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"The most directly impacted are the 5 million U.S. citizen children whose parents would be eligible for temporary relief from deportation," Marielena Hincapie, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center, an advocacy group for illegal immigrants. Ms. Hincapie apparently has an inability to grasp U.S. law. In my opinion, any children born to illegal aliens in the United States should not be eligible to receive U.S. citizenship due their criminal parent’s illegal status. Given that the parents shouldn’t even be in the United States illegally, the birth on U.S. soil was inherently illegal, and disqualified for citizenship.

Associated Press / November 9, 2015 President Barack Obama's plan to protect from deportation an estimated 5 million foreigners living in the United States illegally suffered another setback Monday in a ruling from a New Orleans-based federal appeals court. In a 2-1 decision, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a Texas-based federal judge's injunction blocking the administration's immigration initiative. Republicans had criticized the plan as an illegal executive overreach when Obama announced it last November. Twenty-six states challenged the plan in court. The administration argued that the executive branch was within its rights in deciding to defer deportation of selected groups of immigrants, including children who were brought to the U.S. illegally. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott praised the ruling. "President Obama should abandon his lawless executive amnesty program and start enforcing the law today," Abbott said in a news release. The ruling further dims prospects of implementation of the executive action before Obama leaves office in 2017. Appeals over the injunction could take months and, depending on how the case unfolds, it could go back to the Texas federal court for more proceedings. The administration could ask for a re-hearing by the full 5th Circuit but the National Immigration Law Center, an advocacy group for illegal immigrants, urged an immediate Supreme Court appeal. "The most directly impacted are the 5 million U.S. citizen children whose parents would be eligible for temporary relief from deportation," says Marielena Hincapie, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center. Part of the initiative included expansion of a program called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, protecting young immigrants from deportation if they were brought to the U.S. illegally as children. The other major part, Deferred Action for Parents of Americans, would extend deportation protections to parents of U.S. citizens and permanent residents who have been in the country [illegally] for years. The 70-page majority opinion by Judge Jerry Smith, joined by Jennifer Walker Elrod, rejected administration arguments that the district judge abused his discretion with a nationwide order and that the states lacked standing to challenge Obama's executive orders. They acknowledged an argument that an adverse ruling would discourage potential beneficiaries of the plan from cooperating with law enforcement authorities or paying taxes. "But those are burdens that Congress knowingly created, and it is not our place to second-guess those decisions," Smith wrote. In a 53-page dissent, Judge Carolyn Dineen King said the administration was within the law, casting the decision to defer action on some deportations as "quintessential exercises of prosecutorial discretion," and noting that the Department of Homeland Security has limited resources. "Although there are approximately 11.3 million removable [illegal] aliens in this country today, for the last several years Congress has provided the Department of Homeland Security with only enough resources to remove approximately 400,000 of those aliens per year," King wrote.

The Ford Cargo is built as a light, medium and heavy truck. (only as a light truck in Brasil, using the last generation cab). It's sold in Turkey obviously, and Eastern Europe, but not Western Europe. The Cargo is not yet sold in China, though Ford is fumbling along with a plan, prayer and incompetent local partner.

Aside from my mentioning of the Ford Cargo on BMT, I hadn't noticed any additional exposure. In my attempt at including the full scope of global truck developments, I wanted U.S. folks to know that Ford was still in the heavy truck business overseas. To compete in the U.S. market (and western Europe if they wish to participate there), I'll argue Ford needs to improve the truck's aesthetics. I don't care for the excessive use of plastic body cladding. Having said that, the Cargo being a COE only has potential as a medium-duty truck in the U.S. market.

