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Heavy Duty Trucking / September 22, 2015 Eaton has added two optional features to the company’s UltraShift Plus and Fuller Advantage automated manual transmissions designed to enhance low-speed maneuverability. The new Urge to Move and Blended Pedal features improve low-speed handling in situations such as backing into a loading dock or maneuvering in a construction job site. Urge to Move allows the vehicle to automatically start moving when the transmission is in gear and the service brakes are released. After the vehicle has launched it will creep at a constant speed while the engine is at idle without needing to apply the accelerator. Blended Pedal lets a driver directly control clutch engagement at engine idle through accelerator positioning and enables movement at varying speeds. The feature allows for a finer level of control that was previously exclusive to manual transmissions, according to Eaton. “Both Urge to Move and Blended Pedal allow for controlled motion, controlled discharge of payloads, and more controlled operation when launching the vehicle,” said Evan Vijithakumara, product strategy manager for Eaton. The new features are enabled by an electronic clutch actuator which allows for smoother and more precise shifting at low speeds. The electronic actuator quickly pulls back the clutch bearings, disengages and re-engages the clutch to perform shifts regardless of engine rpm. “The end result blends three-pedal operating performance at low speeds with all the benefits of our latest driver-friendly two-pedal automated technologies,” said Vijithakumara. Both options are available for free and configurable with ServiceRanger 4 and will be available in the Standard and Professional packages by the end of the year. They are available on all models of UltraShift Plus transmissions and Fuller Advantage automated transmissions including the SmartAdvantage powertrain and the integrated powertrains from International and Paccar. .

The Bronco, and particularly the Scout, required modifications to perform. The FJs were ready, right out of the box. The CJ2A and CJ3A were good. The MB lacked the convenient tailgate, and the CJ3B's ugly high hood didn't make the F-head worth it. I suppose an early CJ5 (or M38A1) with the F-head is okay, but heavier than the 2A and 3A without meaningful benefit. The 1960s Nissan Patrol, a respectful copy of the Land Rover 88, was a worthy performer as well. Speaking of Land Cruisers, my favorite current model after the 70 Series, the Prado Land Cruiser, is now available in the global market with an all-new 2.8-liter diesel that uses SCR for an emissions solution. ----------------------------------------------------------- The new 2.8 litre D-4D turbo diesel engine replaces the current 3.0-l engine, with a focus on improved driveability via better torque delivery, plus lower fuel consumption and reduced CO2 emissions. It delivers 177 hp @ 3400 rpm and can be mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox or a new 6-speed automatic transmission. Available on 3-door and 5-door models, Toyota’s newly developed 2.8 D-4D Global Diesel (GD) engine combines an 11 percent increase in low speed torque and a 7 percent increase in maximum torque with a 9 percent reduction in average fuel consumption. The engine features Toyota’s first urea Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) system that can eliminate up to 99 percent of NOx emissions. Mated to the new 6-speed Super ECT automatic transmission, the 2.8 D-4D develops 370 N·m of torque at only 1,200 rpm, and a maximum 450 N·m of torque between 1,600 and 2,400 rpm. It will accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 12.7 seconds, and on to a top speed of 175 km/h. Average fuel consumption and CO2 emissions are reduced by 9 percent to 7.4 l/100 km (7.2 l/100 km for 3-door) and 194 g/km (190 g/km for 3-door) respectively. Performance figures are slightly improved with the 6-speed manual transmission, but average efficiency figures are similar. The new 2.8 D-4D engine incorporates a comprehensive range of measures designed to save weight, enhance combustion efficiency and reduce friction. The engine features an electronically controlled, common-rail type fuel injection system that achieves higher pressure and more advanced injection pressure control. A new piston shape has been adopted to match the new shape of the combustion chamber.

Rational thinking......what a concept I say again, the massacre of nine Americans in South Carolina had nothing to do with the Confederate battle flag. It can be blamed on bad parenting, a bad egg, or both. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Virginia City decides to keep Confederate monument Associated Press / September 22, 2015 The City of Norfolk, Virginia says its Confederate monument is not going anywhere. The City Council decided not to remove the towering structure downtown, despite pressure from a civil rights group that considers it a symbol of racism and slavery. The council’s decision came on the second day of its annual retreat, held this year at Slover Library. All three black council members agreed that removing the monument was unnecessary, and no other council members lobbied for its removal, either. “You can’t erase history just because you don’t like it,” said Vice Mayor Angelia Williams Graves, who is black. “It is what it is. To remove it would be a mistake.” Councilman Paul Riddick, who is also black, said he doesn’t have a problem with the monument or associate it with “hatefulness.” “It’s been there for years,” Riddick said. “And in my opinion, it does have a value as far as the history of this country.”

I saw my first FJ45 recently. The troop carrier long wheelbase version, still with only two side doors (plus the rear doors), and equipped with the diesel engine. The FJ40, and uniquely styled FJ55........doesn't get much better than that.

Transport Engineer / September 22, 2015 Fruit importer S H Pratt & Co has ordered 25 MAN TGX tractors, which will operate under the company’s Kinship Logistics banner. The deal was brokered with MAN Rental and the Luton-based operator’s new acquisitions are TGX 26.440 XLX tractor units, fitted with MAN’s new Efficient Cruise system. “I have always been impressed with the brand and the great product, and now that Efficient Cruise is a feature, the technology is there too,” says Tony Hunter, head of logistics. “Efficiency is a major factor in our decision making. These vehicles will be running on a 24-hour double shift and will be covering 180,000km per annum. They are real workhorses.” The vehicles will be maintained by John Arnold Commercials on a three-year R&M agreement. “The fact that John Arnold can offer us a 24-hour workshop and support is a huge bonus,” adds Hunter. .

