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Owner/Driver / August 3, 2016 With no time for the hassle of B-double work, this second-generation owner-driver is still behind the wheel of an award-winning 1998 International Transtar with great family sentimental value Not many truckies get to operate the same truck their father drove. Chris Penfold is one of those. And with his 1998 International Transtar’s win in the Best Owner-Driver category at this year’s Penrith Working Truck Show in NSW, it’s needless to say he is extremely proud of his hard-working steed. But, while the 500hp Transtar 4700 is B-double rated, Chris says he hardly ever uses that rating. Chris is a single-trailer man. "I’ve always had the opinion that B-doubles are the thing that killed us, really," he laments. "If you’ve got the job to do it, especially running west across to Adelaide or Perth, or if you’re running right up north and you’ve got the freight for it coming back, by all means. "But 90 per cent of the work I do is single. A B-double is a pain in the arse for me, unhooking, re-hooking, watching where you go, all your limits, all the bullshit. "You’re running 12 extra tyres and six extra brakes; you’re getting 4-500,000 kilometres out of a rebuild as opposed to six, eight, a million kilometres out of it; and then you’re down on fuel. "You’re pulling the guts out of the truck, you’re wearing the truck out. There’s so much more you have to factor in cost-wise with a B-double – I think that you’re pulling that front trailer around for free." Chris also has strong views on the recent remuneration debate. He says he tries to achieve about $2.50 a kilometre for his truck and trailer with himself as the driver – and that’s both ways, or at least to where he’s picking up the next load. He shakes his head at the ridiculous undercutting and backload rates that are going on. "Whatever gets thrown at me, I put a price on it. If I win it, I win it – if I don’t, I don’t," Chris says philosophically. "If I don’t win that job and someone takes it off me, best of British luck to them. "I own the gear, so I’m not compelled to be out every night of the week to pay a truck off." Chris saves a lot of money by doing "90 per cent" of the truck’s maintenance with his 16-year-old son Hayden, including bearings, brake linings and tyre rotations: "He’s been my grease monkey since he was about six years old, and my spanner man." Hayden is an apprentice diesel mechanic in the pair’s home region of Newcastle, and Chris reckons becoming an owner driver "is all he wants to do" one day. Hayden, who is shaping up as the third generation of Penfolds to drive the International, was driving around Australia in trucks with Chris as a toddler, and his two older sisters also enjoyed plenty of road trips with their dad when they were younger. .

Arkansas Business / August 1, 2016 Construction of a new Tri-State Mack dealership at 8901 Diamond Drive in North Little Rock is expected to begin this week and wrap up in about a year, according to co-owner Jim Maddox. Maddox said the project is estimated to cost about $13 million, and that the new dealership would be the largest in size of the Memphis-based Mack and Volvo truck dealer's nine locations in four states — Tennessee, Mississippi, Missouri and Arkansas. Maddox said the company hopes it will also do the most business once it opens. Maddox said Tri-State is moving from its present 30,000 square foot Little Rock location at 4614 Thibault Road to an industrial park south of Interstate 440 in the adjacent City of North Little Rock. The new location will be between 85,000 and 90,000 square feet in size, more than double the current facility. The present Little Rock location has about 40 employees, and Maddox said the new dealership could employ 50-55. Century Construction of Tupelo, Mississippi, is the contractor for the project. "In our business, it's important to build good visibility and be close to truck stops, so we're right there at that Galloway exit where there's two truck stops," Maddox said. "There's good visibility. It's just a great location…We are very excited, very excited." Tri-State Mack was founded in 1945 by F.A. Maddox, Senior. His son, the legendary F.A. "Judge" Maddox, Junior, made their Mack distributorship one of the most successful in the nation. His sons, Rod and Jim Maddox, operate the company today, a.k.a. Tri-State Truck Center (www.tristatetruck.com). It’s nine dealer locations in Tennessee, Mississippi, Missouri and Arkansas employ over 250 people. .

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette / August 2, 2016 The trucking industry is not only experiencing a driver shortage -- it also is dealing with a shortage of the diesel technicians who keep its trucks up and running. Arkansas trucking companies are working to address the shortage, such as partnering with a technical school. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the diesel service technicians and mechanics occupation is projected to grow about 12 percent from 2014 to 2024. It predicts the industry will add 31,600 jobs before 2024, but because of a storm of factors, it has proven difficult to fill those jobs. "It is hard. Last I checked there are around 275 jobs within a 50-mile radius of Northwest Arkansas and only 25 active applications," Matt Berner, operations manager for Peterbilt Trucks in Lowell, said of hiring technicians. An Internet search turned up an array of diesel technician jobs available in the region. "The need is in skilled labor. I mean, we have five or six positions open we're trying to fill," Berner said, pointing out that 24 of his 28 employees are skilled laborers. Berner blamed the problem on a decreasing interest in vocational schools, as young people are pushed more and more toward four-year degrees. "There are some 30,000 college students in the area. Everyone seems to push college, but honestly how many doctors and lawyers can you have?" "It's a growing industry; people are relying more and more on trucks to haul freight," said Jake Wright, a Peterbilt technician, echoing Berner. "It's just constantly growing, and we're looking at a shortage of technicians. Honestly, kids going to school are thinking they want to be doctors and scientists. I don't think anyone thinks, 'I want to be a mechanic.' It's hard work." Kent Chambers, department chairman for Diesel Truck Technology at Springdale's Northwest Technical Institute, blames the shortage on an aging workforce and the rapidly changing profession. "We're going to have a lack of technicians for quite a while because of the average age of technicians and the technological level of expertise that's already needed." Chambers said that half of the job now involves computer work. "Older technicians don't want to work with the software," Chambers said. "It's a full-time job just to keep up with new training." Wright agreed that computer work is a huge part of the job, but he sees the benefits of the new technology. "The computers have really helped the industry," Wright said. "They have made it a lot easier to diagnose and work on problems." Several companies and entities -- including Tyson Foods, J.B. Hunt Transport, the city of Fayetteville, Peterbilt and University of Arkansas' Razorback Transit -- have partnered with Northwest Technical. The institute's program requires three credit hours of "on the job training" -- or internships -- so students work shifts as mechanics while attending classes. These internships are technically full-employment positions but function as a way for students to learn their chosen field and for companies to learn about a potential long-term employee. There is no commitment from either side after the internship. Wright, a graduate of the the program, said, while some students take jobs elsewhere, "the majority of my friends ended up where they had their internship." He interned with Peterbilt and continues to work there. Representatives of Wal-Mart recently visited Northwest Technical to explore how to get involved. "We're currently analyzing how best to build a technician internship program with NTI," said Wal-Mart spokesman Scott Markley. "The possible internship program is one aspect of a much larger initiative." Bobby Jones, chairman of the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith Department of Automotive, Electronics, General and Welding Technologies, said some companies are developing in-house training. "Places like Caterpillar and John Deere are now teaching mechanics on their equipment specifically," Jones said. "It's getting more specialized to different companies." UAFS has a similar internship relationship with nearby USA Truck, but practical training is not a program requirement. Both Jones and Chambers said the cost of constantly updating equipment for students to learn on is the biggest challenge facing their programs and an obstacle to expansion. "We have a very hard time keeping up with it," Chambers said. "We are probably behind technology as it goes forward every day, even though we go to training classes every year." Others are catching on to the opportunity to train technicians. After a successful spring pilot program, Gentry High School will offer a diesel technology program this fall that will award college credit through Arkansas State University. Designed after a study of labor market data and input from local companies about employee shortages, the program will be the only diesel technology-specific one in the region. McKee Foods has partnered with the Gentry program to provide the instructor and has already donated a truck for the students to work on. J.B. Hunt donated a few old motors. A bond proposal on the September school board election ballot would fund, among other things, the construction of a new diesel mechanic lab. "The industry has really acknowledged that there is a need, and they're stepping up to help us," said Judy Winslett, assistant superintendent of Gentry Public Schools. Some local shops have expressed interest in taking high school students on as interns over the weekends in the future. "Only 35 to 37 percent of our students go on to college," Winslett explained. "We realized we needed to do a better job of providing them with the skills that will help them find stable employment out of high school above the minimum wage." The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median hourly wage of $21.40 for the occupation in 2015. Berner is optimistic about the high school-level training, particularly because it would allow employers to come in and "help these kids understand from a young age, down to driving records, what they do in high school affects them long-term. For example, if they get too many speeding tickets we can't insure them." He says that the earlier they can reach potential technicians, the more they can "maximize their potential." As Berner summed it up, "We're all trying to increase the flow of technicians in this area. Everybody's shorthanded with the growth here."