Truck News / November 9, 2015 It’s not for everyone, but the new MX-11 provides significant weight savings compared to a 13L or extra power when upgrading from a 9L It wasn’t long ago, fleet operators had trouble getting their heads around a 13-litre engine being sufficient to haul required payloads. The 15-litre was king, and it still is in many parts of North America, especially here in Canada. However, the 13-litre has made significant in-roads into the North American market and now the 11-litres are coming. Paccar recently announced introduction of its MX-11 engine, a 10.8-litre powerplant available with from 335-430 hp and 1,150-1,550 lb.-ft. of torque. I recently had the chance to drive a Peterbilt 579 with EPIQ package and the MX-11 engine in and around Denton, Texas, where Peterbilt builds these trucks. The engine itself is built in Paccar’s Mississippi engine plant and though it was born in Europe, just more than a year ago, many of the engine’s components are manufactured in Mississippi and then shipped to Europe for installation. So the engine does have some significant North American DNA in it. The MX-11 sold here will be further configured for North American duty cycles. The engine is currently undergoing field testing with a variety of fleets with full-scale production and installations set to begin in January. It is limited to a gross combination weight of 80,000 lbs and that will rule it out for certain lanes and applications in Canada. However, Anthony Gansle, Peterbilt’s marketing manager for on-highway products, says it will be ideal for regional haul and vocational applications, or on weight-sensitive bulk routes. The MX-11 weighs about 400 lbs less than the MX-13, which is itself about 400 lbs lighter than a 15-litre. If you can convert that weight savings directly into payload, the 11-litre becomes very compelling. It’s also a nice alternative for fleets currently spec’ing a 9L but wanting a little more power. But you also want to be careful where you deploy it, especially when downsizing from a 13-litre. The engine pulled well on my drive in Texas, but our route was devoid of much in the way of hills. We were loaded to about 63,000 lbs (28.6 metric tons), which is pretty typical for line-haul applications. The MX-11 I drove was rated at the maximum 430 hp and 1,550 lb.-ft. of torque. It never felt lacking for power. But this was Texas; I’d be reticent to spec’ this engine in a truck that’ll be crossing the Roger’s Pass with regularity. That said, there’s a place for it. If you’re hauling light loads on flat roads, an 11-litre engine with 430 hp may well be all you need. Paccar says the engine will provide the same reliability that customers have come to expect from the MX-13. Like its 13-litre brother, the MX-11 has a B10 life of a million miles, which means 90% should go that far without requiring any significant overhaul. There’s lots of parts commonality between the two engines. The biggest difference in the design is that the MX-11 features an overhead cam while the MX-13 has an in-block cam. The MX-11 weighs 2,200 lbs dry and is backed by a two-year, 250,000-mile (400,000-km) warranty. It can run 60,000 miles (96,000 kms) between oil changes in line-haul applications with idle time of less than 20%. In vocational applications, the engine can go 30,000 miles (40,000 kms) between oil changes. The engine was extremely quiet on my drive. This is the result of a well-built cab and also an overall quieter-running engine. The transmission was a 10-speed Fuller Advantage Series automated manual. That’s the one with no oil cooler, contributing to overall fuel economy improvements thanks to its lighter weight and the reduced oil churn-related friction within the transmission. The powertrain featured the new Neutral Coast option, which disengages the transmission on slight declines to save fuel. It was also equipped with Predictive Cruise, which better utilizes the truck’s momentum on grades to save even more fuel. The truck I drove was nothing short of stunning to look at. The Model 579 EPIQ featured all the latest fuel-saving technologies. It was painted in a new colour dubbed Legendary Red. Gansle said he took Peterbilt’s traditional red to the paint shop and said he wanted them to make it sparkle in the sun like a bass boat. The paint pros layered glass on metal to give it that dazzling glimmering effect when the sun hits it. There are now 10 Legendary paint colours available. The 579 was also comfortable to drive. It was decked out with all the options, including the premium interior. The leather seats and steering wheel were stylish and comfortable. In fact, all touch points screamed quality. Even the rocker switches