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Bob, this link shows clear pictures of Sisu's 10x6 tridem drive axle arrangement. https://autoreview.ru/articles/gruzoviki-i-avtobusy/Sisu-coffe-i-ponchiki

Climb Inside the World’s Largest Wind Tunnel A cold wind is whipping past, but the engineers scurrying around the giant room don’t seem to mind. They’re busy moving a fishing rod-like smoke wand this way and that, watching vaporized mineral oil stream off its tip and flow like a contrail over the sleekest semi you’ve ever seen. The engineers call this space “the 80-by-120;” it’s the largest wind tunnel on the planet, 80 feet tall and 120 feet wide, big enough to hold a Boeing 737, the star of the National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex in Mountain View, California. The truck is Navistar’s “Catalist,” a concept built to cut drag and boost fuel efficiency. The 80-by-120 is one of the few places that can really put the new design to the test. Sitting on the western edge of NASA’s Ames Research Center, the 80-by-120 blows through superlatives. It is its own biggest fan. It’s always in heavy rotation. This isn’t just spin! Its six turbines—40 feet wide, each powered by a 22,500-horsepower motor—can hit 180 rotations per minute, generating 110 mph winds in the tunnel and moving 60 tons of air every second. At that speed, they guzzle 106 megawatts of electricity—enough to power a town of 100,000 people. The turbines sit at the back of the tunnel; 1,400 feet away, in the front, is a screen door the size of a football field, which sucks in air from the outside, but not things like geese and NASA employees. After charging the length of the tunnel and passing the turbines, the air vents to the sky. That’s good for the folks on the ground uninterested in recreating Mary Poppins, but a potential problem for the commercial jets landing at and taking off from the nearby San Jose International Airport. So before spinning the turbines to full speed, the Air Force warns pilots about the risk of turbulence. A smaller wind tunnel opened here in 1944, and tested Cold War jets and models of the Space Shuttle. The big one opened in 1987, large enough for helicopters with 65-foot rotors and the parachute that landed the Curiosity rover on Mars. “You’re able to do a lot of things at full scale that you’re not able to do in tunnels that are much smaller,” says Scott Waltermire, who runs the aerodynamic complex. That’s why Navistar showed up with its truck, which a crane dropped into place (the walls of the tunnel open up for easy access). The Chicago-based truckmaker has spent five years working on the concept big rig, with a $20 million grant through the Department of Energy’s Supertruck II program. Navistar’s “Catalist” Supertruck (the “ist” is for International Super Truck) packs a mild hybrid powertrain, running auxiliary systems like the A/C off a battery, charged by rooftop solar panels and regenerative braking. And it looks pretty sharp. Sleek cameras instead of bulky sideview mirrors. “Super single” wide tires instead of two skinnier ones side by side. Sophisticated trailer skirts and a boat tail to smooth the air flowing over the truck. “If you think of the analogy of a boat going through the water a large wake behind it, we’re aiming to reduce that wake that the truck creates,” says Navistar aerodynamic engineer Craig Czlapinski. The result is a truck that Navistar says delivers a whopping 13 miles to the gallon, even when 80 percent full. (A typical 18-wheeler gets about 6 mpg.) They’ve come to the wind tunnel to make it even better. The opening test keeps the wind speed low, about 15 mph. Czlapinski wields the smoke wand, guiding the smoke over the cab and along the trailer. He pokes it between the two, then into the wheel wells, watching for points where the smoke (and thus the air) pulls away from the body. Then the team triggers the turn table on which most of the truck sits, some 55 feet in diameter, turning it a few degrees to the left, then to the right. Wind, after all, doesn’t just hit vehicles head on. They notice smoke leaks through the part of the boat tail, a by-product of drag pulling on the rear doors of the trailer—so they’ll likely add a seal to plug up the leak. Up front, smoke is getting sucked up between the cab and trailer, a sign they should lower the adjustable bit of the roof of the tractor. After 40 or so minutes in the wind, the engineers shut down the turbines and walk out. For the next test, they’ll sit in the control room—no one’s allowed in the tunnel when it cranks the wind up to highway speeds. The Navistar folks will spend five weeks here, testing the Catalist and some other production models, swapping out cabs and trailers. Then it’s back to Chicago to study the results, stamp out the weaknesses, and perfect the aero. And while they’re making trucking better for everybody, the wind tunnel’s operators will get ready to put their next giant client on blast. Video - https://www.wired.com/2017/02/climb-inside-worlds-largest-wind-tunnel/#slide-1

