kscarbel2

The USPS, owned by the American taxpayer, should buy "American" trucks. That means, they should have chosen the Ford Transit over Germany's Sprinter and Italy's Ducato for that reason alone, not to mention it "is" the best of the three trucks.

The Washington Post / April 4, 2012 The 9-year-old boy with pale skin and big, piercing eyes captivated Mirzahan at first sight. “He is more handsome than anyone in the village,” the 22-year-old farmer said, explaining why he is grooming the boy as a sexual partner and companion. There was another important factor that made Waheed easy to take on as a bacha bazi, or a boy for pleasure: “He doesn’t have a father, so there is no one to stop this.” A growing number of Afghan children are being coerced into a life of sexual abuse. The practice of wealthy or prominent Afghans exploiting underage boys as sexual partners who are often dressed up as women to dance at gatherings is on the rise in post-Taliban Afghanistan, according to Afghan human rights researchers, Western officials and men who participate in the abuse. “Like it or not, there was better rule of law under the Taliban,” said Dee Brillenburg Wurth, a child-protection expert at the U.N. mission in Afghanistan, who has sought to persuade the government to address the problem. “They saw it as a sin, and they stopped a lot of it.” Over the past decade, the phenomenon has flourished in Pashtun areas in the south, in several northern provinces and even in the capital, according to Afghans who engage in the practice or have studied it. Although issues such as women’s rights and moral crimes have attracted a flood of donor aid and activism in recent years, bacha bazi remains poorly understood. The State Department has mentioned the practice — which is illegal here, as it would be in most countries — in its annual human rights reports. The 2010 report said members of Afghanistan’s security forces, who receive training and weapons from the U.S.-led coalition, sexually abused boys “in an environment of criminal impunity.” But by and large, foreign powers in Afghanistan have refrained from drawing attention to the issue. “It is very sensitive and taboo in Afghanistan,” said Hayatullah Jawad, head of the Afghan Human Rights Research and Advocacy Organization, who is based in the northern city of Mazar-e Sharif. “There are a lot of people involved in this case, but no one wants to talk about it.” An open secret A recent interview with Mirzahan and a handful of his friends who sexually exploit boys provided a rare glimpse into the lives of men who have taken on bacha bazi. The men agreed to be interviewed together in a mud hut in this tiny village in Balkh province, accessible only by narrow, unpaved roads and just a few miles from areas where the Taliban is fighting the government for dominance. The men insisted that only their first names be used. Although the practice of bacha bazi has become something of an open secret in Afghanistan, it is seldom discussed in public or with outsiders. Sitting next to the 9-year-old Waheed, who was wearing a pink pants-and-tunic set called a shalwar kameez, Mirzahan said he opted to take on the boy because marrying a woman would have been prohibitively expensive. The two have not had sex, Mirzahan said, but that will happen in a few years. For now, Waheed is being introduced to slightly older “danc­ing boys.” Sitting nearby was 23-year-old Assadula, who said he’s an Afghan soldier assigned to a unit in the southern province of Kandahar. Assadula said he has been attracted to teenage males for as long as he can recall. Two years ago, he took on a 16-year-old as his bacha. The relationship will end soon, he said, sitting next to his companion, Jawad, who is now 18. “When he starts growing a beard, his time will expire, and I will try to find another one who doesn’t have a beard,” Assadula said. Many of the men who have bachas are also married. But Assadula said he has never been attracted to women. “You cannot take wives everywhere with you,” he said, referring to the gender segregation in social settings that is traditional in Afghanistan. “You cannot take a wife with you to a party, but a boy you can take anywhere.” Boys who become bachas are seen as property, said Jawad, the human rights researcher. Those who are perceived as being particularly beautiful can be sold for tens of thousands of dollars. The men who control them sometimes rent them out as dancers at male-only parties, and some are prostituted. “This is abuse,” Jawad said. “Most of these children are not willing to do this. They do this for money. Their families are very poor.” Although the practice is thought to be more widespread in conservative rural areas, it has become common in Kabul. Mohammed Fahim, a videographer who films the lavish weddings in the capital, estimated that one in every five weddings he attends in Kabul features dancing boys. Authorities are well aware of the phenomenon, he said, as he played a video of a recent party that featured an underage boy with heavy makeup shaking his shoulders seductively as men sitting on the floor clapped and smiled. “Police come because they like it a lot,” Fahim said, referring to parties with dancing boys. When the boys age beyond their prime and get tossed aside, many become pimps or prostitutes, said Afghan photojournalist Barat Ali Batoor, who spent months chronicling the plight of dancing boys. Some turn to drugs or alcohol, he said. “In Afghan society, if you are raped or you are abused, you will not have space in society to live proudly,” he said. When Batoor completed his project on dancing boys, he assumed that nongovernmental organizations would be eager to exhibit his work and raise awareness of the issue. To his surprise, none were. “They said: ‘We don’t want to make enemies in Afghanistan,’ ” he said, summarizing the general response. A post-Taliban revival Afghan men have exploited boys as sexual partners for generations. The practice became rampant during the 1980s, when mujaheddin commanders fighting Soviet forces became notorious for recruiting young boys while passing through villages. In Kandahar during the mid-1990s, the Taliban was born in part out of public anger that local commanders had married bachas and were engaging in other morally licentious behavior. Afghanistan’s legal codes are based mainly on sharia, or Islamic law, which strictly prohibits sodomy. The law also bars sex before marriage. Under Afghan law, men must be at least 18 years old and women 16 to marry. During the Taliban era, men suspected of having sex with men or boys were executed. In the late 1990s, amid the group’s repressive reign, the practice of bacha bazi went underground. The fall of the Taliban government in late 2001 and the flood of donor money that poured into Afghanistan revived the phenomenon. Wurth, the U.N. official, who is leaving Kabul soon after three years of work on child-welfare issues in Afghanistan, said the lack of progress on combating the sexual exploitation of children is her biggest regret. Foreign powers have done little to conduct thorough research or advocate for policy reforms, she said. “It’s rampant in certain areas,” Wurth said. “But more than that we can’t say. Nobody has facts and figures.” Wurth said she was encouraged by recent discussions with Afghan government officials, who she said have begun to acknowledge the problem and have expressed concern about the rising popularity of the practice. The sexual exploitation of boys recruited to the Afghan police force was one of the reasons it was added in 2010 to a U.N. list of armed groups that recruit underage fighters, Wurth said. But, so far, the government has taken few meaningful steps to discourage the abuse of bachas. Wurth said she was not aware of any prosecutions. “A kid who is being sexually exploited, if he reports it, he will end up in prison,” she said. “They become pariahs.”