Transport Engineer / September 21, 2015 Haulage firm Murray Hogg has taken delivery of a further 10 Euro 6 Mercedes-Benz Actros trucks and says its decision to move to Euro 6 ahead of the January 2014 deadline has paid dividends, with improved efficiency and lower fuel costs. Supplied by dealer Bell Truck and Van, the North Gosforth-based haulier’s latest Actros delivery includes six 2545 BigSpace tractors with 449bhp straight-six engines and four 26-tonne 2532s with 320bhp engines. The new trucks all feature PowerShift automated transmissions and have Mercedes’ Predictive Powertrain Control (PPC) systems and FleetBoard telematics. The rigids are all curtainsiders by Lawrence David and wear the colours of Murray Hogg’s customer Stelrad, which sells its radiators through building and plumbing merchants. Ken Peet, Stelrad’s supply chain director, says: “Murray Hogg’s use of these new Euro 6 trucks fits in perfectly with our own environmental policy and ongoing drive to reduce our carbon footprint. “As well as taking major strides in our manufacturing processes, additional environmental savings through our logistics operation will help us to make significant progress.” Murray Hogg director Colin Hogg says his decision to buy his first Euro 6 vehicle last summer has been vindicated: “There were a lot of scare stories at the time about how Euro 6 would have an adverse effect on fuel consumption and reliability. We never believed the rumour-mongers though, and we’ve been proved right. “The 14 Euro 6 Actros we’re now operating are averaging 9.48 mpg, which compares to the 9.39 mpg achieved by our Euro 5 trucks. Meanwhile, AdBlue consumption by the newer trucks is significantly lower.” Murray Hogg has a 90-strong commercial vehicle fleet, including artics, rigids, vans and car transporters. .

Transport Engineer / September 21, 2015 Cummins had increased the power and torque on selected versions of its latest SmartEfficiency four- and six-cylinder ISB truck and bus engines, which now conform to the latest Euro 6 On-Board Diagnostic (OBD) ‘C’ requirements. OBD C applies to new vehicle type approvals from 1 January 2016 and all vehicles from 1 January 2017 and sees reductions in the NOx emission threshold detected by the engine’s diagnostic system, from 1,500mg/kWh to 12,000mg/kWh. A PM (particulate matter) detection threshold of 25mg/kWh is also introduced, while the level at which sub-standard AdBlue (urea) is detected is further lowered from 0.9g/kWh to 0.46g/kWh. Finally, the OBD C diagnostic operation must report how many times the monitor successfully runs per number of drive-cycles. As part of the performance upgrade, peak torque on the latest OBD C 4.5-litre ISB engine is raised to 850Nm from the previous 760Nm maximum on Euro 6 OBD A versions, while peak torque on the six-cylinder ISB 6.7-litre OBD C engine moves up to 1,200Nm (1100Nm on OBD A engines). Specifically for bus applications there is a new 300hp 6.7-litre top rating too, which is being offered as an engine ‘down-sizing’ option in preference to equivalent power nine-litre diesels. The 300bhp ISB not only saves weight but requires a smaller packaging envelope compared with a bigger-displacement diesel. Revisions to the ISB’s engine-mapping have also resulted in higher torque outputs being available lower down the rev range, further improving driveability and fuel economy. Meanwhile, for truck operators the maximum power rating on the ISB six-cylinder goes up from 310 to 320bhp. Service intervals on ISB OBD C engines have also been extended beyond 2000hrs/90,000kms. Cummins says its latest ISB four- and six-cylinder Euro 6 diesels, which will become available before the end of the year for OEM adoption in 2017, makes them ‘best-in-class’ in terms of their power/torque-to-weight ratio. Since their introduction in the last quarter of 2013 Cummins has supplied over 18,500 Euro-6 ISB four and six-cylinder engines to truck and PSV manufacturers worldwide. .

New Zealand Herald / September 22, 2015 A man has described how a group of truckies helped smash a window, freeing a trapped truck driver from a cab in a fast-moving creek. Chris Cording of Marton said he and another McCarthy Transport employee, Shane Gowan, were travelling on State Highway 1 in a work ute on the way to pick up their own truck at about 5am this morning. They looked up a hill and saw some hazard lights flashing on another truck, he said. "So it had obviously just happened. And then we looked to our right, and we seen the truck down the bank. So I said to me mate that was driving the ute: Oh Christ, he's gone down into the drain, so best we do something and get down there and bloody get him out." The accident happened when the truck, carrying a load of potato chips, plunged into a creek near Utiku in the central North Island. Mr Cording said "a couple of other jokers" were also in the area, ready to help out. "We were yelling out to see if he was still alive, and we got no response straight off. Then obviously we yelled again, and he heard us, and he yelled back and said: Get me out of here." Mr Cording said some men who appeared to be engineers turned up in another ute and one quickly retrieved some tools. "So he got out a hammer, and the boys took the hammer down and smashed the front window, and eventually dragged this poor bugger out." The driver, described as a stocky man in his 50s, was "battered and bruised a bit", but not seriously hurt, Mr Cording said. "..He gave himself a bit of a fright, I would have thought." The creek was small and fairly shallow but recent rains meant it was flowing fast, adding even more urgency to the rescue efforts. Mr Cording called 111 and helped direct rescue efforts in the pre-dawn darkness. He said Mr Gowan understood the truckie was "upside-down" laying in the passenger seat, in the water. "And we just didn't know whether he was laying in the water, or the water had gone into his cab...so yeah, she was all action mate, just trying to get him out. So the boys went back down and my co-worker jumped in the water and smashed the window and they eventually dragged him up, up to the top of the hill, up to the safe area." The driver was "very, very lucky" today, Mr Cording said. "I'd say he needs to go and buy a Lotto ticket." Mr Cording said the truckie's relatively light load of chips possibly saved him from more serious injury. "I would be picking if he had anything heavy inside, he would have got crushed straight away. "He was pretty desperate to get up. I'd be picking he had his seatbelt on...which saved him, and then he's unclipped it, and hadn't realised the position of the truck..." Mr Cording said he was "no bloody Superman" but he and Mr Gowan, the engineers, and three or four other truckies knew they had to help. "We're all truckies at the end of the day, mate." The driver was a bit shaken, Mr Cording added. "You would be too. You're driving big units like we are mate, and you go down the side of a bank, you're looking at stars before you're looking at the road again." Mr Cording said the group stayed with the cold, wet truckie, who was in good spirits, for about half an hour. "I think he was just happy to be alive." Local firefighters said the truck probably hit a bank, went through a fence and careered back on and off the road, hitting a tree and a fence again. Mangaweka firefighter Neil Sinclair confirmed the truck was on its side after crashing into the creek, luckily with the driver's side up, he told NZME News Service. "If it fell on the right hand side it might have been a different story," Mr Sinclair said. "He's pretty lucky...I was quite surprised he got out of it and actually walked up the hill," he added. Mr Sinclair said the injured truckie was later able to share a joke with ambulance staff when some of his cold, wet clothes had to be replaced. "He was having a joke and a laugh, saying 'I don't normally get a man to take my clothes off, it's normally a woman." The driver told ambulance staff he was a diabetic and he had visible bruising on one of his arms. Mr Sinclair understood the man was nearing the end of his shift when he crashed. Mangaweka chief fire officer Rex Noble said the truck hit a bank up the road and the driver recalled "fighting the truck" to get back in control. "He's a lucky boy though. [He] was on his side, his left-hand side. I think he undid his seatbelt and he dropped, down to the bottom side and that's how he got all wet." The firefighters said the trailer was intact - so no chips had spilled into the creek. St John spokesman Mark Tregoweth said the ambulance service was alerted to the incident at 5.01am. Soon after, the Palmerston Rescue Helicopter crew met firefighters and ambulance personnel who brought the injured man down the road from Utiku. "There was low cloud and rain at the scene at Utiku, so we actually picked him up from the road ambulance who drove south, down the road, while we were coming north," Rescue Helicopter base manager and pilot Chris Moody said. The injured truckie was airlifted at about 6.51am and taken to Palmerston North hospital. Initially the man was thought to be seriously injured but a Palmerston North Hospital spokesman said the truckie was in a stable condition with moderate injuries shortly after 10am. Police said the accident happened at about 5am and confirmed the driver was "wet and cold" but able to walk up to ambulance staff who arrived in the area. One lane of the three-lane road nearby was closed. The police Commercial Vehicle Investigation Unit planned to investigate, and Rangitikei District Council was being asked to help police remove the truck from the creek. The truck and its two trailers were still in the creek about 10am. The back trailer had swung and was at a roughly 45 degree vertical angle from the front trailer. The back trailer had squashed part of the front trailer. The truck belonged to AF Logistics, a third party provider to Linfox, who told NZME News Service the accident happened while the driver was performing a delivery on behalf of the business. "Our concern is with the driver involved in the incident," a spokeswoman said. "The business is co-operating with authorities and we will conduct our own investigation into what occurred." The AF Logistics company website said the firm had coolstores and depots in Auckland, Wellington, Palmerston North, Hastings and New Plymouth and more than 100 trucks nationwide. Related photographs: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11517121 http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11516818

