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Ford Bronco, Bronco Sport to feature multiple grilles Michael Martinez, Automotive News / May 5, 2020 Customers in the market for Ford Motor Co.'s upcoming offroaders will have at least a couple grille options. The automaker plans to offer three front-end designs for both the Bronco SUV and Bronco Sport crossover, according to Ford Authority. They'll reportedly be called "Modern," "Classic" and "Custom." Spy photos recently posted on broncosportforum.com appear to show two of the three designs for the smaller crossover. Both the Bronco and Bronco Sport were scheduled to be revealed by now but have been postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus crisis. Uncamouflaged photos of both vehicles have already leaked. The photos show the word BRONCO stamped in the middle of each grille, flanked by the vehicle's classic round headlights. Ford told suppliers this week it now plans to begin mass output of the Bronco Sport at a plant in Mexico on Aug. 31. Output was first planned to start on July 13 then pushed to Sept. 7 because of the coronavirus outbreak. The Bronco will be built on a body-on-frame architecture shared by the Ranger midsize pickup, while the Bronco Sport will sit on the same unibody platform as the recently redesigned Escape and Lincoln Corsair. Ford executives have vowed to make the Bronco highly customizable, with plans for hundreds of parts and accessories to boost dealers' bottom lines.

Quest for UD Croner an international affair Steve Brooks, Australasian Transport News (ATN) / May 2, 2020 The new medium-duty offering comes at a time of flux in Japan, Sweden and Australia The upcoming launch of UD’s Thai-built Croner marks the culmination of a remarkable development program driven as much by commercial necessity as engineering initiative. More to the point though, it graphically illustrates Volvo Group’s inherent ability and acute willingness to draw on diverse global platforms to satisfy the demands of a particular market. In this case, a particularly demanding market. Ours! Masami (Mat) Ozono is a proud Japanese man who for more than 40 years has inched his way up the ladder of executive engineering appointments at UD. Fortunately for me, his English is good and more fortunately for UD and its leagues of customers, his experience and passion for the brand are profound. Even better, and somewhat outside the square of standard Japanese response, he doesn’t appear at all shy about delivering a sharp answer to a blunt question. Anyway, as senior manager of product management and planning, Ozono-san has been at the pointy end of UD’s Croner development program since the decision was taken in 2013 to design and build a replacement for the brand’s long-serving Condor medium-duty range. In a surprising development, however, it eventually became apparent that Croner would not replace Condor in every market. In fact, the new model would be built in Volvo Group’s Thailand factory and specifically designed for what are broadly termed ‘emerging markets’ in Asia, the Middle East, South America and Africa. But, it would not supersede Condor in UD’s heartland – Japan! Instead, UD executive heavyweights did an unusual deal with arch-rival Isuzu to replace Condor in the Japanese market with a largely badge-engineered medium-duty model from its opponent’s stable, much as it had already done with Mitsubishi Fuso in Japan’s light-duty market. Largely responsible for ensuring the durability and design quality of the entirely new Croner, Mat Ozono admits he was surprised and disappointed when first learning the outgoing Condor would be replaced in Japan by something other than a true UD product. After all, and as he insists with absolute confidence, Croner upholds all the traditions of Japanese reliability and quality, fully endowed with the fundamental strength to be adapted for success in any market, ‘emerging’ or otherwise. Yet Ozono-san certainly wasn’t alone in his reaction to the Isuzu choice. Indeed, the ramifications of replacing Condor with an Isuzu equivalent stretched far beyond Japan. The suggestion, for instance, of a badge-engineered Isuzu replacing the tried and trusted Condor was quietly abhorrent to insiders at Volvo Group Australia (VGA) and notably, its UD devotees. ‘Ridiculous’ as one UD loyalist confessed a few years back. Furthermore, and as a few well-placed phone calls were quick to confirm, neither were the heads at Isuzu Australia pleased at the prospect of UD competing for medium-duty sales with a truck from their own stable. "It won’t happen," one high-ranking Isuzu Australia official pronounced with total conviction. "We’ll fight it every inch of the way." Given the obvious displeasure, even animosity, on several fronts, a few critical questions quickly emerged. Like, if not a badge-engineered Isuzu, what will UD do to replace Condor in the Australian medium-duty market? Or, given that UD makes no secret of its intention to focus squarely on its historical prowess as a heavy-duty specialist, will it simply withdraw from the Australian medium-duty market, just as it had already done years earlier in the light-duty sector? Answers weren’t easy to come by, especially given Volvo Group’s confounding corporate mantra of never discussing future product plans. Within UD Trucks Australia, however, there was certainly quiet mutter that one way or another, the brand would continue to compete in the Australian medium-duty truck market. And for good reason, because just as Condor had competed in the 4x2 medium-duty category, it had also successfully contested the light end of the heavy-duty sector with three-axle rigid versions. Consequently, and whatever Condor’s eventual replacement proved to be, it became blatantly apparent that it would need to be a generously-specified truck capable of straddling both the medium-duty market and the lighter end of the heavy-duty business. Aussie ‘Special’ Finally, in late 2017 during a quick visit to UD’s Ageo headquarters in Japan as some of the last Condors ran down the production line, clues about a possible Condor replacement for the Australian market started to seep out. Sure, unspoken and unsubstantiated, but clues nonetheless, obvious enough to anyone with an eye for detail and a proclivity for possibilities. While the essence of the Japan trip was to witness UD’s increasing prominence within the Volvo Group and its push into highly advanced autonomous driving technology, it was also an occasion for the brand to showcase its entire model range. Entire, except for one! Missing was the newly developed Croner which, like its Quester big brother, was essentially created for emerging markets rather than more technically advanced countries such as Japan and ultimately, Australia! Put simply, the new model’s absence in front of a group of Australian truck writers begged the question: Could the Thai-built Croner, officially launched in Thailand in March 2017, actually be Condor’s secret replacement for our neck of the woods? It seemed entirely possible but typically, extracting a response from UD’s local leaders was like pulling teeth with tweezers. But then came the 2019 Brisbane Truck Show when UD surprised everyone – well, almost everyone – with a pre-production version of the new Croner (one of two in the country at that time), and in the process announcing its intention to launch the model here in the first quarter of 2020 after what senior managers said was a prolonged development program for Australian conditions. As we would soon learn, it was a program that had already gathered plenty of essential support from UD in Japan and Thailand. Indeed, as Mat Ozono would later confirm, just as Croner was never intended for the Japanese market, nor did the original design objective take account of Australian requirements. In short, a great deal of international input was required to make it happen. Fortunately, in both design strength and production quality, Croner had the foundations to create a model capable of achieving well beyond its original