I wouldn't call it a "virtually unknown" executive order as they put it. It's a viable theory though, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_Order_11110

People aren't killed without a reason. Presidents, at that time, weren't targeted for assassination without a very big reason (this is pre-1980s, pre-Hinckley era). JFK was in office from Jan 20, 1961 to Nov 22, 1963. We'll never know what really happened, who decided to have him killed, how and why. But I certainly would like to. It's impossible for me to believe that the FBI (J.Edgar Hoover) doesn't know what happened. Thus, it's shocking that the American people have not yet been told. That means, the "truth" is so powerful that it would undermine the very integrity of our government. Speaking of Hinckley, while John Lennon's killer Mark David Chapman has been denied parole once more, why has the would-be killer of President Ronald Reagan been released? Both of these people attempted murder......one succeeded. There were numerous witnesses. Why weren't they executed within 48 hours? Why has the U.S. taxpayer been burdened with the costs of their confinement for decades?

The U.S. has been mired down in Afghanistan since 2001......16 years. (If we hang in there four more years, we can exceed Vietnam's duration of 20 years and set a new record) Dealing with a 'primitive culture", we've accomplished nothing. The country has as many issues today as it did in 2001. It would have been cheaper, and at far lower costs to western soldiers, to build a "Trump wall" around it's perimeter. We even allow the Afghans to export heroin to the U.S. and other countries around the world, so that Americans can spend their income on frying their brains.