Note: Political correctness is a method used to control speech and stifle debate. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Black Lives Matter Quashes Free Speech at the University of Houston The National Interest / August 2, 2016 Woe unto those who publicly disagree with Black Lives Matter. After the Dallas shooting, Rohini Sethi, an incoming senior and the University of Houston's vice president of the Student Government association, took to her Facebook to express her disgust after the Dallas shootings. “Forget #Black Lives Matter,” she wrote. “More like All Lives Matter.” The reaction was swift. The president of the University of Houston student body both publicly denounced her actions and suspended her. In the ensuing days, minority student organizations would call for her to resign or be ousted from office. A hashtag was born: #RemoveRohini. As a condition of her suspension, Sethi was required to attend three days of sensitivity training. Sethi disagreed, but complied. Compliance was not enough, however, since it was clear that she still held her personal views. Black students at the University of Houston no longer felt that she was suited to represent them, and made this view known. Minority student organizations denounced the post as hateful and inflammatory [???], unbecoming of a student leader elected to represent the entire student body and who receives a stipend from student fees. Shane Smith, student body president (who is white) went on record with the Washington Post to articulate the students’ displeasure: “Her post and subsequent actions were very divisive [???],” Smith said. “It caused some in our student body to be upset with her. They lost their faith in her ability to represent them because they felt she did not understand or respect the struggle in their lives.” Note that Smith said some. Not a majority. Perhaps he understands that part of his role is to keep a small but vocal group satisfied lest his own position be threatened. If so, he’s well on his way to a luminous political career in Washington. Rohini did not use the university’s social media or other official university portals of communication. It was on her private Facebook account. Her own private views and displeasure at police officers being killed should not automatically disqualify her from her position. Sethi was disturbed by the events in Dallas and felt disillusioned by a political movement. Her opinions were harmless, but the student body president and black students did not feel the same way. They immediately perceived her as a threat and treated her as a liability. Her stipend, funded by student fees, hung in the balance. This campaign against her was a clear vote of no confidence, intended to force her to step down. It would be no surprise if she resigns before the end of the week. Black Lives Matter did not simply wish to censure her speech; they threatened her. Public humiliation, shaming someone in authority who does not agree with what you say is more than abusing your position of power to curtail free speech. It’s potentially destroying someone’s life and future. It’s not like kicking someone out of the debate club. But high on new power, Black Lives Matter has sent a message to potential adversaries: disagree publicly, and we will throw you under the bus. For now, they have the resources and enough public sympathy to make good on their promise. . .

“From today, 15 September, in Hungary, crossing the border illegally is a crime." . .

Cummins revenue down 10% for Q2 Today's Trucking / August 2, 2016 Cummins Inc. has posted second quarter revenues of $4.5 billion, down 10% from the same quarter in 2015. The company predicts that its full year revenue for 2016 will be down 8% to 10%, lower than previous estimates. “We made strong progress in our cost reduction initiatives in the second quarter, while continuing to invest in and launch new products that will drive profitable growth in the future,” announced Tom Linebarger, Cummins chairman and CEO. “Benefits from restructuring actions, material cost reduction initiatives, and improvements in product quality helped to mitigate the impact of weak demand in a number of our largest markets and will position the company for stronger performance when markets improve.” Cummins identified lower truck production in North America and weak global demand for off-highway and power generation equipment as the most significant drivers of declining sales. Despite the poor market, Cummins returned more than $1 billion to shareholders year to date through dividends and share repurchases. To read the company’s full Q2 statement, please click here.

Diesel and gasoline prices keep declining Fleet Owner / August 2, 2016 EIA also expects gasoline prices to keep falling due to rising production and inventories. National average retail pump prices for both diesel and gasoline continued falling this week, according to data tracked by the Energy Information Administration (EIA), mirroring price declines for both fuels on a regional basis across the U.S. Diesel dropped 3.1 cents to a national average of $2.348 per gallon, the agency said, which is 32 cents per gallon cheaper compared to the same week in 2015. Prices for diesel declined in every region of the country as well, EIA pointed out, with the biggest declines occurring in: The West Coast (when not including California): down 4.4 cents to $2.492 per gallon. With California’s prices included, that changes to a 3.3 cent decline to $2.63. The Central Atlantic: down 4 cents to $2.441. New England: down 3.8 cents to $2.396. The Midwest: down 3.7 cents to $2.304. Gasoline fell as well this week, dipping 2.3 cents to a national average of $2.159 per gallon, which is 53 cents per gallon cheaper compared to the same week last year. Prices for gasoline declined across the board on a regional basis in the U.S. as well this week, EIA said, with the biggest declines occurring in: The West Coast (when including California’s prices): down 5.6 cents to $2.614 per gallon. When not including California, prices on the West Coast dropped 3.8 cents to $2.421 this week. New England: down 4.1 cents to $2.168. The Gulf Coast: down 3.6 cents to $1.944 per gallon. EIA also emphasized that gasoline prices may enjoy further declines in the near future. The agency said the U.S. gasoline front-month futures crack spread has declined in recent months due to increased U.S. gasoline production and inventories. In June, the reformulated “blend stock” for oxygenate blending (RBOB)-Brent crack spread hit 37 cents per gallon, which is 18 cents per gallon below the June 2015 level and slightly lower than the five-year average. The recent trend of declining gasoline crack spreads extends beyond the U.S., as unlike in 2015 when gasoline crack spreads in some regions worldwide rose to match or set new recent record highs, spreads in 2016 are now significantly below last year’s levels and are generally closer to their respective five-year averages. For although gasoline consumption is “robust” in countries such as the U.S., China, and India, EIA stressed that gasoline crack spreads reflect supply conditions – and growth in gasoline supply has exceeded the increase in gasoline consumption since last summer. Refineries in the U.S., Europe, and Asia all increased production of gasoline compared with distillate to take advantage of the high gasoline crack spreads that occurred back in 2015 and in early 2016. That means this shift toward increased gasoline production is resulting in high gasoline inventory levels globally, according to the agency; levels that remain consistently above the five-year average, it said. In the U.S., for example, gasoline inventories in Petroleum Administration for Defense District (PADD) 1 – the location of the New York Harbor trading hub – were 14.3 million barrels higher than the five-year average level as of July 22. Thus based on projections for U.S. gasoline and distillate production in the EIA’s Short-Term Energy Outlook, the U.S. gasoline-to-distillate production ratio is expected to remain elevated through the summer, the agency emphasized – which could keep inventory levels high and put further downward pressure on domestic gasoline crack spreads for next few months.