Fleet Owner / September 3, 2015 As major tire manufacturers reintroduce once-prominent brands in the quest to gain market share, compete with offshore entities, and meet fleet needs for both cost-efficient and fuel-efficient tires, fleets have more choices than ever before, but is that a good development? Miles to removal, durability, tread depth and retreadability all must be addressed. Just as importantly, though, is the question of which brand to support. Michelin? Goodyear? Bridge­stone? Continental? Those are the most well-known. How about BFGoodrich, Dayton, Double Coin, Firestone, Giti Tire or Yokohama? Maybe you have a preference for Benchmark, Joytour or Triones? Haven’t heard of some of these brands? Don’t feel bad. At last count, there were nearly 200 different tire brands, many of which are overseas imports, from which to choose. If you are looking for a SmartWay-verified tire, good luck. There are over 650 such tires. Even narrowing the list to just the most prominent brands still leaves dozens of manufacturers from which to choose. “There are some lower-cost tires out there that we are not going to carry because drivers are not going to get the life or ride they want out of them,” says Gene Kanzigg, tire program manager for TA Operation, which operates Travel Centers of America truck stops and Petro Shopping Centers. One of the big differences between brands, according to Kanzigg, is the construction. “Most all your [Tier 1 tires] have a four-belt package under the tread,” he says. “When you get into the Chinese tires, one of the reasons they are cheaper is they have one or two fewer belts.” Ryder System has a large vehicle fleet and purchases thousands of tires each year. As a result, Scott Perry, vice president of supply management and global fuel products for the Fleet Management Solutions business segment, has plenty of experience with tires. He says many fleets are focused on the ability to retread. “The expectation is that [there is] a casing robust enough to retread two or three times,” he says, adding that Ryder tends to stick with Bridgestone for its new tires and Bandag for its retreads. But, Perry quickly adds, Ryder typically has anywhere from 3,000 to 4,000 tires from various brands in its fleet for evaluation. Also consider brand reputation, Perry advises. “You may be rolling the dice a little bit as to whether that [lower-cost tire] even makes it to a DOT removal point.” The number of manufacturers has blossomed in recent years. Consequently, each brand can no longer sit and wait for fleets to come to them. They must actively market their tires, tout their advantages, and be visible. In short, we have entered an age where the battle for market share has led to more choices and more tire-related services, all to a fleet’s benefit if it can just wade through the rolling sea of rubber. Going back to Kanzigg’s point about the various tiers of tire brands, each manufacturer must promote its tires and services in the best light. In the case of Goodyear, it’s a “total package solution” that includes tires, retreads, services and even business tools “to help fleets lower their operating cost,” says Brian Buckham, general manager, commercial tire marketing. Because each fleet is different, designing a single set of tires to meet all needs is impossible. “When designing truck tires, Goodyear believes that it is important to achieve the right balance between low rolling resistance, traction and tread wear,” says Buckham. “At Goodyear, we refer to this as the ‘performance triangle.’ Our tires are designed to deliver different performance benefits, depending on application.” With more than a dozen tires SmartWay-verified already, Goodyear is looking at introducing a Fuel Max trailer tire later this year so that it can offer a “super-fuel efficient tire for every long-haul wheel position,” says Buckham. The company is also applying that same approach to its retreads with SmartWay-verified options in the Fuel Max line. “In addition to industry-leading tires and retreads, such as our new Fuel Max and Endurance tires, Goodyear offers, through our Goodyear-Fleet HQ suite of business solutions, best-in-class services, including 24/7 emergency roadside service,” says Buckham, who also notes the advantages of a large service network of over 2,200 locations. Like Goodyear, Michelin maintains a top-notch reputation among fleets. To remain there, though, takes a lot of work to develop products and services that fit fleet needs. “Michelin provides a total solution for fleets and truckers,” the company says. “We not only offer a complete line of high-quality tires and retreads, we also offer a suite of services to maximize fleet uptime.” Tires, service and maintenance Those services include Michelin OnCall 2.0 emergency road service, preventive light mechanical maintenance through Michelin Truck Care, and preventive tire management through Michelin Tire Care. With a line of fuel-efficient, SmartWay-verified tires, including the X One line, Michelin says its tires are designed to be long lasting and durable. For fleets focused on retreading, “robust casings” help lower their overall cost of ownership. “Our unique benefit is that we are able to maximize multiple performances at the same time,” a company spokesperson says. “So, fleets and truckers get the best of all performances; they don’t have to sacrifice one benefit to get another.” For instance, many may choose a tire based on upfront cost, but that tire may have a shorter lifespan. Mike Graber, senior product manager-truck tires for Toyo Tires, says fleets that buy on price alone could face a competitive disadvantage. “The most significant risk is that lower cost per mile may be the ultimate trade-off,” Graber says, adding that fleets purchasing a tire because of a lower price may lose out on product advantages such as fuel efficiency, mileage, retreadability, and casing durability. As Ryder’s Perry notes, fleets that don’t consider a tire’s total cost of ownership may pay more in the end through higher maintenance-related costs and shorter tire life. If you choose to go with a second- or third-tier tire, Perry says a strong tire maintenance program is a must. “You must be extremely diligent in managing all the other things around that tire. You can’t control the construction of that tire, but you can control inflation. You can control vehicle alignment.” “Most of your major brands have national account programs with roadside programs or relationships with service providers,” TA/Petro’s Kanzigg says. These programs could potentially reduce service costs due to tire failures, many of which may be due to debris and out of a fleet’s control. And that’s where companies such as Bridgestone, Goodyear, etc., may have an advantage. For Bridgestone, which offers the premium Bridgestone line in addition to the mid-level Firestone and Dayton brands, national accounts play a prominent role. But so does the ability to offer fleets of all sizes the option to purchase tires that fit their budgets. Each brand, though, fits its own unique niche and each has its own identity, says Matt Loos, director of TBR for Bridgestone Commercial. “Each of the brands has been set up to make sure they have their own identity,” he says. For Dayton, the key word is “respect. It’s designed to appeal to the owner-operators and small fleets. At Dayton, it’s about providing that value.” Firestone is more of a “retail brand,” as Loos notes that customers tend to make their purchases in conjunction with their local dealers. Bridgestone is dominated by larger fleets serviced through its national accounts program. “They are larger fleets, they are nationwide, and they are looking to us to support them [and provide tire-related solutions],” says Loos of the Bridgestone customer. Still, a Fire­stone or Dayton customer has specific needs as well. “There are customers who gravitate to an affordable tire, and there is nothing wrong with that. And that’s what’s great about having Dayton because [fleets] have access to fuel efficiency [attributes], and they have access to SmartWay tires,” Loos says. Bridgestone customers can tap the company’s national account program, points out Loos. “[Tires] are an investment and many fleets look at them that way,” he says. “There are a lot of great tires out there, but one of the things that separates them is the manufacturer behind the tire.” National fleet programs, though, can add cost to the purchase price of tires, advise several manufacturers. Patrick Gunn, director of sales and marketing, Commercial Tire, for Giti Tire, which markets and sells GT Radial tires, says that the brand offers a lower cost per mile “without compromising quality.” But to do that, there has to be a trade-off. In