Navy analysis found that a Marine’s case would draw attention to Afghan ‘sex slaves’ The Washington Post / September 1, 2016 Last fall, the Navy Department had a controversial disciplinary case before it: Maj. Jason C. Brezler had been asked by Marine colleagues to submit all the information he had about an influential Afghan police chief suspected of abusing children. Brezler sent a classified document in response over an unclassified Yahoo email server, and he self-reported the mistake soon after. But the Marine Corps recommended that he be discharged for mishandling classified material. The Navy Department, which oversees the Marine Corps, had the ability to uphold or overturn the decision. However, rather than just looking at the merits of the case, Navy officials also assessed that holding new hearings on the case would renew attention on the scandal surrounding child sex abuse in Afghanistan, according to military documents newly disclosed in federal court. The documents, filed Tuesday in a lawsuit by Brezler against the Navy Department and Marine Corps, also show that Marine and Navy officials in Afghanistan were aware in 2012 of allegations of abuse against children by the Afghan police chief but that the chief was allowed to keep his position in Helmand province anyway. This became a major issue after a teenage boy who worked for the chief — and was abused by him — opened fire on a U.S. base Aug. 10, 2012, killing three Marines and badly wounding a fourth. The five-page legal review, written last October by Lt. Cmdr. Nicholas Kassotis for Vice Adm. James W. Crawford III, the judge advocate general of the Navy, recommended that the Marine Corps’ actions against Brezler be upheld. Calling for a new administrative review, known as a Board of Inquiry, would delay actions in the case another six to nine months and possibly increase attention on the case, “especially in the aftermath of significant media attention to the allegations regarding the practice of keeping personal sex slaves in Afghanistan,” Kassotis wrote. A month later in November, acting assistant Navy secretary Scott Lutterloh upheld the Marine Corps’ decision. Brezler’s case has drawn new attention in recent months as critics of presidential candidate Hillary Clinton have compared her email controversy to Brezler’s, noting that the officer’s military career is on the brink of being over. He sued the Marine Corps and Navy Department in 2014, saying that he was a victim of reprisal for discussing his case with a member of Congress, and it has languished in court since. Brezler wants to block his dismissal, which is now on hold. Navy and Marine Corps officials declined to discuss the case or the new documents filed in it, citing the pending litigation. A spokesman for the Justice Department, which is handling the lawsuit for the government, also declined to comment. The Navy Department’s observation about Brezler’s case was made as another U.S. service member’s career was in jeopardy because of his response to child sex abuse in Afghanistan. In that instance, Army Sgt. 1st Class Charles Martland made headlines after the Army decided last year to involuntarily separate him from the service because of a reprimand he had received for hitting an Afghan Local Police (ALP) official in 2011 after the man laughed about kidnapping and raping a teenage boy. The Army overturned its decision in April and allowed Martland, a Green Beret, to stay in the military after Rep. Duncan D. Hunter (R-Calif.) intervened. The Martland case opened a dialogue in which numerous veterans of the war in Afghanistan said they were told to ignore instances of child sex abuse by their Afghan colleagues. The Defense Department’s inspector general then opened an investigation into the sexual assault reports and how they were handled by U.S. military officials who knew about them. Brezler’s attorney, Michael J. Bowe, said Wednesday in an email that his client is entitled to a “real review” of his case — “not a whitewash designed to avoid uncomfortable press stories about child rape by our ‘partners’ in Afghanistan. “Our service members deserve better,” he added. A spokesman for Hunter, Joe Kasper, said that the Navy Department is “right to be worried about granting Brezler a new, impartial review of his case” because it “can’t sustain a case based on the facts and the moral imperative” that prompted Brezler to send the warning to other Marines that landed him in legal trouble. “The Navy surely watched the Army struggle with the Martland case, and the Army was ultimately left no choice but to retain Martland,” Kasper said. “The Brezler case is no different in that, at its foundation, there’s a corrupt Afghan commander that exploits children. It’s something that Americans won’t tolerate, and good luck to the Navy as it tries to explain that Brezler was better to keep quiet, avoiding scrutiny altogether, than attempt to save several Marines that were killed. On that aspect alone, the Navy loses.” Acting Defense Undersecretary Brian P. McKeon, said in a letter to Hunter last month that Gen. John “Mick” Nicholson, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, reaffirmed in May “tactical guidance” for U.S. troops that directs them to report potential instances of sex abuse to their commanders. “General Nicholson also issued a specific human rights policy directing further education of U.S. and coalition military personnel on their responsibilities to report human rights violations,” McKeon wrote. The Marines killed by the police chief’s servant were Staff Sgt. Scott Dickinson, Cpl. Richard Rivera Jr. and Lance Cpl. Gregory Buckley. A fourth Marine suffered five gunshot wounds but survived. The teenager who killed them has been identified by the Marine Corps as Ainuddin Khudairaham. He is said to have bragged about the attack afterward, boasting “I just did jihad.” A 300-page, declassified copy of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) probe of Brezler’s case filed this week as part of his lawsuit said that an officer in Afghanistan, Capt. Brian Donlon, sought information about Sarwar Jan because he recalled being told that he was “a bad guy who raped and tortured the people.” The police chief and Brezler had encountered each other previously in another part of Helmand province, Now Zad district, and Brezler had helped get him removed from his job. Donlon did not open the file Brezler attached to an email sent from the United States and reported his violation, Donlon told investigators afterward. Donlon sent an email to Brezler informing him the document he sent was classified, and then both Marines reported it to their respective commanding officers. Marine officials have said that while Brezler did send a classified email to Donlon, he actually faced scrutiny from the Marine Corps because he had other classified documents illegally stored that he planned to use while writing a book. Brezler’s attorney has countered that virtually no instances of inadvertently spilling classified information have led to penalties as stiff as his, and that if he had not voluntarily turned over his electronics after reporting his violation, he would not be in trouble now.

