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Bloomberg / August 25, 2015 Oshkosh Corp. won an initial contract Tuesday from the U.S. Army for its new Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, a $30 billion program. The Army plans to purchase about 55,000 of the multipurpose land vehicles for its troops and the Marine Corps through 2040 as a better-armored replacement for the Humvee. The other two competitors for the contract were Lockheed Martin Corp. and AM General, the Humvee’s maker. The initial contract, including options, is valued at $6.75 billion for about 17,000 vehicles, the Army said in a statement. Oshkosh, based in the Wisconsin town of the same name, jumped on the news in extended trading, rising 10 percent to $42.55 at 4:59 p.m. in New York. The shares rose 1.5 percent at the close. The win was striking because Oshkosh, the 99th-largest U.S. government contractor as of fiscal 2014, defeated Lockheed, which ranked No. 1, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. “Oshkosh has been building tactical vehicles for the Department of Defense for 90 years, so no other company understands the role that tactical vehicles play in our troops’ lives better than Oshkosh,” Charles Szews, the company’s chief executive officer, said in a statement. Potential Protest The losing bidders have 10 days to lodge a protest with the Government Accountability Office after they’re briefed on the decision, and Lockheed suggested that it may do so. “We believe we presented a very strong solution and await the customers’ debrief to hear more detail regarding the reasons behind this selection before making a decision about a potential protest,” the company said in a statement. The Humvee entered service in 1985, when “improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and other anti-vehicle explosive devices were not a major factor in military planning,” according to a March 9 report by the Congressional Research Service. Deadly attacks on Humvees during the Iraq war led to efforts to speed delivery of Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected vehicles, or MRAPs. The JLTV is envisioned as a more mobile, lighter descendant of the top-heavy MRAP, which has limited off-road capabilities, essentially combining the mobility of the Humvee and the protection of the larger MRAP. The Army required that its Hummer replacement be able to survive the most destructive improvised bombs, be mechanically reliable and maintainable with onboard diagnostics, all-terrain mobility, and linked into current and future tactical data networks, according to the CRS. Funding for the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle program would double to $457 million in 2016 under the Pentagon’s pending budget request, top $1.3 billion by 2018 and hit almost $1.8 billion in fiscal 2020, according to Army budget documents. Army Secretary John McHugh told reporters in February that the JLTV was “an essential platform” that’s fully funded through 2020. A decision on full-rate production is scheduled for May 2018.

Now Hillary's camp is going to drag still-wet-behind-the-ears diplomat Caroline Kennedy (ambassador to Japan) into this under the "2 wrongs make a right" rule, in a futile attempt at getting experienced veteran Hillary off the hook. They won't admit that Hillary's sinking ship now has too many holes to plug. http://us.cnn.com/2015/08/25/politics/caroline-kennedy-private-email-japan/index.html

Associated Press / August 25, 2015 Wisconsin-based Oshkosh Corp. won a major contract Tuesday to build a new combat vehicle to replace a large share of the U.S. military's Humvee troop carriers. The Department of Defense awarded the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle contract to Oshkosh Defense, one of three firms that were finalists for the work. The $6.7 billion contract is expected to support thousands of jobs. The Army and Marine Corps plan to buy as many as 55,000 JLTVs by 2040. Nearly 49,100 would be built for the Army with 5,500 going to the Marines. The vehicle is designed to provide more protection against roadside bombs and mines than Humvees without being as big as another military vehicle produced by Oshkosh, the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle, or MRAP. Oshkosh Defense beat out Maryland-based Lockheed Martin and Indiana-based AM General for the contract. Pentagon officials declined during a briefing for reporters to say why they chose Oshkosh over its competitors. Scott Davis, the Army's executive officer for the program, said the big winners are the soldiers and Marines who will gain a vehicle that offers a better balance of protection, payload and performance. "Our JLTV has been extensively tested and is proven to provide the ballistic protection of a light tank, the underbody protection of an MRAP-class vehicle, and the off-road mobility of a Baja racer," John Urias, president of Oshkosh Defense and a retired Army major general, said in a statement. Lockheed had said it would build the vehicle at its Camden facility in Arkansas, and state lawmakers there dangled an $87 million incentive package. It's not clear whether Wisconsin or Indiana offered any incentives, but union workers at Oshkosh in 2013 agreed to a contract extension so that the company could nail down its labor costs for the project. The contract is a timely boost for Oshkosh, which eliminated about 760 jobs last year because of declining defense spending. The company plans to build the vehicle in Oshkosh, with deliveries beginning in 10 months. The contract initially calls for 17,000 vehicles, with the Army to decide in 2018 whether to purchase the rest of its share, which would push the value of the contract up to around $30 billion. The Marines will get all theirs up front. Oshkosh Defense, Wisconsin's largest defense contractor, is part of a larger company that also makes fire and emergency vehicles and other commercial equipment such as scissor lifts, cement mixers and garbage trucks. "Oshkosh is honored to be selected for the JLTV production contract, which builds upon our 90-year history of producing tactical wheeled vehicles for U.S. military operations at home and abroad," Oshkosh Corp. CEO Charles L. Szews said in the company's statement. Lockheed and AM General have 10 days to file formal protests over the award. Both companies issued statements saying they're gathering information and considering their options.

Reuters / August 25, 2015 U.S. specialty truck maker Oshkosh Corp has won a $6.75 billion contract to build 17,000 joint light tactical vehicles (JLTV) to replace the aging Humvees used by the U.S. Army and Marine Corps, the U.S. Army announced on Tuesday. Oshkosh beat out a team made up of Lockheed Martin Corp and Britain's BAE Systems Plc, as well as AM General, a privately held company that built the original Humvees, the Army said in a statement. The two military services plan to replace a total of 55,000 vehicles over time, which could drive the value of the contract win to over $30 billion.

Now, now, you're developing a bad attitude. According to MackLegacy, you should be grateful to Volvo Group for taking over an American icon and reducing it to little more than a Mack brand nameplate on a North American Volvo truck platform. If you keep this up, he'll quickly accuse you of "breeding negativity" on this website against savior Volvo Group. Next, MackLegacy will take a poll about you and try to figure out why your attitude towards Mack brand owner Volvo is so poor: 1. He/she used to work for Mack and was fired for a poor attitude. 2. His/her job was lost in the move from Allentown (this would be truly sad and the only good reason in the list to be upset) 3. A Mack truck ran over his/her favorite dog as a child. 4. Doesnt have anything better to do and is a grouch. Related reading: http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/index.php?/topic/2094-is-volvo-good-or-bad-for-mack-trucks/ You might want to save his posts though, because he has this odd habit of deleting them soon after. Strange sort these Volvo people.