objectives. Still, as a succinct Mat Ozono remarked, "Croner for Australia was a difficult project" largely because VGA’s UD operatives pushed for equipment and features not on the standard component inventory, starting with the mandatory front under-run protection (FUPS) bar. Predictably, a higher level of standard safety features was especially high on the Australian agenda, including a driver’s airbag (Bosch), seatbelt pre-tensioners, daytime running lights and in the not-too-distant future, electronic stability control and adaptive cruise control. It also meant cab crash testing went back under the microscope to reaffirm the structure’s strength and compliance with Japanese and European standards. To further satisfy modern-day market requirements, high levels of diagnostics and a wide range of display options on a dash-mounted 150 mm touch screen were deemed essential. In effect, the combined resources of engineering teams in Australia, Japan and Thailand set about producing a Croner adapted to the needs and wants of the crowded and highly competitive Australian market. At the head of the local engineering effort was product manager Neil Carey who, with UD Trucks Australia vice-president Mark Strambi, admits to thinking long and hard about what they wanted for Croner. The foundations were undeniably strong, with the fundamental design and structural integrity of the truck providing what Carey described as, "A very good platform to build on … everything about the truck is built to a Volvo Group standard." In fact, both Mark Strambi and Neil Carey were keen to emphasise that in many areas, Croner is a significantly more advanced truck than its predecessor. "Particularly in electrical architecture," added a resolute Carey. Critically, however, their opinion of the truck’s inherent durability was well-founded. In the lead-up to its Thailand launch where Croner is built alongside UD’s heavy-duty Quester and Volvo models in the Thai-Swedish Assembly facility on Bangkok’s eastern outskirts, the model is said to have undergone one of the most gruelling test regimes in UD’s long history. In addition to 1.7 million engineering hours and 90 test rigs, a fleet of 100 field test trucks accrued around 1.4 million kilometres over 18 months, working in actual customer operations in markets as distant as Peru, South Africa, India, United Arab Emirates, and obviously, Thailand. According to a convincing Mat Ozono, the severity and duration of the test program left no doubt of Croner’s ability to endure harsh work in some of the world’s most diverse conditions. Similarly, and despite the desire to implement a number of advanced features, Neil Carey emphasised that "keeping it simple" was equally high on the local agenda. That meant, he explained, a cab, chassis and powertrain capable of serving a wide range of operations and body types, from flat-tops to tippers, vans, crates and specialist configurations such as hook-lifts, garbage compactors and the like. Smart Spec For Croner’s initial crack at the Australian market, ‘keeping it simple’ means just two models – 4x2 and 6x2 – with identical powertrains led by a Euro 5 version of the lively G8HE 7.7 litre, six cylinder common-rail engine offered by UD as part of Volvo’s group engine family. Actually, it is largely the same engine now powering an expanded line-up of UD’s flagship Quon range which in Euro 6 configuration recently made big news as the truck of choice for a large Linfox contract. Croner’s two Australian models are the 4x2 PK 18 280 and the 6x2 PD 25 280, each version dispensing 280hp and 1050Nm (774ft-lb) of torque through Allison’s stunningly smooth and highly intuitive Allison 3000-series six-speed automatic transmission. While there is no manual or automated transmission option, it took only a few hours behind the wheel of a pair of pre-production 4x2 units in and around Brisbane to easily agree with Neil Carey’s assessment that it would be an odd instance when anything other than the super-slick Allison better suited shorthaul suburban work. Mat Ozono agrees, citing increasing interest in the auto box from Croner markets in several parts of the globe, and in the process reinforcing the wisdom of specifying the Allison auto for a model that will almost certainly spend the bulk of its life battling through the ’burbs. Importantly, Croner is available with an optional engine-driven power take-off (PTO) or a locally-sourced transmission PTO with the choice of side or upper mounting points. It’s also worth pointing out that Croner’s maximum torque is notably higher than the 900Nm (664ft-lb) peak on the superseded Condor, allowing UD to specify a faster and potentially more fuel efficient standard diff ratio: 5.57:1 compared to Condor’s 6.17. At this stage there is no limited slip diff option but as with most things, market demand will ultimately determine future availability. Predictably, anti-lock drum brakes and an effective exhaust retarder provide the stopping power. Moving on, gross vehicle weight ratings are 17.5 tonnes on the 4x2 PK and 24.5 tonnes on the 6x2 PD, while both models have a gross combination mass (GCM) rating of 32 tonnes. Typifying the wide range of intended workloads, there’s an equally wide range of wheelbase options. In fact, no less than eight lengths stretching from 3.75 to 6.5 metres on the two-axle model while its three-axle brother comes in 5.05, 5.7 and 6.7 metre versions. Underneath are parabolic front springs with a stabiliser bar and at the back, the choice of airbag or multi-leaf suspension, with air suspension on the rear ‘tag’ axle of the 6x2. However, for its initial foray into the market, an electronically controlled lifting tag axle will only be available on the shorter 5.05 metre wheelbase of the 6x2. As for the cab, it’s largely typical of the medium-duty class in that it’s 2.3 metres wide, offers easy entry and exit on two well-placed steps, provides excellent forward vision, ample mirrors, reasonable storage space, an air-suspended and suitably adjustable driver’s seat, and convenient switchgear and control layout. By any measure though, it’s a stretch to call the space behind the seats a ‘sleeper’ in the Australian sense. At best, it’s a marginally acceptable bunk area which, while well short of generous for anything other than a few hours snooze or an occasional overnight stay, at least provides a modicum of ‘wriggle room’ on a mattress more than half a metre wide. What’s more, it’s at least available with dealer-fitted curtains, so overall it’s potentially a better bunk than its Japanese counterparts. Meantime, the standard equipment list sports a number of worthwhile features including cruise control and what UD calls a ‘selective speed limiter’, allowing lower top speeds than the standard factory-set limit of 100km/h to be programmed by the truck owner through a password-protected function on the instrument panel. Obviously enough, the aims of the variable speed limiting function are to potentially enhance safety and fuel efficiency. But so, too, does an in-built ‘fuel coach’ strive to maximise efficiency through a digital display in the centre of the instrument cluster which highlights in real time how the driver’s performance is affecting fuel consumption. Whether the driver takes note or not is something else altogether, but the ‘fuel coach’ function at least allows him or her to gain some insight of the right foot’s influence. In a similar vein, ‘big brother’ is watching with UD citing the ability to download fuel and performance reports through Croner’s integral telematics functions. And finally on the cab, and indeed Croner in general, the overall build quality of both the pre-production units in Brisbane and those seen in Thailand appears absolutely first-rate. As Mat Ozono commented in a press statement, ‘Japanese reliability and robustness is in the DNA of UD trucks (and) Croner upholds that tradition.’ In fact, looking at the quality of Australia’s first Croners emerging from the Volvo and UD production plant in Thailand, the tradition is thriving. .