Startup Firm Unveils Prototype Autonomous Truck Heavy Duty Trucking / February 24, 2017 Yet another startup tech firm has rolled into the autonomous truck arena. San Mateo, Calif.-based Embark publicly revealed its prototype self-driving truck on Feb. 24. The company, which gained approval from the State of Nevada earlier this year to begin testing its truck on public roads, said its self-driving technology enables a truck “to drive from exit to exit on the freeway without any human input.” Embark said its tractor-trailer setup uses a combination of radars, cameras and Lidar (light detection and ranging) depth sensors “to perceive the world around it.” The data points captured are processed via a form of Artificial Intelligence known as Deep Neural Nets (DNNs) that “allow the truck to learn from its own experience— much like humans learn from practice.” “Analyzing terabyte upon terabyte of real-world data, Embark’s DNNs have learned how to see through glare, fog and darkness on their own,” said Alex Rodrigues, CEO and co-founder of Embark. “We’ve programmed them with a set of rules to help safely navigate most situations, how to safely learn from the unexpected, and how to apply that experience to new situations going forward.” Embark’s truck is built specifically for “long, simple stretches of freeway driving between cities, rather than all aspects of driving.” Like other autonomous truck designs, including the Freightliner Inspiration truck and the Otto (owned by Uber) truck, Embark's computerized truck is meant to be handed off to a human driver once it heads off the highway, who will then navigate local streets to the destination. “A human driver will still touch every load, but with Embark they’re able to move more loads per day, handing off hundreds of miles of freeway driving to their robot partners,” is how the company put it. Rodrigues said he was inspired to launch Embark after blowing a tire on the interstate and waiting four hours for a tow. In that time, he said, “every single 18-wheeler that drove past had a sign on the back 'Drivers Wanted'. It was so clear there was a shortage of drivers.” He added that “Embark's goal is to increase productivity per driver and prevent the shortage from becoming a crisis.” Rodrigues is no stranger to robotics, having built his first autonomous robot at age 13. According to the company, his robots have won international competitions and one of his autonomous shuttles transported over 1,000 passengers in demonstrations across California. According to Embark, the company’s robotics team includes “talent from technology leaders including SpaceX, StanfordAI, and Audi's self-driving team. The team is backed by a multi-million dollar investment led by Maven Ventures. Maven’s previous investment in self-driving technology, Cruise Automation, sold to GM for $1B last year.” In addition to its prototype autonomous truck, Embark noted that it also fields a fleet of five trucks to gather data to help accelerate development. The company added that it plans to quadruple its engineering team within the next year and “aggressively expand its testing fleet to show their technology is ready for the nation’s highways.” “We are committed to proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that this technology is safe and reliable,” said Rodrigues. “That means performing extensive tests and working with our partners in the government to get it— and the market— ready.”

Transport Topics / February 26, 2017 Eaton Corp. has focused on a future for power management in commercial vehicles built around 48-volt power. It is just an architecture change from a 12-volt system, and “the power electronics to do it is not rocket science, either. I think we are on that cusp,” Larry Bennett, director of vehicle technology and innovation at Eaton Corp., told Transport Topics here Feb. 26 at the annual meeting of American Trucking Associations' Technology & Maintenance Council. “Certainly, when you look at what the SuperTruck guys are wanting to do and [truck manufacturers], I think they are leaning heavily on 48-volts at this point,” he said. In August, the U.S. Department of Energy announced its SuperTruck II initiative to more than double the freight efficiency of Class 8 trucks and go beyond provisions in the new federal Phase 2 greenhouse-gas emissions rule affecting heavy- and medium-duty trucks, as well as trailers. Truck makers are so interested, Bennett said, that if Eaton could make 48-volt power management available, they would definitely take advantage of it. “So they are ready to go,” he said. “What appeals to them is a fuel-economy play,” or taking accessories that are driven by the belts off the engine so they are not spinning when they are not needed. Unnecessary spinning of accessories creates parasitic drag and reduces engine efficiency.