I love the Iveco Daily. It's a star performer all over the world. But I dislike the horrible looking Fiat Doblo (aka. Promaster City) compact van, as well as the USPS's Fiat Ducatos (aka. Promaster) full-size vans. This is what Car & Driver had to say about the USPS's Ducatos (the Ford Transit scored highest in the 3 vehicle comparison with the Sprinter). http://www.caranddriver.com/comparisons/diesel-cargo-vans-compared-ford-transit-vs-mercedes-benz-sprinter-ram-promaster-comparison-test The Ram ProMaster, a Fiat Ducato with ram-head logos, is a detestable, shovel-faced thing that appears to have been cobbled together from spare parts. Too harsh? No, not really. The ProMaster itself is an insult. It is the only vehicle in any comparison test in memory to receive zero points in a subjective category from one of our ­voters. That would be for its dreadful single-clutch automated-manual transmission. The other voters each gave it one mercy point. Pull out onto a busy road and the vehicle comes to a near stop as the transmission pauses to find the next gear. It’s not just annoying, causing your head to bob fore and aft with every shift, it’s scary. The steering system is loose and numb and connected to a steering wheel that feels only a few degrees from a horizontal orientation. It’s better than the steering in an ex-military Hummer H1 or a Mercedes-Benz G-class, but worse than everything else. Its 3.0-liter inline-four turbo-diesel makes more power than the Mercedes’ smaller-displacement four, but the ProMaster returns the slowest acceleration in the test by two seconds to 60 mph. This despite being the shortest and lightest of the vans. It also takes the longest distance to stop from 70 mph. It was the loudest van, it was judged to have the worst ride, and its handling properties were bottom rung. Oh, and judging by the contorted position that Fiat/Ram forces the ProMaster’s driver into, the company must really hate plumbers and delivery drivers. Why? We don’t know. We probably should have specified the longer-wheelbase version, which would have brought it closer to other competitors in terms of length. But the problems that ail the ProMaster will not be solved by more ProMaster.

This one isn't solely on Obama. It's been going on for decades. Every presidential administration for the last 50 years has, owing to lax enforcement, allowed illegal immigrants to enter and live in the United States. They ALL came in, not just drug dealers and other dregs of society. I'm upset over Obama's amnesty plan, every bit as much as I was livid over Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton's decisions to grant amnesty to illegal immigrants. When I recall the "good" presidents since 1900, I can only think of Theodore Roosevelt, Herbert Hoover, FDR and Eisenhower. Eisenhower was the last president that made a point of deporting illegal aliens........Operation Wetback (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Wetback). Note how well America developed under the Eisenhower administration (1953-1961). That was our high point. From that point forward, we've witnessed cultural decay and declining standards of behavior.

So he's saying, the government doesn't prioritize arresting and deporting "law-abiding" illegal aliens who have successfully evaded U.S. authorities for a long time and now have roots and connections in their communities. How can you term an illegal alien "law-abiding" when they broke U.S. immigration laws by entering the United States illegally? Attention folks around the world: If you sneak in at night, lie low for a year or more and don't make any trouble, you can remain in the U.S. long-term as an illegal alien. You can simply blow off U.S. immigrant procedures. As is often said, congress doesn't need to pass more immigration laws. Rather, our government needs to enforce the immigration laws we already have. Why it doesn't, i.e. why it does not immediately deport any and all illegal aliens, is the three million dollar question.

It "could" happen, but CNH is too cash-strapped I think to fund the project. The Powerstar would perform well in the U.S. market. .

Paul, the 15.6L OM473 in this truck is the Mercedes-Benz branded brother of the Detroit Diesel DD16. There are a few differences, but the same basic engine. To date, the 14.8L OM472 (DD15) has been targeted at the US market. The 12.8L OM471 (DD13) is used worldwide. The US market hasn't gotten the 10.7L OM470, which replaced the less efficient old 12L OM457.

MAZ targets grain haulers with new package MAZ Trucks / March 21, 2016 .

MAZ Trucks / August 31, 2016 .

