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Legendary Kenworth man – Phil Russell Australasian Transport News (ATN) / July 12, 2016 Brisbane-based Russell Transport's Phil Russell is one of this year’s ATA Kenworth Legends The Kenworth Legends Lunch is usually rated the highlight of the Australian Trucking Association’s annual conference, and this year’s characters didn’t disappoint. Yesterday we profiled Peter Wickham from Wickham Freight Lines in Warwick; today it’s the turn of Phil Russell, from Russell Transport in Brisbane. Phil Russell began working for father Roy – who started out with a single truck carting motor spirit in 1925 – as an apprentice in the workshop. Phil Russell took over the business in 1970 at the ripe of old age of 24, and stepped back last year, with son Ken and daughter Julie running the diversified operation, its constant over the years being heavy haulage. Russell now enjoys travelling around Australia in a motor home. He had a false start in road touring over a decade ago when told he didn’t have a balanced life. "So I went out and bought a motor home," Russell recalls. "It cost a lot of money – I thought ‘throw a lot of money at a problem and it will go away’. It didn’t go away. "I asked the doctor who reckoned I was going to hit the wall if I kept going: ‘Can you tell me what it’s like just before you hit the wall’, so I could take it on a bit longer." Trade Secrets Russell nominated having family involved in the business as his best personal achievement. Ken Russell also started as an apprentice in the workshop and later went to university while working part-time; and Julie has degrees in psychology and business management. "I was happy to leave school at Year 10 … but the new generation, they’ve really got to go to university," Russell reckons. He bought his first Kenworth in 1972, a K125 which cost $31,000. Today the company has nearly 50 Kenworths. Early on, he figured you’ve got to spend money to save money. "And to do that, yeah sure we probably had to pay 31 grand for a Kenworth when we could have bought a truck for $18,000, a different model, but whole of life is what I’ve always aimed at, and consequently it’s probably cost us more. "Maybe we haven’t put as much money in the bank, but the fleet has done well. "There are still plenty of trailers that we bought back in the 70s and 80s that are still out there working every day. "Okay they might have new axles but it’s a great investment when you can write it off over 30 years." Russell says the Kenworth product "has always been able to perform for us, and if there has been an issue it’s been amicably resolved". Russell was generous with other pearls of wisdom on business strategy, including this: "If you’re not growing you’re going to be going the other way. "Marking time is only a very short-term strategy; you’ve got to keep looking for opportunities to grow your business." He reckons there is more access to decision-makers in the bureaucracy these days. "To actually see the heavy vehicle regulator here fielding questions is like a breath of fresh air, considering where it was 40 years ago." Photo gallery - http://www.fullyloaded.com.au/industry-news/1607/legendary-kenworth-man-phil-russell/