Steve Brooks, Trade Trucks AU / April 22, 2020 With its medium-duty 500-series range having already undergone a thorough and highly successful upgrade, the light-duty 300-series is probably next in line for a major modernisation program, with the possibility of an official launch later this year providing the world doesn’t fall further into Covid-19 contraction. After that, it’s a fair bet there will be a dramatic revitalisation of the flagship 700-series family when many of the safety and operational enhancements delivered in the reborn 500-series are likely to be carried over to its bigger brother. Hino isn’t giving any clues about when a rejuvenated heavy-duty line-up might make an appearance, but our guess is the first half of 2021. Vitally, it remains to be seen if this generational update of its heavy-duty range will include a significant performance boost to Hino’s current 12.9 litre E13C six cylinder engine, but it would certainly be surprising if bigger grunt wasn’t part of a substantially upgraded package. After all, European competitors are now comfortably pulling substantially bigger performance peaks from similar displacements. DAF’s latest MX-13 engine, for instance, now pulls up to 530 hp and more than 1900 lb ft of torque from its 12.9 litre displacement while Volvo extracts 540 hp and a touch over 1900 lb ft from its evergreen D13C engine. Not to be outdone, Mercedes-Benz and Scania boast similar outputs from similarly sized engines. Yet perhaps the biggest influence for Hino to jump to higher levels of power and torque than currently available in its 700-series will be the fact that no other Japanese heavy truck brand currently offers a 13 litre displacement. Not Fuso, not UD and critically, not market leader Isuzu. Sure, with its flagship GigaMax model, Isuzu is the only Japanese maker to currently offer a 500-something rating but it comes from a lumpy and largely outdated 15.7 litre engine limited to a relatively tame torque peak of 1663 lb ft. In the modern world, engines of this displacement are dispensing at least 550 to 600 hp and a minimum 1850 lb ft of torque. To offer less in this day and age is a distinct case of too much metal and not enough muscle. Or, simply inefficient. It’s no secret, however, that Isuzu is in close contact with Cummins for a high performance engine in the 12 to 13 litre class but so far, and much to Isuzu Australia’s frustration, there’s nothing on the horizon to suggest a tangible example from this relationship will appear anytime soon. (We are, however, now starting to hear reports – very quiet reports – that a prominent Brisbane fleet operator is heavily involved in development and trials of a heavy-duty Isuzu model powered by a Cummins ISG 12 litre engine. Stay tuned, but right now that remains another story for another day.) As for Fuso and UD, there’s no sign of their corporate master – Daimler and Volvo respectively – approving the use of ‘family’ engines in the 13 litre class for fear the Japanese brands would impact on sales of their European brethren. All this points to a rare opportunity for Hino. After all, with no corporate commercial clash deriving from its place as an offshoot of global car giant Toyota, Hino appears to have the potential to not only take a significant performance leap over its Japanese competitors in the heavy-duty class, but also become more of a challenger to the Europeans than ever before. Right now, the door is wide open for Hino but only time will tell if a new range of heavies will go far enough to turn what appears to be obvious potential into commercial reality.

