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At the Democratic presidential primary debate on Saturday in Des Moines, Hillary said of ISIS: "It cannot be an American fight." Rather, "We will support those who take the fight to ISIS." Now 24 hours later, she's done a total flip-flop saying: "This is a worldwide fight......I know America has to lead it, but we cannot and should not do it alone." If you're going to be president of the United States, you can't flip-flop on your position or you lose all credibility with both the American people and foreign leaders (that need to both respect and fear you). Why does America always have to lead.........and pay the bill. Frankly speaking, we can no longer afford to be the world's policeman (based on what we're told). The result is a 500-ship Navy shrunk to 273 ships, and inferior one-size-fits-all fighter-bombers with no range that put our carriers within range of hostile land-based missiles, our government having abandoned the purchase of vastly superior purpose-designed USN fighters and bombers that once upon a time gave us undisputed air superiority. Here's a thought, why not have our wealthy friend-of-convenience Saudi Arabia lead the effort? They're one of the king pins in ISIS's neighborhood. I support helping those who help themselves. But the Arab League is NOT trying to help itself and eliminate ISIS. Why spill American blood for countries that won't help themselves. Tens of thousands of able-bodied Syrian men ran to Europe, unwilling to fight for the homeland. And again, speaking of the Arab League countries, why aren't their armed forces fighting ISIS?

Detroit shifts car output to Mexico Automotive News / November 16, 2015 General Motors will be the only one of the Detroit 3 making compact or midsize cars in the U.S. by 2019, according to the companies' new UAW agreements. Ford Motor Co. and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) are essentially giving up on trying to build mass-market cars profitably in this country, instead shifting most production of those nameplates to Mexico so they can dedicate U.S. plants to higher-margin pickups and SUVs. The UAW is accepting that trade-off to get rid of the two-tier wage scale that was vital to the business case for U.S.-made sedans and because it expects a net increase in jobs. The result: In a few years it will be far easier to find a Japanese or Korean car produced domestically than one designed in Detroit that's not imported. Foreign brands are expected to keep their U.S. plants churning out high-volume cars, such as the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord. But, increasingly, Ford and FCA see the U.S. as a place to build light trucks. "You can afford to pay a little more when you're making trucks," said Dave Cole, chairman emeritus of the Center for Automotive Research, "but the structural change in the industry has been so huge that I was kind of surprised by that -- trucks here and cars in Mexico." The Ford and GM agreements had not been ratified by UAW members as of press time. Space for Ranger, Bronco Ford's product comments to the UAW show that it plans to halt U.S. production of four car nameplates: the Fusion, Focus, Taurus and C-Max. The Focus and C-Max are moving out of Ford's Michigan Assembly Plant in 2018 to make way for two vehicles that sources have identified as the Ranger pickup and Bronco SUV. The Fusion is built in Mexico already, while the Taurus, with sales plummeting here but surging in China, may be discontinued in North America. Ford's factory in Flat Rock, Mich., will be the only one of its eight U.S. assembly plants still making cars. It loses the Fusion when the next generation arrives in 2019, keeps the hot-selling, higher-profit Mustang and gains the Lincoln Continental, another high-margin nameplate, which will replace the MKS. Meanwhile, FCA is expected to move the Dodge Dart and Chrysler 200 to Mexico after 2016 and will discontinue the Dodge Viper in 2017, which would leave no cars in the U.S. The Dart is leaving just four years after its launch in the U.S. allowed Fiat to gain an additional 5 percent stake in Chrysler under a deal with the federal government. The cars that Ford and FCA are moving out of the U.S. and the Buick Verano, which GM is expected to move to either Mexico or China, account for 45 percent of the domestic-brand car production in the U.S. for the first 10 months of this year, according to estimates. GM hasn't announced any sweeping changes in where it will assemble its cars. It makes most of its sedans in the U.S., including the Chevy Sonic at a plant in Michigan that reopened specifically because the UAW agreed to cut costs there with two-tier wages. CEO Mary Barra said in July that GM had no plans to move production of the Sonic, which it also builds in Mexico. GM spends an estimated $674 more on labor costs for each Sonic built in the U.S. than Ford does for the Fiesta built in Mexico, according to the Center for Automotive Research. In August. FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne said it makes financial sense to move "all the cars that we get killed on somewhere else" and keep trucks in higher-cost UAW plants. UAW President Dennis Williams went into this year's talks noting that he was concerned "when any corporation invests outside the United States," but negotiators and workers seemed far more concerned with wages and benefits than discouraging production shifts to Mexico. The union's deals include billions of dollars worth of investment in U.S. plants, and moving cars to other countries isn't expected to result in job losses -- so long as consumers buy enough SUVs and pickups to keep the plants here running at capacity. SUV evolution The plans undo most of the product diversification that the Detroit automakers had worked toward in the late 2000s to avoid the problems that occurred when SUV sales plunged after gasoline prices shot up. The danger in focusing U.S. plants on SUVs and pickups is what could happen if gasoline prices spike again. But Erich Merkle, Ford's chief U.S. sales analyst, said the booming popularity of SUVs is less a function of low gasoline prices than of how much the vehicles have improved and consumer needs have changed as baby boomers and their children get older. "The SUV has evolved dramatically over the last 15 years, and that's really helped to keep it at the forefront," Merkle said. "SUVs are actually a growing segment not just in the U.S. but when you look to Europe and parts of Asia and China. It's a worldwide growth story."