Owner/Driver / July 13, 2016 A tough golden oldie in the form of a 1973 TK Bedord is the delivery truck of choice for Strathalbyn dealership Gilbert Motors. "So don’t let her drop below 2000, it glazes up the bores." I nod concentrating on the sage advice offered. "Each gear is 500rpm and listen to the supercharger note, it’ll tell you what the engine wants gear wise." I nod again, "No worries." Dick Parker, mechanic and part time truck driver for Gilbert Motors, based in Strathalbyn SA, is giving me a run down on how to drive the John Deere dealership’s delivery truck. If it was a generic white Japanese truck made within the last couple of decades I may have been tempted to yawn quietly. But this trusty steed is a 1973 model TK Bedford. And it’s not equipped with an asthmatic Pommie six, or even one of GM Holden’s finest bent eights. This old banger’s cab is perched atop a Detroit 6V53N and mated to a 10-speed roadie. And it’s in such good nick, I want to make sure I drive it how it’s meant to be driven which, when it comes to 653s, means full-noise. This truck doesn’t sit in a museum, or run to shows on a weekend. The old Beddie is a working truck that delivers tractors throughout the Adelaide Hills and as far south as Cape Jervis. It’s also been known to cart the odd 12-tonne excavator or dozer on its beavertailed back. And according to Dick, "It seems to go the same loaded or empty." I watch the tacho needle dance at idle as I grab a gear and roughly idle away from a standstill. The two-stroke V6 immediately lets me know that it needs a firm hand so I sink the hoof to give it a drink. The answering six-cylinder scream is joined by a supercharged whine that lets me know that both atmosphere and dinosaur juice are being sucked down the gullet of the screamin' demon in just the right quantities. I grab another gear ... the clutch pedal a waste of time, just snatch and grab. The old Pommie lorry leaps forward hungrily demanding another cog. As per usual I’m grinning like a four year old at Christmas time. This thing is a riot. Of course it’s an ergonomic nightmare. Today, the outside temperature can be measured in single digits and it’s alternating between hail, side ways rain and the occasional patch of wilting sunlight. Inside the cab I’ve had to drag my sleeve across the inside of the windscreen to see, and the single speed wipers are … well … turned on. The TK Bedford could never really be called a comfy truck. The seat upholstery could have been made by Laminex for one thing. But if you opted for the Detroit diesel option your seating position options dwindled away very quickly. The extra room needed to accommodate the V6 raised the driver’s seat to a point that leaves the driver kind of hunching forward over the wheel to see where they’re going. It’s kind of similar to the position that someone reading a magazine on the loo might adopt. Adding to this is the mirror brackets which are set well back on the doors which means that you almost have to look over your shoulders to check the mirrors while in motion. However, all of this is just surface stuff. This old girl just oozes character. The driveline reaches it’s crescendo at 2600rpm before I grab another cog, and this TK really knows how to get it’s skates on when asked to. It’s not long before I’ve reached the highway limit with the 2-stroke yammering gleefully through a single side exhaust pipe. The green V6 was treated to a specialist rebuild a while back which saw an injector upgrade. This means the Detroit should be good for about 220hp at 2600rpm and 470ft-lb at 1600rpm. I wouldn’t be relying on the torque much at all really. This truck has been working for Gilberts for 25 years. It was traded on a tractor by a local produce grower. Before that, almost unbelievably in this day and age, it was running produce interstate to the Melbourne markets from Murray Bridge. I wonder what it must have been like to be thundering down the Pentland Hills in the wee hours of the night in this old Beddie, swinging the wheel, no Jake brake, dash lights flickering and a rag on the dash to keep the inside of the screen clean. A radio of any description would have been useless for entertainment. Though I reckon you’d be kept busy enough just piloting the beast. I blip the throttle and down change as we come into town. It takes a couple of goes as I’m really not used to asking those sort of revs from any truck engine these days. This TK is a single drive/lazy axle sitting on steel springs, something Dick reminds me of as we approach the railway crossing on the way into town. I roll steadily over the track saving the backs and heads of both driver and passenger. Back at the dealership I ask Chris Gilbert, dealer principal of Gilbert Motors, why he keeps the Bedford working? Why not put a new truck on the job? He just smiles and replies "If it ain't broke, don’t fix it." In this case I must say I’m inclined to agree. Photo gallery - http://www.ownerdriver.com.au/industry-news/1607/brawny-beddie-still-hauling-and-huffing/