Steve Brooks, Trade Trucks AU / September 1, 2016 Could the 2658 be the best Benz model to ever hit the Australian market? Steve Brooks thinks so Whatever your opinion of Mercedes-Benz trucks – good, bad or indifferent – prepare yourself for change. A big change, because the new Mercedes-Benz Actros is showing all the signs of being the best Benz to ever grace the Australian market. That’s the unequivocal conclusion after recently putting a 2658 model through its paces on a B-double run from Sydney’s northern outskirts to Brisbane via the Pacific Highway. After four years of testing and refining every piece of the product puzzle for Australian conditions, this is a truck that looks and sounds different to any Benz before it. There’s no question the new Mercedes-Benz stands out in a crowd with an external appearance that is unquestionably strong and aggressive. Too aggressive in this ‘softly, softly’ world? Maybe, but appearances are an individual thing and standing just shy of 4m in height and 2.5m wide, the big Benz certainly stands tall and proud. Interior Comforts Indeed, it may well be the loftiest of all climbs into a cab-over but there are at least ample steps and grab handles for trips in and out of the cab. Importantly, the big cab also provides large locker bins on both sides. On the inside there’s a lot to like. It’s a supremely comfortable cab and after almost 900km, there was not the slightest hint of a bent back or numb bum. The cab interior is fresh and clean, and the switchgear controlling the various functions are gratefully simple compared to some continental competitors. Among the main control items, a foot-operated pedal under the left side of the dash allows a wide range of steering wheel adjustments while a wand on the right-hand side of the steering column provides fingertip control of multi-stage engine retardation and transmission shift modes. Likewise, a wand on the left side controls indicators and wipers. Admittedly, both wands are hidden from view under the arms of the steering wheel but familiarity comes quickly. Internal storage space is adequate with overhead lockers and shelving under the centre of the dash. Under the bunk there are also two large slide-out bins, the one nearest the driver being a good-sized fridge easily reached from the driver’s seat. Without doubt though, the stand-out attractions of the cab are the flat floor, the standing room and the bunk. Combined with a quality inner-spring mattress affording plenty of stretch and wriggle room, they deliver the best sleeper compartment of all European cab-overs on the market today; a fact verified by six hours of superb slumber. This particular truck also had a fold-up second bunk but it’s hard to see why anything other than a two-up operation would want it. Its removal would obviously provide even greater internal room and ultimately, Mercedes-Benz would be wise to design hanging space for clothes and the like. Performance As for road work, the 2658 did not disappoint. The 2658LS model carries a gross combination mass rating of 90 tonnes and is powered by the 15.6-litre OM473 in-line six cylinder engine using selective catalytic reduction (SCR) for Euro VI emissions compliance. Peak outputs are listed as 425kW (578hp) at 1,600rpm and a potent 2,800Nm (2,065 lb-ft) of torque on tap from 1,080 to 1,400rpm. Performance feeds through Daimler’s PowerShift 12-speed direct-drive automated transmission into the group’s own hypoid drive tandem running a fast 2.533:1 final drive ratio. Rear suspension is Daimler’s airbag assembly while up front are long two-leaf spring packs. Stopping power comes from disc brakes on all axles supported by ABS anti-lock and ASR anti-skid systems. In fact, braking performance is brilliantly smooth and strong, aided by an impressively effective three-stage engine brake. Fuel capacity on this particular unit was 1,050 litres in single tanks on each side with a 110-litre AdBlue tank on the passenger side. Unfortunately, the spec sheet supplied with the test truck offered no indication of tare weight which was surprising given its V8 predecessor’s reputation for being heavy at both the weighbridge and the bowser. However, as several Mercedes-Benz sources have confidently stated, the in-line six cylinder configuration allows far better weight distribution over the front axle than the V8 engine of its predecessors. There’s a deep-throated burble about this engine that is entirely unique for a Mercedes-Benz product and best of all, it’s a burble that blends impressive standards of performance and efficiency. Fuel economy was, in fact, outstanding for a truck running at a gross weight of 58.6 tonnes, with less than 2,000km on the clock and for a large part of the trip hammered by a thumping westerly wind. At the end of the run, average fuel consumption recorded by the truck’s on-board computer was a remarkably thrifty 50.3 litres/100km (1.99km/litre) or 5.6mpg. As far as performance goes, the big bore Benz did its job with consummate ease, digging deep into rich reserves of torque and coping comfortably with everything the Pacific put in its path. Yet as good as the test truck was, it wasn’t without a couple of quirks. First, the mirrors. They’re big and electronically controlled but mirror vibration at highway speeds was annoying and certainly not up to the standard of a premium linehauler. Second, shifts through the PowerShift 12-speed box were undeniably smooth but all too often the transmission would drop two gears on modest grades when one shift would have comfortably sufficed. Verdict Still, it is easy to suggest a future where Mercedes-Benz will soon by supplying the armament to take the fight to any heavy-duty cab-over competitor. Sure, it’s a big statement and Daimler and its commercial colleagues will need to be fully prepared to back the new Benz with the highest levels of service and support. In fact, nothing less will suffice if the truck is to realise its significant potential to once again put the Mercedes-Benz marque forefront in the minds of truck operators far and wide. .

New Scania S and R truck launch, 23 Aug 2016 - Paris Commercial Motor / August 31, 2016 .