Trump Says He’ll Spend More Than $500 Billion on Infrastructure Transport Topics / August 2, 2016 Donald Trump on August 2 proposed a plan to rebuild U.S. infrastructure that costs “at least double” the amount that Hillary Clinton has floated, in what would amount to a massive new government program. Asked by media how much he'd spend, the Republican presidential nominee said, “Well, I would say at least double her numbers, and you're going to really need more than that. We have bridges that are falling down. I don't know if you've seen the warning charts, but we have many, many bridges that are in danger of falling.” Clinton's plan, which is estimated to cost $275 billion over five years, calls for setting up a national infrastructure bank to help fund large-scale projects, an idea that President Barack Obama advanced only to see it stall for lack of Republican support. Trump was vague when asked how he'd pay for his much larger plan. “We'll get a fund. We'll make a phenomenal deal with the low interest rates,” he said. Who would provide the money? “People, investors. People would put money into the fund. The citizens would put money into the fund,” he said, adding that he'd use “infrastructure bonds from the country, from the United States.” The financial practicality of such a proposal is highly doubtful, particularly when considering that Trump, who tends to be slippery on policy details, said in the same interview that unlike his opponent, he wouldn't raise taxes. “I'm doing the biggest tax decrease,” he said. U.S. spending is projected to fall about $1.4 trillion short of the $3.3 trillion needed through 2025 for airports, highways and other infrastructure, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers. While Obama spurred spending on public works by helping cover the interest on about $188 billion of state and local debt, the program lapsed in 2010. Democrats have been unable to revive it because of Republican opposition in Congress. The political viability of a massive new infrastructure plan is also doubtful, as Republicans have spent years battling new taxes and government spending. Trump's remarks received immediate pushback on the right. House Speaker Paul Ryan's office said he was more focused on his policy plans than Trump's. “The Speaker is focused on the House GOP’s ‘Better Way’ agenda,” said Ryan spokeswoman AshLee Strong. Rory Cooper, a Republican strategist who opposes Trump, called his proposal “essentially the Obama stimulus argument” and added, “Half trillion tax dollars toward mythical projects to ‘create jobs.’ Nearly every Republican member of Congress voted against this in 2009.” On financing infrastructure, “everyone agrees we need to do it,” said Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo, a Democrat. “But nobody wants to pay for it."

Transport Topics / August 2, 2016 Engine maker Cummins Inc. said the slumping North American truck market pulled down second quarter earnings and revenue but it partially offset that with restructuring, quality and cost-cutting initiatives. Net income in the quarter ended June 30 was $406 million, or $2.40 per share, down 14% compared with $471 million, or $2.62 a year earlier. Cummins is the only independent engine manufacturer supplying the North American medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicle market. The earnings per share beat the street estimate of $2.16, analyst Jamie Cook with Credit Suisse wrote in an email. “Overall, CMI's operating performance is fairly impressive considering the challenging end-market outlook.” Second-quarter revenue of $4.5 billion decreased 10% from the same quarter in 2015. Lower truck production in North America and weak global demand for off-highway and power generation equipment were the most significant drivers of the decline in sales, the company said. “We made strong progress in our cost reduction initiatives in the second quarter, while continuing to invest in and launch new products that will drive profitable growth in the future,” Tom Linebarger, Cummins chairman and CEO, said in a statement. Cummins said sales dropped 14% in its engine segment, while on-highway revenues declined 15% primarily due to weaker truck production in North America. “Benefits from restructuring actions, material cost reduction initiatives and improvements in product quality helped to mitigate the impact of weak demand in a number of our largest markets and will position the company for stronger performance when markets improve,” Linebarger said. But the company does not see that happening this year. Cummins lowered its full-year guidance by 8% to 10%, compared with its previous guidance of down 5% to 9% due mostly to a lower outlook for North America truck production and weaker demand in global off-highway markets. Also, Linebarger said, “We have returned more than $1 billion to shareholders so far this year, through a combination of dividends and share repurchases. Our board of directors recently approved an increase in our quarterly dividend of 5.1%, consistent with our plans to return 75% of operating cash flow to shareholders in 2016.” “Investors look to CMI as a proxy for emerging markets, especially China, which we estimate contributes about 10% of CMI’s earnings before interest and taxes; China’s HD truck industry sales are up 15% year-to-date versus CMI’s outlook for down 4% in this market for 2016,” said JP Morgan analyst Ann Duignan. Cummins 10-Q filing with the U.S. Security and Exchange Commission, containing year-to-date results, was not immediately available.

Transport Topics / August 2, 2016 Freightliner will be laying off 115 workers at a plant in Gastonia, North Carolina, two months after the company reduced the workforce at the same location. The layoffs at the components and logistics facility will be effective August 12, according to parent company Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA). "DTNA’s workforce adjustments are in response to a sustained reduction in orders and a diminished build rate, and are expected to be temporary. DTNA anticipates a 15% decrease in Class 6-8 retail sales over the extremely robust NAFTA Class 6-8 market of 425,000 units in 2015," said David Giroux, director of corporate communications. "These workforce adjustments are expected to be temporary, and workers will have first rights to be recalled when production is able to sustain a higher build rate." In June, Freightliner laid off approximately 600 employees at a plant in Mount Holly, North Carolina, and about 180 in Gastonia. In January, 936 workers were laid off at the Freightliner plant in Cleveland, North Carolina. Related reading: http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/43388-freightliner-to-cut-almost-1000-jobs-at-cleveland-nc-truck-plant/?hl=daimler http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/44027-daimler-to-lay-off-more-than-1200-at-north-carolina-truck-plants/#comment-324532 http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/45554-dtna-to-cut-us-workforce-by-1240/#comment-335791 http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/46129-freightliner-ousts-general-manager-of-north-carolina-plant/#comment-339889