Transport Engineer / July 12, 2016 Preston-based GBA Services is reporting fuel consumption of 17.1 mpg on one of its two Actros tractor units – that figure being recorded by the onboard FleetBoard telematics system over a 100-mile run through Austria. The six-month-old Mercedes-Benz truck was hauling a cargo of bulky but light pharmaceuticals in a 13.6-metre refrigerated trailer, working at 20 tonnes gcw. Plated for 40 tonnes, the 4x2 Actros 1845 was supplied by Blackburn Dealer Ciceley Commercials, and is one among a 350-strong fleet that also includes Sprinter and Citan vans, and six Atego rigids. GBA Services’ Actros was specified with the 449bhp 12.8-litre, six-cylinder engine, driving through a 12-speed PowerShift 3 AMT (automated manual transmission). It was assigned to experienced driver George McGlashan back in January, who received training from Ciceley Commercials’ driver-trainer Gary McMurray. Nine weeks after entering service, the Actros was retrofitted with Mercedes-Benz PPC (Predictive Powertrain Control) system, which uses 3D digital mapping and GPS technology to manages gear changes, vehicle speed and EcoRoll. GBA Services general manager Paul Birkbeck says the following week the truck’s fuel consumption improved by a full mile per gallon – and three weeks later, on a run to Budapest McGlashan achieved 15.35 mpg. “I managed to hit 15.56 mpg shortly afterwards,” recalls McGlashan. “Then, on 18 June, I picked up a load from a customer near the German border with Austria, and set off to deliver it into Vienna. “In Austria HGVs are banned from 3pm on Saturdays to 10pm on Sundays, so I had to pull in at the Rosenberg truckstop before I reached the city – that’s when I took a look at my figures for the trip. I’d covered 103 miles, mostly on the motorway but with quite a few hills, at an average of 17.1 mpg.” “The figure achieved by George for this journey is almost unbelievable for an artic, albeit one that was relatively lightly loaded,” comments Birkbeck. And he adds that the truck is not always so light, often working at up to 36 tonnes gcw – yet still achieving an average of 12 mpg and improving (figure recorded by week 16, with 19,509 miles on the clock). “Obviously, the technology built into this vehicle has played a significant role,” continues Birkbeck. “But so, too, has the driver training and support we’ve received, and the way George has taken on board all of the techniques he was shown, including how to make the most efficient use of the three-stage engine brake, EcoRoll, cruise control and PPC.” Birkbeck admits that when Ciceley Commercials first presented the potential fuel savings available with the new Actros he was highly sceptical. “Six months down the line, though, their figures have been validated – the truck’s lifetime average is now up to 12.3 mpg, which is remarkable for a vehicle that’s on continental temperature-controlled work and regularly crosses the Alps.” .

Transport Engineer / July 12, 2016 AABC Bagging, part of Stevenage-based AABC Group, has taken delivery of four 44-tonne Range T460.26 low cab tractor units for its 20-strong fleet, and has already ordered two more. Supplied by dealer Renault Trucks Chiltern, the Stevenage-based firm’s new additions are fitted with Freuhauf tipper bodies and will carry 30-tonne loads – 1.5 tonnes more than other marques on AABC’s fleet, which transports bagged and bulk aggregates to builders’ merchants. AABC partner, Rick Faulkner, says that favourable experiences with the vehicles and the dealer were also important factors in his decision. “I’m a mechanic by trade so I know that the Range T is a great vehicle, and the 13 other Renault trucks in our fleet have given us impressive performance.” And, of the dealership, he adds: “They are a very skilled bunch. They are always ready to help and give a level of service that is second to none.” .

Land Line / July 12, 2016 Navistar is recalling five models of trucks, including ProStar, due to an issue with Cummins engines equipped with certain engine control modules, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration documents. Volvo recalled 129 VNL trucks in June for the same issue. More specifically, certain 2017 International ProStar, LoneStar, PayStar, HX and 9900 trucks with Cummins ISX15L engines equipped with certain ECMs are being recalled. Approximately 1,191 trucks are affected. These ECMs may experience an internal electrical short that can cause a fuse to blow, resulting in an unexpected engine stall without the ability to restart the engine, according to NHTSA. Owners will be notified by Cummins and have the ECM replaced for free. The recall is expected to begin Aug. 19, 2016. For more information call Cummins at 800-343-7357 or call Navistar at 331-332-1590. NHTSA campaign number for this recall is 16V-453.