this case, it’s the national fleet program, although that can have advantages for fleets, he advises. “We do not have a national fleet program that requires subsidizing by our dealers,” Gunn says. “This enhances profitability for our dealers who can pass along the related savings directly to their fleet customers.” Driving down costs Others, like Continental, try to position themselves as a premium tire company that provides overall value, including national programs. The company offers 30 SmartWay-approved tires plus 8 SmartWay-approved retreads. “Continental’s driving philosophy and position is to offer the fleet the lowest overall driving cost,” says Prosser Carnegie, head of brand management-CVT, Continental Tire the Americas. “Fleets are looking for tires that provide safety first and foremost, a means to optimize their overall costs, and increase their efficiency.” Continental touts fuel efficiency, retreadability and durability of its tires. To help achieve these attributes, the company standardized its 3G casing across all axle positions, meaning that “new Conti EcoPlus HT3 trailer tires are built with the same 3G casing that our Conti EcoPlus HD3 drive and Conti EcoPlus HS3 steer tires are,” Carnegie says. “The advantages are that a fleet can retread our trailer tire in a drive position, where traditionally trailer tires were reserved for retreading only in the trailer position.” Carnegie says the final decision on which tire to buy is based on a business case. “This is comprised of several different factors and not just on the performance of the tire, but can include the services and support that a tire manufacturer can provide,” he says. When most people think of the top tire brands available, the names roll off the tongue—Bridgestone, Continental, Goodyear, Michelin, etc. But that doesn’t mean other brands don’t belong in the conversation, and from a quality standpoint, the difference between number one and number 20 may not be as large as you think. “Yokohama has long been recognized as one of the most, if not the most, retreadable tires in the industry,” says Rick Phillips, Yokohama vice president of sales. “A quality casing is the foundation upon which we build all of our commercial tires. We also have one of the most fuel-efficient tire lineups on the market (10 SmartWay-verified tires). This is something Yokohama has always made a priority.” When making its sales pitch, among the items Yokohama focuses on are cost per mile and nationwide availability. “When we talk to fleets around the country, one of the first things they ask is where to get our tires,” Phillips says. “It’s great to tell them we have almost 1,000 certified dealers and truck stops across the U.S. The fact so many of the best dealers in the U.S. carry our products is a testament to the product itself.” Phillips echoes the comments of others when it comes to buying on price alone. “The list of trade-offs is long, but [fleets] should think about two words and make sure these are not on the list,” he advises. “First is quality. If a tire is cheap, it’s usually because something has been taken away from it and very rarely do you make something better by subtraction. Second is safety. This should never be compromised.” A newer, relatively speaking for a company that is over 115 years old, entry into the commercial tire marketplace is BFGoodrich. Part of Michelin, the brand first launched its commercial operations in 1996, but it has quickly built upon its company’s history of quality tires that are durable and provide even wear, good traction, and retreadability, the company says. With several SmartWay-verified tires (two steer, a drive and a trailer option), BFGoodrich believes it has the products and quality for which fleets are looking. Just as important is the value its tires provide. “We differentiate the BFGoodrich brand by providing the right combination of product benefits, product quality and cost with respect to target end-user needs,” says the company. “Fleets should take into consideration their overall business needs such as uptime and operational efficiencies and evaluate those against what tire brands are best suited to support their business needs on both a tire and service level.” Other tire makers focus their sales pitches around the word value. Double Coin Tire’s Walt Weller, vice president of CMA/Double Coin, says his firm offers “value tires that provide performance competitive to major brands at a significant discount to major brand prices.” Value can still mean quality That doesn’t mean fewer of the attributes that fleets want, though. “Double Coin tires offer all the benefits that major brands offer at a significant discount to major brand programs,” he says. That includes the things fleets are most asking for: national pricing, long tread life, retreadability and fuel economy, over 1,000 points of sale in the U.S. and Canada, and service agreements with many of the largest tire dealers and retreaders in North America. Tread depth and tread patterns are also important. While a tread pattern may look the same on two different tires, it may not be the same quality, Weller advises. “Many inexpensive tires have tread patterns that appear very similar. For example, in the case of drive tires, some manufacturers offer similar tread patterns but upon examining the specs, we find that they are offering significantly less tread depth,” he says. “The difference between 22/32s and 30/32s is huge and may make what looks like a bargain a very expensive tire to acquire. The only advantage is a cheap [upfront] price.” Toyo Tires also approaches its marketing efforts from a value perspective. “Toyo commercial tires combine top-tier product performance, application versatility, and a competitive acquisition point for a lower cost per mile,” says Graber. He adds that Toyo’s tires come with a comprehensive warranty and 66-month retreading policy that includes casing allowances for two retreads and a retread rubber allowance. With seven SmartWay tires covering all positions, fleets can also expect fuel efficiency, the company notes, while still addressing many of their tire-related concerns. Roadmaster’s approach is more simply stated: “customer-centric.” That means designing commercial tires at affordable prices, and it includes six SmartWay-approved models. Roadmaster also offers various trailer tires, including the RM272 model designed specifically for drop-deck trailers. To exemplify its approach to tire quality, the company detailed the RM272 development process. “As much as 60% of the 5,000 lbs. that drop-deck trailer tires carry transfers from the footprint to the shoulder rib of the front axle tire on the inside of a sharp turn,” the company says. “This loading and scraping can potentially tear the shoulder rib, which can cause big chunks of the tread to rip off. With 3,000 lbs. of lateral force now concentrated on the shoulder rib, any tire that’s not designed to handle this kind of abuse can experience significant damage. “When the RM272 was in development,” the company continues, “we tested its performance against three types of concrete surfaces to match difficult real-world conditions, including concrete with exposed limestone, and grooved bridge decking. These tests enabled our engineers to validate that the tire’s durability and performance levels exceeded everyday operating conditions.” GT Radial also tries to focus attention on its quality products. “The wider the tread, the better; our Equal Force Carcass technology enables an optimum tire footprint and equal force distribution, resulting in better control and regular tread wear,” says Gunn. The company also pays considerable attention to stress areas during the tire construction process. When marketing tires, Giti touts its products, which currently include a steer, drive and trailer tire that are SmartWay verified with two more on deck for verification this fall, as rugged, durable and retreadable products that are “designed to far exceed the load and capacity requirements of the market.” Gunn warns fleets that buy on price. “The lowest price offering generally [results in] compromises in quality and materials,” he says. “You must define technical parameters, differences and comparable indicators of the products you are considering. These include tread width, belt layout, casing cords, bead structure, contact area and under tread depth. Let the buyer be aware. If it seems too good to be true, it generally is.” In the end, as Ryder’s Perry and several of the tire manufacturers suggest, tires can’t be bought on price alone. In other words, break through the sales pitches and perform due diligence. It just might be the ticket to lowering tire expenses, which is the best selling point of all.