Car & Driver / August 2016 The smartest, most capable leviathan. For now. First Drive Review The Ford GT’s golden-anniversary class win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race may be Dearborn’s highlight in 2016, but an arguably bigger effort has been brewing as Ford prepares to release the 2017 F-series Super Duty later this year. Heavy-duty trucks are big business, like supercars, and trade on equally big numbers. Witness the latest Super Duty’s 925 lb-ft of torque from its optional diesel engine and a maximum towing capacity of 32,500 pounds, both of which currently backstop the all-important “class-leading” title. While the segment’s continual one-upmanship among Ford, General Motors, and Ram usually ensures that no player can claim that mantle for long, the first all-new Super Duty in 18 years also is one smart and impressive beast. Lighter, Stronger, Better The buildup to the 2017 Super Duty started nearly a year ago with Ford’s release of preliminary details, followed by trickles of pricing and equipment info for F-250 and F-350 models, along with their immense towing and hauling ratings. Our first real-world experience, however, took us to Denver, Colorado, where Ford schooled us in the tech that went into updating virtually every facet of its big rigs, including a stronger frame, new aluminum bodywork, and a bevy of clever, real-world engineering solutions. These commanding vehicles tower over most humans—and lesser pickups—with fortified underpinnings that wouldn’t look out of place on a Peterbilt. Depending on the model, overall dimensions remain much as before, save for a few extra inches of wheelbase and overall length. The Super Duty’s bold and purposeful design more closely resembles the latest F-150 than did last year’s model. For the first time, the big trucks offer regular, extended, and full crew cabs comparable to their light-duty brethren, which translates to about 4.0, 6.0, and 3.0 inches of additional length, respectively, versus the already cavernous cabs of the outgoing trucks. Most of the Super Duty’s stretch job translates into increased storage space and generous amounts of rear legroom on four-door trucks. The biggest adjustment for traditionalists may be the fender badges, which now render model designations vertically instead of horizontally. All of the primary body panels are now made of high-strength aluminum yet are more robust than those on the F-150. Although the switch to aluminum from steel reduces mass by as much as 350 pounds, some of the weight saved has been offset by a stiffer frame, stronger axles and suspension components, added features, and bigger fuel tanks—now as large as 48 gallons on some versions. We’ll have to wait to get a new Super Duty on our scales to confirm the true extent of Ford’s diet. The Powerhouse Our first drive on the open road in a near-$80,000 F-250 Platinum crew cab was somewhat surreal, so refined was the truck’s behavior. The Super Duty’s optional, turbocharged 6.7-liter PowerStroke diesel V-8 ($8595) makes up 60 percent of sales and is even more eerily quiet than before. Revised with fresh control software, a new fuel-injection pump and injectors, and a larger turbo, it now produces 440 horsepower at 2800 rpm and 925 lb-ft of torque at 1800 rpm; Ford’s TorqShift six-speed automatic with updated tuning is the only transmission choice. Some compression-ignition clatter remains, but it stays in the background, and you can carry on a casual conversation without shouting while standing next to the engine bay with the truck running. Those harboring 18-wheeler fantasies with old-school diesel-engine growls should visit a Ram dealer. The PowerStroke’s power builds lazily before coming on in a hearty surge of thrust. (Ford electronically limits the torque in first, second, and third gears to prevent overloading the traction-control system.) Shifts from the automatic gearbox are appropriately firm yet nicely modulated to keep the boost flowing and the engine pulling. Along with the engine brake (which now has automatic and full-on settings), activating the tow/haul function on the column shifter sharpens the transmission’s programming to maximize towing power, as well as downshifting and holding gears longer to better manage loads while descending hills. A diesel F-350 4x4 crew-cab dualie we drove felt only slightly taxed by a 10,000-pound horse trailer, and even a similar F-450 dragging a 15-ton gooseneck flatbed could accelerate up a decent grade with ease. Unburdened, the F-250 Platinum felt as swift as some family sedans but with the bonus of a seemingly endless amount of grunt available at any speed. A truck like the one we drove should be just as quick at the test track as the current hot rods in the diesel heavy-duty class: the smaller, lighter Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD and GMC Sierra 2500 HD, which sprint to 60 mph in just over seven seconds. While we had minimal exposure to Ford’s standard 6.2-liter V-8, it’s a capable engine with 385 ponies and 430 lb-ft, well suited to the lighter—and off-road—side of the big truck’s duty cycle. General fuel economy should improve slightly for both engines, but the EPA doesn’t require fuel-economy testing for vehicles with a GVWR over 8500 pounds, and real-world returns vary widely depending on a truck’s configuration and usage. Regardless, these are still thirsty rigs. Polish My Wagon Along with its mile-high seating position and copious amounts of sound insulation, the F-250’s on-road ambiance is surprisingly serene, which allowed us to better focus on the optional massage feature from the Platinum’s plush leather seats. Ride quality on smooth mountain roads was quite good for a truck sporting live axles, one that can haul literal tons in its pickup bed (certain F-350s have a max payload of 7630 pounds). There’s some bounciness and head toss over bumps, but the revised coil-spring front and leaf-spring rear suspensions quickly smooth out jolts from uneven surfaces. Load a long-wheelbase F-250’s bed with a few hundred pounds and it does an admirable impression of a really tall SUV. Along with beefier axles and linkages, the new Super Duty’s massive, fully boxed frame—95 percent of which is made of high-strength steel—provides the structural integrity of a bridge abutment, even when bounding over off-road obstacles and crossing frame-twisting ditches. The Super Duty’s sheer size and overall refinement diminish its sensation of speed, often resulting in velocities much greater than expected. Fortunately, a firm brake pedal and massive vented disc brakes (14.3 inches in diameter both front and rear) shed even loaded-down momentum with confidence. Simple physics plays a major role when placing a truck this large on the road and in curves, but the stiffer frame permits a greater sense of composure and stability in turns. And any advantage in front-end feel attributable to GM’s exclusive independent front suspension on four-wheel-drive trucks is greatly diminished by Ford’s new variable-ratio setup for the hydraulically assisted steering system, which was fitted to every Super Duty we drove on the street (it’s a $685 option on XLT trims and above, standard on the Platinum). Steering responses felt precise and direct, with some actual road feel transmitted through the steering wheel. More important, low-speed maneuverability is greatly improved, requiring fewer twirls of the wheel to position the truck on a tight trail, wind through a narrow parking lot, or reverse a 30-foot enclosed trailer. The system increases the steering ratio at higher speeds for greater stability, and it does so even further when the tow/haul mode is activated so as not to upset a heavy load. Back Me Up A host of available safety and convenience features includes full LED lighting, lane-departure warning, and adaptive cruise control that can automatically brake to maintain following distance with traffic ahead even when the truck is fully loaded. Blind-spot monitoring also is offered and doesn’t activate erroneously when towing trailers up to 33 feet long. Because towing is of such importance, at least to marketing claims, Ford redesigned the Super Duty’s conventional hitch to handle its maximum of 21,000 pounds without needing a fussy, weight-distributing attachment. What’s more, its Russian-nesting-doll setup of sleeves allows it to receive 2.0-, 2.5-, and 3.0-inch ball mounts, making virtually any receiver hitch a plug-and-play job. Other smart touches include available LED spotlights in the mirrors, bed, and tailgate, as well as up to six cameras scattered about the exterior—seven if you include the optional rearview trailer-camera module. In trucks so equipped, the Super Duty driver can scan the exterior from almost every angle via the 8.0-inch central touchscreen, which—along with the remote tailgate release and highly adjustable exterior mirrors—allows for solo hookups to most trailers. While the Super Duty’s hydraulic-assist steering isn’t compatible with the F-150’s secondary trailer-reversing knob, the big trucks do feature a clever guidance system that overlays a virtual steering wheel on the rearview-camera image and recommends inputs for dead-straight backing of the trailer. The Mobile Office The Super Duty’s updated interior is functional above all else, with lots of storage options, simple ergonomics, and large buttons and knobs easily operated while wearing gloves. All of the trucks we drove were higher-trim models, topped by the Platinum and its faux metallic and wood accents, plentiful soft-touch surfaces, and leather upholstery. You definitely won’t mistake it for the cabin of an $80,000 Mercedes-Benz, but the execution is attractive, comfortable, and feels solidly made. A newly optional 8.0-inch color display in the instrument cluster provides a plethora of gauge options and information readouts within a simplified menu layout. We particularly like the addition of Ford’s Sync 3 interface; the convertible two-into-four cupholders in the center console; multiple 110-volt power outlets with up to 400 watts of juice; and a central storage compartment large enough for laptops or a full case of refreshing beverages. For those whose work takes them into sloppy environs, Ford also now offers on all trims a premium rubber floor covering for easy cleanup. As in the F-150, the crew cab brings ample rear-seat space and a completely flat floor, which can be optioned with a full-width, locking storage compartment that collapses when not needed. The Super Duty’s plethora of options and configurations means there is a setup for just about any need, with prices increasing slightly across the board. Basic, rear-wheel drive, regular-cab gasoline F-250s and F-350s start at $33,730 and $34,900, respectively, with the big-dog F-450 (diesel, crew cab, and 4x4 only) opening at $55,140. Plan on spending about $50K for a mid-level crew-cab four-by-four, but go crazy with the extras and an F-450 can approach $90,000. Ford says it put more development into the 2017 F-series Super Duty—more than 12 million test miles—than any other vehicle it’s ever created, which may give the new truck an edge over its crosstown rivals in pretty much every way. Of course, only a comparison test can verify such claims, and those accolades mean little to GM and Ram loyalists who simply don’t want a Super Duty no matter how sophisticated it is. Ram’s heavy-duty trucks are currently closest to Ford’s in terms of ratings (900 lb-ft of torque, 31,210 pounds of towing), and GM has yet to release details on its updated 2017 models with their ram-air hoods. But for now, Ford’s new Super Duty is the ultimate workhorse. Photo gallery - http://www.caranddriver.com/photo-gallery/2017-ford-f-series-super-duty-first-drive-review