Sandi Soendker, Land Line editor-in-chief (OOIDA) / July 12, 2016 The rash of random highway shootings lends a darker meaning to phrases like defensive driving and the friendly “travel safe.” Especially for those who spend the most time on the nation’s highways. Last month, more highway shootings in Phoenix made headlines along with a chilling report of a UPS driver who was randomly shot at in St. Louis while doing his job. Jon Osburn, OOIDA senior member and pilot of the Association’s tour truck, reports a lot of talk on the road about the violence. “The talk now is from drivers that are worried about going into potentially dangerous places,” said Osburn. “Seasoned truckers of all types talk to me every day. They don’t want to deliver or pick up in those cities, the places where demonstrators are blocking highway, shooting and throwing things.” Recently, Land Line polled readers on its website, asking if their truck had ever been shot at or had rocks thrown at it. Of those who responded, 51.72 percent said yes, 31.03 percent said no, and 17.24 percent said they thought so, but weren’t sure. The rash of random shootings and rock-throwings on our interstates has become a growing concern to truckers, motorists, law enforcement and, well, everyone who spends any amount of time on our nation’s big roads. All drivers – and passengers – are at risk, but when it comes to who spends the most time out there, truckers win hands down. Sometimes it’s broken glass; sometimes it’s worse. In mid-May, a 68-year-old truck driver was shot in the face while bobtailing on the Dan Ryan Expressway in Chicago. According to the police report, someone in a passenger car pulled alongside and opened fire, shattering the driver’s-side window. Chicago’s ABC7 reported he was recovering. At press time, the shooter was still at large. In the statistics, truckers are not distinguished from motorists, but it was the third expressway shooting in Chicago in a week. News sources reported the police said there had been at least 20 highway shootings in 2016. This sounds like a number that might lead the national list far and away. But it’s not. A quick Google search tells you that the recent incidents in California’s Bay Area since November have now reached 28, with most on I-80, as well as Highway 4, and some on Highway 101 and Interstates 580 and 880. Area mayors claim to be “under siege.” In February, drivers on Highway 75 in Tulsa County, Okla., were terrorized for two nights. Nearly a dozen Wal-Mart trucks and two cars were shot at. Police arrested two 14-year-old boys who were out hunting and decided to do some target practice. They said they didn’t mean any harm. In Florida, four people were injured in one of three pellet-gun shootings in mid-May on I-295 in Jacksonville. As of press time, the assailant is still at large. The week before that, a New Jersey trucker was shot and killed while trucking on eastbound I-10. This one, police say, was thought to be another trucker who pulled up beside him and fired. Of course, the latest outbreak is a continuation of a history of many, many snipers. The Beltway, or D.C., snipers killed 10 people and injured three back in 2002. Our Land Line staff clearly recalls how menacing it was when a guy was shooting at motorists here in the Kansas City area about two years ago. Most of us drove through the area (where I-70 becomes I-470) twice a day. The guy was shooting from his own car with a .380 pistol. There were about a dozen shooting incidents, and three people were injured. When they caught him, police said he seemed to have absolutely no motive. How safe are you inside your truck? How safe are truck drivers? Are those “heavy-duty” trucks that dwarf four-wheelers any safer than other highway vehicles? We asked Wayne Brown, president of Bodyguard Armoring, Austin, Texas. Brown has more than two decades of experience armoring vehicles and knows how to fend off bullets. “Truck drivers are no safer than any other driver,” says Brown. “A .22 will go right through a truck door or window.” Brown has a national reputation for bullet-proofing vehicles for clients. He says the basic handgun armor used consists of 3/8-inch Kevlar composite in the doors and body, and transparent armor that is 3/4-inch thick. It defeats handguns up to .44 Magnum. To shield you from rifle shots at both metal and glass requires more protection. For truck drivers, both expense and additional weight are a consideration, and there’s plenty of square footage in a sleeper cab truck that can represent a target. “Handgun protection in the doors, sidewalls, pillars, kick panels, etc. (not counting the roof, floor or transparent armor for windows) would probably add only a couple of hundred pounds,” Brown estimates. “Transparent armor glass in Level IIIA handgun protection is about 10 pounds per square foot.” Brown says these windows must be custom-formed to fit the truck. “I have done special request jobs where I have installed special multi-layered flat polycarbonate panels behind the vehicle’s OEM glass,” he says. “This is an effective but less costly method of protecting a vehicle.” If you’re shot at? What do you do? OOIDA Director of Safety and Security Operations Doug Morris has been involved with transportation safety and security for more than 33 years. He represents OOIDA as the chairman of the Highway Motor Carrier Sector Coordinating Council of the Department of Homeland Security and as the secretary of the Partnership for Critical Infrastructure Security. Before joining the staff at OOIDA, Morris was employed as a Maryland State Trooper, retiring in 2009 after 28 years of service. During his tenure with the Maryland State Police, he served as the assistant commander of the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division as well as the commander of the Transportation Security Section and Transportation Safety Division. Morris has more than 500 hours in advanced training in transportation emergency management, disaster assistance and incident command. We asked him what to do if you are shot at while you are at the wheel. While all situations are different, one rule is always the same. In those few intense moments, you must get as much info as you can. “If you are getting shot at while driving, continue driving as efficiently and safely as possible. Call 911 with your location and follow the instructions of the police dispatcher,” said Morris. “If you know the shooter’s general location, report that to police as well. When in a safe area you may also want to warn other drivers on the CB if you have one.” Morris said if you find bullet holes in your truck or trailer, contact police and file a report of where and when it occurred if possible. Of course, if you are driving and you are hit, or a passenger is hit, pull to a safe area if possible. In the case of the trucker shot recently on the Dan Ryan, it was not feasible for him to drive. Afterward, witnesses say the tractor began veering and then stopped in the center lane. The wounded trucker got out and collapsed. Another motorist stopped and helped give medical assistance until paramedics arrived. If you have a co-driver or passenger who has been wounded, Morris says to call 911 and while help is on the way, do your best to render aid. A number of carriers with satellite communications in each truck have a personal danger code on onboard computers. PeopleNet, for example, has one for drivers if they are in personal danger. Qualcomm has a “Macro” number if a driver is hurt or deathly ill and needs immediate help. Can you call 911 from your cellphone from anywhere? Yes. Unless it’s in a “dead zone” you should get through. The Federal Communications Commission requires that wireless service providers complete the 911 call, whether you subscribe to that provider’s service or not. In any instance, when placing a 911 call from a cellphone, you need to be prepared to give your phone number and specific location. If you cannot talk, emergency responders are faced with the challenge of finding you. The good news is that the FCC does require your wireless service provider to now give the center accurate location info, up to 50 to 300 meters. Tragic, true In 1953, a roving shooter gunned down three truckers in separate incidents as they slept while parked in different locations off the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Two of the three truckers died. Whether you are driving or parked sleeping, true stories like this and the tragic reports of many others lend a darker meaning to phrases like defensive driving and the friendly “travel safe.” The New York Daily News writer Mara Bovsun described the actions of the Pennsylvania Turnpike gunman and wrote in 1955 that it “forever changed the habits of interstate truckers, who learned that being encased in a steel behemoth offers no security against a maniac with a gun.”