Autonomous trucks: The reality is setting in Sean Kilcarr, Fleet Owner / February 24, 2017 Despite the recent lawsuit filed against self-driving truck systems maker Otto and its new owner, Uber, regarding the theft of autonomous vehicle trade secrets as well as the ongoing reluctance among both motorists and truckers regarding the acceptance of such technology, more than a few experts believe self-driving trucks will be a daily reality sooner rather than later. The reason boils down to a single word: Economics. “The autonomous vehicle is going to change everything,” Robert Hooper Jr., CEO of Atlantic Logistics, recently explained to me. “It’s a Tsunami coming at our [freight] industry and if we don’t prepare for it we’ll get swept away.” An economist by training, Hooper said the cost-savings potential of the self-driving truck is huge, especially when one contemplates eliminating the need for a full-time human driver to pilot big rigs. By his calculations, driver pay runs the gamut from $35,000 a year for those in drayage operations up to $125,000 annually for more “specialized” markets such as household goods moving and the like. Now compare that to expected additional cost of self-driving systems to the base sticker price of a Class 8 truck, which this study said will be a around $23,400 per unit. That’s a one-time expense per truck, compared to the ongoing pay required for a human, and obviously that comes in well below even the lowest wage rate on the truck driver pay scale. “That’s why there will be a huge incentive to adopt this technology,” Hooper stressed. “That’s why I am trying to prepare my business for it.” Still, despite that “incentive,” research by Steve Sashihara, founder and CEO of Princeton Consultants, indicates that “self-driving trucks” remains the one technological advancement most freight industry denizens are the most skeptical about. “There are some people that believe no, this is definitely going to happen but there are a lot of other people that think in eight years; they’re not sure,” he explained. “Maybe we’ll see a few on the road but, I’m not sure it’s going to have a big impact. In Sashihara’s view, the potential safety benefit of autonomous vehicles as a whole – cars and trucks – is what’s going to driver their adoption. “The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) did a very interesting report talking about live data on self-braking technology,” he explained. “Largely, the synopses which I’m seeing say that systems with automatic braking reduce rear-end crashes by about 40% on average. That would have been 700,000 fewer police reported rear-end crashes in 2013 and I think this is very important for the adoption [of self-driving vehicles].” That’s but one reason he believes self-driving trucks “are close to inevitable,” but the question remains: where and when? “In terms of tailwinds, [one] thing that is propelling [self-driving trucks] forward for long haul freight transportation is that approximately a third of the cost of truckload transportation are drivers [and the] constant of persistent long term driver shortages, from all quarters,” Sashihara pointed out. “Also, very few trucks, in our experience, are slip-seated. A lot of them are ‘single-opted’ so, having something that isn’t bound by hours of service (HOS) means more asset utilization,” he added. John Larkin, managing director and head of transportation capital markets research for Stifel Capital Markets, also thinks that self-driving trucks represents but the tip of a very large iceberg in terms of radical supply chain changes racing toward us. “How long will it be before the internet of things (IoT) monitors the amount of granola each of us has in his/her pantry and records when the granola stockpile reaches the pre-specified replenishment level?” he asked. “How long before 3D printers are placed in each of Amazon’s delivery vehicles so that the custom door handle you just ordered will be manufactured as it makes its way through your neighborhood en route to your front door?” Larkin added. “How long before drones start delivering shaving cream to your front porch? Our sense is that all these innovations will be upon us sooner than we think – particularly if government would simply get out of the way.” So hold onto your hats; we may be speeding toward the advent of true self-driving truck operations faster than we think.