Dozens of French towns to arm local police as mayor says non-lethal weapons not enough RT / August 2, 2016 The terrorist attack in Nice which killed 84 people when a truck plowed through crowds celebrating Bastille Day has prompted several French mayors to arm local police. Non-lethal weapons are incapable of stopping a “crazed attacker,” one mayor said. "Along the Promenade des Anglais [in Nice] the municipal police and the national police had the same mission – to stop a crazed vehicle or murderer,” said Francois Bayrou, the mayor of Pau. “Our weapons against incivility, such as the Taser or the flash-ball, are obviously worthless in stopping a vehicle," he added. The Pau mayor has decided to give guns to some 35 municipal police officers. Bayrou noted that 75 percent of those who will be given the arms “were either in the police or in the national police or in the army, and are therefore trained in handling the weapons.” All the officers are required to undergo 57 hours of training to obtain authorization. The mayors of the small French towns of Belfort and Thonon-les-Bains also earlier decided to allow local law enforcers to carry guns – joining municipal police officers in the towns of Romilly-sur-Seine, Saint-Quentin and Puy-en-Velay, who were previously authorized to carry arms. The law allows for the municipal police in France to carry arms, but the decision has to be taken individually by each mayor. The mayors of Nantes and Besancon have decided against arming local police. As things stand, of the approximately 20,000 municipal French police, "fewer than half are armed," Cedric Michel, the national president of the municipal police defence union (SDPM), told Le Figaro last month. In June, France relaxed gun rules for its police force, allowing officers to carry firearms while off-duty. The policy change came just days after a police couple was murdered by a jihadist in a Paris suburb. France is currently under a state of emergency, first declared by President Francois Hollande hours after the Paris attacks in November last year. It was renewed for the fourth time following the Nice attack last month.

Not a dumb question at all. Only the aristocracy of the rigged Wall Street system know the answer to that. However, the common person can, at rare moments, follow them in the door and buy a good company at a ridiculously cheap price. With Navistar, one could well justify to start accumulating from $7, and on down to $6. I thought it might hit $5 before recovering, but it bottomed at $5.78 The aristocracy has for decades enhanced their wealth by luring the masses to buy stocks at ridiculous prices. They made a killing with Enron. Don't allow them to play you. Why should you finance their multi-million dollar homes at Sea Island and the Ocean Reef Club? The 2008 stock market crash was a common man's bonanza. Since we're truck people, look at Oshkosh. A perfectly sound company whose stock went down solely because of the market. The stock had been in the $50s, and market crash sent it down to $3.85. If you had bought 5,000 to 10,000 share (it was soooo cheap), you'd have a great investment. It's in the $50 range again.

GM will take aim at VW with diesel Chevy Cruze Automotive News / August 2, 2016 Chevrolet will go after Volkswagen’s diesel customers “There are a lot of diesel intenders and diesel-loyal people who are looking for a brand and vehicles to go after,” said Dan Nicholson, General Motors’ vice president for global propulsion systems. “They tend to be more tech savvy than the average customer. And they won’t stop wishing for a diesel. And we’ll go after those customers,” he said on the sidelines of the Center for Automotive Research’s Management Briefing Seminars here. Chevrolet, Nicholson said, will follow through with its plan to launch a new diesel engine in the Chevrolet Cruze. The car is expected to arrive in 2017 and feature a 1.6-liter diesel that is so quiet engineers call it “whisper diesel.” Nicholson said he believes the U.S. market for diesel-powered cars and light trucks is still viable, despite Volkswagen’s diesel emissions scandal. “I think the U.S. is one of the few diesel growth markets on the planet,” he said. “I am very optimistic about the diesel market in the U.S. It has been abandoned by others and we are happy to step in and be the leader. Frankly that’s what we’d like to do,” he said. GM, Nicholson said, is seeing strong demand for the diesel-powered Chevrolet Colorado and GMCCanyon pickups. “We’re selling every one we can make and our sales targets are on track,” he said. VW steps back Last month, Hinrich Woebcken, CEO of Volkswagen Group of America, told Automotive News that VW won’t relaunch “clean diesels” as a core element of its brand identity in the U.S., where VW dominated diesel passenger car sales before being consumed by its nearly yearlong emissions-cheating scandal. He said VW would use diesels where they make sense until at least 2019, but then toughening emissions standards would make the fuel-efficient engine extremely difficult to certify for U.S. sale. Volkswagen halted sales of diesel-powered vehicles last fall after regulators discovered VW used a defeat device to turn off emissions systems during testing. Parent company Volkswagen AG now has set aside nearly $20 billion to pay for legal settlements, fines and vehicle buybacks stemming from the scandal. Criminal investigations are ongoing in the U.S. and Germany. GM engineered the Cruze’s diesel engine at its Turin, Italy, powertrain engineering center. It is expected to develop 136-hp and 275 pounds-feet of torque.

US crude drops below $40 a barrel The Financial Times / August 2, 2016 Previously bullish hedge funds turn more negative as inventory of refined products swells US crude hovered near the $40 a barrel mark early on Tuesday, while the global benchmark Brent was at three-month lows as higher output and exports from big producer countries weighed on market sentiment. West Texas Intermediate, the US marker, dropped to as low as $39.82 late on Monday and was just above the $40 level in London on Tuesday. The world’s leading energy bodies have said a rebalancing of supply and demand is well under way, but oil prices remain under pressure while previously bullish hedge funds are turning more negative. Market participants also point to increasing production and exports from Opec countries, just as concerns rise about falling crude demand from refineries as refined products inventories swell. “There was a temporary balance in the oil market. Now supplies that were disrupted have started to resume and the sharp downturn in US supply that was expected to balance the oil market looks shallower,” said Harry Tchilinguirian, global head of commodity markets strategy at BNP Paribas. “There are doubts in the minds of even the most fervent bulls as to when the market fully comes into balance,” he added. Brent reversed all the hefty gains it had early on Monday to finish 0.8 per cent lower at $42.14 - a level it was near early on Tuesday. The price of Brent crude for delivery in October rose to $43.85 a barrel in morning trading, following the expiry of the September contract. Both benchmarks were trading at levels last seen in mid-April and have dropped a fifth from their peak of $51 a barrel in June. A fall of more than 20 per cent is considered to be a bear market. Hedge funds and other money managers added the equivalent of 56m barrels of extra short positions in Brent and WTI futures and options contracts in the week ending July 26. Bullish bets on crude are at their smallest in five months. Bijan Zanganeh, Iran’s oil minister, on Monday said that although he expected supply and demand to even out, the oil market was still “oversupplied,” according to state television. Of all Opec nations, Iran has provided the biggest rise in output as it pumps more oil and seeks a greater export market share after the lifting of western sanctions against its energy sector. Mr Zanganeh said the Iranian government will ratify a new oil contract model this week to make way for international investment into the country’s energy sector. Meanwhile, the head of Libya’s national oil company said on Sunday he welcomed the reopening of ports following a deal between the UN-backed government and a rebel force, saying it would prepare the way for a resumption of its disrupted exports. Mustafa Sanalla said big military, political and legal obstacles remained in Libya, but the national oil company sought to “immediately start technical works, and we will mobilise workers as quickly as possible”. Libya aims to boost exports to 900,000 barrels a day by the end of the year, Mr Sanalla said. Separately, the state oil company for Saudi Arabia — Opec’s largest producer and the world’s top exporter — on Sunday reduced its export prices for Asian customers. It cut the official selling price for the benchmark Arab Light grade for September-loading cargos by $1.30 a barrel to a discount of $1.10 compared with the Oman/Dubai benchmark. That’s the sharpest cut in almost a year, which industry participants took to mean a more aggressive push for market share as it competed with other big producers, from Russia to Iraq and Iran. The price reduction came ahead of an expected pullback in demand in October when Asian refinery maintenance season got under way. In the US, oil companies added drilling rigs for a fifth consecutive week, according to services company Baker Hughes. The data published on Friday showed an increase of three rigs to 374 and made up the biggest monthly jump in more than two years.