snapped authoritatively into place. The door closed with a passenger car-type whoosh and created a seal that minimized wind noise. The smaller MX-11 engine allowed for a shorter hood, affording excellent forward visibility. The fuel-saving EPIQ package has seen a few slight changes since I last drove a Peterbilt 579 late last year. Initially, a tire pressure monitoring system was required to qualify as an EPIQ spec’, but customers were luke-warm to that option and so now Peterbilt’s SmartAir battery-based no-idle system can be chosen in its place. Peterbilt is also expanding the chassis fairings available as part of the EPIQ package. A chassis fairing that covers the tandems is now in pre-production, offering slightly greater fuel savings than the original, which stopped at the rear of the sleeper cab. And early next year a fairing will be launched specifically for day cabs, which ends at the back of the cab. The truck I drove had a 58-inch sleeper, a new option for the 579, which is ideal for drivers who won’t be living out of the truck but want to be comfortable those few nights they’re away from home. The sleeper cab was nicely appointed with a flatscreen TV, mini-fridge and sufficient storage. The truck also had disc brakes all-around. Fleets that were lucky enough to be involved in field testing are reporting back good numbers in terms of fuel efficiency and performance, according to Gansle. He sees a lot of opportunity for the MX-11. “We think the 11-litre will take over in a lot of those applications where the customer doesn’t need a 500-hp engine,” he said. Photo gallery - http://www.trucknews.com/equipment/driving-the-peterbilt-579-with-mx-11-engine/1003068594/

Overdrive / November 9, 2015 It’s neat how the legislative mash-up happens, isn’t it? Competing interests work legislators and constituencies around the nation for their favored little changes to law all across the spectrum, legislators and their staffs look for common ground and, sometimes, in the translation to legal language that reflects reality on the ground, things go horribly awry. Yes, that little “poison pill” I wrote about that was in the early version of the House of Representatives’ six-year highway bill remains — partly for procedural reasons, says the Transportation Intermediaries Association, the primary non-governmental supporter of a version of the measure for going on more than a year. Here’s a recap of what I’m talking about: Essentially, the highway bill would pull carriers’ CSA Safety Measurement scores from public view, which a wide swathe of the trucking industry has called for with steadily increasing volume for the past couple years. An “interim hiring standard,” then, would clarify just what sorts of carrier information shippers and brokers (and other freight middlemen) would be required to vet in order to avoid the growing specter of “negligent selection” lawsuits based on CSA percentile scores that have cropped up as lawyers chase damages after accidents. Essentially, brokers see such a clarification necessary given flawed CSA SMS scores slowly becoming something of a standard for carrier safety vetting in and of themselves — and wrongly, many argue, agreeing with the carrier community. Problem is, the “Interim Hiring Standard” in the highway bill doesn’t just require what the originally proposed “National Hiring Standard” would have required of carrier-contracting entities relative to safety rating. In the course of drafting the legislative language, someone who obviously didn’t understand trucking apparently took a double negative to mean a positive. A requirement for shippers and brokers to make certain that a carrier … has not been given an “unsatisfactory” safety rating in the safety rating system became has been given a “satisfactory” safety rating in the safety rating system. That’s my paraphrase of the language, fyi, but in any case a double negative here definitely does not make a positive, if you’re a small-business trucker. Such language, it’s worried, would notably exclude, and could well discourage brokers and shippers from doing business with, the universe of carriers (a huge number of whom are owner-operators) that are totally “unrated” under the current system. According to RigDig Business Intelligence‘s data on active for-hire authorized carriers, that would affect well more than a million for-hire trucks and drivers of the smallest fleets around. Here are the raw numbers: RigDig Business Intelligence adjusted active for-hire carriers, by Safety Rating Safety Rating # of Carriers # of Power Units # of Drivers Satisfactory 35,940 1,494,021 1,598,373 Conditional 10,050 131,018 114,046 Unrated 428,108 1,390,693 1,449,523 I’ve heard from