Fleet Owner / August 24, 2015 Over the past 14 years, federal emissions standards for trucks led to the introduction of Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) in 2002, Diesel Particulate Filters (DPF) in 2007 and Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) in 2010. In 2014, the first fuel efficiency rules for trucks went into effect and a new set of even higher MPG standards will be required beginning in January 2017. In mid-2015, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued proposed greenhouse gas emissions and fuel economy regulations for model years 2021 through 2027. Compared with 2018 levels, the long anticipated Phase 2 rules would cut carbon dioxide emissions and fuel consumption in tractors by up to 24% in 2027. The newly proposed separate standards for engines and vehicles would apply to heavy- and medium-duty trucks, all work trucks and buses, and large pickup trucks and vans. The proposed standards also include the first federal efficiency requirements for new trailers. In the rulemaking proposal, NHTSA and EPA claim that operators of 2027 model year long haul trucks would recover the added cost of new engine technology through fuel savings in less than two years. To help make the most cost effective decisions in the changing engine landscape, FLEET OWNER has put together this guide to every major diesel engine model now offered for sale in on-road U.S. commercial trucks. Arranged alphabetically by manufacturer, the following guide offers concise information on engine configuration, displacement, horsepower and torque ranges, and descriptions of engine features and intended applications. Web addresses for additional technical information are also included. Cummins www.cumminsengines.com ISX15 (2017) Configuration: Inline 6 Displacement: 15L Horsepower: 400-605 Peak torque: Not Available The 2017 ISX15 is being offered in two ratings groups for on-highway, heavy-duty operations: 485 to 605 HP for prolonged peak torque and a broader power band that maximizes pulling power for hauling heavy loads, and 400-500 HP for peak torque at lower RPMs and to enable downspeeding. The 400-500 HP versions are offered with the manufacturer’s optional ADEPT suite of electronic features that interact with automated manual transmissions to preview upcoming terrain and make minor adjustments to speed, power and transmission gear to maximize efficiency by taking advantage of vehicle momentum. Features of the 2017 ISX15 include a new turbocharger, a more compact, Single Module aftertreatment system, a series of components that reduce parasitic loads and optimize combustion, and an enhanced INTEBRAKE with increased braking power at lower RPMs. ISX15 (2013) Configuration: Inline 6 Displacement: 15L Horsepower: 400-600 Peak torque: 2050 lb.-ft. Certified to meet 2014 EPA emissions regulations, the 2013 ISX15 is equipped with On-Board Diagnostics (OBD), more efficient fuel and water pumps to provide more usable horsepower, and an optimized combustion system that needs fewer active regenerations of the aftertreatment system. Ratings ranging from 400-600 HP with up to 2050 lb.-ft. of peak torque includes SmartTorque ratings that add 200 lb.-ft. of torque in the top two gears for climbing steep grades with fewer downshifts. Vocational ratings have additional torque in the lower gear ranges. ISX15 SmartAdvantage Powertrain Configuration: Inline 6 Displacement: 15L Horsepower: 400-450 Peak torque: 1750 lb.-ft. The SmartAdvantage Powertrain combines a Cummins ISX15 SmartTorque2 (ST2) engine with the Eaton Fuller Advantage 10-Speed Automated Transmission. To improve fuel economy and determine the torque required, the engine and transmission share data. The Cummins ISX15 with SmartTorque2 (ST2) delivers higher torque earlier in the RPM range to match load demand and helps improve fuel economy through the combination of downspeeding, communication between the engine and transmission, and the use of direct drive. Four ratings are currently available: 400 HP-1450/1650 lb.-ft., 400 HP-1550/1750 lb.-ft., 420 HP-1550/1750 lb.-ft., and 450 HP-1550/1750 lb.-ft. ISX12 (2013) Configuration: Inline 6 Displacement: 12L Horsepower: 310-425 Peak torque: 1650 lb.-ft. The Cummins ISX12 for all types of work trucks combines technology from the ISX15 with a high power-to-weight ratio and over 800 lb.-ft. of clutch engagement torque. The 2013 ISX12 meets 2014 greenhouse gas and fuel efficiency regulations and is equipped with On-Board Diagnostics (OBD). ISX12 vocational ratings from 320-425 HP provide additional torque in lower gears and are offered with front- and rear-mounted power take-off and hydraulic drive options for rear- and front-pouring mixers as well as dump trucks and refuse haulers. For LTL and day cab trucks the engine if offered with SmartTorque ratings for an additional 200 lb-ft of torque in the two top gears. ISX12 SmartAdvantage Powertrain (2013) Configuration: Inline 6 Displacement: 12L Horsepower: 425 Peak torque: 1650 lb.-ft. The ISX12 SmartAdvantage Powertrain combines a Cummins ISX12 SmartTorque2 (ST2) engine with the Eaton Fuller Advantage Automated Transmission. To improve fuel economy and determine the torque required, the engine and transmission share data. The Cummins ISX15 with SmartTorque2 (ST2) delivers higher torque earlier in the RPM range to match load demand and helps improve fuel economy through the combination of downspeeding, communication between the engine and transmission, and the use of direct drive. ISL9 (2013) Configuration: Inline 6 Displacement: 9L Horsepower: 260-380 Peak torque: 1250 lb.-ft. The ISL9 for medium-duty trucks features common technology with Cummins ISX15 and ISX12 models, including the XPI fuel system, a high-capacity Electronic Control Module (ECM) and the Cummins VGT Turbocharger from Cummins Turbo Technologies. The engine produces 550 lb.-ft. of clutch engagement torque and is offered with optional features that include engine braking, and both a Rear-Engine Power Take Off (REPTO) and a Front-Engine Power Take Off (FEPTO). ISB6.7 (2013) Configuration: Inline 6 Displacement: 6.7L Horsepower: 200-325 Peak torque: 750 lb.-ft. Designed for pickup and delivery, step van and medium-duty trucks, the ISB6.7 for 2013 features the addition of an air intake throttle that makes the EGR system more efficient, reducing parasitic losses. The Cummins ISB6.7 meets 2014 greenhouse gas and fuel efficiency regulations. Emissions are managed by the Cummins Aftertreatment System, an entire integrated unit from air handling to exhaust aftertreatment. The 2013 ISB 6.7 is equipped with On-Board Diagnostics and features High Pressure Common Rail (HPCR) fuel injection. The 6.7L Cummins Turbo Diesel, rated at 325 HP and 750 lb.-ft. of peak torque for model year 2016 Ram pickups features increased horsepower and torque ratings based on transmission choice, a new cooling system with 25 percent more heat-rejection capacity and is B20-biodiesel capable. The 2013 6.7L Turbo for Ram 3500/4500/5500 chassis cabs can be configured with a choice of automatic or manual transmissions. ISV5.0 (2013) Configuration: V8 Displacement: 5L Horsepower: 200-275 Peak torque: 560 lb.-ft. For pickup and delivery vehicles, school buses, light-duty commercial trucks and motor homes, the ISV5.0 features a High Pressure Common Rail (HPCR) fuel system, a Cummins VGT Turbocharger and Cummins emission control technology. Weight-saving components include a compacted graphite iron block, and an aluminum alloy head and composite valve covers. The ISV5.0 will be certified to the near-zero NOx and PM emissions levels and meets 2014 GHG requirements and 2013 Air Resources Board (ARB) standards, including on board diagnostics. A 300-HP version will be built for the Nissan Titan. Detroit www.demanddetroit.com DD16 (aka. Mercedes-Benz OM473) Configuration: Inline 6 Displacement: 15.6 L Horsepower: 475-600 Peak torque: 2050 lb.-ft. The largest engine in the Detroit lineup, the DD16 features the manufacturer’s Amplified Common Rail System (ACRS) with variable injection patterns for optimizing fuel economy across all modes of engine operation, a turbo-compounding system that recovers normally wasted exhaust gases, and an integrated Jacobs Engine Brake. The DD16 is compliant with 2014 greenhouse gas requirements. BlueTec emissions technology on the DD16 is available in a variety of packaging solutions with Detroit’s 1-Box Emissions Package that combines the DOC, DPF, SCR catalyst and DEF doser. Designed for construction, dump, logging, mining and other heavy haul operations, the DD16 is available in the Freightliner Cascadia, Coronado and 122SD and in Western Star 4900, 5700XE and 6900 models. DD15/DD15TC (aka. Mercedes-Benz OM472) Configuration: Inline 6 Displacement: 14.8 L Horsepower: 455-505 Peak torque: 1750 lb.-ft. DD15 engines feature an asymmetric turbocharger matched to its EGR system, an updated piston design that reduces friction and Detroit’s Amplified Common Rail Fuel System (ACRS), along with a variable-speed water pump that controls flow based on engine speed and coolant temperature. The DD15 meets 2014 greenhouse gas requirements with the manufacturer’s BlueTec SCR emissions technology that includes the DOC, DPF, DEF and SCR catalyst. The DD15 is available on Freightliner Cascadia Evolution and Western Star 5700XE models used in distribution, long haul and specialty hauling operations. The DD15TC for distribution, specialty haul and a variety of vocational applications including construction, dump, logging and refuse operations, is offered in the Freightliner Cascadia, Coronado and 122SD, and in the Western Star 4900 and 6900. DD13 (aka. Mercedes-Benz OM471) Configuration: Inline 6 Displacement: 12.8 L Horsepower: 350-470 Peak torque: 1650 lb.-ft. Designed for less-than-truckload, regional distribution and vocational applications, the DD13 share 65% of its parts with the DD15 and DD16, including the manufacturer’s BlueTec emissions technology, Amplified Common Rail System (ACRS) and asymmetrical turbocharger, and is equipped with a three-stage integrated Jacobs engine brake. The engine, which has a peak torque range from 1,000 to 1,500 RPM, meets 2013 OBD and 2014 greenhouse gas regulations. The DD13 is available on Freightliner Cascadia and Cascadia Evolution, Coronado, 114SD and Business Class M2 models. Ford www.ford.com/commercial-trucks Power Stroke V8 Turbo Diesel (AVL-designed) Configuration: V8 Displacement: 6.7L Horsepower: 270-440 Peak torque: 860 lb.-ft. The 6.7-liter Power Stroke V8 diesel is offered as an option in Ford F-Series Super Duty F-250 to F-550 pickups and chassis cabs and in 2016 Ford F-650/F-750 medium-duty trucks in 270, 300 and 330-HP ratings with no vocational restrictions. Key features of the B20 capable, 32-valve diesel are a compacted graphite iron engine block that helps reduce noise, vibration and harshness, shorter airflow from the exhaust system to a larger turbocharger, a high-pressure common-rail fuel-injection system and instant-start glow plugs for quick start-ups. I-5 Power Stroke Turbo Diesel (global market Ford Duratorq 3.2 diesel) Configuration: Inline 5 Displacement: 3.2L Horsepower: 185 Peak torque: 350 lb.-ft. The direct-injected 3.2L, B20 biodiesel-capable Power Stroke diesel, available in the Ford Transit commercial van, features an optional manual regen initiation (with or without active regen inhibitor) eliminating the need to operate at cruising speed to get the engine temperature high enough to initiate regeneration. The engine, offered in low- and medium-roof regular-wheelbase Transit models, provides 90 percent of its peak torque from 1,500 to 2,750 RPM and has a variable geometry turbocharger. GMC www.gmfleet.com Duramax 6.6L Configuration: V8 Displacement: 6.6L Horsepower: 397 Peak torque: 765 lb.-ft. The Duramax 6.6-liter diesel paired with an Allison 1000 six-speed automatic transmission is available on GMC Sierra and Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD and 3500HD and 4500 models and in Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana full size vans. The engine, with B20 biodiesel capability, features a high-pressure Piezo-actuated fuel system and a variable vane turbocharger that also acts as an exhaust brake. The engine’s SCR system has a range of about 5,000 miles between DEF refills, and provides about 700 miles between DPF regenerations. Duramax 2.8L Configuration: Inline 4 Displacement: 2.8L Horsepower: 181 Peak torque: 369 lb.-ft. Part of General Motors’ global family of turbo-diesel four-cylinder engines, the 2.8-liter Duramax will be offered in the 2016 GMC Canyon SLE and SLT Crew Cab models, with 2WD or 4WD. The B20 biodiesel capable engine uses cooled EGR to help lower combustion temperatures and rates. Other features include an iron cylinder block and aluminum DOHC cylinder head, forged steel crankshaft and connecting rods, an oiling circuit that includes a dedicated feed for the turbocharger, piston-cooling oil jets, a common rail direct injection fuel system and a variable-geometry turbocharger. Hino Trucks www.hino.com/trucks J08E-VB Configuration: Inline 6 Displacement: 8L Horsepower: 260 Peak torque: 660 lb.-ft. Combining cooled EGR with Selective Catalytic Reduction [sCR] for emission control allows the Hino J08E engine to meet 2010 EPA emissions standards. The B20 biodiesel rated engine has common rail fuel injection supplied by constant pressure pumps and a variable geometry turbocharger design. J08E-VC Configuration: Inline 6 Displacement: 8L Horsepower: 220 Peak torque: 520 lb.-ft. Common rail fuel injection and cooled EGR with SCR for emissions control make the 220-HP Hino engine compliant with 2010 emissions regulations. The engine’s Variable Geometry Turbocharger optimizes airflow by changing output based on control input from the engine's electronic control unit to control cylinder pressure and air/fuel ratio. J05E-TP/J05E-UG Configuration: Inline 4 Displacement: 5L Horsepower: 210 Peak torque: 440 lb.-ft. Hino J05E Series engines for Hino 195 cabover truck are offered in both diesel and Diesel-Electric Hybrid versions. Fitted in the 14,500-lb GVW Class 4 and 19,500-lb GVW Class 5 COE trucks, the 210 HP J05E-TP engines are mated to an Aisin A465, 6-speed automatic transmission. Isuzu Commercial Truck of America www.isuzucv.com/nseries/diesel_trucks 4HK1-TC Configuration: Inline 4 Displacement: 5.2L Horsepower: 215 Peak torque: 452 lb.-ft. The Isuzu 4HK1-TC turbocharged intercooled diesel, standard on the manufacturer’s NPR-HD, NPR-XD, NQR and NRR models, is a turbocharged intercooled diesel engine equipped with electronic high-pressure common-rail direct injection, a water-cooled EGR system and Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) technology. The engine meets EPA 2010 and California Air Resources Board HD-OBD emissions standards. 4JJ1-TC Configuration: Inline 4 Displacement: 3L Horsepower: 150 Peak torque: 282 lb.-ft. The Isuzu 4JJ1-TC turbocharged intercooled diesel, standard on the NPR ECO-MAX, is designed with electronic high-pressure common-rail direct injection and Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) technology to meet EPA 2010 and California Air Resources Board HD-OBD emissions standards. Mack Trucks www.macktrucks.com/powertrain-and-suspensions/engines MP10 (aka. Volvo D16) Configuration: Inline 6 Displacement: 16L Horsepower: 515-605 Peak torque: 2060 lb.-ft. The largest Mack engine in the lineup, the 605-HP MP10 has torque ratings from 1,860 to 2,060 lb.-ft. Built exclusively for the Mack Titan, the MP10 engine used in logging, oil field, coal, heavy equipment, special-permit and severe, heavy-haul applications is offered in five versions in two engine families-- MaxiCruise engines for interstates and on/off road applications and Maxidyne engines for low-speed, severe-duty conditions. Like all MP engines, the MP10 is fitted with the Mack PowerLeash engine brake. MP8 (aka. Volvo D13) Configuration: Inline 6 Displacement: 13L Horsepower: 415-505 Peak torque: 1860 lb.-ft. The MP8 engine, available in Mack Granite, Pinnacle and select TerraPro models, has torque ratings ranging from 1,460 to 1,860 lb.-ft. for heavy-duty vocational and highway applications. The MP8 engine use the same single overhead camshaft and an ultra-high-pressure fuel injection system found on other Mack engine models, and has an electronically controlled Variable Geometry Turbocharger. The MP8 is offered in three engine families, including MaxiCruise and Maxidyne versions and Econodyne models for typical interstate applications. An MP8 Econodyne 505E+uses a torque management strategy called EconoBoost to provide up to an additional 200 lb.-ft. of torque. MP7 (aka. Volvo D11) Configuration: Inline 6 Displacement: 11L Horsepower: 325-405 Peak torque: 1560 lb.-ft. Designed for weight-sensitive applications, the MP7 is offered in three engine families, including Econodyne (three HP ratings up to 1460 lb.-ft.) for typical interstate applications, MaxiCruise (three HP ratings up to 1560 lb.-ft) for interstate and on/off road applications, and Maxidyne (three HP ratings up to 1480 lb.-ft.) for severe-duty conditions, especially in off-road applications. The MP7 is offered in Mack Granite and Pinnacle models, and in the OEM’s TerraPro for refuse operations. Mitsubishi Fuso Trucks of America www.mitfuso.com/en-us 4P10(T5) Configuration: Inline 4 Displacement: 3L Horsepower: 161 Peak torque: 295 lb.-ft. Standard in all Canter FE/FG Series truck models, the turbocharged, dual overhead cam, four-cylinder 4P10 diesel engine delivers flat torque continuously from low through high RPMs, complemented by a two-stage turbocharger. The EPA 2010 emissions compliant engine uses SCR BlueTec emissions control technology developed by Mitsubishi Fuso and Daimler AG. Navistar www.internationaltrucks.com/trucks/engines N13 (aka. MAN D26) Configuration: Inline 6 Displacement: 12.4L Horsepower: 410-475 Peak torque: 1700 lb.-ft. The Navistar N13 engine uses dual sequential turbochargers, including a smaller, primary turbo that responds for take-off at low engine speeds and a larger, secondary turbo to provide peak power at higher speeds and on steep grades. The SCR engine achieves peak torque at 1000 RPM. N10 (aka. MAN D20) Configuration: Inline 6 Displacement: 9.3L Horsepower: 310-350 Peak torque: 1150 lb.-ft. The N10 is built on the same Inline 6 platform as Navistar’s previous DT engine and is compatible with a range of automatic and manual driveline options for on- and off-highway applications. N10 engines are equipped with Dual Fixed Geometry turbochargers, including a smaller, primary turbo for take-off at low engine speeds, and a larger, secondary turbo that provides peak power at higher speeds and on steep grades. N9 Configuration: Inline 6 Displacement: 9.3L Horsepower: 300-330 Peak torque: 950 lb.-ft. Built on the Inline 6 platform from the Navistar DT engine line, the mid-range N9 diesel adds traditional big bore features like wet-sleeve design and dual sequential turbochargers, single-piece gallery-cooled steel pistons, and crankcase ladder reinforcement. The N9 also features an electro-hydraulic high-pressure fuel system with high-efficiency injector nozzles and advanced electronic control strategies. MaxxForce 7 Configuration: V8 Displacement: 6.4L Horsepower: 220-300 Peak torque: 660 lb.-ft. MaxxForce 7 ratings have been boosted up to 300 HP and 660 lb.-ft. of torque. The engine features dual sequential turbochargers and a high-pressure common-rail fuel system. The MaxxForce 7 V8 turbodiesel is designed for medium-duty commercial trucks, including the International Trucks TerraStar model. PACCAR www.paccarengines.com MX-13 (aka. DAF MX) Configuration: Inline 6 Displacement: 12.9L Horsepower: 380-500 Peak torque: 1,850 lb.-ft. The DAF MX-13 utilizes fractured cap technology in both the connecting rods and main bearing caps to provide high-shearing strength that results in a wide horsepower range and longer torque and power curves. The engine is now offered with expanded power offerings that include a 500 HP/1,850 lb.-ft. rating. Designed to meet the demands of linehaul and vocational heavy-duty truck applications, MX-13 model coverage includes the Kenworth T660 and T880 and Peterbilt Models 579, 587, 386, 384, 389, 367 and 365. PX-9 (aka. Cummins ISL) Configuration: Inline 6 Displacement: 8.9L Horsepower: 260-450 Peak torque: 1,250 lb.-ft. The PACCAR PX-9 engine features replaceable wet liners, roller cam followers, bypass oil filtration and targeted piston cooling. Available in both medium- and heavy-duty configurations, the engine is deigned for a range of Kenworth and Peterbilt truck models. PX-7 (aka. Cummins ISB) Configuration: Inline 6 Displacement: 6.7L Horsepower: 200-360 Peak torque: 800 lb.-ft. The PACCAR PX-7 engine for medium-duty applications is designed for reduced maintenance and fuel efficiency. The 6.7-liter engine in horsepower ratings from 200 to 360 is offered in Kenworth and Peterbilt medium-duty truck models. Dodge Truck (aka. Ram) www.ramtrucks.com/en/ecodiesel EcoDiesel (aka. VM Motori L 630 DOHC) Configuration: Inline 4 Displacement: 3L Horsepower: 174 Peak torque: 295 lb.-ft. The EcoDiesel, developed and manufactured by Chrysler partner VM Motori, is offered as an option on Ram ProMaster cargo van, windowed van, chassis cab and cutaway models. The B5 biofuel capable powerplant is equipped with a diesel oxidation catalyst, diesel particulate filter, and selective catalytic reduction, and is emissions-compliant in all 50 states. Volvo Trucks www.volvotrucks.com/trucks/na/en-us/products/powertrain/Pages/powertrain.aspx D16 Configuration: Inline 6 Displacement: 16.1L Horsepower: 500-600 Peak torque: 2050 lb.-ft. Volvo’s 2014 GHG-certified D16 engine features a low-tension oil scraper ring and a clutched air compressor to reduce friction. The 2014 greenhouse gas regulation compliant engine is available in three power ratings from 500 to 600 HP. The heavy-duty XE16 package is rated for combination weights up to 143,000 lbs and was designed for North American heavy-long combination vehicles. A second XE16 package is offered for five-axle tractor-semitrailer combinations up to 80,000 lbs. The 550-HP Eco-Torque rating provides dual torque levels of 1650 and 1850 lb.-ft. by switching to a lower torque curve in the top two gears, but allowing the higher torque as needed. The D16 is sold in VNL day cabs and sleepers, and in the VNX model for linehaul and heavy haul operations. D13 Configuration: Inline 6 Displacement: 12.8L Horsepower: 375-500 Peak torque: 1850 lb.-ft. Volvo’s 2014-certified D13 is offered in 14 power ratings in a range from 375 to 500 HP. Included are two XE ratings, six Eco-Torque and three Dual-Torque ratings. The engine features 7-hole injectors, low-friction cylinder liner sand oil scraper rings and a clutched air compressor. The D13 is sold in VN day cab and sleeper, VHD and VAH Volvo truck models for linehaul, regional and vocational operations. D11 Configuration: Inline 6 Displacement: 10.8 L Horsepower: 355-405 Peak torque: 1550 lb.-ft. The Volvo D11 has five power ratings in the range from 355 to 405 HP. A 385-HP Eco-torque rating provides dual torque levels for regional highway carriers in need of 1450 lb.-ft. performance and 1250 lb.-ft. fuel economy. The engine is available in VN day cabs, VAH auto haulers and VHDs for regional operations. A Rear Mounted Engine PTO option is available as well.