Owner/Driver / November 16, 2015 Generous truckies will head north on January 7, carting hay to drought-affected farms in central west Queensland. Founder of Burrumbuttock Hay Runners, Brendan Farrell, says over 100 trucks have already volunteered to cart donated hay from the Riverina, New South Wales, to Aramac in Queensland on January 7, 2016. He has issued an invitation for other generous truck operators keen to help drought-affected farmers in the north: "If they’ve got a heart of gold and they like thinking they’re helping someone they’ve never met, give us a ring." Brendan hopes to set the world record for the longest convoy of trucks carting donated hay. He says 100 trucks could cart 5000 big squares and rolls. And if more trucks take part "we could end up with 7000 squares". Brendan is a truck driver, farmer and hay merchant based in the Riverina. He carts general freight, grain and hay in a 1994 Kenworth K100E. He says most of the trucks taking part in the hay run belong to owner-drivers or small fleet operators. "It’s all about the heart of the small independent truckies. We don’t see many of the multinationals ever put their hand up for anything like this." The drivers are motivated by compassion for farmers suffering consecutive years of drought. "I’ve seen the toughest, roughest blokes in central Queensland burst into tears with this drought," Brendan says. This will be the 10th hay run Brendan has organised. The first nine runs carried a total of about 16,500 big squares and rolls to drought-affected areas. The Rotary Club of Sydney is collecting public donations which will be distributed between the participating truck companies to reimburse part of their fuel costs. To donate, visit the Burrumbuttock Hay Runners Facebook page for details. If you are a truck operator keen to take part in the convoy, or if you want to donate quality hay, phone Brendan on 0439 322 605.