several sources that the fix to this is coming, most likely in the conference committee that will be convened to reconcile Senate and House versions of the highway bill (nothing, mind you, like this appears in the Senate version). TIA itself sent out an update to its members last week that said as much, but referred to an amendment that would have elaborated on the hiring standard to include Unrated carriers but, crucially, not the RigDig BI-adjusted 10,050 active Conditional-rated carriers and the 100,000-plus power units they control, as I wrote previously at the following link: The worry over all of this is its potential to create problems that didn’t exist, of course, and unduly discouraging parties to do business with carriers previously deemed safe, CSA scores notwithstanding. Some sources close to these discussions have noted to me off the record that they wish the “hiring standards” language would simply disappear altogether. With CSA percentile scores in the background, perhaps emphasis on such scores in frivolous lawsuits (what the hiring standard purports to be mitigating) would similarly take a backseat as a matter of course, hiring standard or not. At once, however, given lawyers at this point well know the CSA SMS exists, without some explicit clarification of carrier-selection standards the consideration of CSA percentile scores as a marker of safety might well be likely to continue — carrier disclosure of private scores could easily become the norm in the carrier-shipper/broker contracts. In its alert to members last week, TIA called the remaining language in the House highway bill “a step in the right direction” for TIA, ensuring the “National Hiring Standard remains viable during conference” between Senate and House. The association continues to expect a long-term bill to emerge before the Nov. 20 deadline. If you’re an Unrated or Conditional-rated carrier, here’s hoping for reversion to the original language of the hiring standard, whose only safety rating/scoring-related standard was for brokers and shippers to vet carriers to make sure they did not have the Unsatisfactory safety rating. One commenter on my previous story about the exclusion of Conditional carriers from the TIA-preferred fix (the Duncan amendment) illustrated the situation today of such carriers today well. Read more about it in depth in my reporting from 2014 here: http://www.overdriveonline.com/csas-fallout-trapped-in-a-csa-nightmare-part-1/?utm_medium=single_article&utm_campaign=site_click&utm_source=in_story_promotion The carrier’s been saddled with a Conditional rating since September 2013 and has “now hired a consultant (politically correct word for lawyer) to finish this process. The FMCSA is now saying there are 40 companies in front of us [for follow-up review]. It has cost our company $250,000 between lost revenue and increased insurance costs due to having a Conditional rating.” After going totally electronic for logs in an attempt to get back to a Satisfactory safety rating, the carrier got continued insistence from FMCSA that “our fuel receipts did not match our logs, so they claimed we were falsifying our logs,” the commenter noted, who went to describe even getting an official letter from the fuel-card provider “claiming they would not guarantee the [time] data was correct on their reports. During the FMCSA investigation we spoke to Sky City in New Mexico, where half of the claimed false logs were produced. We found out that they process all the fuel transactions at the end of each shift, which means the report from TCH would not match the logs. We gave the info to the FMCSA inspectors and they dismissed the info. Now that we are required to run e-logs … the GPS on the truck shows the stop for fuel and the report reflects the same falsifying information. So my question is who is keeping these people (whose salaries our tax dollars pay) in check?” Reader Richard Spencer, too, noted a similar situation: “My company has been in Conditional rating since October of 2012 and it is all political b/s. Just another tactic to run the independent out of the industry. Conditional rating is the industry’s problem, placing unnecessary hardship on struggling individuals for circumstances that are out of their control. There is absolutely no reason to be placing companies into purgatory and giving them no choice but to run any way they can to make ends meet.” As it’s now written, the preferred fix to the flawed “Interim Hiring Standard,” as represented by the Duncan amendment, would only reinforce those do-or-die issues for Conditional carriers, driving more business away and making that safety rating purgatory something closer to the Unsatisfactory hell.