Scania Group Press Release / July 12, 2016 A collaboration between Atlas Copco and Scania has produced a flexible rig that could be the answer to drillers’ prayers. The prototype truck was unveiled by Atlas Copco at a launch event held at its plant near Gothenburg, Sweden, in April. The new vehicle has a demountable drilling platform on the back of it, which will house the drilling equipment when complete. That’s a significant improvement on the current scenario for drillers, as Örjan Haag, Atlas Copco’s Business Development Manager, explains. Long-held need “The idea of a new flexible rig for drillers meets a long-held need for a combined drilling rig and compressor,” says Haag, who worked on the overall concept with Product Manager Kent Aidesjö. “Most people use a vehicle in which the compressor is fixed and there is another vehicle or trailer rig or compressor,” says Haag. “It’s usually two units though it can be different, but the car they use for the transporting can’t be removed from the drilling site.” “Some run demountable flatbeds, but these trucks need two flatbeds. A conveyor has to transport one of them first and then the other, one with the compressor and one with the drilling rig. The truck with trailer also requires another licence and then it becomes more difficult to find qualified personnel. So there are logistical and financial benefits to Scania and Atlas Copco’s solution.” From plain white truck to exciting new prototype The idea of a demountable drilling platform that holds everything came from Marcus Larsson, Global Account Manager for Scania’s International Fleet Sales unit. Scania has been delivering engines for Atlas Copco’s compressors for just over a year. “A year ago we rented a plain white Scania truck for an event and loaded a compressor from Atlas Copco onto it. Then we realised that we could make it into something better,” says Marcus Larsson. Hence, the collaboration between the two companies began. And, of course, there’s a Scania V8 engine under the bonnet, which helps with the twin demands of torque and power. The final stage of development So what does a demountable, exposed platform, housing a compressor and drilling rig, look like? “That’s what Scania and Atlas Copco are thinking about now,” says Örjan Haag. “Can you have extra compartments for the tubes? Can you connect to an extra tank of diesel? Is there room for the box? We are looking at how the truck and demountable platform can be designed to fit with weights and balance.” “One possibility is to place the drilling rig at the front, with the compressor at the back. This is a prototype and it’s not complete by any means. Though I must say that this solution is really super easy and the simplest solution is usually the best one.” Smart and simple – there are more than a few drillers looking forward to this logistical solution to a long-held need. .