Ford Press Release / September 16, 2015 https://social.ford.com/content/campaign/f150-heritage/

Marine told to turn a blind eye to child sex abuse, murdered in Afghanistan Associated Press / September 21, 2015 The father of a Marine shot dead by a teenager and alleged sex slave in Afghanistan has slammed the US military for making him seem like an enemy to abused local children. According to Gregory Buckley Sr, American officers were ordered to turn a blind eye to the sexual abuse of Afghan boys - even on military bases - because that was not the 'priority of the mission'. It was this policy, he believes, that led to his son Lance Corporal Gregory Buckley Jr, 21, being gunned down on Helmland Province in 2012 by 17-year-old Aynoddin, an Afghan 'tea boy' for local police chief Sarwar Jan - who had previously been reprimanded for child abduction. 'As far as the young boys are concerned, the Marines are allowing it to happen and so they’re guilty by association,' Buckley Sr told the New York Times. 'They don’t know our Marines are sick to their stomachs.' His words come as he files a landmark lawsuit against the military, with testimony from US Marines, describing how local boys would be chained to beds and abused daily by America-backed Afghan officers - but they were barred from intervening. One officer, Dan Quinn, was even discharged for beating up an Afghan commander who allegedly chained a boy to a bed, raped him multiple times, then beat up his mother when she tried to save her son. And two other officers, Major Jason Brezler and Charles Martland, claim they are earmarked for forcible retirement because they flagged the issue of child sex abuse. According to Pentagon policy, sexual abuse is deemed a local concern for the Afghan Local Police unless it is deemed to be an act of war. 'My son said that his officers told him to look the other way because it’s their culture,' Buckley Sr told the New York Times. It was the last thing they ever spoke about over the phone before his death. 'At night we can hear them screaming, but we’re not allowed to do anything about it,' Buckley remembers his son saying. And now he is convinced that his son's killing may have occurred because of the alleged sexual abuse by the Afghan police chief, who was an ally to America. Buckley Jr, from Long Island, New York, was one of three officers gunned down by Aynoddin, armed with an AK-47, while they worked out in the gym at Forward Operating Base Delhi, in Afghanistan's Helmand province on August 10, 2012. It was later revealed that the teen may have been one of the sex slaves that Jan supposedly brought onto the base. He was not vetted and later talked about killing the soldiers in the name of Jihad. Jan had been arrested by Afghan police in 2010 for child abduction and support for the Taliban, according to the New York Times. By 2012, he had been appointed police commander at Forward Operating Base Delhi. It is not clear how or if he was reprimanded and how he came to be appointed. As he was drawing up the lawsuit last year, Buckley said: 'Aynoddin shot my son point blank with an AK-47. Shot him four times in his chest and once in his neck. 'He was in the gym with a pair of shorts and a tank top on. How is that allowed? 'I want them to admit that they were wrong. And I want someone to be held responsible for my son's death.' Before the attack, fellow Marine Major Jason Brezler warned his comrades stationed overseas about Jan's background in an email. He reported that Jan was a noted child abuser and there were allegations he sexually abused minors on U.S. bases in the past. However, Brezler was subsequently honorably discharged for sending the email from his personal, unsecured, Yahoo account. It comes as another decorated soldier who had worked for the U.S. Army Special Forces for 11 years is being discharged after claims he stood up for a young rape victim and his beaten mother in Afghanistan. Sergeant 1st Class Charles Martland, 33, was serving in the country's war-torn Kunduz Province in 2011 when he apparently learned an Afghan police commander he had trained had raped a boy. He and his team leader, Daniel Quinn, confronted Officer Abdul Rahman - who had also allegedly beaten the 12-year-old's mother for reporting the sexual assault - and 'shoved him to the ground'. Despite Rahman walking away only bruised, Martland and Quinn were disciplined. The Army halted their mission, put them in temporary jobs, and then, finally, sent them home. Upon their return, Quinn quit the Army. However, Martland, from Massachusetts, launched a fight to remain a Green Beret. But now, the dedicated soldier has been 'involuntary discharged' from the Army following a 'Qualitative Management Program' that was apparently carried out in February this year. Buckley Sr's lawsuit accuses the Marine Corps, Department of Defense, the Navy, the U.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service and former Marine Corps Commandant General James Amos of withholding the full truth surrounding his son's death. Asked about the sexual assault of young Afghan boys, whether the current policy is under review and why US military personnel are being told turn a blind eye, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest read the following statement: ‘The United States is deeply concerned about the safety and welfare of Afghan boys who may be exploited by members of the Afghan national security and defense forces. This form of sexual exploitation violates Afghan law and Afghanistan's international obligations. ‘More broadly, protecting human rights, including by countering the exploitation of children, is a high priority for the US government. We monitor such atrocities closely and continually stood up for those who suffered exploitation and a denial of basic human freedoms. ‘The United States works closely with the Afghan government, civil society and international organizations in Afghanistan to put an end to the exploitation of children, but also to incorporate human rights training into our law enforcement programs to heighten awareness in prosecution of such crimes. ‘We continue to encourage the Afghan government and civil society to protect and support victims and their families, while also strongly encouraging justice and accountability under Afghan law for offenders.' Asked if the president – the nation’s Commander-in-Chief of the armed services - would tell a military leader to intervene if he sexual assault happening, Earnest declined to provide a direct answer. ‘For the policies that sort of govern the relationship between US military personnel serving in Afghanistan and their Afghan counterparts, I'd refer you to the Department of Defense,’ he said, adding that the statement he read aloud ‘indicates just how seriously we take this issue and how this kind of behavior.’ It ‘doesn't just violate Afghan law, and Afghanistan's international obligations, but it certainly violates, I think, pretty much everybody’s notion of what acceptable behavior is,’ he said. Pressed to explain the circumstances in which US military personnel would allow assault to happen on their watch, Earnest again dodged. ‘For the rules of engagement and the kind of structure that's in place,’ contact DOD, he said. Asked point blank later in the briefing if the president is ‘tolerating’ sexual assault of women and children abroad and is ‘acceding’ to the policy that his military advisers at the Pentagon have established - not to intervene in crimes unless they are an act of war – Earnest deflected once again, invoking the Defense Department. He said he would not answer questions ‘about a policy that governs the conduct of US military personnel in a dangerous place.’ He also said the president has not, to his knowledge, asked for a review of DOD’s policies.