Trade Trucks AU / April 28, 2020 In keeping with present Covid-19 pandemic strictures, UD Trucks and parent Volvo have conducted a virtual walkaround of a new UD Croner PD. Hosted by recently elevated Volvo Group Australia strategic projects and communication ns manager Matt Wood, the facebook initiative took a closer look at the 6x2 PD model with a 14 pallet curtainsider body. Though the 4x2 PK gets a mention or two, it is very much in a supporting role for this exercise. "The big news for Croner is under the skin, the things you can’t necessarily see at first glance," Woods avers. "For a start, the Croner offers more grunt than its medium-duty predecessor. "While it still puts out 280 horsepower, the 8-litre GH8E makes 1,050 Newton metres of torque, up from 883 Newton metres from the original Condor 7-litre. "But importantly, it makes this torque from just 1,100 rpm, which, from behind the wheel, adds quite a bit more flexibility to the engine. "Of course, this also contributes to fuel efficiency, as well." Woods, a former ATN/OwnerDriver technical journalist and something of a video pioneer, then switches on the vaudeville when addressing gears. "As far as gearboxes go, you can have any transmission you like, as long as it’s a 6-speed 3000 Series Alison automatic," he says, adding that it is PDO-capable. More seriously, Woods notes improved GVM and GCM, with the former at 24.5-tonne and the latter 32-tonne. The PK comes in at 17.5-tonne and 32-tonne. Both models come either in multileaf or air suspension, the latter at four bags for the PD and two for the PK. Woods is a fan of the trucks having a ride-control set-up, an addition to Japanese vehicles more commonly seen on European counterparts. He also keen to highlight the 18 wheel-base options, allowing for a range of work applications. Before getting to the in-cab safety programs, daylight running lights to enhance on-road visibility are noted. Meanwhile, the cab meets ECE 29 strength requirements, and electronic brake force distribution and self-adjusting S-cam brakes are standard. The steering wheel houses an SRS airbag, while the driver’s knees are looked after by an impact-absorbing area beneath the dash – a carry-over from the Condor predecessor. The media unit has for five cameras along with the standard sat-nav. The otherwise simple instruments have the capability to alert the drivers that they are "driving like a wally". Wireless mobile phone charging is optional. A soft touch on information technology, Woods, pointing to a slot next to the door marked ‘For Driver ID" happily explains how connected the vehicle can be. "This truck can talk to the rest of the Volvo Group family," he says. "So, if you are an operator with a Mack or a Volvo, and you’re hooked up to our telematics system, which is Mack Telematics or Volvo’s Dynafleet or in this case UD Telematics, this truck can talk to the rest of the group product. "And this little driver ID fob means we can load a driver profile on to a USB and that driver profile can log into the telematics system regardless of which one of our branded trucks he’s driving. "It also means the customer gets all his trucks in the one telematics portal, which is a first for us." While Croner is available locally and is suited for presently hot-button duties, such as last-mile and parcel/ecommerce delivery, Woods notes it is in limited supply so early in the piece. .

The U.S. Navy also operated tandem axle MB611s, moving food from their warehouses to the base commissaries.

https://grouperpmtech.com/en/tor-trucks

Even as crisis toll grows, Ford vows to be ‘aggressive' Michael Martinez, Automotive News / May 4, 2020 DETROIT — Ford Motor Co. is projecting confidence that it can stick to an $11 billion restructuring plan and aggressively roll out new products even as it predicts the coronavirus crisis will sap billions from its balance sheet in the coming months. Ford last week reported a $2 billion net loss in the first quarter and warned it could lose more than $5 billion in the second quarter from operations, largely because of the global pandemic that has halted vehicle production and disrupted business for more than a month. "This is a tremendous opportunity for us as well," says Ford COO Jim Farley. "We have a great portfolio of products that are just about to come out. Are there adjustments to be made there? Yes, but the product strategy we've talked about has never been more important." How the crisis is hitting the Detroit 3 will become clearer this week, when General Motors and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles are scheduled to report their first-quarter results. All three companies have been unable to generate revenue from North American vehicle production for more than a month. Farley suggested Ford is assessing every part of its business in light of the virus outbreak. "Are there businesses now with COVID hangover that need to be freshened, re-looked at, remade? The answer is everything's on the table," he said. "We want to be aggressive during the crisis." CFO Tim Stone said the company had been on track to post adjusted earnings of $1.4 billion or more before interest and taxes in the first quarter. Instead, it suffered its second consecutive quarterly loss. "Our objective is not just to withstand the crisis. We're ensuring the flexibility to continue to invest in our future," says Stone. But some investments are already being pushed back or canceled. Ford last week said a project with startup Rivian to develop an electric vehicle for the Lincoln brand would be shelved and that the launch of its autonomous vehicle commercial services, planned for next year, would be postponed until 2022. Ford CEO Jim Hackett said Ford would continue putting money into "growth opportunities." Those include new products such as the upcoming redesigned F-150, Bronco SUV, Bronco Sport crossover and Mustang Mach-E electric crossover. Hackett says that "even though we took measures to preserve cash, we are moving forward" on plans to introduce new products and invest in autonomy and electrification. "We're totally committed to it," he says. Ford said it still can't provide full-year financial guidance because "today's economic environment remains too ambiguous." Officials last week said the process of reopening plants and offices could take until early July, when it expects the last of its white-collar work force to return. Ford detailed a number of safety measures it will implement in manufacturing facilities, including mandatory face masks, daily temperature checks and the closure of common areas such as cafeterias or fitness centers. Outside of a modest profit in North America, Ford lost money in every region in the first quarter — including a $241 million loss in China. Ford has resumed production there and plans to bring European facilities back online this week. Stone said Ford's $35 billion in cash as of April 24 was sufficient to get it through the end of the year "with no additional vehicle wholesales or financing actions."