Fleet Owner / February 24, 2017 Embark today unveiled its self-driving truck technology to the public. The company, which gained approval by the State of Nevada earlier this year to begin testing its truck on public roads, announced it has created a technology that allows trucks to drive from exit to exit on the freeway without any human input. According to the company, Embark’s truck uses a combination of radars, cameras and depth sensors known as LiDARs to perceive the world around it. The millions of data points from these sensors are processed using a form of Artificial Intelligence known as Deep Neural Nets (or DNNs) that allow the truck to learn from its own experience — much like humans learn from practice, Embark noted. “Analyzing terabyte upon terabyte of real-world data, Embark’s DNNs have learned how to see through glare, fog and darkness on their own,” said Alex Rodrigues, CEO and co-founder of Embark. “We’ve programmed them with a set of rules to help safely navigate most situations, how to safely learn from the unexpected, and how to apply that experience to new situations going forward.” Embark mentioned its truck is built specifically to handle long, simple stretches of freeway driving between cities, rather than all aspects of driving. At the city limit, Embark's computerized truck hands off to a human driver who navigates the city streets to the destination. A human driver will still touch every load, but with Embark they’re able to move more loads per day, handing off hundreds of miles of freeway driving to their robot partners. “Spending weeks on the highway is tough on you,” said owner-operator Jeff Scorsur. “If I could still get the job done while driving in my own city and sleeping in my own bed – that would make my family very happy.” According to Rodrigues, the idea for Embark came after blowing a tire on the interstate and waiting four hours for the tow truck to arrive. “Every single 18-wheeler that drove past had a sign on the back 'Drivers Wanted'. It was so clear there was a shortage of drivers,” he said. “The numbers back that up. The American Transportation Research Institute estimates there is currently a shortage of 100,000 truck drivers in the industry, which is poised to only get worse as baby boomer drivers - the bulk of the industry’s workforce - retire over the next decade. Embark's goal is to increase productivity per driver and prevent the shortage from becoming a crisis.” According to the company, Rodrigues started Embark by recruiting talent from technology leaders including SpaceX, StanfordAI, and Audi's self-driving team. The team is backed by a multi-million dollar investment led by Maven Ventures. Maven’s previous investment in self-driving technology, Cruise Automation, sold to GM for $1B last year. .

New parts look-up site for torque rods http://www.torque-rod.com/

Reuters / February 26, 2017 U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao said on Sunday she was reviewing self-driving vehicle guidance issued by the Obama administration and urged companies to explain the benefits of automated vehicles to a skeptical public [i.e. the public who never asked for self-driving cars]. The guidelines, which were issued in September, call on automakers to voluntarily submit details of self-driving vehicle systems to regulators in a 15-point “safety assessment” and urge states [i.e. California] to defer to the federal government on most vehicle regulations. Automakers have raised numerous concerns about the guidance, including that it requires them to turn over significant data, could delay testing by months and lead to states making the voluntary guidelines mandatory. In November, major automakers urged the then-incoming Trump administration to re-evaluate the guidelines and some have called for significant changes. Automakers called on Congress earlier this month to make legislative changes to speed self-driving cars to U.S. roads. Chao, in her first major public remarks since taking office last month, told the National Governors Association: "This administration is evaluating this guidance and will consult with you and other stakeholders as we update it and amend it, to ensure that it strikes the right balance." She said self-driving cars could dramatically improve safety. In 2015, 35,092 people died in U.S. traffic crashes, up 7 percent and the highest full-year increase since 1966. In the first nine months of 2016, fatalities were up 8 percent. Chao, noting research that 94 percent of traffic crashes were due to human error, said: "There’s a lot at stake in getting this technology right." She said the Trump administration wanted to ensure it "is a catalyst for safe, efficient technologies, not an impediment. In particular, I want to challenge Silicon Valley, Detroit, and all other auto industry hubs to step up and help educate a skeptical public about the benefits of automated technology." Companies including Alphabet Inc's self-driving car Waymo unit, General Motors, Ford, Uber, Tesla and others are aggressively pursuing automated vehicle technologies. Chao said she was "very concerned" about the potential impact of automated vehicles on employment. There are 3.5 million U.S. truck drivers alone and millions of others employed in driving-related occupations. She also said she would seek input from states as regulators develops rules on drones. "We will ask for your input as the (Federal Aviation Administration) develops standards and regulations to ensure that drones can be safely integrated into our country’s airspace," she said.