Commercial Carrier Journal (CCJ) / November 9, 2015 Quarterly earnings reports from equipment manufacturers are being reported, so here’s a roundup of what’s come in so far. Daimler: Sales for Daimler Trucks in North America jumped 19 percent to 52,200 trucks in the third quarter, which set a record for the company. “We continue to grow profitably and are continually developing our business model,” Daimler Chief Financial Officer Bodo Uebber said on the company’s earnings call last month Globally, Daimler Trucks’ unit sales climbed to 128,500 vehicles, a 2 percent bump compared with the third quarter last year. In Western Europe, Daimler Trucks increased its unit sales by 12 percent, while a decrease of 37 percent was recorded in Latin America due to the significant market slump in Brazil. In this environment, Daimler Trucks says it was able to overtake market leadership in Brazil in the medium- and heavy-duty segment. Unit sales in Asia were 6 percent lower than in the prior-year quarter. Paccar: Paccar revenues jumped 16 percent to $431.2 million in the third quarter, the company reported. For the first nine months of 2015, Paccar reported a 31 percent increase in net income to $1.26 billion. Net sales and financial services revenues for the first nine months of 2015 were $14.76 billion compared to $13.88 billion last year. Paccar’s U.S. and Canadian Class 8 retail sales year-to-date are up 18 percent compared to the same period last year. Volvo: Volvo Trucks reported net income of $363.2 million, nearly double the same period last year, despite a 15 percent drop in truck order intake. Global truck orders for the company hit 42,648 units while deliveries reached 47,338 trucks, a 3 percent increase from the third quarter last year. Truck deliveries climbed 10 percent in North America, but overall orders fell 40 percent thanks to drops of 30 percent of Volvo-branded trucks and 51 percent from Mack-branded units. Jan Gurander, Volvo Trucks acting president and CEO, blamed the order decline on dealers focusing on reducing inventories and the comparison with a good quarter last year “… demand in North America is declining, albeit from a very high level,” Gurander said in the company’s earnings release. “During the third quarter, the retail activity in the dealerships in North America remained solid on the back of a good freight environment and customer profitability. The total market forecast for 2015 remains at close to record level of 310,000 heavy-duty trucks. For 2016 we expect demand to continue on a good, but lower, level. The market for 2016 is forecasted to be at about 280,000 trucks.” Cummins: Cummins saw third quarter revenue of $4.6 billion, a 6 percent decrease from 2014’s third quarter. The company said currency negatively impacted sales by 4 percent compared to last year, primarily due to a stronger U.S. dollar. Revenues in North America increased 4 percent while international sales declined 18 percent. Weaker demand in global off highway and power generation markets was partially offset by distributor acquisitions in North America. Earnings before interest and taxes decreased in the third quarter to $577 million, or 12.5 percent of sales, down from $684 million or 14 percent of sales a year ago. “We are disappointed with our results in the third quarter, but we are responding quickly to softening demand,” said Rich Freeland, Cummins president and chief operating officer. “Through a combination of workforce actions and targeted capacity reduction we will position the company for stronger financial performance when market conditions improve.

Heavy Duty Trucking / November 9, 2015 Alkane Truck Company is establishing a new manufacturing facility in Summerville, S.C. where the OEM will build its recently announced line of Class 7 cabover alternative fuel trucks. Alkane will to hire over 300 automotive technicians and employees as the company expands to include the new models. The 100,000-square-foot facility is expected to reach full capacity in two years. The company is currently leasing an existing manufacturing facility in Summerville, to produce the new product line. The Alkane Class 7 cabover trucks will go into full production in the first quarter of 2016 to be sold at around 130 dealerships in the U.S. and Canada. Headquartered in Myrtle Beach, S.C., Alkane specializes in trucks that run on alternative fuels like liquid propane autogas, compressed natural gas and liquefied natural gas. “We have the first and currently the only cab over truck of this weight class powered exclusively with either LPG or CNG in America; that is special,” said Bob Smith, CEO of Alkane. “We will be hiring well over 300 automotive technicians and adding employees as we continue to expand our business to include additional models.” Related reading - http://www.truckinginfo.com/channel/fuel-smarts/news/story/2014/08/chinese-gliders-are-platforms-for-new-american-class-7-8-trucks.aspx .

Autoblog / November 9, 2015 As expected, buried deep inside the many pages of Ford's proposed new contract with the UAW are discussions on what's going to happen at the Michigan Assembly Plant after production of the C-Max and Focus are moved to Mexico after 2018. Not surprisingly, coinciding with that news, two nameplates that have long resonated with traditional Ford buyers are once again circulating the rumor mill: Bronco and Ranger. It's important to note that none of this information has yet been confirmed by Ford, and, when contacted, Ford Truck Communications Manager Mike Levine told us that – you guessed it – "Ford does not comment on speculation or future product plans." But that's certainly not going to stop anybody else from speculating. According to The Detroit Free Press, which quotes the always nebulous "person briefed on the agreement who was not authorized to speak publicly," the Ranger is headed for production by 2020 in Michigan, followed shortly thereafter by a new Bronco. That timing makes sense – assuming the Focus and C-Max move out in 2018, it would take some time to switch gears at the plant from making compact cars to midsize pickup trucks and SUVs. While a new Bronco and US availability of the Ranger will surely be welcome news to small truck and 'ute fans, perhaps less welcome to the rank-and-file at Ford are future production plans that don't include many next-gen cars (as opposed to trucks, crossovers and SUVs) built in America. In addition to the aforementioned compact cars, there's no sign of the Ford Fusion or Taurus in any of Ford's as-yet confirmed production plans. If those models are produced outside US borders, that would leave the Mustang and Lincoln Continental as the only cars Ford produces in the United States. .