The White House is expecting 3,000 deaths a day by 1 June. Between 1,000 and 2,000 deaths are currently being reported in the US each day. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are forecasting 200,000 new cases each day by the end of May, up from about 25,000 cases now. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/04/us/coronavirus-live-updates.html

Farley buys $1 million in Ford stock Keith Naughton, Bloomberg / April 4, 2020 DETROIT -- Ford Motor Co. COO Jim Farley spent the equivalent of almost his entire 2019 salary to purchase $1 million of stock in a show of confidence in the automaker’s recovery prospects. Farley, 57, earned $1.1 million in salary as part of a compensation package that totaled $8.36 million last year when he was president of Ford’s new business, technology and strategy. He was promoted to COO on March 1 in a management shakeup that included the abrupt departure of his chief rival, Joe Hinrichs. Farley purchased 194,950 shares at an average price of $5.13 on April 30, according to regulatory filing Monday. The transaction increased his direct share ownership by 31 percent to 828,922. The stock is down 47 percent this year. The carmaker has made clear that Farley is heir apparent to CEO Jim Hackett, 65, who has struggled to institute a sweeping $11 billion reorganization. Before the coronavirus closed Ford’s factories, Farley pledged to accelerate a turnaround at a company that has seen profits decline for three consecutive years. “Everyone at Ford knows the situation we’re in,” Farley said February 26 at a Wolfe Research conference in New York. “I can see it on the faces of my colleagues and it takes me back to about 10 years ago. I’ve seen that look before.” Farley’s challenges have only grown since. With North American factories shut since mid-March -- and no restart dates scheduled -- Ford is forecasting a $5 billion loss in the second quarter, following a $2 billion operating deficit in the first three months of the year. It burned through $8 billion in the first quarter, suspended its dividend, had its credit cut to junk and sold $8 billion in junk bonds. Farley last week outlined how the company plans to resume production with safety protocols that include mandatory face masks, temperature checks, social distancing and closed common areas such as cafeterias. But he gave no timeline for reopening. “We want to restart as soon as we can and do it safely,” Farley told reporters. “We’ve gone through so many things as a company for over 100 years, but this is really unprecedented.”

TATRA Trucks Press Release / April 27, 2020 The coronavirus pandemic in Europe has temporarily shut down production in many factories of European and overseas automakers. Only a few of them did not close their operations: Tatra Trucks is one of them. Due to the global pandemic, the Czech government declared a state of emergency in the first half of March. Most industrial enterprises in the Czech Republic and in Europe have responded to the spread of coronavirus by stopping or significantly reducing production. The effect of the coronavirus on the automobile industry is especially grave, since many automakers across Europe have declared temporary shutdowns and many have extended shutdowns beyond their original dates. Among the few exceptions is the Czech TATRA Trucks, the Czech bus manufacturer SOR Libchavy and factories of Solaris company in Poland. However, Hyundai and Kia's factories in the Czechia and Slovakia resumed production in a limited mode a few days ago. TATRA Trucks keeps running its production despite the quarantine, and its management does not plan to limit it now. The company also continues to provide services for its customers. Since the beginning of the state of emergency, one of the oldest worldwide vehicle manufacturers has also devoted extraordinary efforts to the protection of employees' health. Therefore, throughout the pandemic crisis, there has been no one infected with COVID-19. Since the backbone of the Czech Army's and Czech Fire Rescue Service's logistics fleet is consisted of TATRA trucks, these trucks now help distribute the medical and other strategic material across the country. TATRA Trucks acknowledges the key role of Tatra vehicles in the times of pandemic. Therefore, its management has taken measures to support the operability of TATRA trucks used by the Czech Army and the Integrated Rescue System ot the Czech Republic (IRS CR) units. The manufacturer has set the highest priority for TATRA trucks used by the Army and IRS CR within the dealer and repair and maintenance service network, including the company service centre in Kopřivnice. Regarding protection of employees' health, there is a set of protective measures in place. Employees are required to wear faces masks, and managers and office workers are asked to work from home as much as possible. There is also limited association in the TATRA Trucks premises, and excursions and external visits are prohibited. Tatra Trucks also withdrew its employees from abroad and most of them were put in quarantine for preventive reasons. Antibacterial and disinfectants are distributed on the premises of the company. Strict hygienic measures are also followed by employees of the catering department, and special rules apply to external suppliers when entering the TATRA Trucks premises. However, even TATRA Trucks faces some challenges due to the unprecedented lockdown of the country: there are minor problems linked to the delays in components supplies from a couple of subcontractors. This has been resolved thanks to the management by regrouping the production plan for April (and if necessary, also for the following months), and by planning a new production schedule. TATRA Trucks has not yet experienced cancellations or deferrals of orders from business partners and vehicle buyers. .