Basic work truck-spec units have to be ordered nowadays.

Volvo Trucks Press Release / July 12, 2016

Did you contact Watts Mack (with your 1QHA number) and check if the 204SQ17 tie rod end repair kit is applicable to your truck, and still available?

I apologize. I thought Watt's Mack was still selling them, obtained from the wonderful folks at York Corrugating, one of Mack Trucks' long time cab panel suppliers.

Ford's 3.0-liter V-6 diesel, long offered in the Range Rover, is on the way. But last night, while I was speaking to a gentleman in a Range Rover powered by Ford's 4.4-liter V-8 diesel, I really enjoyed the V-8 throb of that engine. It's regrettable that Ford doesn't also offer that powerplant as a US option.

The price is ridiculous. GM is making you pay a premium. The engine is fine......not cutting-edge tech but certainly quite acceptable. But given that GM's labor costs in Thailand (where the motor is produced) is very low by US/UAW levels, GM is clearly trying to earn a tidy profit. As you discovered, the diesel is only available on mid-level LT and high trim levels, and they force several options upon you. (http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/44932-review-2016-gmc-canyon-diesel-4x4-crew-cab/#comment-331084) All this weighed in, I'd rather buy a global Ford Ranger. But Ford's US pricing is yet unknown, and no doubt they'll aim to price-match GM so as to enhance their profits. I drove a Ford Everest last week, the SUV variant of the global Ranger. Simply brilliant. It's a man's SUV (body-on-frame, ect.).

International Trucks Press Release / July 12, 2016 .

Missouri ends platooning pilot after self-driving car death Today's Trucking / July 12, 2016 Missouri has vetoed its pilot program to allow testing of driver-assistive truck platooning technology on state highways, with the state’s governor saying that Tesla’s recent self-driving car fatality “tragically highlighted” how the “technology remains unproven.” Missouri’s HB1733 bill would have allowed for six years of testing for platooning technology. It had already passed through both levels of the state’s legislature. On July 8, Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon wrote, “The risk associated with automated vehicles are even greater considering the size of long-haul trucks and the catastrophic damage that could occur if the technology fails. Using Missouri as a testing ground for long-haul trucks to deploy this unproven technology is simply not a risk worth taking at this time.” Nixon added: “That fact was tragically highlighted with the recent fatality involving a self-driving passenger vehicle." State law now prohibits truck and bus drivers from following another such vehicle within 300 feet. The May 7 self-driving car crash in Florida, which occurred with a transport truck, was the first known fatality in just over 130 million miles where autopilot was activated, Tesla said in a June 30 statement.

Ford's "EcoBoost" engines, with every available cutting-edge technology thrown into it in a Hail Mary play, certainly don't lack "boost". However, the "eco" continues to be missing. The 3.5L V-6 delivers nearly identical performance, and fuel economy, to the soon-to-be-discontinued 5.0L V-8. While one gets the power of a V-8 in a V-6, one also still gets V-8 fuel economy.