2016 Chevrolet Colorado/GMC Canyon Diesel Fuel Economy Released, EPA Conformity Confirmed Car & Driver / November 9, 2015 Conformity can be dull, an act that dissolves your individuality into the flow of the masses like a fluid into a current. Or conformity can be a good thing! Take, for example, when you’re moving to release a new diesel-powered vehicle in the wake of Volkswagen’s brazen diesel-emissions cheating scandal. General Motors gets it, and has announced that in addition to having fresh fuel-economy figures for 2016 GMC Canyon and Chevrolet Colorado diesel trucks in hand, it also has an EPA “Certificate of Conformity” that declares them totally compliant with emissions laws. Come on in, the conformity’s nice and warm. The 2WD diesel-powered Canyon and Colorado are EPA-certified for 22 mpg in the city and 31 mpg on the highway. Four-wheel-drive models boast still-impressive 20/29 ratings. The only other diesel-fueled light-duty truck available in the U.S. right now, the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel (Nissan’s Titan XD isn’t quite out yet, plus EPA ratings remain forthcoming), gets 20/28 mpg in two-wheel-drive guise. Cracking the 30-mpg mark has been truckmakers’ goal for some time, so for the 2WD mid-size GM twins to do so while still offering 7700 pounds of towing (4WD versions are rated for 100 fewer pounds) is most certainly a win. Our only complaint with the truck—we drove it and found it to be quite good—is the lack of a manual transmission or availability with the extended-cab body style. Every diesel-fueled Canyon and Colorado will be a crew cab and come solely with a six-speed automatic transmission. The engine itself, a 2.8-liter four-cylinder turbo-diesel, churns out a mighty 369 lb-ft of torque and a more diesel-appropriate 181 horsepower. It seems that since Chevrolet and GMC initially released pricing for the diesel Colorado and Canyon, that those prices have crept up; the Chevy will start at $35,080 for a two-wheel-drive Crew Cab LT, while the equivalent GMC requires $36,320.

Automotive News / November 9, 2015 The EPA has certified the diesel-powered versions of the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon at 31 mpg highway -- the highest rating of any truck, big or small, gasoline or diesel -- sold in the U.S. The two midsize GM pickups edge past the Ram EcoDiesel, which is EPA-rated at 29 mpg on the highway. Ford’s most fuel-efficient F-150 is powered by a 2.7-liter gasoline V-6 and carries an EPA rating of 26 mpg highway. The 31 mpg puts the GM twins well ahead of the midsize Toyota Tacoma and Nissan Frontier, which are not available with diesel engines. GM is pressing on with its plan to add diesel engines to its lineup, despite the Volkswagen diesel emissions scandal, which has caused regulators all over the world to give diesel-powered vehicles extra scrutiny. Earlier today, GM's product development chief, Mark Reuss, said Chevrolet will launch the next version of the Chevrolet Cruze diesel on schedule for the 2017 model year. GM said that the EPA issued not only the fuel economy ratings but a certificate of conformity stating the agency has no issues or concerns about the emissions systems in both trucks. The Colorado and Canyon are powered by a 2.8-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine. They go on sale before the end of the year with prices for diesel models adding about $3,700 over V-6, gasoline-powered trucks. The official EPA rating for Colorado and Canyon is 22 city/31 highway and 25 combined.