Nextran still rolling trucks through southeast The Gainesville Sun / November 15, 2015 Fifty-three year old Nextran Corporation and Pritchett Trucking Jon Pritchett has made an impact on Gainesville, Florida, even though his network of 14 Mack and Volvo heavy truck dealerships, parts and service centers are elsewhere. Pritchett is president and CEO of the Nextran Corporation, with an office in Lake Butler where his father, Marvin, started Pritchett Trucking 40 years ago. Nextran Truck Centers can be found in Florida, Georgia and Alabama, with the closest in Lake City. But Pritchett makes his home here. He serves on the executive board of the University of Florida Foundation, raising money for the university, is on the Gator Boosters board and has attended nearly every UF home football game for 20 years. His wife, Kelly, is on the local board of the Children’s Miracle Network. In 2013, Jon and Kelly Pritchett were named event chairs of Noche de Gala, the Sebastian Ferrero Foundation fundraiser for the UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital. They attended the second event in 2009. He said that night he wrote “$1 million” on a napkin and told Kelly that one day, he hoped to donate that amount to the cause. That day came in 2013. They already planned to make the donation in his father’s name before Marvin Pritchett was killed by a former employee who also killed two other Pritchett Trucking employees before killing himself. At that year’s event, Jon and Kelly Pritchett, and his siblings, Phillip Pritchett and Robin Pruitt, donated $1 million in their father’s memory in a speech Jon called “The Promise.” Marvin Pritchett got his start in the timber business in North Florida for Owens-Illinois. “He was struggling to get product shipped to different mills so he bought trucks to do the trucking himself,” Jon Pritchett said. He saw more opportunity in trucking than timber and started Pritchett Trucking, he said. Today, that company has 360 employees, 275 tractors and 550 trailers hauling sand, limerock, stone, municipal solid waste, wood byproducts and other items in Florida and Georgia, with Jon as president, Phillip as vice president and Robin as payroll manager. Jon started working summers for his dad at age 10 and started his career after leaving UF’s business college during his senior year in 1984. He said he always wanted to go into the family business, but also wanted to own his own company. He started his own companies, buying and leasing trucks. In 1993, he went into the truck dealership business in partnership with his father when they bought Mack dealerships in Jacksonville and Orlando, adding Tampa the next year. Jon ran the dealership business and said his father provided insight. “It was an extremely trusting relationship. Unless I was traveling to a dealership, he and I and my brother had lunch together every day. There’s very few people who can say they had that opportunity. I was extremely fortunate to work together as many years as I did with him.” In 1999, he bought three dealerships in South Florida and changed the name of the company to Nextran Corporation. Nextran has 730 employees and expects to sell 2,500 Class A heavy duty trucks this year. Pritchett said 2015 is a big year for sales with over 250,000 expected nationwide as a result of pent-up demand from the recession and an improving economy. Sales are expected to drop to 215,000 next year as buyers are caught up on replacing aging fleets, but that would still be a very good year, Pritchett said. Over the next five years, Pritchett said Nextran plans to grow to 20 or more locations and 1,000 employees through a combination of acquisitions, expansions and building new locations. The company is in the process of building its 15th dealership in Duluth, Georgia, and plans to remodel and expand its Orlando location next year. “In the dealership business I felt I had an advantage having been a customer, so I felt like I understood what it truly took to service the trucking industry,” he said. “We’ve worked extremely hard to build this customer-focused culture and it truly has been very successful for us.”

Transport Engineer / November 13, 2015 Animal by-product renderer J G Pears is switching its truck fleet to Scania, after an extensive Euro 6 fuel trial of several marques, in which, says the operator, Scania “obliterated” the competition. The Penistone, South Yorkshire-based business has ordered 21 Scania R 450 trucks, which will go into service by the end of this year. Plated at 44-tonnes gtw, 20 of the trucks are 6x2/4 twinsteer tractor units, with one skiploader drawbar rigid. The tractors will each cover up to 300,000km per annum hauling J G Pears’ fleet of bulk tipping trailers. “Our fuel trials were conducted over a route we run twice a day between Newark, Sleaford and Newant in Gloucestershire,” says Andrew Bostock (pictured), J G Pears’ group logistics manager. “We trialled each truck repeatedly over this relatively easy-terrain route, with the same two drivers to eliminate any bias or road condition variations. In short, the Scania R 450 obliterated the competition by returning 10.2 mpg.” Some of the new trucks have already gone into operation and, says Bostock, are averaging 9.7 mpg when 30% loaded outbound and fully loaded on return. “This performance and the corresponding reduction in our carbon footprint has helped us secure a five star rating under the ECO Stars fleet recognition scheme,” he adds. The trucks are supplied by Scania’s Sheffield branch, which will also carry out fleet maintenance. .