Phoenix parents abandon toddler son to play Pokemon Go Associated Press / August 1, 2016 An Arizona couple has been charged with child endangerment after leaving their toddler home alone so they could out and play “Pokemon Go”. Pinal County Sheriff’s Office said Brent and Brianne Daley were arrested last week at their San Tan Valley home. They admitted they left the boy sleeping to play the popular location-based interactive smartphone game. At some point the boy exited the home while distraught in temperatures of approximately 95 degrees. A neighbor called authorities Thursday around 10:30 p.m. to report seeing the 2-year-old outside the house crying and trying to get back into the house. The neighbor said the parents didn’t appear to be home. Deputies said after they brought the boy inside — the front door was unlocked — they confirmed he lived there based on photos around the house. Deputies called a phone number they found and a man answered. When a deputy told the man they had found an abandoned child, authorities said the man answered, “Whatever” and hung up. The Daleys returned an hour later and were taken into custody. They told police they had gone to gas up the car and then drove around the neighborhood playing the game. The Arizona Department of Child Safety took over care of the boy, who was barefoot and wearing a diaper and T-shirt when found. .

Why don't you buy a Mack remanufactured water pump that provides you with OEM quality and a nationwide one-year unlimited mileage warranty ?

Associated Press / July 31, 2016 At least seven semi-trailer trucks were set ablaze early Sunday in East New York, Brooklyn. Seventeen private trash trucks have been set ablaze in Brooklyn in the past two months. Police investigators say an “internal beef’’ may be behind the arsons. The windows of the 18-wheeler cabs torched in East New York on Sunday looked like they were smashed in by molotov cocktails, which then burst into flames, leaving at least one truck a bombed-out, smoldering metal shell. A witness on Stanley Avenue saw one arsonist arrive in an unmarked truck around 3 a.m. “A man got out of a regular box truck, out of the passenger side. He came out of the truck, he walked right here to the passenger side of the tractor trailer, busted the windows, and next thing I know there was an explosion.” “The guy got out, he was short, I’d say 5’7”, 5’9”; kind of chubby. He had on all black; a black hoodie.” Nearly all the trucks were garbage trucks. Five of the seven have markings for TTS Trucking Company in Newark. They are parked on blocks typically lined with trucks overnight, and some believe specific trucks were targeted. “It was not random at all,” a witness said. “Someone wants to close these trailers down.” Many drivers often sleep in the cabs where all the fires were set. Burned mattresses were still on the ground late Sunday. Some local drivers said they wouldn’t be sleeping too soundly Sunday night. “I’m probably not going to get much sleep if I decide to stay here after seeing that,” said truck driver Roberto Lopez. “Usually when you come to a city like these, people knock on the door and I ignore it,” said truck driver T.J. Wyatt. “Now I won’t.” Police said late Sunday that it was still unclear whether the fires were the work of a possible arsonist. They were still investigating if there was any criminality involved. One truck owner said it was the second time his vehicles have been torched in the neighborhood. “It’s crazy because there are security cameras on all the buildings,” said Ricardo Caballan, whose company is called Jahali. Police said five of the independently owned tractor-trailers targeted Sunday were hired by TTS Trucking of Newark, New Jersey to haul waste from the city to Pennsylvania. The other two trucks had “East Trucking’’ written on them. The first explosion occurred at 2:30 a.m., and police say within an hour, six more cabs parked at various streets in East New York were ablaze. The trucks were parked at five places: Essex Street and Stanley Avenue; Shepherd Street and Stanley Avenue; Linwood Street and Wortman Avenue; Linwood Street and Stanley Avenue and Chestnut Street and Atlantic Avenue. .

MAN Significantly Improves Profit MAN Truck & Bus Press Release / July 29, 2016 MAN Truck & Bus boosts profit in the first half of 2016 — operating profit before special items more than doubled Munich-based commercial vehicle and engineering player MAN has seen 2016 off to a successful start, benefiting in particular from its strong position on the European commercial vehicles market as it continues to recover. The MAN Group’s order intake was €7.4 billion and sales revenue €6.4 billion in the first six months of 2016. In the first half of 2016, the MAN Group’s operating return on sales increased to 3.7%, after 0.2% in the prior-year period. The MAN Group’s operating profit amounted to €236 million in the first six months of 2016 (previous year: €15 million). “This is mainly attributable to a considerably improved operating profit at MAN Truck & Bus,” said Joachim Drees, Chief Executive Officer of MAN SE. “Apart from higher volumes and improved margins, the future growth program launched in the previous year also had a significant effect.” Order intake at MAN Truck & Bus rose year-on-year to €5,250 million in the first half of 2016 with sales revenue at €4,443 million. Order intake and unit sales grew in line with sales revenue. At €268 million, operating profit in the first half of 2016 was significantly higher than the prior-year figure before special items (€121 million). This corresponds to an operating return on sales of 6.0 % (previous year: 2.8 %). The program to strengthen the Company in a competitive market environment comprises far-reaching initiatives to increase profitability and cut costs, as well as to make production more flexible. Key aspects of the program include restructuring the truck production sites and streamlining all administrative areas. This will also include cutting product costs and lifting sales performance. While the Commercial Vehicles business area saw significant growth in the European commercial vehicles market on the back of the economic upturn, the ongoing recession and political uncertainties in Brazil once again led to a considerable market decline as against the previous year. MAN Latin America posted a further decrease in demand in the first half of 2016. The company sold 10,131 vehicles, down 19% as against the prior-year period. Sales revenue declined to €398 million. MAN Latin America is implementing an extensive program to strengthen the company in a competitive market environment with the aim of systematically improving its earnings quality. In the Power Engineering business area, the situation in the marine and turbomachinery markets deteriorated further while the energy generation market remained at a low but stable level. Overall, this led to a decrease in order intake at MAN Diesel & Turbo despite a year-on-year increase in orders received by the Power Plants strategic business unit. MAN Diesel & Turbo recorded an operating profit of €69 million in the first six months under review and thus an operating return on sales of 4.7%. The year-on-year deterioration in operating profit was primarily due to the decline in sales volumes, significant pressure on margins in the new construction business, and decreased capacity utilization. Renk posted higher order intake overall than in the previous year following positive growth in the Special Gear Units and Vehicle Transmissions strategic business units. It generated an operating profit of €33 million in the period under review. As a result, Renk’s operating return on sales for the first half of 2016 was 14.6%. All in all, the MAN Group’s profit before tax amounted to €156 million in the first six months. The profit after tax was €16 million. Net cash provided by operating activities amounted to €406 million in the first six months, a significant year-on-year improvement. The Executive Board of MAN SE expects a slight year-on-year decline in the MAN Group’s sales revenue. Operating profit and the operating return on sales will be significantly higher than the 2015 levels. 2016 MAN Half-Yearly Financial Report - http://www.corporate.man.eu/man/media/en/content_medien/doc/global_corporate_website_1/investor_relations_1/qb/hjb_2016/2016_hjbericht.pdf