Today's Trucking / August 24, 2015 Officials at Allison Transmission are in a celebratory mood – after all, it isn’t every day a company has their centennial anniversary – but a visit to the company’s headquarters also reveals new excitement when it comes to selling truck transmissions in the future, especially in the over-the-road market. During a gathering of reporters on Friday, company officials outlined their history and vision. Allison traces its corporate linage back to the founding of the Indianapolis Speedway Team Co. on Sept. 14, 1915, by James A. Allison, co-founder of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and owner of several racing teams. The prominent entrepreneur and businessman established a precision machine shop and experimental firm in the Town of Speedway called Allison Experimental Co. to support his endeavors. Since those days, Allison Transmission has grown into the world’s largest manufacturer of fully automatic commercial-duty transmissions, with approximately 2,700 employees, and last year had revenue of more than $2 billion. Today it produces transmissions not only for trucks, but also for the military, buses, construction equipment and even for hydraulic fracturing equipment. “The company that grew out of the humble machine shop has served as an economic and community anchor for the Town of Speedway and greater Indianapolis,” said Lawrence Dewey, chairman, president and CEO. “By celebrating our centennial, we are honoring generations of Hoosiers who have devoted their careers of manufacturing excellence under the Allison name.” The past few years have seen some of the greatest changes for Allison. After General Motors purchased the company in 1929 after James Allison’s death, it sold it off to two private investment firms in 2007. It became a publicly traded company in 2012, with the Carlyle Group and Onex Partners shedding their majority interests in September 2014. At the center of its over the road trucking effort today is the TC10, a ten-speed, fully automatic transmission for the Class 8 metro market, currently available on select Navistar models. However, Dewey, said there is an effort to bring the transmission to other OEMs. “I can say we are in very active negotiations with a couple of OEMs in North America,” he said. “We do have some prototype vehicles working in other parts of the world.” While Dewey gave no indication as to what truck OEMs Allison has been in discussions with to give it a bigger presence in the over-the-road market, he said the company currently has about 7% to 10% of the North American Class 8 tractor market. Dewey said one of the toughest things the company will have to overcome is the perception that automatics transmissions, at least for over-the-road use, don’t get fuel mileage as high as manuals or automated manual transmissions. He said the TC10 transmission is competitive with manuals and AMTs, with fleets operating it consistently reporting getting up to 3% to 5% better fuel economy over their previous specs. While the TC10 in the beginning was suited ideally for about 40% stop and go operations and 60% over the road, Dewey explained, it now is suited for operations operating as much as 80% on the road, opening up the market up to more customers. He conceded that getting more over-the-road trucking operations to open up to automatic transmissions isn’t an easy task, but emphasized concerns about loss of power have been eliminated with the TC10. However, there is still the problem of the premium price, as much as about US$5,000 more when compared to a manual and up to around US$2,000 more versus an AMT. “I understand it’s hard to get your head around the idea that automatic doesn’t use more fuel, and I respect that,” he said. “I tell my sales guys to ask their customers, ‘What does it take to get one or two into your fleet?’ As much as people want to see evidence of other operations, in some way everybody is unique, and so the trick is to get them to get it in, run it and see for themselves. If they don’t then we haven’t earned their business. If they see it, hopefully, they will see a value in it.”