Donald Trump in Phoenix Arizona August 31, 2016 Trump pledged to create 'a special deportation task force' within the existing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency if he becomes president, and said he would use it to eject [only] the most violent felons who are in the United States illegally. 'Within ICE I am going to create a new special deportation task force,' Trump said. The force, he said, would be 'focused on identifying and quickly removing [only] the most dangerous criminal illegal immigrants in America who have evaded justice' Trump criticized the Obama administration for practicing a 'catch and release ... non-enforcement policy' that he said 'allows thousands of criminal aliens [previously was all-encompassing illegal aliens] to walk around freely and roam our streets' instead of sending them back to their home countries. Instead, he proposed, the U.S. should return to an Eisenhower-era policy of repatriating illegal immigrants in large numbers. 'We will take them great distances,' he said, 'but we will take them to the countries they came from.' And a President Trump would have 'zero tolerance for criminal aliens,' he promised. 'Zero. Zero.' [But he apparently has a newfound tolerance for non-criminal illegal aliens] 'We will begin moving them out on day one. As soon as I take office. Day one,' he said. 'The crime will stop. They're going to be gone. It will be over. They're going out.' He said if he wins the White House he will 'issue detainers for illegal immigrants who are arrested for any crime whatsoever, and they will be placed into immediate removal proceedings.' The Obama administration has notably cooperated with more than 340 American counties and municipalities that have declared themselves 'sanctuaries' for illegal immigrants. Instead of notifying ICE when they arrest an illegal immigrant, or release one from custody, those jurisdictions allow them to post bail or enter the parole system – where many disappear and some re-offend. Trump said one major plank of his immigration plan would 'block funding for sanctuary cities ... that have resulted in so many needless deaths.' 'Cities that refuse to assist federal authorities will not receive federal dollars,' he said. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani surprised Trump's crowd by wearing a white baseball cap stating 'Make Mexico Great Again Also.' [Forever lawless Mexico has never been great, except perhaps when it was under Spanish rule]

A fixed rear cab mounting was a factory option on the 1984 R-model, but most customers stayed with the standard air-suspended rear cab mounting.

Daimler Press Release / August 31, 2016 15th Tour of Germany to start at the Mercedes-Benz museum The tour will be headed by a 1960 Mercedes-Benz LP 333 Patron: VDA President Matthias Wissmann Stuttgart – The time has come round again for the historic commercial vehicles Tour of Germany: for the 15th time around 70 forwarding agents and transport companies will come together to set off on a ten-day tour of Germany. Mercedes-Benz is represented with several truck models, all of which are at least 30 years old, and some of them are even pre-war models. Bastian Bernard will lead the historic convoy with his Mercedes-Benz LP 333 tractor from 1960, followed by an LP1624 COE tractor and 1624LS conventional tractor. In addition to Mercedes-Benz trucks such as the LAK 329 pickup or the L 319 panel van, the Daimler Brand Setra is also represented with a type S 9 omnibus built in 1959. The Tour of Germany will start on 1 September in Stuttgart where Gottlieb Daimler wrote truck history for the first time 120 years ago in 1896. The historic vehicles can be admired at the Mercedes-Benz museum from 2 p.m. onwards. And the drivers have plenty to look forward to as well: in the evening they can experience commercial vehicle history in the museum where they will be welcomed by Daimler in a festive setting. The tour will start on Friday morning at 10 a.m. when the trucks set off from Stuttgart to Speyer. The start of the tour is a highlight in itself for every fan of vintage vehicles – and it can take two hours until all vehicles have rolled out of the museum courtyard. The route will take the participants around 1200 km along old traffic axes towards the north. Individual stage destinations reflect the backbone of transport logistics and are situated on main trade routes which were very important in the past and remain so today. On 9 September the journey will end with a big closing event in Hamburg. As well as Mercedes-Benz, other vehicles from manufacturers represented in the Association of the German Automotive Industry (VDA) will take part in the convoy. Selected participating vehicles will also be on display at the IAA International Commercial Vehicle Show from 22 to 29 September 2016 in Hanover. The publishing company ETM organises the Tour of Germany every two years together with the forwarding agent Fehrenkötter. The tour with historic commercial vehicles is under the patronage of VDA President Matthias Wissmann. The event aims to improve the image of the commercial vehicles industry and to promote mutual consideration between cars and commercial vehicles. In addition, the organisers want the spectators along the route to appreciate a piece of commercial vehicle history. .

Scania Group Press Release / September 5, 2016

ADR is the designation applied by the United Nations for the haulage if hazardous materials. The ADR treaty has been adopted by most countries around the world (the U.S. being an exception). Related reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ADR_(treaty) http://www.unece.org/trans/danger/publi/adr/adr_e.html http://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/trans/danger/publi/adr/ADRagree_e.pdf .

From the initial announcement, when all they had to show were Photoshop pictures, and no photo of an actual concept truck in development, I wondered who at the center of this chain-jerking exercise. Tesla and Wrightspeed are real. But Nikola? We'll what they "show" in December. If it's real, there stands to be a major North American truckmaker behind them.

Commercial Carrier Journal (CCJ) / August 31, 2016 . . . . .