An 8x2*6 would be an efficient set up, while at the same time providing optimum weight distribution for reduced road wear. Twin Steer (front axles) 6 wheel steering (twin steer plus the steered tag) Lockable differential on the drive. Or a 10x4*6 (tandem drive bogie with steered tag)

When you called Watts Mack for a pair of new headlamp panels, what did they say? 137QM457 (right hand) 137QM458 (left hand)

The F-model was/is heavy. But aside like that, it fit you like your favorite old pair of work gloves and never let you down. You could "feel it", like an extension of your body. And it made every owner a lot of money. The Cruise-Liner was clumsy and clunky, always having some ongoing problem. The Ultra-Liner was so advanced, such a home run, that it should still be in production today. When I see brand new 9800i, Argosy and the superb K200 tractors on the roads of the world today, well, most folks back home have no idea. And isn't it ironic that American COEs continue to be sold in the global market but not in North America. I'll take a COE any day over a conventional. I could talk about visibility, maneuverability, accessibility, and efficiency, but it's the driving position that really sways you. Once in a COE, it's hard to go back to a conventional.

The number of engineers hired and employed by the former Mack Trucks, pre-2000, in the year 2017 must be very small. The few, like Jerry Warmkessel and Dave McKenna, who have bit their lip under Volvo to preserve their retirement pension, must be close to retirement.

Henry Ford in 1938, receiving the Grand Cross of the German Eagle from Nazi officials, an honor created in 1937 by Adolf Hitler. http://rarehistoricalphotos.com/henry-ford-grand-cross-1938/ .

Trade Trucks AU / February 24, 2017 Mick Thompson’s started off driving a 300hp truck. He’s doubled that now with a 600hp K200. Peter and Di Schlenk write. Rural Haulage Australia, operated by Glen and Susie Clyne, is a fairly modest-sized outfit. With its head office based in Naracoorte amid South Australia’s Limestone Coast region, the company has three trucks in its fleet – all Kenworths. It’s also where you’ll find Mick Thompson, the regular driver for the company’s 2012 Kenworth K200. A K104 and a K104b complete the trio of trucks. However, Mick reckons he’s got the best deal with the K200 being the newest in the fleet. "While the boss does drive, I’ve got the K200 and love it," he says. Rural Haulage Australia started off with one truck in 2006. Its regular freight is hay, wool and general. However, it’s all farm related and when Owner//Driver caught up with Mick, he had just returned from delivering a new tractor and plough to South Australia’s west coast. It was an overcast day, and Mick was waiting until the weekend to give the truck a clean. "The rain is good for everyone; it’s money in the bank," he says. "The crops are looking good and with a good harvest we’re kept busy with a lot of machinery, both new and second hand moving to both dealers and farms around the place." Rural Haulage Australia sends its trucks Australia-wide, and Mick appreciates the variety of the job. Being a married man himself, he also enjoys being employed by a small, family-owned business. "I’m home most weekends, returning on Fridays and leaving again on Mondays," he says. "I’m lucky to have a really good boss who runs a great business." Mick has been driving for 14 years. After leaving school and completing an apprenticeship he, like many in the industry, followed his father Shane Thompson and began driving. As well as driving trucks, Shane had operated a few of his own out of Naracoorte. "I grew up in and around trucks, so there probably wasn’t much choice," Mick says. "I loved them and it was in the blood. He started off in a 300hp MAN, hauling hay, wool and grapes. During drought times he would haul hay up into New South Wales. "It was a good experience starting in something with only 300hp and no Jake brake." Smooth ride Mick has moved on from those years, and enjoys driving the K200, especially as he finds it a smoother ride than other Rural Haulage Australia Kenworths. He reckons it has a better bunk too. "It’s much easier to get in and out of bed," he says. "They have improved the cab-overs a lot, and the K200 has stairs that swing out." Mick enjoys getting out and about, with his runs regularly taking him across to Melbourne and up to Brisbane, with the occasional run west to Perth. "We do a lot of wool to Melbourne," he continues. "We’re probably a bit smarter with the wool because we have our own telehandler with a bale grab on, so the boss goes out and does all the farm pick-up. "One of us will go out with a B-double and he will take the telehandler and load it. "With the OH&S side of things, there’s no climbing on top. Moving the bales is all done by machine – it’s a good way to do it." It’s when Mick gets off the beaten track that he has an issue. He says the country roads are deteriorating at a rapid rate. "You’ve just got to look down in western Victoria, down around Portland. The roads down there are stuffed. "There are more and more trucks … log trucks and tip trucks, they’re getting bigger and the roads are old and can’t handle it." The other big issue which concerns Mick is the over-regulation. "While the permit system has improved with some of the bigger machinery we do, there are still dramas waiting for permits. "It is easier than it was though; it was chaotic there for a while," he says. "We run under the Agriculture Permit for a lot of our stuff which is four metres wide but when we have bigger gear it’s a police escort and the rest of it." Mick does enjoy wide loads which means he only travels in daylight hours, kicking back cooking a barbecue and enjoying a cold one in the evenings. The K200 needed a bath when Owner Driver photographed it and Mick was giving it a wash on the weekend. "The rain is good for everyone! Its money in the bank with the rain pretty much. The crops are looking good; with a good harvest we are kept busy with a lot of machinery, both new and second hand moving to both dealers and farms around the place. The wheels are kept turning." .