CAT Trucks Australia / Navistar Auspac Press Release / September 17, 2015 Cat CT630SC Mixes Mettle with Metal He’s polite and quick with a smile but Bob Brereton doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to likes and dislikes in matters of the mechanical kind. “Whatever the equipment is, it either does the job well or it doesn’t, and I’m just not interested in anything that promises one thing and delivers something less,” says the sharp-minded founder and proprietor of West Australian scrap metal and used machinery company Millennium Metals. High on the list of likes is the venerable Cat® C15 engine under the snout of a Cat CT630SC. Delivered earlier this year, the versatile SC hauls ‘pocket’ roadtrain loads of scrap metal from stockpile sites at Kalgoorlie, Geraldton, Esperance and Albany to the company’s processing facility in the industrial outskirts of Kwinana south of Perth. As Bob Brereton emphasises, there were several significant factors that led to the purchase of his first Cat CT630SC model; the third Cat truck bought by the company in the past three years. “The C15 is certainly the preferred engine,” he explains, “but I’ve also been very impressed with the service from WesTrac (Western Australia Cat Trucks distributor). There’s no doubt in my mind Cat has the best service and to me, that’s probably the greatest asset. “The Cat brand is just so strong.” Still, he insists the scrap business is tough on equipment of all types. “Our trailers are high capacity and heavy, simply because they need to be,” Bob continues, citing tare weight of around 35 tonnes for a relatively standard ‘pocket’ roadtrain combination. Gross weights generally range from 70 to 80 tonnes. However, apart from the model’s enviable durability, the capacity of the CT630SC to be approved for gross combination weights up to 110 tonnes and a compact bumper to back-of-cab dimension to enhance the 27.5 metre overall length limit of two-trailer ‘pocket’ roadtrains are vitally important considerations for Bob Brereton. “It’s a truck that suits what we do. It fits our business in many ways,” he confirms, adding that driver acceptance of the Cats and specifically the space in the well-appointed sleeper cab of the SC have been extremely positive. “We have some good drivers and we like to look after them. “The driver of the SC loves the truck. The way he tells it, it just drives so well.” Yet despite his obvious satisfaction with the CT630SC, it is an adamant Bob Brereton who attests that the scrap industry is not for the frivolous or weak, in men or machines. As he explains though, he certainly wasn’t born to the scrap business. In fact, working life started as a diesel fitter in the UK in the late 1960s before a stint in the Merchant Navy saw an eager young Brereton step ashore at Fremantle in 1974 and quickly decide, “This’ll do me!” With an inherent appreciation for all things mechanical, he subsequently applied his diesel fitter’s trade with various high profile equipment brands and their dealerships. “Later on I even tried sales for a while but I’d soon had enough of that,” he quips. Finally, with a sharp eye for opportunity and a natural willingness to embrace new endeavours, he bought a small scrap metal business. “That was 1992 and seriously, I knew nothing about the scrap business. “It was a company with three employees and one truck but I had a couple of good friends in the machinery business and I figured most equipment ends up as scrap eventually, so I decided to give it a go. I had to learn fast,” he recalls with a shrewd grin. And learn, he did! Today, Millennium Metals employs 20 people, runs an extensive fleet of trucks and trailers, and handles around 35,000 tonnes of scrap a year, retrieved from stockpiles up to 600 km from Perth, sorted and processed before being exported primarily to South-East Asia and India. “In many ways, the scrap business defines the state of the economy,” Bob suggests. “When equipment that’s still serviceable, whether it’s infrastructure like steel beams or different types of machinery, finds its way into the scrap business then that’s usually a sign of a downturn in industry and the economy generally. “That’s where it’s at right now,” he comments. Consequently, Millennium Metals is a business which has purposefully diversified. “Today, there are basically three parts to how we operate,” Bob continues. “First and foremost, we deal in scrap metal. That’s the foundation of the business but we also buy and sell all sorts of machinery and equipment, and the third part is the transport side where we haul for ourselves and also a major scrap company, Sims Metal Management. “We’ve worked closely with Sims for 20 years and it’s a very good working relationship. “It all comes down to the fact that we need to be flexible in this business.” In a mixed fleet of makes and models ranging from around-town rigids to single and tandem-drive prime movers mainly on local delivery work, and a mix of cab-overs and conventionals for heavy-duty roadtrain runs, Bob insists his first priorities in truck choice are durable performance and suitability for a given task. “For the longer distance work, all the prime movers are roadtrain-rated but when it comes to the make and model, I’ve always been something of an opportunist and that applies to trucks whether they’re bought new or second-hand. “You take your opportunities when they come and with Cat it has been the right new truck at the right time and of course, the right price. No one wants to pay more than they need to and everyone wants value-for-money, but you still have to end up with a truck that’ll do the job and keep doing it. In that respect, Cat is a good thing. Definitely! “Even so, I’m a big believer in the value of relationships and that’s certainly been the case with the people at WesTrac. “When it’s all boiled down, it’s not all about metal and machinery,” a smiling Bob Brereton concludes. Photos - http://www.cattrucks.com.au/tough-cat-thrives-on-a-good-scrap/