Owner/Driver / August 24, 2015 Peter Francis Colbert given lengthy jail term for causing the death of Robert Brimson. The owner of a trucking company who caused the death of his driver by refusing to repair a faulty rig has been jailed for 12 years. The Supreme Court of South Australia sentenced Peter Francis Colbert to a lengthy prison sentence with a non-parole period of 10 years, after a jury found him guilty of manslaughter in relation to the death of Robert Brimson in 2014. The owner of Colbert Transport failed to repair faulty brakes on the truck Brimson was driving, despite repeated warnings to do so. The brakes failed and caused Brimson to crash into a pole, killing him. In sentencing Colbert, Supreme Court justice David Peek labelled him a risk-taker and narcissist who had misplaced arrogance, ABC News reports. Colbert told a psychologist he would still be alive if he was in Brimson’s position when the truck’s brakes failed. As ABC News reports, Colbert told the psychologist: "I can bet you though that 10 to one that I’d still be sitting here talking to you if I did drive the truck that day." "I don’t expect people to do what I can do with a truck. The truth is most of the blokes I deal with have no skill." Colbert denied being warned repeatedly about fixing the brakes, prompting Peek to label him a liar. "Your response to trial was to lie on oath," Nine News quotes Peek as saying. Peek says a lengthy jail term is needed to deter other trucking companies from committing similar offences. ABC News says a dashboard camera captured the final moments of Brimson’s life. Peek read out Brimson’s words during sentencing. "Oh [expletive] brakes," Brimson is recorded as saying. "Where am I gonna [expletive] go? "I’ve got nowhere to [expletive] go." Along with a long stint in jail, Colbert has been banned indefinitely from driving. Outside court, Brimson’s widow told the media she was happy with the jail sentence. She called her late husband a "hero" for diverting the faulty truck away from others and sacrificing his life in the process. "Mr Brimson was only able to avoid passenger vehicles by taking a course that led to his death," Peek says. "He elected to take that opportunity." The case represents the first time an owner of a company has been held liable for the death of an employee because of workplace negligence.