Will Kenworth's new SAR cannibalise the T909? Big Rigs / February 24, 2017 Look at the style, drive the thing the T610 SAR has the specs and aesthetics to attract a T909 buyer. The obvious drawback is a potentially rougher ride with the set-forward front axle. Kenworth marketing boss Brad May says the T610 SAR could potentially push into the dream list of operators considering a T909. "From a point of view of the power and performance it can offer, I guess a fundamental difference in the 909 is that it is still a set back cab and it's raised even higher. So from the point of view of getting the driver further away from the front axle, which is obviously a preference for some people, they like to sit further between the axles.” And at this stage a larger sleeper is not an option for the SAR. The big question - of course - is when will the T910 be launched and May agrees that Paccar would like to make the new cab standard but he says coyly that there are no plans to trot out the T910. "Other than an idealism that we'd like this cab design on every Australian conventional truck inside a couple of years so. If the traditional T909 buyer was in this room right now, they'd look at this truck (T610) and say, do not change my T9, leave it alone, just use the new cab on other model.” Brad May is confident however that when the benefits of the comfort become better known it will be accepted in other models. "When you can stand up in the cab, things like climate control I think the market will push harder than what they are pushing right now, so yes, maybe by 2019 the new cab could come to the T9 series,” he said. I asked him did he think the T610 will find work in larger multiple combinations. "I can see no reason why it wouldn't, the chassis is the same, the foundations of the truck are exactly the same as the legacy Kenworth product and the cab itself has been tested to a level that is beyond any testing that we've ever done for any model, and to a level that replicates the harshest conditions that any of our trucks go into. "If we ask anyone what is the toughest Kenworth we make, people would say the T650 - bulletproof! "If that's the strongest truck we make for the harshest conditions, what we did with this truck is that we recorded in a livestock situation out west what the truck was subjected to and subjected this truck to every bit of that and more and we can't break it. So I can see no reason why we wouldn't see this truck anywhere were you see a Kenworth right now, whether that be in this particular model or in some future release of a T9 or a C5 but there is nothing light weight about this truck, this truck is designed to be everything a Kenworth needs to be in this country and it's been tested to do that.” The bottom line is that some buyers will buy this truck on aesthetics, they like the look of a more traditional truck and PBS has made load configurations more flexible. T610SAR - http://www.kenworth.com.au/trucks/t610sar/ T909 - http://www.kenworth.com.au/trucks/t909/