Navistar Trail Magazine

New Zealand Intelligence Uncovers U.S. Spy Operation The Associated Press / September 20, 2015 In a starting revelation that is rocking the capitals of two countries as well as the global intelligence community, The Guardian is reporting that the Obama Administration’s refusal to extradite an American to New Zealand for questioning on industrial espionage charges is related to a National Security Agency covert operation that was taking place in the Southwestern Pacific Ocean country. Sources now say that the male suspect, operating under the alias Timothy Maikshilo, was in fact a United States National Security Agency (NSA) operative who had successfully penetrated the deepest levels of the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS). United States overseas surveillance revelations made public over the past twelve months by former NSA contactor Edward Snowden include detailed accounts of American surveillance on the leaders and governments of Brazil, France, Germany and the UK. New NSA documents released by Snowden in August indicated not only a decline of trust and numerous strategic disagreements between the intelligence agencies of New Zealand and the United States, but also the possible existence of NSA undercover operatives conducting surveillance on New Zealand’s government. According to The Guardian, fearing that the leaks would reveal Maikshilo, NSA management abruptly pulled him out of New Zealand. Simultaneously seeking to avoid a national embarrassment, the NZSIS created an industrial espionage cover story which accused Maikshilo of stealing insider information on the production of Marmite brand food spread from Auckland-based Sanitarium Health and Wellbeing Company. White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest refused to discuss Maikshilo or possible NSA activities in New Zealand. Earnest would only say that the United States and New Zealand were discussing the matter at the highest diplomatic levels, and the talks were “pretty blunt.”

FYI, while the 6x2s in Brazil have the 10.8-liter Cummins ISM, the 6x4 variants sold in South Africa were fitted with the 14.9-liter Cummins ISX.