The Volvo brand US market share continues to grow overall, whereas Mack brand market share remains stagnant. As that gap continues to widen, the reason for Mack's existence continues to weaken. Buying Mack, like White, Autocar and GMC, buying up that market share, was always for Volvo a means to an end. It was all about business....they have no love/passion for Mack as Americans do. Volvo has never understood the meaning of "Mack", as we view it, nor cared to. The goal has always been to climb the mountain, conquering and absorbing along the way, to reach the peak and battle Daimler for the position as the world's largest truckmaker by volume. (Now VW has entered the competition) We all recall the Volvo brand, for years, being far behind Mack in sales. But nowadays, Volvo is clearly out ahead of the Mack brand by a considerable distance. Volvo couldn't be more thrilled. And the Volvo/Mack dealers, who for years never promoted Volvo, are actually pushing it now. Failing to compete in the long haul segment while being clobbered in vocational by Kenworth, and supported by incompetent corporate leadership who have distributor principals disgusted, the Mack brand is no longer the "center of the world" at Volvo/Mack distributors. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Full Year 2014 Volvo brand global (overall) truck sales 117,194 units Mack brand global (overall) truck sales 25,644 Volvo brand North America truck sales 33,800 Mack brand North America truck sales 23,634 Full Year 2015 Volvo brand global (overall) truck sales 113,066 units Mack brand global (overall) truck sales 27,411 Volvo brand North America truck sales 38,890 Mack brand North America truck sales 25,302 Q1 2016 Volvo brand global (overall) truck sales 24,315 units Mack brand global (overall) truck sales 5,176 Volvo brand North America truck sales 5,797 Mack brand North America truck sales 4,843 Q2 2016 Volvo brand global (overall) truck sales 28,255 units Mack brand global (overall) truck sales 5,588 Volvo brand North America truck sales 6,786 Mack brand North America truck sales 5,192

Paul bought his land in the right way, at the right time, and in the right place. I was never in a position to do that. But I was in a position to invest in Asia, the world's last growth region (again, Latin America is too dangerous). The stock market is a scam, pure and simple. But there are moments when even the common man can partake in opportunities. You have to be unafraid to get in at the market bottom, rather than wait until its rising again. BMT Investors voted to get into Navistar (NAV) in January at $6 (it bottomed at $5.78), and look where it is today. I like the idea of Americans being able to "opt out" of social security. As you said, I don't want to finance (support) the ocean of "slacks" living off the system.