Owner/Driver / August 25, 2015 David and Christine Fyfe have battled hard to get to a comfortable place in livestock and grain transport. For David and Christine Fyfe, life and trucking in the Western Australian wheat-sheep belt is all about teamwork. The couple operates Fyfe Transport and enjoys a life and trucking partnership forged through the highs and lows of transport in Western Australia over the past three decades. They started out as a two-up driving team carting express freight for a big company from the east coast to Perth. Christine had earlier honed her skills driving an articulated dump truck at the mines. Express work across the "long paddock" was tough enough but then the Fyfes went into business for themselves with a single truck, battling some lean times to stay afloat. David could be away for a week at a time, come home for a day or so and then get going again, leaving Christine in charge of their three children – Liam, Nathan and Sheridan. The kids would ride along whenever they got a chance on local work near their base at Lake Grace, a tiny town 350km south east of Perth, and the boys would help out unpaid in the truck yard every afternoon after school. A couple of decades on, the Fyfes have a close-knit family spread between Lake Grace and Perth, half a dozen Kenworth prime movers along with their own trailers and subbies when needed and they can afford to pick and choose the work they do. David runs the show and still does a lot of driving, while Christine does the books. It’s mostly sheep and grain, with some general freight thrown in. You get the impression David’s so passionate about what he does that there’s not much separation between work and leisure. "I don’t have to do what I do, but I do it because I love it," David says. "I don’t think you have to do anything you don’t like. "There is nothing like getting around the countryside watching the seasons change and hearing the turbo whistle. Just another day in paradise." On the financial side of things: "I’ve always earnt just enough to keep me interested". David says his drivers need to be multi-skilled. They not only need to be experts in animal behaviour and agile enough to clamber all over stock crates, but they need to be bush mechanics as well. He rates another secret to success as collaboration with local businesses. And they don’t get any closer than the Tyrepower franchise right next door to the Fyfe Transport depot, run by David’s mate Peter Hudson who was a huge help in the tough early days. Sometimes a couple of beers – or port in cold weather – was Peter’s only payment for Saturday evening work helping David centre-punch axle quills to prevent the bearings coming loose. .

United States Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz worries more about cars being hacked than the electric grid being attacked. At the National Clean Energy Summit, former Chief of Staff John Podesta asked Moniz if the prospect of cyber attacks on the electric grid keeps him awake at night. “Yes,” Moniz replied, but he suggested the electric grid was not the most vulnerable system. “The grid is usually the poster child for the discussion,” Moniz said, but DOE has been working with utilities to increase cyber security, training utility executives and helping them get security clearances they need to be fully informed of risks. “We have a very effective working arrangement with utilities right now to increase cybersecurity.” More attention should be paid to other vulnerabilities, Moniz continued, such as major natural-gas compressor stations and private vehicles. “We have to worry about the increasing intelligence in things like vehicle and traffic management. This is a big and growing threat. We are paying a lot of attention to it,” he said. Podesta asked, “So we should worry about our cars being hacked?” “It’s an issue,” Moniz replied. “Information technology is so critical, and yet obviously it creates exposures that we have to stay ahead of. We always emphasize that this is not an area where a stationary defense helps. It’s got to be a dynamic, continually evolving one.” Podesta asked Moniz why Congress has been slow to act on cyber security, and Moniz replied that cyber security touches many aspects of society and involves issues, such as privacy, that Congress has not yet resolved to its satisfaction. Earlier this year Sen. Ed Markey’s office released a report on the vulnerability of vehicles to cyber attacks, which found that nearly all new vehicles “include wireless technologies that could pose vulnerabilities to hacking or privacy intrusions.” Markey’s office surveyed vehicle manufacturers and found that most could offer no information on past attacks and that efforts to prevent future attacks are “inconsistent and haphazard.” Moniz called for increased training of cyber security professionals, an initiative partially undertaken by the National Nuclear Security Administation. “This is a case where the training of professionals is not keeping up with demand.”

Michael Mukasey, U.S. attorney general under President George W. Bush, says that Title 18, Section 2071 of federal law bars an official from holding future office if he or she 'conceals, removes, mutilates, obliterates, falsifies, or destroys' them. Mukasey says the law is clear about 'what happens to you if you are a custodian of public records and you, among other things, alter them or obliterate them.' 'And number one, that's a felony, but that statute makes you unqualified – disqualifies you – from holding any further office in the United States. And she's running for a further office.' Clinton, the Democratic Party's front-runner for president, has acknowledged that she ordered the deletion of more than 30,000 emails from a private server where she hosted all of her official electronic communications durign the four years when she was the top U.S. diplomat. 'There's going to be classified material there,' Mukasey said, forecasting the results of multiple investigations. And Clinton, he emphasized, has admitted making the decision to delete tens of thousands of documents. 'She's already said that she directed that this be done,' he said, referring to the server that the FBI seized last week after someone had tried to wipe its contents clean. 'I think the more dangerous part of this from her standpoint is not so much the placement of the material there as wiping the server,' Mukasey added. Related video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xV0NKSPLojk

Bloomberg / August 24, 2015 Daimler AG is eliminating 1,500 jobs at its Brazilian truckmaking division as demand for commercial vehicles in the country shows no sign of recovery. Workers at one of the plants affected went on strike in response, and the German company’s stock fell the most in almost four years. Cutting about 13 percent of its workforce in Brazil became inevitable after industrywide truck sales in South America’s largest economy plunged 44 percent in the first half of 2015, compounding a drop last year, said Florian Martens, a spokesman at Stuttgart-based Daimler. Daimler’s reaction to Brazil’s shrinking economy, which is forecast to continue contracting until at least 2016, underscores the concerns sparking a deepening global stock selloff that has spread from emerging markets. Shares in the German manufacturer dropped as much as 7.1 percent in Frankfurt on Monday, the steepest intraday decline since November 2011. “For many months now there’s simply been a dramatic decline in truck orders,” Martens said. “Unfortunately, we don’t expect a quick recovery of the market.” Employees at Daimler’s factory in Sao Bernardo do Campo, Brazil, staged a walkout Monday over the planned job cuts, the German company’s main labor representative group said. The reductions are scheduled to start in September after talks with local unions broke down. Labor leaders are calling on the truckmaker to reverse course and resume negotiations. ‘Incomprehensible’ Decision “In the context of the excellent business situation generally at Daimler, it’s incomprehensible that such a decision has been reached,” said works council head Michael Brecht. Daimler reported record profit in the second quarter. Tensions are high in Brazil, where Daimler had already reduced its workforce by about 3,000 jobs under a two-year reorganization, primarily through voluntary severance agreements. The company needed to take more steps as a recession, high levels of inflation and rising financing costs are discouraging customers from buying vehicles, Martens said. While Daimler has been unable to escape Brazil’s woes, the German automaker is faring better in China, where demand is also slowing. The manufacturer of Mercedes-Benz vehicles is “still confident” of reaching a goal of selling more than 300,000 cars in China this year, despite the stock market plunge, Hubertus Troska, head of Daimler’s Chinese division, said at briefing on Monday in Beijing. The company operates two plants in Brazil that build trucks and buses. Its workforce in the Latin American country totaled about 12,000 employees at the end of last year. Daimler is setting up a factory in Brazil to start making passenger cars in 2016.