Automotive News / July 12, 2016 When the 2017 Ford F-150 arrives at dealership lots this fall, the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 engine under the hood will have more power. The second-generation engine will have 50 more pounds-feet of torque and an additional 10 hp, raising the numbers to 470 pounds-feet of torque and 375 hp. The 3.5-liter engine will be paired only with the F-150’s new 10-speed automatic transmission, which was designed under a joint venture with General Motors. Ford said the powertrain combination will improve acceleration and low-end and peak engine performance, especially when it comes to hauling and towing. The 3.5-liter engine will remain the premium EcoBoost engine, above the 2.7-liter EcoBoost. Ford also offers a 3.5-liter Ti-VCT V-6 and 5.0-liter Ti-VCT V-8 in the F-150. The 2.7-liter and first-generation 3.5-liter EcoBoost engines account for 60 percent of F-150 sales, Ford said. Ford spokesman Mike Levine said the company expects the new 3.5 liter EcoBoost will be just as popular, if not more so. Ford is awaiting final certification from the EPA, but fuel economy ratings on the latest 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 engine, combined with the 10-speed transmission, are expected to rise from those of the current 3.5-liter. That engine is rated at 17 mpg city/24 mpg highway.

As a frequent flyer, my personal experience is this ranking is dead on. Emirates' economy class is the same price as US airlines, and yet you're treated like a person rather than cattle. Superb entertainment twice as good as a US airline, plus great food with metal cutlery. And the seats.......proof that economy class "can" be comfortable. 1. Emirates Dubai 2. Qatar Airways 3. Singapore Airlines 4. Cathay Pacific Hong Kong 5. ANA All Nippon Airways Japan 6. Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi 7. Turkish Airlines 8. EVA Air Taiwan 9. Qantas Airways Australia 10. Lufthansa Germany Note that not a single U.S. airlines in one the list. Nearly every flight on a U.S. airline is a unique nightmare.

I never heard a Ranger buyer "bemoan" the truck for being smaller than a full-size F-150. They purposely bought the Ranger because they didn't want/need a full-size truck. As for towing, of course a smaller truck has a lower towing capacity. But that said, the Ranger could easily pull most bass boats and other. That all said, the Ranger has "grown up". Designed by superb engineers at Ford Australia, the global Ford Ranger does it all.

Diane, contact the folks at Watts Mack (provider of the BMT website). 1-888-304-Mack (6225) http://www.wattsmack.com/parts-department/

You're more than welcome. We aim to please. You say it has a double frame, and it was originally a tractor. We didn't build a lot of double frame Super-Liner tractors in the US market. Is it possible that it wasn't originally built with that double frame?