Commercial Motor / February 23, 2017 1 Jordan The Middle East has taken large volumes of second-hand British trucks for many years but war and the refugee crisis have had an impact on demand. Sales are still being made to Jordan but orders have slowed down noticeably. The Jordanians tend not accept anything that is more than five years old and they go by the chassis number rather than the date of first registration. While there is some interest in 8x4 chassis cabs, most of the demand is for tractor units, with a popular model being the Actros, either 4x2 or 6x2 with a big cab. 2 Kenya Traditionally a major market for used Mercedes, in more recent times Kenyan hauliers have started to favour Renaults and MANs because they're comparatively cheap. The demand is for five- to six-year-old 6x2 tractor units but operators do not want big cabs. In Daf terms they are looking for Space Cabs rather than Super Space Cabs. Nor do they want huge amounts of power; 420hp is viewed as perfectly adequate. Customers no longer insist on manual boxes and are willing to accept automated transmissions instead; just as well given that UK-sourced units tend to be fitted with the latter these days. Age restrictions are imposed on imports by the government and if a truck is more than eight years old then it usually won't be allowed in. 3 Malaysia This tends to be a Volvo/Scania market - both manufacturers have got their own operations out there. When it is busy three- to five-year-old fleet-specification FM tractor units are sought after. There’s been some interest in 8x4 rigids recently but in the main the demand is for either 4x2 or 6x2 units with sleeper cabs. Customers prefer power outputs of up to 440hp and if an AdBlue system is fitted, they want it taken off. One reason why tractor units are exported in such quantities to Malaysia and other markets is that they are easier and cheaper to ship than rigids. (It’s possible to ship two units for the price of a 26-tonner). 4 Myanmar Formerly known as Burma this country is now opening up to Western investment after almost five decades of military dictatorship. The economy is improving and enquiries for UK used trucks have surged. Customers want tractor units and it's Volvo that's making the running. While Volvo buyers in the rest of Asia favour the FM, in Myanmar they want the FH, and with the Globetrotter XL cab. Buying patterns will probably change in future as they opt for trucks better suited to Myanmar's infrastructure. At present they favour power outputs of up to 500hp or so and trucks dating back to 2007/2008. 5 Sri Lanka Still rebuilding itself after a calamitous civil war which ended seven years ago, Sri Lanka will accept trucks up to five years old. Customers want Daf, Renault and Volvo tractor units with power outputs of from 420hp to 450hp. They are happy to take 6x2s built to fleet specifications and so far as Dafs are concerned they will accept CFs and XFs but they like Space Cabs rather than Super Space Cabs. 6 Tanzania Second-hand Scanias have always been in vogue in Tanzania but Dafs are becoming increasingly popular, in part because they are available at competitive prices. Daf is still number two to Scania but it's catching up. Demand is dominated by 6x2 tractor units at up to 420hp although there is some interest in multi-axle rigids. As in Kenya, there is little appetite for big sleeper cabs. As with many other markets, used trucks face an import duty. In Tanzania it is on a sliding scale; the older the vehicle, the more you pay.

Preston truck wins national honors The Star-Democrat (Easton, Maryland) / October 6, 1981 A specially-modified tractor from Preston Trucking, a company with local facilities, took top honors at the National Fuel Conservation Challenge competition in Peoria, Illinois, on September 22. The contest, sponsored by Caterpillar’s Engine Division, capped a nationwide series of events in which the U.S.'s leading trucking companies participated. The Preston tractor, aerodynamically modified exclusively by Preston employees at the company's headquarters in Preston, Maryland, easily won the challenge with a mileage per gallon figure of 7.63. The closest challengers posted a reading of 6.91 miles per gallon. The Preston fleet averages 5.7 miles per gallon. While Preston officials give much credit to their maintenance people for the victory, they also said that road driver Norman Bennett's effort was of championship caliber.. ."our engineering expertise could have been squandered by an inefficient driving performance." Company officials also pointed out that since the inception of a fuel conservation program, Preston' drivers have improved the company's over-all miles-per-gallon statistics by some 15 percent, resulting in a fuel savings of over 2.1 million gallons since May, 1979. "Winning the Fuel Conservation Challenge," said company President Will Potter, "is a good example of what we're trying to do to improve productivity, fight inflation and keep our rates at a reasonable level for the public." A company spokesman said the tractor's 3406 Caterpillar, 290-horsepower engine was equipped with a 200-degree thermostat specifically for the contest

The brown and beige truck has the makings of a Preston Aero. https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/31813-the-preston-aero-–-how-to-make-a-brigadier-slice-through-the-wind/#comment-192518