Commercial Motor TV - sponsored by DAF Trucks / November 13, 2015

Alkane COE Trucks Get DOT Approval Heavy Duty Trucking / November 12, 2015 Alkane Truck Co. says it has achieved compliance certification from the U.S. Department of Transportation for its propane-fueled Class 7 cab-over-engine trucks, and will begin assembly at a plant in South Carolina early next year. Brakes, wheels and tires, axles, seat belts, lights, interior fabric and glass had to be submitted to laboratories for testing, said Steve Rayborn, Alkane’s sales vice president. All items have to meet federal standards and regulations, and specialty laboratories tested each component of concern to DOT. “There’s a lab for every feature,” he said, and the process was expensive. “If we knew five years ago what this was going to cost, we might have thought twice about it. But we’ve done it, and we’re glad we did it.” The trucks will use cabs and chassis from China, with other components sourced from North American suppliers. The powertrain will include a Power Solutions International 8.8-liter V-8 that’s based on a General Motors block, and an Allison 2500 six-speed automatic transmission. The engine, with 270 hp and 565 lb-ft of torque, delivers diesel-like performance at a lower cost, Rayborn said. http://www.psiengines.com/whatwedo/on-highway-engines/ The current fleet-volume discounted price of a diesel-equivalent gallon of liquid propane is $1.15 compared to $2.49 or more for diesel fuel, noted Bob Smith, Alkane’s chief executive officer. It will be the only medium-duty COE truck in the U.S. that uses propane autogas fuel, he said. A targeted niche market is propane distributors, some of whom have already expressed interest. COE Class 7 trucks, rated at 26,001 to 33,000 pounds gross weight, are widely used for inter-city operations due to their tight turning radius and excellent maneuverability, he said. They are used for delivery of freight, furniture, fuel and beverages and other applications. “We are excited about our new truck,” Smith said. “We’re equally excited to bring new skilled jobs to American workers. Our assembly facility in Dorchester County (South Carolina) will employ more than 300 automotive technicians once it reaches full capacity.” Development continues on a Class 8 truck and tractor, also using Chinese cabs and chassis with domestic powertrain and other components, Rayborn said. The engine will be a Cummins ISX12 G set up to burn compressed natural gas. The heavy vehicle should be ready for production toward the end of 2016. The Chinese supplier is Foton, one of the largest truck builders in that country. “We are the agency of service for Foton,” he said. “No one else can bring one in.” .

Paris attacks: How a ‘really great guy’ became a suicide bomber The Financial Times / November 15, 2015 Omar Ismael Mostefai was identified by a finger blown off in the blast of the explosive belt he detonated in the Bataclan concert hall — as he tried to kill as many people around him as possible. But three years ago, in a quiet neighbourhood of Chartres, about an hour’s drive south-west of Paris, he had seemed like any normal local resident. “Omar was a really great guy: friendly; open,” said a neighbour who knew him and his family between 2005 and 2012, when they moved out. “He talked to the kids; played football with the neighbours.” Another neighbour, Alexandre, 21, concurred: “Normal — really nothing special.” The 29-year-old was one of the Islamist terrorists who staged the deadly attacks on Paris on Friday evening. They killed 129 people and wounded more than 350 in a series of co-ordinated and meticulously planned assaults. Mostefai was also one of at least three French-born attackers in the group. This suggests that the threat from homegrown jihadis has become more severe since January, when three Islamist extremists murdered 17 people in a series of shootings against Charlie Hebdo magazine, the police and a Jewish supermarket in Paris. “It’s unfortunately not that surprising,” said Sebastien Pietrasanta, a French lawmaker who has written a report on homegrown terrorism. “We’ve moved up to another level with suicide bombings. But the risk of seeing more of this kind of attack is real.” The threat is particularly acute for France. With about 571 French nationals fighting for Isis or other terrorist organisations, the country has the largest contingent of foreign jihadis in Syria. Up to 141 have died there and about 246 have returned to France, according to French authorities. This may be the tip of the iceberg. About 2,000 French citizens are thought to be involved in jihadi cells in France, and another 3,800 individuals are said to be showing signs of Islamist radicalization. Besides Mostefei, two other Frenchmen — two brothers — were being linked by authorities to Friday’s carnage. One blew himself up in a restaurant on Boulevard Voltaire, while police believe that the other may have escaped. On Sunday, officers were hunting for Abdeslam Salah, born in Brussels in 1989. The first details to emerge of Mostefai show similarities with the group that targeted Paris in January. Like Saïd and Cherif Kouachi, the brothers who attacked Charlie Hebdo, he was of Algerian origin. Like Amedy Coulibaly, who killed a police officer and four Jewish hostages, he was from Essone, a region on the southeastern outskirts of Paris. Mostefei was known to police, having been convicted eight times for minor crimes, including driving without a license. But he never spent time in prison, unlike Coulibaly, who became radicalized while in custody. Mostefei’s birthplace was Courcouronnes, a grim housing estate similar to Grigny, where Coulibaly lived. But Mostefai spent at least eight years in the peaceful and residential Madeleine district, in eastern Chartres, a small town renowned for its medieval cathedral. There, in a cul de sac, he lived in a two-storey house, with a black door and cream façade, with his parents, two sisters and two brothers. The family had their own indoor garage and a decent-sized back garden overlooking a sports complex. On Sunday, children were riding bicycles and playing football in the street. Two years before leaving the neighborhood, French intelligence services flagged Mostefei for Islamist radicalization. But neighbors did not spot anything. “He wore normal clothes, with training shoes — there was no hint of radicalization,” one of them said. His father was retired, and seemed to live off odd jobs, he added. “The mother wore a veil, but nothing out of the ordinary. She wasn’t fanatically religious at all.” The neighbor also said that both Mostefei’s parents shook the hand of people of the opposite sex, suggesting that they were far from radical in their religious beliefs.