TATRA Press Release / August 20, 2015 TATRA TRUCKS has completed production and shipment of the longest and heaviest TATRA truck ever. The truck has been specially engineered to accommodate a drilling rig from German manufacturer Streicher Group and will be used for exploratory drilling in difficult terrain. Gross vehicle weight of the completed vehicle is approximately 84 metric tons (185,188 lb). TATRA TRUCKS, a manufacturer of standard trucks, vocational and specialty vehicles, fire apparatus and military tactical trucks. In recent years, the truckmaker has seen a rising demand for the custom truck chassis that it develops and manufactures for special applications such as drilling rigs. The chassis has eight axles and is configured for 16x8 drive according to customer requirements. The powertrain arrangement allows the driver to engage all axles, which with differential locks engaged, results in a 16x16 capability. The forward three axles are steered, air-suspended and have a 10 metric ton (22,046 lb) capacity. The two middle axles are rated at 16 metric tons (35,274 lb) and feature an air-leaf suspension. The rear three axles are again steered, air-suspended and have a 10 metric ton (22,046 lb) capacity. The rear axles steering via a VSE-supplied Electronic Truck Steering System (ETS) (http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/index.php?/topic/36853-vse-the-suspension-and-steering-systems-of-tomorrow-available-today/?hl=vse). All steered axles are fitted with 385/65R22.5 tires while the middle tandem axles are fitted with size 315/80R22.5. In this configuration, the total weight technically allowed is 86.4 metric tons (190,479 lb), respectively up to 92 metric tons (202,825 lb) with higher capacity tires. The powertrain that sets the new 16x16 TATRA into motion is the 32-liter 12-cylinder Caterpillar C-32 rated at 1,132 horsepower and 5,143 N.m of torque. The engine is paired with a 6-speed Allison 8610 MR automatic transmission with retarder. Power from the Allison transmission is fed to an auxiliary gearbox which can distribute full power to the drilling rig via an upper output, or drive the vehicle via a lower output at reduced engine power. The lower output is driveline connected to a transfer case from which drive power is distributed to the permanently driven 1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th driver axles. Both auxiliary transmissions are proprietary TATRA units produced in-house, and are available on the TATRA FORCE and TATRA PHOENIX series. A hydraulically-driven ventilation system located on both sides of the cab provides for the engine cooling system, transmission and hydraulic circuits. A standard TATRA FORCE cab is used, mounted 200mm forward and 50mm lower than the standard configuration to meet customer height requirements. The overall length of the vehicle, including frame, is 18,080 mm, height is 2490 mm and width 3000 mm. Turning radius is 15.5 meters. Photo gallery - http://www.tatratrucks.com/about-the-company/press-and-media/news/special-tatra-trucks-part-4-an-all-time-longest-and-heaviest-tatra-has-been-produced/

Army Times / August 21, 2015 A decorated soldier who has worked for the U.S. Army Special Forces for 11 years is being kicked out after he stood up for a young rape victim and his beaten mother in Afghanistan. Sgt. First Class Charles Martland and his detachment commander, Capt. Daniel Quinn, received a “relief for cause” from that 2011 deployment to Konduz province, Afghanistan, for the assault, according to documentation provided to Army Times by the office of Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-California. Martland, 32, said in a memorandum to the Army in his defense that he understood they were “absolutely wrong in striking one of our ALP (Afghan Local Police) commanders." Martland had fallen under the Army's Qualitative Management Program, a process that can be triggered by derogatory information on their record. Though technically not a draw-down tool, it is aiding in force reduction efforts by weeding out less desirable soldiers; a black mark on their record, such as a relief for cause, can trigger a formal QMP review and result in involuntary separation. Hunter, in an Aug. 18 letter to U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter, has asked him to intervene on Martland's behalf. The congressman took on Mortland's case after receiving a plea from help from the soldier. In 2011, Martland's Special Forces unit was conducting village stability operations in Konduz province, requiring frequent coordination with police. Martland, in his letter to Hunter, said he had encountered corrupt police officials who were conducting beatings, honor killings and rapes — and going unpunished. When Martland learned that a police commander he had trained had raped a boy and then beated the boy's mother, Martland said it was too much. 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 reportedly halted their mission, put them in temporary jobs, and then, finally, sent them home. In a memo to the Army Enlisted Records and Evaluation Center, Martland admitted to striking the Afghan. "My detachment commander and I felt that morally we could no longer stand by and allow our ALP to commit atrocities," he said in the memo. Hunter's spokesman Joe Kasper said the Afghan police officer confessed and laughed in the soldiers' faces when confronted. “It's sad to think that a child rapist is put above one of our elite military operators,” Hunter said in a statement on the Army's decision to discharge Martland. “The Army should stand up for what's right and should not side with a corrupt Afghan police officer." Hunter stressed in his letter to Carter the quality of the character references he had collected regarding Martland, who has served for 11 years and earned a Bronze Star with "V" Device. His evaluations provided by Hunter's office were largely positive. One evaluation did mark him down to "needs some improvement" for "responsibility and accountability," citing the "physical altercation with a corrupt ALP member." Congressman Hunter said: 'It's sad to think that a child rapist is put above one of our elite military operators. Duncan added: 'Sergeant Martland was left with no other choice but to intervene in a bad situation. The Army should stand up for what's right and should not side with a corrupt Afghan police officer.' Special Forces Maj. Samuel Kline, his current commander at the Special Forces Dive School in Key West, Florida, — where Martland has worked as an instructor since 2012 — recommended Martland remain on active duty. “Of the NCO’s I have worked with throughout my career, SFC Martland has indisputably exhibited the greatest amount of loyalty and reliability of those I have encountered,” Kline’s wrote in a memo. Company Sgt. Maj. John Theis noted in his supporting letter that Martland was runner-up for the “Special Warfare Training Group 2014 Instructor of the Year” out of 400 instructors. Martland isn’t the first Green Beret for whom Hunter has advocated. He has also railed against Army investigations into Maj. Mathew Golsteyn and Lt. Col. Jason Amerine. Golsteyn was accused by the Army of murdering an unarmed Afghan bomb-maker and destroying the evidence. An investigation into the claim allegedly made by Golsteyn during a CIA job interview during a polygraph yielded no witnesses, physical evidence nor charges. The Army ultimately recommended a general discharge. Amerine testified to Congress that the Army investigated him in retaliation for his efforts to inform Congress of problems with the nation’s processes for recovering foreign-held hostages, including conversations with Hunter.