F-150 sales undented by Chevy attack ad Automotive News / July 11, 2016 The Chevrolet Silverado grabbed its biggest piece of the U.S. full-size pickup market since January in the first month of its blistering ad campaign attacking the Ford F-150's aluminum body as too flimsy. But the F-150 emerged from the fray looking no worse for wear. Ford said F-150 sales soared 40 percent in June from a year earlier, and segment share for the full F-series line jumped to the highest level in 17 months. Ford normally doesn't report F-150-only numbers but did so for June to argue that the Chevy ads didn't hurt it. It's an intense battle between two longtime archrivals in which both sides act like they're winning, though Chevy's campaign clearly didn't deter the tens of thousands who bought an F-150 last month. "I love this truck," said Alan Monroe, an accountant in southern Illinois who bought an F-150 Lariat a few weeks after Chevy started airing the commercials in heavy rotation. The ads, launched June 8, show a load of concrete landscaping blocks and the corner of a toolbox gashing the F-150's bed, while the Silverado's steel box sustains lesser dings and scratches. Monroe, 55, who traded in a Ram 1500, said he researched Chevy's claims online and came away reassured. His Caribou-colored F-150 includes a $495 spray-in bedliner, a popular protective coating that wasn't on the trucks Chevy's marketers abused. "When somebody's trying that hard to prove something, there's probably not a whole lot of truth in it," Monroe said. Besides, he added, "98 percent of the time, the heaviest thing that will be in it will be my golf clubs." Although Silverado sales dropped 3.7 percent in June amid a 9.7 percent gain for the segment, Chevy deems the campaign a success. A spokesman, Jim Cain, said about 10 percent of Silverado buyers in June previously owned an F-150, the most in five years. The year-over-year sales comparison doesn't tell the whole story, Cain said. He said Ford's results from June 2015 were hampered by the slow rollout of the redesigned F-150 while GM had a big month, setting up an easier comparison for Ford. Including the Super Duty, which is soon to be replaced by a redesigned version, total F-series sales rose 29 percent in June. It was the first time in four years that either nameplate posted higher sales in June than in May. The pickups' month-over-month share gains came at the expense of the Ram and Toyota Tundra. The Silverado accounted for 26.7 percent of full-size pickup sales last month. That was up from 25.1 percent in May but down from 30.4 percent in June 2015, which was the highest of any month since early 2010. The F series' share rose from 32.5 percent a year ago and 37.5 percent in May to 38.1 percent in June. Ford started shipping the aluminum-bodied F-150 in December 2014, but production only reached full speed in June 2015, and it took several more months for inventories to reach normal levels. Ford offered smaller discounts on the F series last month than Chevy did on the Silverado, according to Autodata. It said average incentive spending climbed to $5,110 for the Silverado, $1,220 more than for the F series, even as Ford's discounts nearly tripled from a year ago. But Cain cited J.D. Power data that calculated Silverado incentives as $4,115 vs. a slightly higher $4,183 for the F series. 'Stronger validation' Cain said the Chevy campaign has worked on its target audience of retail pickup buyers, noting that the Silverado's share of the retail full-size pickup market rose 1.9 percentage points from May, to 27.7 percent, also citing J.D. Power data. Power data supplied by GM showed that the F-150's retail share fell 0.7 percentage points to 34.5 percent, though Ford said retail sales volume was up 41 percent from a year ago. Sandor Piszar, Chevrolet's truck marketing director, said the retail gain was significant: "Retail market share tells you how well you are doing with individual truck customers and small business owners. ... It means you have people's attention and clearly separated your truck from the competition. When conquest sales spike at the same time, it's an even stronger validation." Fleet buyers, who might order several dozen pickups at a time, are paying close attention as well, said Steve Hill, GM's head of U.S. sales. Hill told Automotive News last month that he has heard positive feedback on the campaign from fleet customers, who typically put a premium on durability and cost and wouldn't want to spend hundreds of dollars per truck on bedliners. Tough enough? But Ford said that fleet sales of the F-150 surged 40 percent in June and that the campaign -- particularly notable for taking direct aim at the F-150's carefully crafted image as being "Built Ford Tough" -- has not deterred orders from business and government customers. The F series is the U.S. auto industry's top-selling fleet vehicle. "Fleet is a profitable business for Ford, and we're very happy with our balance on all the components of fleet," Ford spokesman Mike Levine said. Levine cited customers such as Terracon, a Kansas-based consulting engineering company that has bought more than 100 F-150s this year. In a video Ford posted online June 30, Terracon employees laud the truck's durability and performance under strenuous conditions. All of Terracon's F-150s in the video appear to have bedliners. "We'll typically haul augers, large water pumps, big generators, bags of concrete, concrete cylinders, soil samples -- light loads, heavy loads, it performs the same," Jason Sander, manager of Terracon's Cincinnati office, says in the video. "We're able to do everything we want to do using that truck. It has not let us down." June marked the third time in the past four months that Ford sold more than 70,000 F-series pickups and the vehicle's highest share of full-size pickup sales since January 2015, when dealers were selling down discounted inventory of the outgoing F-150. Ford has not directly responded to Chevy with any ads of its own. Though automakers rarely run commercials disparaging specific rivals so overtly, Mark LaNeve, Ford Motor Co.'s vice president for U.S. marketing, sales and service, brushed off such gamesmanship as nothing unusual in a segment that's as competitive as it is lucrative. "We're the clear market leader," LaNeve said on a July 1 conference call. "They're going to try things. They tried this, and the numbers speak for themselves." Pickup share Ford, Chevy both gained U.S. full-size pickup share in June. Ford F series Chevrolet Silverado Jan. 36.30% 26.70% Feb. 36.40% 25.80% March 37% 24% April 36.50% 25.80% May 37.50% 25.10% June 38.10% 26.70% .