Reuters / November 15, 2015 Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari has said his country's intelligence services shared information they had which indicated that France, the United States and Iran were among countries being targeted for attack. "Information has been obtained from Iraqi intelligence sources that the countries to be targeted soon, before it occurred, are Europe in general, specifically France, as well as America and Iran," Jaafari said from the sidelines of talks in Vienna on ending the war in Syria on Saturday. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Surprising to some, this unfolding event is going to result in the U.S. fighting alongside Russia and Iran, which will allow the three countries to settle differences better in the future having gained a newfound understanding of each other.

Another person's interesting comparison. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Buddhists living with Hindus = No Problem Hindus living with Christians = No Problem Hindus living with Jews = No Problem Christians living with Shintos = No Problem Shintos living with Confucians = No Problem Confucians living with Baha'is = No Problem Baha'is living with Jews = No Problem Jews living with Atheists = No Problem Atheists living with Buddhists = No Problem Buddhists living with Sikhs = No Problem Sikhs living with Hindus = No Problem Hindus living with Baha'is = No Problem Baha'is living with Christians = No Problem Christians living with Jews = No Problem Jews living with Buddhists = No Problem Buddhists living with Shintos = No Problem Shintos living with Atheists = No Problem Atheists living with Confucians = No Problem Confusians living with Hindus = No Problem WHEREAS........ Muslims living with Hindus = Problem Muslims living with Buddhists = Problem Muslims living with Christians = Problem Muslims living with Jews = Problem Muslims living with Sikhs = Problem Muslims living with Baha'is = Problem Muslims living with Shintos = Problem Muslims living with Atheists = Problem MUSLIMS LIVING WITH MUSLIMS = BIG PROBLEM A religion of peace ?