The suit alleges Volvo, Cummins Westport and Agility Fuel Systems were aware of excessive heat problems with earlier-manufactured copies of that engine, pointing to a related recall. In March 2014, Fleet Owner posted a release regarding that recall, which along with other engines involved Cummins Westport ISX12 G engines made for about a year up through Feb. 2, 2014. Describing the cause of the recall, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) noted "that condensation in the tubes that distribute air coming into the engine may freeze during cold weather, with the resulting ice interfering with air pressure sensor operation." In turn, the sensor interference could raise exhaust temperature "or cause flames from the exhaust pipe, which could burn a person or cause a fire," NHTSA stated concerning affected engines. In the lawsuit, Kane implies it believes its CNG Volvos' engines may have been part of the recall or suffered a similar defect, and later makes more serious contentions specific to Cummins Westport. The lawsuit alleges the trucks' OEMs were negligent in what it describes as "the inadequate design of the exhaust sensors, exhaust insulation and/or improper installation of insulation around the exhaust piping [that] permitted the emission of heat well in excess of safe operating levels." Finger Pointing Volvo Trucks responds in a statement regarding the lawsuit, "We believe the claims against Volvo are without merit. The vehicle involved in the Jan. 2, 2015, incident was equipped with an engine not manufactured by Volvo. In addition, the fuel tanks were neither manufactured nor installed by Volvo. "However, Volvo thoroughly investigated this incident in conjunction with the engine and tank manufacturers, keeping both the customer and NHTSA fully updated throughout," the company states. Further, Volvo notes that it provided Kane with rental trucks at no cost while the incident investigation ran its course. "After extensive investigation, we were unable to identify any defect in the design, materials, or manufacturing in any of the components installed by Volvo. Our testing found no support for the cause of the fire suggested by Kane," Volvo states in its response. The company also addressed the Kane lawsuit's inclusion of information on the recall. "The recall mentioned in the complaint was not a Volvo vehicle recall, but rather a February 2014 Cummins [Westport] engine recall which affected multiple vehicle OEMs," Volvo states. "After inspecting the remaining Kane trucks, Cummins [Westport] assured Volvo and Kane that the engines were not part of that recall, and had in fact been manufactured with the corrective measures implemented by Cummins [Westport] as a result of the recall." For its part, Agility Fuel Systems provides this statement regarding the case: "Based on our investigation, we do not believe the fuel system caused or contributed to the incident." Agility declined further comment as the trial litigation is pending. Cummins Westport, which as the engine OEM ultimately is the focus of many of the lawsuit's claims, says its own investigation similarly found that the components it installed in the tractors were in good order. "Cummins Westport confirmed that the engine and all related systems were operating normally and reliably, and were not contributing factors," the company tells Fleet Owner. Meanwhile, the suit alleges Volvo conducted testing of one of Kane's undamaged CNG tractors. In lab tests, including on a dynamometer, the Volvo day cab "showed temperature readings around the exhaust system in excess of 500 deg. F after only one-half hour of operation," the suit states. Later, the suit again references this technician visit, providing further detail and claiming at least part of the purpose was to spoliate — i.e., despoil — evidence. Technicians "entered Kane's premises and recalibrated, tested, altered and/or modified sensors found in the undamaged CNG trucks. "[The] defendants intentionally modified, altered and/or recalibrated the sensors in an effort to conceal problems with those units," the complaint continues. The purpose of the alleged activity, the plaintiffs claim, was "to avoid another recall for the 2014 model units." A spokesman for Kane tells Fleet Owner this is to be a point of investigation in the trial. "Kane knows for certain that Cummins [Westport] technicians were onsite to examine the sensors [on the undamaged Volvo tractors] to determine whether they were experiencing problems that were associated with the recall," the spokesman states. "Kane did not receive any data from that testing, so the purpose, results or precise activity will be the subject of discovery in the case." Kane's and the OEMs' positions illustrate a clear difference of opinion — and an impasse. Kane contends the fire was due to no user or maintenance fault, and states it refuses to operate any of the remaining six CNG Volvos "until the cause of the fire ha been identified and/or until Volvo certifie that the problem ha been addressed and the vehicles could be operated safely." "To date, Volvo has failed to satisfactorily warrant the safety of these remaining tractors," the lawsuit asserts. In its statement, Volvo Trucks makes a contrary recommendation. "Safety is a core value for Volvo, and we worked closely with our supplier partners to thoroughly examine the vehicles Kane decided to park — this investigation convinced us that the vehicles should be returned to service," the company states.

Navistar Trail Magazine

Australasian Transport News / August 24, 2015 Profit up as company continues acquisitions and fleet investment K&S Corporation’s (http://www.ksgroup.com.au/home.html) efforts to shake off tough market conditions have borne fruit with a near 50 per cent annual net profit boost to $13.3 million. Operating profit was up 19.3 per cent to a fraction shy of $700 million. The company hailed its New Zealand arm’s performance – a profit lift from $277,000 to $1.48 million – and the expectation that this would continue but the strength was still in Australia, from $8 million to $10.4 million. But difficult times were felt in the west. "Our Western Australian business was adversely impacted by the continued slowing of the resource sector," K&S says. "With declining commodity prices, the miners have reduced their costs and scaled back projects. "This had a significant impact on activity levels and the profitability of our Regal business unit during the year." Cost reductions underway include a new transport operations facility at Hazelmere, to be up and running next month, fleet rationalisation and replacement, job losses and "new IT solutions to support customer service and operational efficiency and cost reduction initiatives". One common refrain from past years is the effect of manufacturing decline in the core east-coast market and Alcoa’s withdrawal from Point Henry in Victoria and Yennora in New South Wales coloured its contract renewal for Portland activities from April. "Imports are still impacting the demand for locally manufactured goods, which in turn reduces demand for long haul transport services," the company says. Despite that, K&S kept up investments and diversification. The $2.69 million cost of its March purchase of central north-south rail freight forwarder Northern Territory Freight services (NTFS) provided $48.1 million in revenues. Fleet investment was looked after to the tune of $55.9 million, with $39.7 million spent on hire purchase and $16.2 million in cash. Of the $7 million in fraud costs over seven years to last year revealed in February that McGrathNicol has investigated, the firm’s crime insurance policy covers $5 million, which was paid this month. Costs rose with profits and K&S saw contractor expenses up from $151.2 million to $187.6 million, employee expenses including for the extra 100 NTFS personnel from $185.2 million to $219.1 million and fleet expenses from $188 million to $145.1 million. Meanwhile, deputy chairman and non-executive director Greg Boulton has retired after 19 years with the company. .

The 100,000th North American-produced DAF MX-13 engine was recently presented to Kenan Advantage Group (aka. former all-Mack customer Kenan Transport), which will operate it in a Peterbilt Model 579. KAG, a major tank truck transporter and logistics provider headquartered in Canton, Ohio, was of the first fleets to order an MX-13 in 2010. The engine was presented to KAG President Bruce Blaise and Vice President – Fleet Services Bruce Stockton during an event at the Paccar engine plant in Columbus, Mississippi, where the MX-13 is manufactured for North American markets. They were joined by Dean Martin, president of sales for AMG Peterbilt of Columbus. DAF-designed MX engines have been powering DAF trucks throughout the world and over 400,000 engines are in operation today. The MX13 had accumulated more than 50 million test miles before being introduced in North America. It can be spec’d in the US market with up to 500 horsepower and 1,850 ft.-lb. of torque. .

“Volvo has long been known as a highway tractor manufacturer in the longhaul segment,” said Wade Long, Volvo director of product marketing. “But this will help us on regional growth. It’s a second opportunity for growth.” In other words, now that Volvo Group has Mack brand longhaul buyers migrating to the Volvo brand, they are now targeting the regional haulage segment. That leaves the Mack brand only with the vocational segment. North American Volvo brand sales are now well ahead of the Mack brand. The master plan is on schedule.