Scania Group Press Release / April 28, 2020 When Kuopio Municipality in Finland tendered refuse collection, Urbaser’s Finnish subsidiary was in pole position for the contract. Urbaser had the advantage of offering its services using six Scania’s biogas trucks, which was decisive. “We will continue to increase the number of biogas vehicles,” says Urbaser’s Fleet Manager Harri Hietala. “Our customers are increasingly interested in reducing emissions from transport and in tenders calling for more environmentally sound alternatives. In additional to the superior environmental performance, Urbaser welcomes the gas-powered Scania P 340’s lower noise level as well as the great cab ergonomics and visibility. The range with frequent starts and stops is 350 kilometres per filling. The single compressed gas tank is therefore more than adequate considering each new truck is operated approximately 100 kilometres a day. With the biogas filling station along refuse collection routes, Urbaser chooses not to fill the tanks completely to speed up refuelling, which takes 10–15 minutes, roughly the same as with diesel. “Biogas trucks fit perfectly into our strategy and our values, says Arto Ryhänen, Managing Director of the Kuopio’s waste management company Jätekukko. “After all, waste management is part of the circular economy. We collect organic waste from households in Kuopio, which is then transported to the Kuopio plant for biogas production.” .

Ford Trucks Russia Press Release / May 4, 2020 Ford Trucks 1833 LR (Low Roof) refrigerated van featuring Carrier's isothermic technology allows operators to maintain body temperatures ranging from 20 to -20 degrees Celsius. The truck is equipped with Ford's fuel efficient 9-litre "Ecotorq" engine and a manual Eaton transmission. Ford offers a two-year warranty with no mileage restrictions! .

Bloomberg / May 3, 2020 President Trump has raised the expected U.S. death toll from the Coronavirus to 100,000. FEMA has ordered 100,000 body bags for next winter...........https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-buys-more-body-bags-preparing-for-worst-case-cornavirus-scenario-11588172780 U.S. Vice President Pence now says that he should have worn a mask when visiting the Mayo Clinic, per their policy.”

If I was Kenworth (Paccar), I would have bought the truck back, performed a meticulous restoration and used it going forward at promotional events. The value of promoting the Kenworth brand with this truck is priceless, and yet Paccar over the years never could grasp that. Were I running Kenworth, I would have bought back the Smokey and the Bandit truck as well. I would have originally provided the trucks "free of charge" on the condition they be returned to Kenworth at the end.

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The rugged Mack F-Model was absolutely perfect for these tough conditions.

Jim, the Cruise-Liner was a big step forward for Mack, and the Mack Western division's chance to prove itself. It was the result of west coast truck engineers that Mack had hired. In theory, they could give us a leap forward with a true west coast design. In the eyes of most Mack people hwever, the original Hayward designed/produced Cruise-Liner was an engineering disaster. The freedom given the west coast engineers was revoked, and the 2nd gen Cruise-Liner was designed/built in Allentown, fixing many of the shortcomings. But it was the superb, still class-leading MH Ultra-Liner that restored Mack's reputation as a designer of cutting edge COEs. I never had a problem with the windshields, 9QT59301 (RH) and 9QT59302 (LH), or the driver's instrument panel. The axle-mounted steering arrangement was a huge mistake. We sold far more steering gears than normal. The average customer replaced the steering gears three times over the life of the truck. The telescoping steering shaft, between the floor board bottom and the axle-mounted steering gear, wore out prematurely. Again, we sold thousands of replacement units, averaging 2-3 over the life of a truck. We sold thousands of pitman arms which wallowed out prematurely. (the output shaft splines and pitman arm splines were constantly wallowed out owing to the nature of the stupid design). The disconnecting (ball and socket) shift linkage, specifically the gears, rails, bushings and seals in the tower, also had unacceptably short life (the average truck's shift tower was rebuilt at least 3 times over its life). It was a terrible design, whereas the shift linkage on the MH Ultra-Liner was superb. And the frame rail did not use Mack's superb "body-bound bolts", which led to frame rail fastener headaches. I did prefer the original first generation Cruise-Liner instrument panel over the simplified second generation, as it looked sharper. However the 1st generation center console didn't hold up. The 2nd gen design eliminated it. The 1st gen center console was excessively large restricting bunk access, and the top (with the vents) frequently cracked and required replacement, a problem resolved with the second generation (It's pretty embarrassing when west coast Mack dealers have console covers hanging in their parts lobby because they're such strong sellers). And then you had those expensive rubber riv-nuts that retained the grille constantly falling out. Here it is year 2016 and I couldn't possibly forget the part number, 68RU29301P5, because it was a hot issue. The Trico pantograph windshield wiper arms and their transmissions didn't hold up. All of these issues were covered in Mack Service Bulletins.............there were more service bulletins on the WS/WL Cruise-Liner than any other single model in the history of Mack Trucks. I found the cab was "beat" less with the 10,500lb front suspension. But dealers were accustomed to ordering the 12,000 front suspension, as they had for years with the heavier steel-cabbed F-model. The work ethic of the people at the Hayward plant was terrible. They were "California casual" about showing up for work......one never knew how many people were coming in. The Allentown people sent out there were in constant frustration. The workers would install cab screws with their power tools until the threads were stripped. They didn't care. The idea of setting up a west coast plant for west coast truck production was logical. However, there was a people problem. This is all why the plant was closed, and the 2nd gen Cruise-Liner was built at Macungie.......with significantly better quality.