Obama calls for a “rejection by non-Muslims of the ignorance that equates Islam with terror.” UN Summit on ISIS - September 29, 2015 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Not my list, but applicable to the topic) The Paris attacks were Muslims The Charlie Hebdo Attackers were Muslim The Chattanooga Reserve Center Shooter was a Muslim The Shoe Bomber was a Muslim The Beltway Snipers were Muslims The Fort Hood Shooter was a Muslim The underwear Bomber was a Muslim The U.S.S. Cole Bombers were Muslims The Madrid Train Bombers were Muslims The Bali Nightclub Bombers were Muslims The London Subway Bombers were Muslims The Moscow Theatre Attackers were Muslims The Boston Marathon Bombers were Muslims The Pan-Am flight #93 Bombers were Muslims The Air France Entebbe Hijackers were Muslims The Iranian Embassy Takeover, was by Muslims The Beirut U.S. Embassy bombers were Muslims The Libyan U.S. Embassy Attack was by Muslims The Buenos Aires Suicide Bombers were Muslims The Israeli Olympic Team Attackers were Muslims The Kenyan U.S, Embassy Bombers were Muslims The Saudi, Khobar Towers Bombers were Muslims The Beirut Marine Barracks bombers were Muslims The Besian Russian School Attackers were Muslims The first World Trade Center Bombers were Muslims The Bombay & Mumbai India Attackers were Muslims The Achille Lauro Cruise Ship Hijackers were Muslims The September 11th 2001 Airline Hijackers were Muslims All Muslims are not not terrorist........but all terrorist are Muslims. You make the call. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The ISIS threat to America should not be taken lightly. But having said that, to date, 99 percent of the murders in America were caused by.......non-Muslim Americans (Christians). For example: http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/index.php?/topic/40732-the-face-of-america-in-year-2015/ Stupidity has become the new normal.....is there still hope for our country? - http://news.yahoo.com/three-missouri-teens-charged-making-terrorist-threats-022916150.html And then consider the vast number of students murdered in school by other students since the first instance at Columbine, plus the spike in domestic violence (e.g. Baltimore, Ferguson). http://news.yahoo.com/baltimore-homicides-top-300-worst-since-1999-011900066.html And Detroit, well, the stratospheric level of crime there makes the Middle East almost appear peaceful. Only a morally healthy and united America can successfully take on a serious global threat.

A whole 20 bombs. Carpet bombing of the area is more like what I had in mind.

Polish minister says Syrians can return to fight and 'liberate' homeland AFP / November 15, 2015 The hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees pouring into Europe can be trained to form an army and return to "liberate" their homeland, Poland's new foreign minister said on Sunday. Witold Waszczykowski also told public television that the refugees could be gainfully employed in this manner rather than sipping coffee on an iconic Berlin avenue or other European cities. "Hundreds of thousands of Syrians have come to Europe recently. We can help them form an army," he said. "Tens of thousands of young men disembark from their rubber dinghies with iPad in hand and instead of asking for drink or food, they ask where they can charge their cellphones. "They can go to fight to liberate their country with our help," said the minister, who takes office on Monday. Waszczykowski said he was trying to avoid a situation where "we send our soldiers to fight in Syria while hundreds of thousands of Syrians drink their coffee in (Berlin's) Unter den Linden" boulevard or in other European cities. Germany has to date maintained an open-door policy for Syrians escaping their country's bloodshed, giving them "primary protection" -- the highest status for refugees. Poland's incoming European Affairs Minister Konrad Szymanski said Saturday that Warsaw no longer considered an EU plan to redistribute refugees across Europe as a "political possibility" in light of the Paris attacks that left at least 129 people dead. The program -- long criticised by the EU's eastern-most members -- has come under fresh criticism after officials said a Syrian passport found at the scene of one of the attacks belonged to an asylum seeker who registered on a Greek island in October.

You're exactly right. Americans are accustomed to things being black and white. In Vietnam for example, unable to distinguish friend from foe, we saw the beginning of a much more challenging fighting environment.

1/3 of Americans don't know what's happening in the world (they intentionally avoid the news.....tidbits of truth, but still something to go on). 1/3 of Americans have heard of ISIS and saw news of the Paris attacks, but consider it a "far away" and "over there" event, not one they need to be concerned about.......it's not going to get in the way of their busy personal life. 1/3 of Americans are concerned. The gun advocates are more convinced of their conviction......but given the way terrorist prey, indiscriminately attacking civilian targets, they'll never see it coming. Fighting these people requires a complete mental reboot, and the temporary discarding of the ethics, morals and values that define us, as only when we fight them at their ruthless level can we defeat them. There's little doubt that ISIS took down that Russian airliner last week, flying at 31,000 feet, murdering 224 civilians. And we know how porous our borders are.........or at least the 12 million-plus illegal aliens in the U.S. do. These people have declared war on western civilization. I fear, while Washington is trying to be politically correct and walk a safe line, things are going to get worse before it gets better. The authorities are no doubt working around-the-clock to keep America safe. But without a reboot of our mindset, I fear our current posture is inadequate. Paris: Islamic militant Abu Maryam: “You have been ordered to fight the infidel wherever you find him - what are you waiting for? There are weapons and cars available and targets ready to be hit.” Islamic militant Abu Salman: “poison the water and food of......the enemies of Allah."