Transport Topics / August 21, 2015 Volvo Trucks rolled out a drivetrain system that management hopes will give the company a larger presence among liquid and bulk haulers, regional distribution carriers and trucking companies that often deal with diminishing loads or empty backhauls. The adaptive loading system, built around an electronically controlled suspension, switches automatically between 6x2 and 4x2 power configurations with the use of a forward tractor tandem axle that can be lifted off the ground. Company managers told reporters and editors here on Aug. 20 that when a trailer is mostly full, the lift axle places the wheels on the ground so they can bear weight and roll freely like trailer wheels. In contrast, when a trailer is mostly or completely empty and the tractor axle is not needed, up it goes and the 18-wheeler becomes a more efficient (albeit less lyrical) 14-wheeler. “Volvo has long been known as a highway tractor manufacturer in the longhaul segment,” said Wade Long, Volvo director of product marketing. “But this will help us on regional growth. It’s a second opportunity for growth.” The lift axle is made by Link Manufacturing Ltd. of Sioux Center, Iowa, and the drive axle is from Meritor Inc. Volvo announced the system at the Mid-America Trucking Show in March, having started limited production in 2014. Full production starts in January, though, so the company is starting a major offensive to garner attention. During briefings in Salt Lake City and here, and ride-and-drive demonstrations on the highways in between, Volvo managers said the new system is not the same as a traditional 6x2 configuration where both axles are always on the ground — a drive axle and a tag axle. (In the more commonplace 6x4 configuration, both tractor tandem axles receive power from the engine.) Traditional 6x2s have often been criticized for their lack of traction, but Volvo has addressed the problem with “dynamic weight transfer,” said Chris Stadler, product marketing manager for regional haul. Beyond just axle up or down, Stadler says Volvo software takes input from sensors and balances weight on the tandem tractor axles as needed. For a fully loaded trailer the weight is balanced evenly between the two. For a lighter load the drive axle takes most but not all of the weight. Eventually when the load is light enough the axle lifts. Extra weight can also be shifted to the drive axle when there is a need for more traction. The company brought in customers, fleet executives, who said the axle-up configuration improves safety because the tractor’s wheel becomes longer and weight is split between the drive and steer axles, leading to better steering and handling. “Everything has been positive with this,” said Joel Morrow, vice president and part owner of his family’s Plover Transportation, a small truckload carrier in Bellevue, Ohio. “We’ve improved fuel efficiency, and they have better handling. The trucks have helped with our driver recruitment and retention. We have drivers asking to get into trucks with lift axles,” Morrow said. Clay Handy, president of Handy Truck Line in Paul, Idaho, said he had already been thinking about converting to regular 6x2 tractors, so when Volvo contacted him about participating in a prototype test, “We jumped on it immediately.” Handy said he might switch over 100% of his 120 trucks to adaptive loading. J.W. Ray said he enjoys driving an adaptive loading truck for Idaho Milk Transport of Burley, Idaho. September marks his 40th anniversary as a driver, and during that time he has racked up 6 million miles. “This is the most expensive toy I’ve ever gotten to play with,” the smiling Ray said.

Fiction: ‘A black man is killed in the US every 28 hours by police’ The figure comes from this unofficial and unashamedly partisan report by a black nationalist organisation, the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement. The data is a collection well-known cases usually reported by local media. The group claims 313 black people were killed in 2012 by “someone employed or protected by the US government”. But not all the killers are police officers, or even government employees. They include shop workers, private security guards and members of the public. In one case, a 13-year-old girl was shot dead by two school friends who found a gun in an off-duty policeman’s car. You would have to look carefully at the circumstances of every killing before deciding that every one was an example of police racism. How about this almost equally widely discussed stat which Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of New York, produced in a heated post-Ferguson TV debate: “Ninety-three per cent of blacks in America are killed by other blacks.” His point was that black-on-black violence claims more lives than police killings, while attracting less publicity. He’s right about the 93 per cent, which comes from Bureau of Justice Statistics research into homicides from 1980 to 2008. What he failed to mention is that the vast majority of white victims were also killed by whites in the same period – 84 per cent. There’s a simple explanation for this. Most murders involve the victim’s family and friends, who are more likely to be from the same race. Reference: http://blogs.channel4.com/factcheck/factcheck-black-americans-killed-police/19423

Illinois mother and former U.S. Navy officer Peggy Hubbard says Black Lives Matter protesters should focus less on police brutality and more on black on black crime. She said that instead of protesting black on black crime, Black Lives Matters protesters instead took to the streets to march for an 18-year-old black man who was shot. 'Last night, who do you think they protested for? The thug, the criminal, because they’re howling, "police brutality." Are you kidding me? Police brutality? How about black brutality,' said Hubbard. 'A little girl is dead. You say black lives matter? Her life mattered. Her dreams mattered. Her future mattered. Her promises mattered. It mattered,' she added. Hubbard said she has a son behind bars who she turned into police. 'I turned him in. Yes I did because I’m a strong black woman. I am a black mother. I told my children that if you (mess) up, if you go to jail, I am not getting you out. You will stay there. You will do the time. I am not coming to visit you. I ain’t sending you magazines. I’m not doing anything for you because I did everything I could for you out here and yet you chose to go in there.'

The Financial Times / August 23, 2015 The ease with which the terror suspect in the failed train attack moved around Europe has put the spotlight on the passport-free Schengen Area. Calls for tighter border security within Europe are expected to increase after it emerged that the gunman overpowered by passengers in France on Friday was known to anti-terror authorities in France, Belgium and Spain. Charles Michel, Belgium’s prime minister, called for urgent talks with France, Germany and the Netherlands on increasing security on cross-border trains. However [despite today's rampant terrorism situation], the European Commission said the Schengen treaty on freedom of movement was “non-negotiable” and there were no plans to change it. But it said increased security controls could be compatible with Schengen “if they do not have an effect equivalent to border checks”. The train originated in the Netherlands, passing Belgium before entering France — three of the 26 Schengen countries where people travel without the need for passports and security checks (a terrorist's paradise). Passport and luggage checks are, however, carried out on Eurostar services that run to Britain, which is outside the Schengen Area. French authorities said Ayoub el-Khazzani, 26, a Moroccan, had lived in the southern Spanish city of Algeciras, frequenting a mosque that had been under surveillance. Mr el-Khazzani left Spain for France in 2014, travelled to Syria and then back to France, a Spanish counter-terrorism source said on Saturday. He had also lived in Belgium and may have had connections to a group involved in a suspected Islamist shooting in Belgium in January, Le Voix du Nord, a French newspaper, reported. The suspect spent seven years living in Spain, where authorities were apparently aware of his extremist leanings and where he had been arrested repeatedly for drug trafficking. According to reports in the Spanish press, his name was entered into the pan-European database of suspected Islamist radicals in 2012. Spanish antiterrorism officials passed on information about him to their French colleagues as soon as he left the country. “When we became aware that he had left to live in France, we gave all the information to the country´s security authorities and made sure they knew he was a dangerous subject,” an unnamed Spanish official told the El Mundo daily. “France had him under control until [he] decided to leave for Syria. From then on, neither they nor we had any news about him.” Mr el-Khazzani reportedly lived in Madrid and in Algeciras, a port hub for ferry traffic to Morocco. He arrived in the country in 2007 and left in 2014. Spanish law enforcement told their French counterparts in March 2014 that Mr el-Khazzani had a “relationship with radical Islam”, the Spanish El País newspaper reported. Mr el-Khazzani was tackled by three Americans and a Briton as he prepared to fire his AK-47 assault rifle on the Thalys high-speed train from Amsterdam to Paris via Brussels. The train crew have been accused of barricading themselves in a staff room and abandoning passengers to their fate. Jean-Hugues Anglade, a French actor who activated the train alarm, told the magazine Paris-Match that passengers thought they were going to die “because we were prisoners of this train”. Train crew unlocked the staff room then shut themselves inside and ignored passengers banging on the door, calling for them to open up, he said. “We heard passengers shouting in English, ‘He’s firing, he’s firing. He has a Kalashnikov’.” Mr Anglade said he saw train personnel running down the corridor to take refuge in their car. “We were incredibly lucky to have American soldiers with us. I pay homage to their heroic courage and thank them. Without them, we all would be dead.” Chris Norman, a British IT consultant, helped the Americans overpower the gunman and said he thought he was “probably going to die anyway”. Mr Norman, 62, said he knew he was facing a terror attack “the moment that I stood up and saw a guy with an AK-47”. After giving evidence to police in Arras, France, he said: “My thought was ‘OK I am probably going to die anyway so let’s go. I would rather die being active, trying to get him down than simply sit in the corner and be shot.”

Humorous indeed. ---------------------------------------------------- Morocco-born gunman Ayoub El Khazzani, 26, laughed at accusations that he was not trying to carry out a terror attack, and claimed that he had found the arsenal of weapons used by chance under a bush in a park. ‘He can’t understand why this affair has generated such publicity,’ his lawyer, Sophie David. ‘He says he only wanted to rob the passengers on the train and nothing else. Security in the EU is a convoluted joke. Khazzani had already been on government officials' radars in four European countries before he carried out Friday evening's terror attack. He had been deemed a terrorist threat following the Charlie Hebdo massacre in Paris - and had fought with ISIS in Syria earlier this year. How Khazzani was able to move freely around Europe, despite being widely known as 'potentially dangerous'?