percent in 2015, the company said. Much of that drop is due to a decrease in its quality targets. Ford hit 52 percent of its quality goals in 2016, down from 118 percent in 2015. Ford measures quality in three phases: things gone wrong at three months of ownership; customer satisfaction at three months of ownership; and warranty spending per business unit. Ford would not break down each segment’s performance, but said its North American performance on things gone wrong was similar in 2015 and 2016, but the company had set more stringent targets for itself last year. Shareholders’ meeting Ford’s annual shareholder’s meeting will be May 11, but this year it will be virtual. Normally the meeting has been held in Delaware, where the automaker is incorporated. “We take very seriously the trust that our shareholders place in our leadership team,” Bill Ford said in a statement. “The annual meeting is an important opportunity for us to hear directly from our shareholders, and the virtual nature of this year’s meeting will enable us to increase shareholder accessibility, while improving efficiency and reducing costs.” Shareholders will be able to listen, vote and submit questions from their homes or any remote location with internet connectivity. On the agenda again is a shareholder proposal to end Ford’s two-tier class stock system, which allows family members to maintain control of the company. Ford earned a $10.4 billion pretax profit last year. It expects to make about $9 billion this year.

Finally, a judge speaking the truth. Anything less than a full purchase price refund is another crime. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Canadian VW diesel deal 'nowhere near' best interests of owners, judge says Automotive News / March 31, 2017 Owners may be entitled to a refund of their full original purchase price An Ontario Superior Court hearing to approve the Volkswagen class action settlement was held over on Friday as the presiding judge said the outlined proposal is “nowhere near” being in the best interests of consumers directly affected by VW’s diesel-cheating scandal. The proposed system for compensation would see owners of VW’s 2.0-liter TDI diesel-powered cars from the model years 2009 to 2015 receive Canadian Black Book value for their vehicle as of September 2015 -- just before their market value was affected by news of the emissions scandal -- plus additional damages ranging from $5,100 to $8,000. Under the proposal, which was agreed upon by Volkswagen Canada and the counsel representing affected owners, VW’s projected total estimated payout would be $2.1 billion. (Claims for cars with 3.0-liter TDI engines are not included in the settlement and have not yet been determined.) Ontario Superior Court Justice Edward Belobaba addressed his concerns by citing section 18.2 of Ontario’s Consumer Protection Act. Under it, because of Volkswagen’s demonstrated intentional misrepresentation of its diesel emissions, TDI owners would be legally entitled to a refund of their full original purchase price. While Justice Belobaba accepted that depreciation could be a valid factor in valuation, he stated that lawyers representing both VW and the vehicle owners need to demonstrate why it is fair and reasonable for the difference in payouts between purchase price and settlement compensation to be in the range of $10,000 or more. Because it’s a proposal already agreed upon by lawyers for both sides, both sides must prove to Justice Belobaba why the difference in payouts is fair and reasonable. Of the 105,000 Canadians represented in the class action, approximately 500 written objections to the current settlement have been received by the court. Ten were delivered orally at the hearing. The majority of those heard by the court noted that Canadian Black Book values are at wholesale rather than retail and that the settlement does not compensate consumers for extra costs such as dealer accessories, extended warranties, fees or taxes. Several objectors added that they were able to use their TDIs for only four or five years instead of an expected decade or more. Lawyers on both sides committed to file the requested memorandum to Belobaba within a week. The hearing will reconvene after that. During Friday’s proceedings, it was confirmed that an import-export clause has been added to the settlement that would see the Canadian registration requirement for compensation waived if the vehicle was registered in the U.S. during the qualifying period, with a similar clause being made available to U.S. consumers. This is the second Canadian hearing on the VW settlement in as many weeks. On March 22, Justice Marie-Claude Lalande of the Superior Court of Quebec presided over a hearing in Montreal. Her decision is pending. Should both hearings result in approval, affected consumers will be able to begin filing for claims on April 28.

3 illegal immigrant MS-13 gang members charged in Virginia teenager’s death ABC 13 WSET / March 31, 2017 Three MS-13 gang members (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS-13) have been arrested and charged in the death of 17-year-old Raymond Wood, Bedford County Sheriff Mike Brown announced Friday afternoon. Sheriff Brown didn't say how Wood died but said it had a connection to "narcotics-related activity." The motorist who found Wood's body on Roaring Run Rd. saw an older-model Honda Accord with one occupant drove by at a high rate of speed towards Rt. 221. The responding deputy met the Honda near Virginia Memorial Park on Rt. 221. The driver of the Honda identified himself as Victor Rodas, 19, of Lynchburg. While talking with Rodas, Sheriff Brown says the deputy learned that Rodas was an illegal alien. Rodas was subsequently detained and taken to the Bedford County Sheriff's Office. Sheriff Brown says U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was contacted Tuesday morning. Also Tuesday morning, the Bedford County Sheriff's Office learned there was report for a missing 17-year-old male from Lynchburg filed earlier that morning. Later Tuesday afternoon, the Medical Examiner identified the body found on Roaring Run Rd. as the missing 17-year-old Raymond Wood. Sheriff Brown says it was determined Wood did not leave Lynchburg voluntarily. Just after 8 a.m. Tuesday, a local Bedford County resident called the Bedford County Sheriff's Office to report that two Hispanic males approached him and asked him to make a call for them with his cell phone. After the phone call, a small sports car, driven by a Hispanic male, showed up and picked the two males up. A short time later, Sheriff Brown says the same vehicle returned and two more Hispanic males appeared out of hiding and left at a high rate of speed. The same resident said the car headed towards Lynchburg on Rt. 221. Dispatchers subsequently put out a description of the car and minutes later deputies found the car on Rt. 221 and stopped it on Cottontown Road. in Forest. The vehicle was occupied by three Hispanic males. Two of the three occupants in the car, including Jose Coreas-Ventura, who is wanted for a murder in Maryland, were determined to be illegal aliens. The three occupants, along with the vehicle were transported to the Bedford County Sheriff's Office. On Tuesday afternoon, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrived at Bedford County and detained Rodas and Lisandro Vasquez, 24 and transported them to Roanoke City Jail. Coreas-Ventura was taken to Blue Ridge Regional Jail and is being held on the Maryland murder charge. The driver of the vehicle was not detained. All three detained males are known MS-13 gang members and illegal aliens, Sheriff Brown says. Authorities obtained second-degree murder warrants for 19-year-old Rodas and 21-year-old Corea-Ventura, both of Lynchburg, and 24-year-old Vasquez of Maryland. The sheriff said this investigation is still on going. A few questions that remain are; what we still don't know is why was Wood killed? Why the is the charge second-degree murder as opposed to first-degree murder?