Here's a photo of Raqqa, Syria, otherwise known as ISIS Central. Note that the ISIS headquarters and Islamic court buildings were still standing undisturbed, until France bombed it Sunday night. Odd, isn't it. Now, for how long has the U.S. been supporting a fight against ISIS, including aerial strikes? .

I can assure you that at any one time, the common people are only privy to around 15 to 20 percent of what's going on in the world, who'd doing it, and why. The rest is hidden from view. Think about that.

Transport Online / November 12, 2015 In a year in which the trucking industry has seen sales fall 30 percent, winning large quantity orders has been even more important for truckomakers. Mercedes-Benz recently received an order from Araraquara (São Paulo), Brazil-based Morada Transport for 40 new tractors, including 30 Axor 2544 6x2 tractors and 10 Axor 2644 6x4 tractors. The trucks will operate on routes in the state of São Paulo, South Minas Gerais, Midwest and Rio de Janeiro. "These are the first “Econfort” spec Axor trucks in our fleet. Both Mercedes-Benz and its dealers worked hard to understand our needs and helped us to get the specs right, which made us very confident in the choice, "said Fernando Fernandes, executive manager of Transport Address. "In addition, we note an evolution of the Axor for our applications and take into account the conditions set in the negotiation, which included the involvement of Mercedes-Benz Bank, further strengthening this partnership," he adds. Fernandes explains that an important specific requirement of the gas transport which was attended by the Axor. "The assembly of the generator set with compact layout and easy access, provides a minimum universal joint angle, reducing the need for maintenance. The trucks are equipped with automated transmission Mercedes PowerShift AMT transmissions featuring ECOROLL and Power Mode features, pneumatic rear axle suspension, air suspended cabs and new-for-2015 interiors and seating. .

Volvo Trucks Press Release / November 9, 2015 In our new brand film we want to tell you who we are, not what we are. It is time – for Real Change. Trucks aren’t at the heart of what we do. People are. And cargo isn’t all we carry. It’s ideas, innovations and improvements that are changing things. Pushing progress. By pushing what’s possible for transport, we touch lives everywhere. Volvo Trucks is driving progress in today and tomorrow’s transport society.

Western Australia releases new heavy vehicle charging regime Australasian Transport News (ATN) / November 13, 2015 First reform in 12 years proposes more control to Commissioner of Main Roads The Western Australian government has used main roads law reform to start the Perth Freight Link (PFL) heavy vehicle charging scheme process and to widen its scope. Heavy vehicles are the only users that will be subject to PFL tolls under the Main Roads Amendment Bill 2015. "While the intention is for the heavy vehicle charging scheme to be applicable initially only in relation to the Perth Freight Link, the provision allows for other roads to be included under the roads that may be prescribed in the regulations," the Bill’s explanatory memorandum states. Of the state’s $650 million spend on the new infrastructure, state transport minister Dean Nalder says heavy vehicle owners using it will provide $374.5 million. "I assure members that there will be extensive consultation and discussion with the community and the industry on the detail of the proposed heavy vehicle charge," Nalder tells state parliament in introducing the Bill. "The heavy vehicle charge is about sharing the benefits on a win-win basis with the transport industry, contributing to an even more effective road freight network." Regulations on how the scheme is actually planned to are yet to be drafted. The explanatory memorandum says fees will relate to "prescribed routes" though these are not defined but the memorandum makes plain the link between savings for the trucking industry and fees for its use. "Users of the future Perth Freight Link network and most importantly heavy vehicle operators, will benefit with the project expected to considerably reduce travel times," it states. "The implementation of a direct charging scheme ensures the efficient provision and use of prescribed roads by heavy vehicles. "These fees or charges will be the means by which a significant proportion of the State Government’s contribution to the Perth Freight Link construction costs will be recouped from the private sector (i.e. the road transport industry). "Those heavy vehicle charges and the prescribed roads to which they will apply, will be set out in regulations which will be in place once the road network is complete." Regulations would be made to specify one or more prohibited road or roads in relation to any prescribed road and make it an offence for drivers to take such routes "without lawful excuse". "For each part of the network of roads that comprise the Perth Freight Link, there could be one or several other road/s which are an alternative route that heavy vehicle operators could use," the memorandum states. "In order for the heavy vehicle charging scheme to be effective it is important to provide a disincentive, in the form of a statutory penalty, for driving on other alternative roads rather than the prescribed roads with the view to evade paying the relevant prescribed charge." The reform aims to modernise the Main Roads Act, which has been unchanged for 12 years. It will strengthen Commissioner of Main Roads powers, particularly in relation to safety and allow the office to "enter into innovative business arrangements, such as the creation of private entities, to enable the Main Roads to operate more commercially", Nalder says. This might include dealing with a company involved in toll collection and will include more powers over infrastructure provision. The trip-line for ministerial consent on projects will rise from $500,000 to $1-5 million. There will be greater powers over local government after consultation "to mitigate the effects of works on local roads to minimise traffic congestion The reform Bill and the memorandum can be found here.