Heavy Duty Trucking / September 18, 2015 Industry is finally hearing some frank discussion about Phase 2 of the Environmental Protection Agency's Greenhouse Gas Reduction proposal. At the FTR Conference in Indianapolis Wednesday, a Daimler Trucks North America regulatory expert told attendees the standards are likely to be much more difficult to meet than originally believed. Amy Kopin, regulatory and compliance program manager, said because of the variations that are inherent in some of the testing procedures, and the lack of reasonable compliance margins, truck and engine makers may need to design products to exceed the rule's requirements just to come in under the compliance margins. "There are all kinds of technical provisions and problems with compliance that EPA has built into Phase 2 that make the rule almost twice as stringent as it should be," Kopin said. "They have made incorrect assumptions with many of their baselines, and they have over-estimated the rate of customer uptake on many technologies as well. These all affect the way equipment makers earn their credits, and because of that, we will have to compensate for those shortfalls in other ways." Take engine idle shutdown timers, for example. Kopin said they are very unpopular with customers because they can't change the programming of the timer for the life of the vehicle, even if the vehicle's application changes. "EPA assumes we will equip 30% of the trucks we sell with these regulatory idle shutdown timers in 2017," she said. "That's nowhere near realistic, and that's going to cost us 1.5%." When it comes to aerodynamics, she said, EPA is taking away compliance margins and at the same time assuming the best-performing aerodynamic truck for their baseline rather than an average truck. That, she said, makes the rule about 2.5% more stringent than it appears. In another example, Kopin pointed to 6x2 tractors. "EPA has said it expects 6x2 tractors will have adoption rates in the 60% range," she said. "It's far more likely that we might see 5%. You can't use them in all states at the moment and they are illegal in Canada. There are issues with 6x2 that are beyond our control and beyond the EPA's control. Our customers need a truck they can travel with all through the country, not just select states." Some of the real problems arise with the testing. Kopin said EPA uses coastdown testing, but that's subject to variability from weather, wind, track conditions and even the driver. She pointed to a test EPA did with a Daimler vehicle and found a 5% variation in two tests of the same truck on the same track. "That's another 5% we now have to account for, and we'll have to be 5% more aggressive so that we can meet the standard, she said. "In other words, we have to eat the compliance margin." She said it's the same with the fuel map tests. "In phase 1 there's a test that measures 13 points, and we are given a 3% compliance margin because engine-to-engine comparisons can vary by as much as 1%, and even lab-to-lab comparisons can be a little different," she noted. "Now we have a test with over 100 points and EPA says no, you can't have any compliance margin." In essence, engine makers have to do about 3% better on the test results than they really have to just to provide a margin to cover the variables. That's something the consumer will wind up paying for. "As this rule stands today, it's really not feasible," Kopin stressed. "These are technical issues we hope the agency will modify. We would much prefer to work toward the 24% improvement they want rather than the 47% that the rule actually shows." To put this into perspective, Kopin said Daimler's Freightliner SuperTruck – a project developed at a cost of $30 million – would not meet the Phase 2 proposal as it stands today. The SuperTruck featured technology such as waste heat recovery and a hybrid electric drive for energy recovery. Not all vehicles can take advantage of such technology, yet EPA insists on forcing it on the industry to meet an arbitrary standard. Daimler and others who have experimented with such technology have said publicly that it's not presently commercially viable. "EPA was okay with off-the-shelf technologies in Phase 1," she said. "This time around they want to force technologies onto trucks that are in a prototype stage today or maybe do not even exist yet. This is what they want to see brought to the market." If time and money were of less concern than they are, Phase 2 would be great. But with customers demanding 18-month ROI on new technologies and trucks that will stay running for more than a week or two at a time, all of what EPA is asking for is looking increasingly difficult. Nobody wants a repeat of what happened when EPA forced emissions technology onto market in 2007 that had not had enough time for testing. "We don't believe there's enough time to successfully develop all that EPA is asking for," Kopin said in her closing remarks. "We would support all this in some future time frame, but right now, there's just too much to do; too much to fix." .

Here you go................. When a white adult goes on a shooting rampage in a black church, every media outlet and government mouthpiece CNN go into overdrive. However, when a black adult goes on a shooting rampage in a black church, it's a non-event that CNN doesn't even mention. http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/man-shoots-3-including-baby-alabama-church-cops-article-1.2367416

I suspect the step sides are the most difficult to find, the long bed step side being the rarest, and the 4x4 short bed stepside being the looker. I'm partial to the 77 vintage grille (http://pictures.topspeed.com/IMG/crop/201208/dodge-ram-d-series-8_800x0w.jpg). Of course a good condition WM300 is the real treasure (http://image.fourwheeler.com/f/28369218+w600+cr1/129_0207_18_z%2Btop_10_classic_4x4%2Bbig_classic_truck.jpg).

How can a school have a policy that violates the first amendment of the United States Constitution, a document that outranks all else? http://news.yahoo.com/virginia-high-school-suspends-20-over-confederate-logos-174329598.html The massacre of nine Americans in South Carolina had nothing to do with the Confederate battle flag. Speaking of the murderer, it can be blamed on bad parenting, a bad egg, or both. The 21-year-old adult murderer should have been executed by now.......his guilt is indisputable. That clearest of messages should have already been sent to copycats and other twisted individuals. Kill.....and you will be likewise summarily killed for your murderous actions. Murder is not tolerated in these United States of America. I don't need to tell everyone that there is a shocking new thought process in society today amongst the younger generation in which a growing number hold little regard for human life. This trend which threatens the very fabric of our country must end, before it gets further out of control.

http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/index.php?/topic/39995-filters/?hl=affinia#entry291618 http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/index.php?/topic/41395-germanys-mann-hummel-buys-wix-filter-maker-affinia-group/?hl=wix

If your husband is cheating, you have the right to murder two toddler children? Why hasn’t this murderer been summarily executed? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wisconsin mother charged with drugging, killing son, daughter Reuters / September 17, 2015 A Wisconsin woman was charged with murder on Thursday for drugging and suffocating her 1-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter before trying to kill herself over a failing marriage, a criminal complaint said. Lucia Hernandez-Alvarez, 34, is charged with first-degree homicide and other felonies after police found her two children dead in their Kenosha home on Saturday, said the complaint filed in Kenosha County Circuit Court. The complaint said Hernandez-Alvarez fed Tylenol to her children, Alicia and Javier, and then suffocated her son with a plastic grocery bag and her daughter with a jacket. Hernandez-Alvarez took pills, drank alcohol and cut herself while her husband was out but survived, the complaint said. Her husband told authorities that after he found his children dead, she told him, "Now we won't disturb you. Now you're free. You don't have to feel bad for us," the complaint said. She wrote several messages in blood on a wall including "Mi Amor Javier," and told investigators she believed her husband had cheated on her and was not in love with her anymore, the complaint said. Hernandez-Alvarez is being held on a $5 million bond. She could be sentenced to life in prison if convicted. No lawyer was listed for the defendant. .