Volvo, Peterbilt to join SuperTruck II program Fleet Owner / August 31, 2016 Volvo Group North America and Peterbilt announced they have joined the U.S. Dept. of Energy’s (DOE) SuperTruck II program. Under a SuperTruck II award announced by the DOE, Volvo Group North America is scheduled to receive $20 million in federal funding that it will use to improve the freight-moving efficiency of heavy-duty trucks. The Volvo Group said it and its partners will match the development funds dollar-for-dollar. “The Volvo Group’s team of researchers and engineers will use alternative engine designs and an integrated system approach to build a lightweight tractor-trailer concept that exceeds the freight efficiency goal of 100 percent improvement on a ton-mile-per-gallon basis compared with a 2009 baseline,” the company said. “The team also will demonstrate a powertrain capable of 55 percent brake thermal efficiency.” “The Group will leverage its industry-leading expertise in vehicle development, along with established partnerships with advanced technology and trailer equipment vendors,” Volvo added. “It will also draw from the company’s legacy of innovation in the areas of energy efficiency, safety and environmental solutions.” Volvo Group’s partners include Michelin Americas Research Company (tires), Wabash National (trailer), Metalsa (lightweight frame), Johnson-Matthey Inc. (exhaust aftertreatment system catalysts), Oak Ridge National Laboratory (exhaust aftertreatment system testing / analysis), Peloton Technology (connected vehicle / platooning), Pennsylvania State University (connected vehicle testing), Knight Transportation (long-haul fleet) and Wegmans Food Markets (regional-haul fleet). Peterbilt announced it will work with Cummins to develop technologies under the program. According to Peterbilt, the technologies will double freight efficiency to achieve Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG) requirements set forth for model years 2021, 2024 and 2027. “Peterbilt is proud to support the DOE’s SuperTruck II program in cooperation with Cummins,” said Darrin Siver, Peterbilt general manager and PACCAR vice president. “We will work together to build on the success of our original SuperTruck program.” “Cummins and the entire team is focused on developing technologies that can transform the industry and help our customers be more successful while continuing to be great stewards of the environment. Combining some of the best technical minds available for this project, I am confident that we can reach our goals and deliver results that are a win for our customers, a win for our organizations and a win for the environment,” said Wayne Eckerle, Cummins vice president of Research and Technology. Peterbilt said it will work to improve aerodynamics by 15% in all wind directions, which will provide customers an up to 7.5% improvement in fuel economy. According to the company, this enhancement will decrease aerodynamic drag and rolling resistance. “Peterbilt recognizes customers’ needs for reduced fuel costs,” said Scott Newhouse, Peterbilt chief engineer. “Our aerodynamic and fuel saving initiatives align with the goals of the SuperTruck II program.” Peterbilt will work to improve fuel economy and efficiency through technologies including auxiliary systems such as air compressors, power steering pumps and cooling pumps. To reduce rolling resistance, Peterbilt will team with tire manufacturing partners to investigate alternative compounds and tire configurations for optimized surface contact. The SuperTruck II program is a five-year program between Peterbilt and Cummins. On the original SuperTruck program, the Peterbilt and Cummins team demonstrated a 66% fuel economy improvement and 76% freight efficiency improvement over the baseline truck, according to Peterbilt.