Ford lauds 'fantastic' effort at damaged BorgWarner plant, expects no impact on F-150 Michael Martinez, Automotive News / April 30, 2020 Ford Motor Co. dodged what could have been a serious disruption to the production of its most profitable vehicles, including the F-150 pickup. The automaker, despite the coronavirus pandemic, had repair teams on the ground 12 hours after a tornado earlier this month ripped through a BorgWarner factory in Seneca, S.C., that supplies transfer cases to Ford's pickups and large SUVs. Although Ford filed a notice with the Securities and Exchange Commission noting production could be disrupted, its head of manufacturing said Thursday he's not expecting any impact by the time Ford's factories — shuttered by the coronavirus — resume operations. "The recovery that BorgWarner's been able to do, with us supporting them, has been fantastic," said Ford's chief manufacturing and labor affairs officer Gary Johnson. "I'm extremely confident that when we start up our systems in the U.S. and North America, BorgWarner will support them. The risk is dropping every day." The supplier plans to resume limited production at the plant in early May. BorgWarner supplies transfer cases for the F-150, as well as the four-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive versions of the Expedition, Super Duty, Explorer and Transit and the Lincoln Navigator and Aviator. "We can't re-source it," Johnson said. "The decision was made to help retrofit the plant to make it viable to come back." He said members of Ford's IT team helped rebuild computer rooms and other Ford workers helped repair the plant's roof. BorgWarner employees have been routinely posting updates on Facebook about their many accomplishments at the site. The company on Wednesday released this statement: "BorgWarner can confirm that we are planning to resume limited production in early May at our ... facility which was impacted by a tornado in the early morning hours of Monday, April 13th. We have teams onsite working on necessary repairs to the facility to make this happen in a safe and efficient way. We appreciate the support of the Oconee community and the State of South Carolina, our neighbors and our customers during this time." This isn't the first time Ford has scrambled to save F-150 production. The company in late 2018 was among the first on site after a fire destroyed a supplier plant in Michigan that also supplied its prized pickup. Workers pitched tents as they waited for access to the facility. Once inside, they extracted 19 large tools over 48 hours and moved them to other sites, at one point renting a rare Russian cargo jet to transport a heavy die to a plant in the U.K.

The Trump administration plans to accelerate the development of a potential coronavirus vaccine and manufacture billions of doses by January. The U.S.'s top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci today said: We're in the early phases of a trial — Phase 1. When you go into the next phase, we’re going to safely and carefully, but as quickly as we possibly can, try and get an answer as to whether it works and is safe. And if so, we’re going to start ramping up production with the companies involved. You don’t wait until you get an answer before you start manufacturing -- you at risk proactively start making it, assuming it’s going to work, and if it does, then you can scale up and hopefully get to that timeline. So we want to go quickly, but we want to make sure it’s safe and it’s effective. I think that is doable. Remember go back in time, I was saying in January and February that it would be a year to 18 months. January is a year — so it isn't that much from what I had originally said."

Exactly.

You have done an absolutely incredible job! Such an exciting story right from the beginning in your search for this truck.

Mike Johnson found this original BJ and the Bear Aerodyne in Georgia back in 2007. These are the photos he took of it before it was purchased and restored by father & son team Craig & Paul Sagehorn, who now uses it to haul a reefer trailer across 48 States. This particular truck was actually used on screen in the popular television series. The following story is available on line. The link is at the bottom. With many thanks to Land Line mag.com __________________________________________________________________________ 10/4/2012 'B.J. and the Bear' truck still delivers By Kimberely Lennard, Land Line staff writer Although the television show “B.J. and the Bear” only ran from 1978 to 1981, the truck behind the show remains a show-stopper over 30 years later. OOIDA headquarters was abuzz on Thursday when Life Member Craig Sagehorn from Sparta, WI, stopped by in his famous 1980 Kenworth cabover, one of the trucks driven by character B.J. McKay in the TV show. Craig and his son, Paul Sagehorn, bought the truck from a man in Douglasville, GA, in 2007 and rebuilt it. They took it completely apart and sandblasted it. While restoring the truck, Paul found the inscription “BJ and the Bear by WS” under a bunch of rust where the fifth wheel was welded. Craig drives it mostly for local hauls of about a hundred miles, although he told “Land Line Now” he left Wisconsin about three weeks and 7,000 miles ago, hauling potatoes to Miami, FL; liquid eggs to San Antonio, TX; and rice to Boise, ID. He was headed to Raleigh, NC, to deliver potatoes and onions when he visited OOIDA in Grain Valley, MO, and will run another 5,000 miles before he sees Wisconsin again. It’s not uncommon for people to approach Craig and shake his hand and thank him for saving history. “We didn’t go at it with that attitude. It’s just a really neat truck,” Craig said. His son watched the show as a kid and at 30 years old decided he wanted one. The Sagehorns originally had a 1984 Kenworth Aerodyne they painted to look like the “B.J. McKay” truck. They bought that truck in 1999 and sold it in 2008 after they found the “real” truck. The 1980 Kenworth is from the 1981 season of the show, according to Craig. They found it on the Internet and called the owner, who wasn’t actually looking to sell the truck, Paul told Land Line. They made an offer and are the fifth owners of the truck. “Anybody that’s ever seen the show knows the truck instantly,” Craig said. He added that four years ago a guy got on the CB and sang the “BJ and the Bear” theme song when he passed by. Greg Evigan, aka B.J., has joined the Sagehorns at several truck shows and Craig says people tell Evigan they drive a truck because of that show. “Greg never had an inkling initially of what impact that show had on kids that age.” Craig hasn’t forgotten about “Bear” either, although his chimpanzee travel companion is of the stuffed variety. http://m.landlinemag.com/Story.aspx?StoryID=24250#.VqTdhyp97IX .