Scania Group / February 23, 2017 Food retailer Alimerka, in the northern Spanish region of Asturias, has taken a fleet of 20 Scania LNG trucks, Liquid Natural Gas, into operation. By adopting this new technology, the retailer aims to reduce its carbon emissions while also benefitting from the substantially lower noise in gas-powered vehicles. “We wanted to give this technology a try,” says Transport Supervisor David Valerio Orviz, Alimerka. “We had a test truck for about a year, which gave us interesting data on fuel consumption and range. It allowed us to test fuelling systems and train drivers.” The results were so encouraging that Alimerka decided to expand with a substantial fleet for deliveries to its 173 supermarkets in Asturias and neighbouring regions. Founded 30 years ago, Alimerka is firmly established in the region. “We have a commitment to the environment, to Asturias and to the region,” explains Valerio Orviz. A major advantage with LNG is that trucks can operate up to 1,000 kilometres on a tank compared with just 250 to 300 kilometres on a tank of CNG. This greater range makes the fuel a competitive alternative for use in regional distribution, while CNG is currently mostly used for city distribution and refuse collection. Alimerka’s drivers are equally pleased. “I personally like it because is comfortable, it’s higher and the driver position is very comfortable,” says driver José Antonio Campal Fonseca. .

Brocky, that certainly looks like one. Odd, given they were all used in China, built for the nationalist Chinese. The Australian army, deeply involved elsewhere, only had a small presence in India/Burma.

Trailer/Body Builder / February 24, 2017 European Union (EU) demand for new commercial vehicles grew 8.2% in the first month of the year, totaling 173,614 units, and was mostly driven by the light commercial vehicle segment, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA). The EU’s five largest markets all posted gains in January, with Spain (+23.8%), Italy (+11.4%) and France (+10.3%) recording the highest growth rates. New heavy commercial vehicles (HCV) over 16 metric tones (35,274 lb) January 2017 results show a modest, yet positive, uplift in the heavy truck segment (+3.9%), with 23,195 new vehicles registered. Most of the major EU markets contributed to this growth, especially Italy (+54.5%), France (+12.0%) and the UK (+8.8%), although the Spanish (-10.0%) and German (-5.9%) markets faced a downturn. New medium and heavy commercial vehicles (MHCV) over 3.5 metric tones (7,716 lb) In January 2017 trucks registrations were similar to the heavy truck segment, with three of the five largest EU markets posting growth over the month. Overall, 27,885 new trucks were registered in the European Union, 3.6% more than in January 2016. New medium and heavy buses & coaches (MHBC) over 3.5 metric tones (7,716 lb) January 2017 results of the bus and coach segment were diverse. France (‐17.2%) and Spain (-9.4%) saw demand fall, while Italy (+46.9%) and Germany (+13.5%) posted double‐digit growth. Overall, new bus and coach registrations grew modestly (+2.9%) across the region. New light commercial vehicles (LCV) up to metric 3.5 tonnes (7,716 lb) In January 2017, new registrations of vans totaled 142,864 units, 9.3% more than in January 2016. All major markets contributed positively to this upturn. Spain (+31.5%) and France (+10.3%) posted double‐digit gains, followed by Germany (+5.8%), Italy (+5.0%) and the United Kingdom (+1.2%).

Central Freight Lines to Buy Virginia-Based Wilson Trucking Heavy Duty Trucking / February 23, 2017 Central Freight Lines has signed a letter of intent to buy certain assets of Virginia-based Wilson Trucking, a 91-year-old less-than-truckload carrier with 29 terminals in the Southeast. The acquisition expands CFL’s coverage to the Southeast and Puerto Rico, which the company expects to improve its competitive position in the LTL and distribution markets. CFL operates 56 terminals in the West and Southwest regions of the U.S. “This is very good news for the many loyal customers of Wilson,” said C.L. (Chuck) Wilson, chairman and CEO of Wilson Trucking. “Central Freight Lines has been in business for over 90 years just like us, and I’m confident our customers will be quite impressed with the many quality services they offer.” CFL is a Waco, Texas-based LTL common carrier operating 1,600 tractors and 8,000 trailers in 17 states. .