Owner/Driver / November 13, 2015 Western Australia is moving closer to allowing tolls on its road network, and trucking operators will be the first in line to pay if the plan goes ahead. Fresh from a meeting last week where Australia's transport ministers agreed to overcharge the trucking industry on registration charges, Western Australia now wants to give the state’s transport department the power to toll roads. Transport minister Dean Nalder has introduced the Main Roads Amendment Bill to allow Main Roads to establish a heavy vehicle charge for the proposed Perth freight link, which is due to run directly from the Roe Highway to the Port of Fremantle. "The funding of the Perth freight Link is contingent upon a state government contribution of $650 million, of which $374.5 million will be recovered through a private sector contribution by way of a heavy vehicle charge," Nalder says. "The charging scheme for the Perth freight link will apply only to heavy vehicles; being vehicles with a gross vehicle mass of more than 4.5 tonnes, which includes all trucks requiring a heavy vehicle driver’s licence to operate." The WA Government has not yet determined the charge, with Nalder saying the details of the scheme and how it will operate "will be drafted in future". The Bill will also allow Main Roads to toll other parts of the network. "While the intention is for the heavy vehicle charging scheme to be applicable initially only in relation to the Perth freight link, the provision allows for other roads to be included under the roads that may be prescribed in the regulations," the Bill’s explanatory memorandum states. The WA Labor Opposition has criticised the Bill and says says it does not support any toll roads in the state. "It gives the Government the green light to impose tolls on roads across the state," opposition spokeswoman on transport Rita Saffioti says. Nalder claims a toll will not be introduced until the Government has finished the Perth freight link. "Exactly what that means will need to be worked through with industry," he says. However, Nalder adds that the road project and accompanying toll will improve industry productivity. "The heavy vehicle charge is about sharing the benefits of a win-win basis, with the transport industry contributing to an even more effective road freight network." According to the Bill’s explanatory memorandum, the link will significantly reduce transport costs while increasing efficiency and freight access between Kewdale and the Port of Fremantle. "Users of the future Perth Freight Link network and most importantly heavy vehicle operators, will benefit with the project expected to considerably reduce travel times," the memorandum states. The WA Government has committed to the first stage of the project known as Roe 8 – extending the Roe Highway from the Kwinana Freeway to Stock Road – but the second stage that will take the link to the port has been put aside for at least one year.

I hear you. It's not a quality issue......same as U.S. production. The issue is that, with a country market the size of the United States, the world's second largest, all but low volume niche car models sold in the U.S. should be produced in the U.S., supporting employment in our country. Given our market size, we have the right to demand that, and we should. The subject is inarguable. Automakers wanting to profit in the United States must build in the United States (with the exception of low volume niche models).