Transport Engineer / April 30, 2020 For the first time, Don-Bur has manufactured a lifting deck tri-axle trailer design with an expanding roof. The new product, designed for a parcel delivery company, provides 7.8% more head room on the lower deck during loading, but keeps overall height to 4.5m when in transit to avoid low bridge restrictions and retain a more ideal aerodynamic profile. Lifting deck trailers were invented by Don-Bur in the late 1980’s and continue to rise in popularity due to high payload volume and rapid turnaround at the bay without additional specialist bay equipment, the company says. The simple premise is a secondary deck that, when loaded in its lowered position to suit bay height, then rises via hydraulics to a second height, allowing another full payload to be loaded underneath it. However, straight-frame lifting decks in particular have limited lower-deck apertures whose heights are fixed between the height of the fifth wheel and the overall height. This restriction can cause challenges during loading. The new expanding roof overcomes this by allowing the loaded second deck to raise much higher than normal during lower deck loading. After loading and before transit, the roof and deck lower again to a position where gaps over the load are minimal. Aerodynamically, the force of drag is directly proportional to the frontal area of the trailer. Therefore, the ability to keep the roof 350mm lower than a full-height 4.85m-high double deck reduces drag force by an estimated 661 Newtons, at 56mph. This 15.5% reduction in drag is expected to realise a 5% fuel saving, as wind resistance is thought to contribute about a third to total drag (other components being surface friction, tyre deformation and drive line resistance). One of the most ingenious parts of the design is the roof attachment system. During part of the loading operation, the second deck has to move up and down freely and independently of the roof. However, as the deck extends upwards to generate more head height, so too does the roof to prevent the upper load being crushed. Not only that, but the roof then has to forcibly clamp back down onto the body structure, to ensure the correct lower height and prevent water ingress. Don-Bur has developed and innovative solution to this challenge and, for this reason, has applied for a patent. The new trailer design won’t suit operators that need to carry high, indivisible payloads. There, a step-frame design may be more applicable. Instead, the new model is said to be best suited to those with lower cage heights and pallets or loose loads. It could also be used for companies that switch between operation in Northern Ireland (which has a 4,650mm overall height restriction) and the UK mainland; the latter having a 250mm potential height benefit, equivalent to an 8.6m3 volume increase. .

Transport Engineer / April 29, 2020 South west builders’ merchant CRS has added a further four DAF CF 370 FAN rigids to its fleet. The three-axle delivery vehicles feature a steer, drive and lifting rear-steer tag-axle configuration, delivering what the operator’s transport manager, Paul Gibbard, describes as “outstanding manoeuvrability and payload”. Having considered the DAF 18-tonne models already in the fleet, Gibbard decided the weight and body length options of the 26-tonner offered greater operational flexibility. The operator says: “We have spec’d the 26-tonne trucks to have the same overall chassis lengths as the 18-tonners, but with our 6.1m internal body length we can get greater payload. For instance, on our 18-tonners we get five packs of blocks; the 26-tonners take nine, no problem. They run comfortably with 13t on board and that gives us greater options on delivery schedules. We can make more drops per run, saving time and, just as important, saving significantly on fuel. With the drive axle relatively close to the steer, and with the steered tag axle, we find drivers are able to make speedier and more accurate drops in even the tightest of sites.” The new trucks are equipped with bespoke dropside bodies and carry Palfinger BM26 cranes, all fitted by Palfinger UK. CRS has had sensored crane slipper pads fitted to the rear of each vehicle to give drivers maximum safety and flexibility on the varying delivery conditions they meet. “Safety is very important to us: for our drivers, customers and other road users,” says Gibbard. “It starts with ensuring complete compliance, and our local dealer, Kingdon Wessex DAF, looks after us very well on service, maintenance and inspections. Then, apart from the additional crane stability pads, we add such things as recording camera units all-round, repeat-indicator side markers, Fresnel lenses on near-sides, lifting rear mud flaps to aid reversing safety in tight sites, cage sensors …. the list goes on and on. And we brief our drivers fully on every aspect.” The DAF CFs are all equipped with Traxon 12-speed automated gearboxes, which Gibbard had trialled off-road in an 8x4 tipper at a DAF Ride & Drive day. “I have to say I thought it was simply the very best box on the market, nothing else I have tried compares.” He added, “The thing is, these DAFs are like a big Swiss Army knife, they just have everything you need.” CRS, which only started in business in 2005, now operates a fleet of 40 trucks out of 12 branches across the South West. One of the two founding directors, Chris Waelchli, discusses fleet acquisition strategy for a small business. He states: “Let’s be honest: to start with, you run anything, so long as it’s safe. Then, when you can afford it, you try and do better. So the growth of the fleet and the quality and newness of its vehicles is simply a reflection of how well the business has done. “Now though, with a busy fleet, it is all about back-up. You can pay as much as you want for trucks, but without good back-up you have nothing, and right now we are very happy with DAF products and DAF back-up. As Paul has said, compliance and safety are everything, and it’s nice to be in a position where drivers also understand and respect that. The other bonus with a modern fleet, of course, is that we are automatically more environmentally supportive and able to fit in with such things as Bath and Bristol’s drive toward their clean air zones.” The new DAFs are all on five-year packages from PACCAR Financial, and all are on seven-year R&M contracts. “We’ve virtually doubled the fleet in the last 20 months,” concludes Gibbard, “so getting the package right was important – and getting it all through the same source makes life much simpler.” .