Is Phase 2 GHG rule the end of the road for glider kits? Today’s Trucking / August 31, 2016 Glider kits — new trucks that are equipped with older engines and drivetrain components — will be almost outlawed by 2021 due to provisions of the federal Phase 2 Greenhouse Gas and Fuel Economy rules released earlier this month. Starting in January of ‘21, they’ll be allowed only for their original purpose, which was reclaiming late-model powertrains from wrecked trucks. This goes back many years, to when glider kits were bought as service parts. Today, three truck builders produce glider kits for assembly by individuals and commercial concerns. “We support GHG Phase 2 and we are presently working through the details,” stated David Giroux, spokesman for Daimler Trucks North America, whose Freightliner arm builds most glider kits used in the United States. Kenworth and Peterbilt produce the others, and Truckinginfo is seeking comment from them. Though they make up a small percentage of total new truck sales, gliders produce far more exhaust emissions, says the Environmental Protection Agency, which wrote the new rules with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The EPA became concerned after a surge in sales, from a few hundred per year 10 to 20 years ago to more than 20,000 in 2015. Most of those were undisguised efforts to get around modern emissions limits and the expensive engines needed to meet them, the agency feels. And most were high-mile highway trucks whose older engines, often with electronic controls but no other pollution-control equipment, spew many times the exhaust emissions of new engines. Last year’s proposals to do away with glider kits sparked many comments from producers who argued that total impacts on emissions are minuscule; that many gliders (such as concrete mixer trucks) run low annual mileages; and that they are built mainly by small companies that provide valuable jobs. EPA and NHTSA noted all those arguments but said none addressed the basic issue of higher particulate matter and oxides of nitrogen emissions. “Although glider vehicles would make up only 5% of heavy-duty tractors on the road, their emissions would represent about one-third of all NOx and PM emissions from heavy-duty tractors in 2025,” the agencies said. “By restricting the number of glider vehicles with high polluting engines on the road, these excess PM and NOx emissions will decrease dramatically, leading to substantial public health-related benefits.” Instead of abruptly outlawing them, however, the new rules will phase out gliders over the next four years. Beginning this January, volume production and sales of gliders using “pre-emission” diesels will be greatly curtailed – and the agencies said they hope that this won’t spark a “pre-buy” of gliders between now and January. Meanwhile, low-volume builders, including individual truckers, can continue to buy and assemble glider kits using older engines until 2021. “For calendar year 2017, each manufacturer’s combined production of glider kits and glider vehicles will be capped at the manufacturer’s highest annual production of glider kits and glider vehicles for any year from 2010 to 2014,” the rule states. “All vehicles within this allowance will remain subject to the existing Phase 1 provisions, including its exemptions. “Any glider kits or glider vehicles produced beyond this allowance will be subject to the long-term program,” meaning they must use engines that are certified as emissions-legal for the same year the glider kit is built. The phase-down using that calculated cap will last one year, until January 2018. It appears that provision will curtail and eventually kill off the glider business grown by various dealers and service companies in the United States. Among them is Fitzgerald Gliders, which last year assembled more than 3,000 glider kits, most of them highway tractors. The company primarily used rebuilt and remanufactured 1998-2001 Detroit Diesel Series 60 engines, which are known for their fuel economy and performance. Truckinginfo is seeking comment from Fitzgerald and other builders. It also appears that builders of front-discharge mixers, who derive much business from the glider trade, will also have to phase out their glider assembly operations. They include Oshkosh, Indiana Phoenix and Terex Advance, who’ve also been asked to comment. Terex Advance has said it has built trucks with currently certified diesels combined with used (and usually rebuilt or remanufactured) transmissions and axles. But the dollar savings over an all-new truck were only 10%, versus 30% or more when an older engine is also used. It’s likely that by 2021, they and everyone else in the business will have to use engines certified to meet emissions limits set for the same year that the glidered trucks are built. “The provisions being finalized are intended to allow a transition to a long-term program in which use of glider kits is permissible consistent with the original reason manufacturers began to offer glider kits – to allow the reuse of relatively new powertrains from damaged vehicles,” the agencies say in the rule. Usually, that will mean engines that have run fewer than 100,000 miles are still within their original intended service life for pollution control equipment or are under three years old.

Volvo Group Outlines SuperTruck II Plans Heavy Duty Trucking / August 31, 2016 Volvo Group has outlined how it plans to use $20 million in federal funding to further the freight-moving efficiency of heavy-duty trucks as part of the SuperTruck II initiative. Volvo Group said its team of researchers and engineers will use alternative engine designs and an integrated system approach to build a lightweight tractor-trailer concept that will exceed the freight efficiency goal of 100% improvement on a ton-mile-per-gallon basis compared to a 2009 baseline. The team is also tasked with demonstrating powertrain capable of 55% brake thermal efficiency. Volvo Group and its partners will match the development funds dollar-for-dollar. To achieve these goals, the company plans to leverage its experience in vehicle development along with established partnerships with advanced technology and trailer equipment vendors. Those partners include Michelin Americas Research Company for tires, Wabash National for trailers, Metalso for lightweight frames, Johnson-Matthey for exhaust aftertreatment systems, and Peloton Technology for platooning and connected vehicle tech. Volvo will also partner with Oak Ridge National Laboratory for aftertreatment testing and analysis, Pennsylvania State University for connected vehicle testing, Knight Transportation for long-haul fleet, and Wegmans Food Market for regional-haul fleet. The news comes as Volvo prepares to unveil its first SuperTruck concept from the original program in mid-September. Other SuperTruck II Projects The $20 million is part of a larger investment by the Department of Energy to develop next generation fuel-efficiency technology for commercial and passenger vehicles. Other manufacturers being funded as part of the SuperTruck II initiative are Daimler Trucks North America, Peterbilt, Cummins, and Navistar. Cummins will design and develop a new more-efficient engine and advanced drivetrain and vehicle technologies.By reducing drag and rolling resistance, Peterbilt will work with Cummins to improve aerodynamics by 15% in all wind directions to gain up to 7.5% better fuel economy. Peterbilt said it will also improve efficiency through auxiliary systems, such as air compressors, power steering pumps and cooling pumps. To reduce rolling resistance, Peterbilt will team with tire manufacturing partners to investigate alternative compounds and tire configurations for optimized surface contact. Daimler Trucks North America will develop and demonstrate a tractor-trailer combination using a suite of technologies including active aerodynamics, cylinder deactivation, hybridization, and the electrification of accessories. Navistar will design and develop a vehicle and powertrain with electrified engine components that can enable higher engine efficiency and a significantly more aerodynamically reengineered cab. For more information on the DOE’s alternative fuel technology investment, click here.