‘They took too damn long’: Inside the police response to the Orlando shooting The Washington Post / August 1, 2016 Within minutes of the attack, police entered Pulse nightclub and outnumbered Omar Mateen. It would be nearly three more hours before he was killed. The police department's chief defended the actions of officers. When Omar Mateen finished pumping bullets into dozens of people sprawled on the dance floor inside the Pulse nightclub on June 12, he walked toward the bathrooms, where many patrons had hidden. It was just minutes after Orlando police were called about the gunfire, and law enforcement officers began descending on the club. Four of them entered the building through one patio, while six others shot out a window to get inside. Among the 10 officers who went into Pulse, some had powerful military-style rifles and one had a shield. At least two had tactical experience. Police fired at Mateen when he popped his head out of one of the bathrooms. The shooter was outgunned and outnumbered. But then, police decided not to pursue him. This account, based on interviews with law enforcement officials and witnesses, as well as public records, provides the most complete picture yet of the law enforcement response and Mateen’s movements inside the club on the night of the attack. The new details raise questions about how police and fire agencies responded to what became the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history — and how the attack turned into a hostage standoff that lasted nearly three hours. The decision not to follow Mateen into the bathroom proved critical. Because Mateen was not subdued or killed sooner, wounded victims remained trapped inside the bathroom for hours, pleading for the police to rescue them. Emergency medical personnel did not enter the club to treat victims, because it was deemed too dangerous. And during the final standoff, in which police initially failed to breach the club wall and struggled to make entry, Mateen apparently shot more people, according to witnesses. At least five people who were alive in the bathrooms when the standoff began ultimately died at the club. Three of these people — Deonka Deidra Drayton, Eddie Justice and Alejandro Barrios Martinez — sent text messages from inside the club’s bathrooms and were later among the dead. [Graphic: The lives lost in Orlando] Witnesses in the women’s bathroom said Mateen killed at least three people during the final moments of the standoff, opening fire as SWAT officers were moving to breach the walls. “They took too damn long for me,” said Tiara Parker, 21, who was inside the bathroom. “If they had moved faster, they would have gotten us out of there and everybody could have possibly lived.” In a lengthy interview, Orlando Police Chief John Mina defended the actions of officers inside the club and the rationale for not ending the attack sooner. The reason police did not pursue the shooter immediately, Mina said, was that Mateen stopped shooting after he entered the bathroom and he had hostages. “He went from an active shooter to a barricaded gunman,” Mina said. “If he had continued shooting, our officers would have went in there.” How Orlando police responded will be studied closely as other departments across the country try to prepare their officers for the next mass shooting. The Justice Department, at the Orlando Police Department’s request, is reviewing the law enforcement response. Similar reviews have been launched after other attacks at movie theaters, schools and government installations. The examination of how authorities responded to the Pulse shooting will join a grim catalogue of assessments that have sought to learn lessons from attacks in Aurora, Colo., at the Washington Navy Yard and at Virginia Tech. In each of those mass shootings, officials found that they could do things better the next time. “The highest priority is to eliminate the threat,” said Dan Oates, who was the police chief in Aurora when a gunman opened fire in a movie theater, killing 12 and injuring scores more. Oates declined to comment on the Orlando shooting and the response there. He added: “If the best information is the shooter is on the fourth floor, you get to the fourth floor. If you run into the bad guy, you better be ready to deal with it.” Crucial minutes The bloodshed at Pulse unfolded in a matter of minutes. At 2:02 a.m., Mateen entered the club with his semiautomatic rifle at the ready and started shooting immediately, according to The Washington Post’s timeline constructed from interviews and public records. He fired repeatedly in the main room of the club, then moved toward the back room, continuing to shoot. Clubgoers went running for hiding places and exits, jumping over the bodies of those already hit. Some played dead. Mateen was able to move around the space quickly. Not including an outdoor patio, the club covers less than 5,000 square feet. Moments later, he returned to the main room. He fired at wounded people lying on the dance floor and reloaded his magazine. Then he returned to the back room, shooting victims again. For a third time, he walked into the main room, changing magazines and firing at more people. At 2:07 a.m., he headed to the restrooms and continued to shoot. Angel Santiago described running directly into one of the bathrooms with a friend after the shooting started. Santiago estimated that there were about 15 to 20 people in there. Mateen entered shortly after and started shooting. Parker said that when Mateen entered the women’s room, his rifle jammed, so he used his handgun. By 2:10 a.m., at least 10 officers had entered the club. The first moments were filled with confusion as the police made their way through the dark club. One who entered through the east patio said he heard shots, while another said he didn’t hear any. A group of six officers, including Officer Brandon Cornwell, had entered the club by busting out a window. Cornwell said Mateen “was actively shooting.” Orlando officer Michael Ragsdale later said in his narrative to police that as he entered the back bar area from the patio, he saw two other officers shooting down a hallway. “At that time I could not see what they were shooting at,” he said. There seemed to be a lull in gunfire, Mina said, and then Mateen apparently began shooting again, revealing to officers his location in the club. Mina said he thinks that officers shot at Mateen about 2:17 a.m., the same time that emergency dispatchers received some of the last reports of gunfire. It was not clear whether Mateen fired at police during this encounter. Mina said that once Mateen was barricaded in the bathroom, the shooting stopped, so police decided to hold their positions. “If there had been additional shots, [police] would have heard,” Mina said. “They were literally feet from the bathroom.” By almost 2:18 a.m., police seemed to have control of the club’s main room, according to publicly released documents and interviews. For the next three hours, though, a terrifying scene unfolded in the women’s restroom as clubgoers, some of them suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, were trapped with Mateen. One victim, 18-year-old Akyra Murray, Parker’s cousin, described losing feeling in her arm. Murray, who managed to call 911 from the bathroom, later told a dispatcher at 2:36 a.m. that she was losing her eyesight and feeling in her body. [‘It was just complete chaos’: Orlando survivors on the struggle to stay alive] In another exchange, a caller said “people are bleeding out in the bathroom.” At 2:35 a.m., another caller described “everyone in the bathroom groaning in pain.” At 2:39 a.m., Justice texted his mother: “I am gonna die.” Meanwhile, Mateen was making contact with 911 and police. In a 2:35 a.m. call to an emergency dispatcher, he said he was the shooter in Orlando and pledged allegiance to the leader of the Islamic State. In three other calls scattered over the next hour, each lasting between three and 16 minutes, Mateen talked with police negotiators. He said there was a vehicle outside the club with bombs and that he had a vest — the kind they “used in France.” “In the next few days, you’re going to see more of this type of action going on,” he said to a negotiator. While he was holed up in the bathroom, Mateen searched online on his phone for mentions of the shooting, according to law enforcement officials. Police continued trying to free people from the club. At 4:21 a.m., officers pulled out an air-conditioning unit from a dressing-room window to let victims evacuate. Mina said eight people who had been hiding inside were saved. As victims escaped through the window, they told officers that Mateen said he would put bomb vests on four people within 15 minutes. Once they learned this, police decided they had to make a move, despite the potential consequences. At 5:02 a.m., the Orlando police SWAT team and a hazardous- device team from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office began breaching a wall of the club. They tried to use explosives to bring down a bathroom wall so they could enter and rescue victims, but that didn’t work. The failed attempt probably signaled to Mateen that police were coming. Minutes passed as officers continued trying to ram an opening into the club. During that time, witnesses said, Mateen started killing people inside the bathroom. “We were already at great risk, but . . . they made it worse,” Parker said. “They put us at more risk.” Parker said she saw Mateen kill at least two people, possibly a third, in the women’s bathroom. Based on photos of the victims that were published after the shooting, she identified two of the people as Deonka Drayton and Tevin Eugene Crosby. Patience Carter, a survivor who said she fled and hid in a bathroom stall with Parker, said that when police ordered people away from the wall as they prepared to breach, Mateen appeared to shoot several more people. [‘How did I walk away alive?’ The Orlando shooting through a survivor’s eyes.] Using a BearCat armored vehicle, authorities punched a hole between the two bathrooms, but they had picked the wrong spot. In a third attempt to get in, the tactical personnel created another hole in the men’s room and survivors started streaming out. Mateen emerged from one of the openings and fired at the SWAT team. Parker said the fusillade was so intense she could feel the heat from the bullets flying past her. “I was getting burned up by the bullets bouncing from everywhere,” Parker said At 5:14 a.m., police radio communications indicated that shots were fired. One minute later, those radio calls said that police had shot at Mateen and he was down. When it was over, Mateen was dead. So was Murray, the 18-year-old who had called 911 saying she was losing feeling in her body. She was among the dozen or so dead in the bathrooms. Officials found no explosives or suicide vests. Mina said 15 hostages held in one bathroom were freed and three to five escaped from the other. How to stop an active shooter In the aftermath of the shooting, law enforcement officials defended their actions. A. Lee Bentley III, the U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Florida, has said that the officers responding “should not be second-guessed.” Mina said this was not a typical active-shooter situation. If Mateen had been in the open, he said, the officers would have shot at or arrested him. Instead, Mateen was already in the bathroom when he was first spotted. “Officers followed their training in responding to active-shooter incidents,” Mina said. Police say that during the standoff, they were continuously taking victims out of the club from the main room and bringing them outside to get medical help. [A Marine’s military training helped him save dozens from Orlando gunman] Paramedics responding to the shooting, however, never came within 100 yards of the building during the attack and standoff that followed. They were “not equipped to handle an active shooter,” according to Orlando Fire Department District Chief Bryan Davis, who served as incident commander that night. Mina said that if this had been a college campus or mall, emergency fire and rescue personnel would have come into the building. But this was a relatively small building that police cleared quickly. “There wasn’t a need” for paramedics to enter the building, he said. Officers “were easily able to get people to aid.” After other shooting attacks in places such as Aurora and Colorado’s Columbine High School, officials and experts have emphasized the importance of pursuing the attacker or attackers as quickly as possible. “In light of experience from multiple victim shooting incidents in the past two decades, widely accepted police strategy is to attempt to quickly neutralize an active shooter — go to the shooter, and do not wait for special teams or special equipment or a large force for attack,” concluded an independent report analyzing the 2012 Aurora movie theater shooting at the city’s request. “The longer the perpetrator is left to shoot, the more people may be killed or injured.” The Orlando police posted on their website last December — after two attackers who pledged loyalty to the Islamic State killed 14 people in San Bernardino, Calif. — that they had held regular training for active-shooter situations since 2000. “Since law enforcement’s focus is always to contain and stop an active shooter, in 2014, OPD modified its training to integrate the Orlando Fire Department,” the statement said. “In this new training, which was taught in scenario-based exercises starting last spring and summer, rescue personnel respond to what we call ‘warm zones’ (where contact with the shooter or shooters is not likely to occur) so they can quickly enter, locate, treat, and evacuate casualties.” Authorities are continuing to investigate the handling of the shooting. Mina said officials do not know how many of the victims who were alive during the prolonged standoff later died in the bathrooms or how many had survivable gunshot wounds. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the officers who discharged their weapons; the agency declined to say specifically when during the event any of them fired shots, saying such information would be released when the investigation concludes. During the initial encounters with Mateen and at the end of the three-hour standoff that followed, authorities say, 14 officers fired their weapons. Orlando police say 11 of their officers fired, seven of them SWAT team members who fired at the end of the confrontation, killing Mateen. Three Orange County sheriff’s deputies also fired. Mina said he did not know whether law enforcement had inadvertently killed any of the clubgoers. Chris Voss, a former FBI SWAT team member and hostage negotiator, said that the decision not to follow Mateen into the bathroom was a gamble but one that was understandable. “Cops are paid to take risks but not stupid risks,” he said. “This is not military combat where there are acceptable casualties on both sides. Law enforcement doesn’t have that conversation. No casualties are acceptable.” Voss said that “buying time increases the likelihood of a successful assault” and can often save more lives. The rule for law enforcement, he said, is, “Don’t make things worse.” “We don’t want cops to be cowboys,” Voss said. “I see cops going down and things being worse. Play the odds and step back.” Mina said that there will be lessons learned but that his officers did the best they could with the information they had at the time. “I have no regrets in the decisions that my officers and commanders on the ground made, and I have no regret with the decision I made, either,” he said.

The Swedish government would like to see D11 and D13 engine production return to Sweden. And for Gothenburg, Sweden-based Volvo, relocating that engine production back to Sweden would be a very politically correct thing to do. The government would smother Volvo with financial incentives. Volvo engine production is NOT limited to the former Mack Trucks facility in Hagerstown, Maryland. In addition, Volvo produces engines in: Skövde, Sweden Euro-6 D13 and global D16 Lyon-Venissieux, France Euro-6 D5, D8, D9 and D11) Curitiba, Brazil Euro-5 D11 and D13 Pithampur, India Euro-3 and Euro-4 D5 and D8 Ageo, Japan GH5, GH7, GH8, GH11, GH13 (Nissan Diesel-developed D5/D8 and rebadged D11/D13) Volvo could also negotiate to produce engines at the 55/45 Dongfeng-Volvo joint venture, which produces the Renault dCi 11. And, as Deutz's largest shareholder at 25%, one can say Volvo indirectly builds engines in Cologne and Ulm, Germany, Buenos Aires, Argentina and the Deutz (Dalian) Engine Co. 50/50 joint venture with FAW in China.

Volvo is in serious financial straights right now. Aside from their US truck market being in the toilet owing more to incompetent management than macroeconomics, the money-losing Volvo Construction Equipment unit is pulling them under. The board is of a mind to sell, but with the market down, they wouldn't get much for it.