Louisiana police murder 6-year-old child Associated Press / November 9, 2015 A Louisiana man had his hands up and posed no threat to the police who shot him and killed his six-year-old son last week, according to a judge’s description of body camera footage. Two Louisiana police officers are charged with second-degree murder of the boy, Jeremy Mardis, and second-degree attempted murder of the father, Chris Few. Louisiana state police head Colonel Mike Edmonson described the body camera footage as “the most disturbing thing I’ve seen”. The officers, 32-year-old Derrick Stafford and 23-year-old Norris Greenhouse Jr, remained jailed on Monday with a $1 million bond. State police say Stafford is a full-time lieutenant with the Marksville police department; Greenhouse is a full-time city marshal. Both were working part-time as deputy marshals in Marksville’s Ward 2 when Tuesday’s shooting broke out, state police said. Chris Few remains hospitalized with bullet fragments lodged in his brain and lung. He has not yet been told his son is dead. Greenhouse is the son of Norris Greenhouse Sr, an assistant district attorney in Avoyelles Parish. The district attorney, Charles Riddle, says the state attorney general will take over prosecution of the case. The possibility that the officers could post bond and be released Monday, despite the murder charges, and the same day the boy is being buried, has shocked the country. Jeremy Mardis, who was autistic, was buried Monday in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. He had recently moved from Mississippi to Louisiana. The boy’s death came in the midst of local infighting among various Marksville authorities with overlapping jurisdictions. Stafford, for instance, was a Marksville police officer who was moonlighting for the city marshal’s office, an agency that serves court papers in the area. Marksville mayor John Lemoine said Stafford “apparently worked a full shift for us that day, and then that night went to work for the marshal’s office”. Lemoine questioned the legality of the marshal and his officers enforcing laws – and firing their weapons – in Marksville city limits. Marysville city attorney Derrick Whittington says Stafford had faced multiple lawsuits in his role as a Marksville police officer, and that in neighboring Rapides Parish he had been indicted on rape charges that were later dropped. Update: Police investigating the fatal shooting of a six-year-old autistic boy by two Louisiana state marshals are looking into whether one of the police officers had a grudge with the child's father. Jeremy Mardis was shot five times in the head and chest as he sat in the passenger seat of his father Chris Few's car last week by police officers Derrick Stafford, 32, and Norris Greenhouse. Investigators are exploring the possibility that Greenhouse had a personal issue with Few, after Few's fiancée Megan Dixon said Greenhouse had been messaging her on Facebook and coming to their home. Ms Dixon has previously said she 'was the reason this all started', adding that she knew what happened in the moments leading up to the shooting. Update: A Louisiana grand jury indicted two deputy marshals on charges of second-degree murder on Thursday after a 6-year-old boy was killed last month during a volley of gunfire as the officers chased his father's car. The officers, Derrick Stafford, 32, and Norris Greenhouse Jr., 23, also face charges of second-degree attempted murder in the wounding of the boy's father under the indictment returned by a grand jury in central Louisiana's Avoyelles Parish. The two deputy marshals fired at least 18 times at the car during the Nov. 3 incident, wounding 25-year-old Chris Few and killing his son, Jeremy Mardis, who was buckled into the front passenger seat. While local authorities initially said the deputy marshals were trying to arrest Few on a warrant when he fled by car, state police later said there was no record of a warrant. State police found no evidence that Few was armed. Footage of the shooting was captured on a body camera by a third officer at the scene. The video was described by the superintendent of the Louisiana State Police, Colonel Mike Edmonson, as "the most disturbing thing I've seen." Greenhouse was released from jail after posting $1 million bail. Stafford remains in jail because he cannot afford the $1 million bail. He has asked a judge to lower the amount. .

Automotive Business / November 6, 2015 Rumors that Navistar intends to close its truck and engine assembly plant in Canoas, Brazil by early 2016 received a further boost this week. Metalworkers union president Paul Chintolina has told the media that 600 employees are being dismissed. In a statement, Navistar confirms they have "temporarily suspended production of International trucks as a way of adjusting the high inventories," but it hopes to continue engine production. Navistar said its MWM engine subsidiary has a supply contract for GM until February 2016. The contract for the production of 2.8 turbodiesel GM engine produced by MWM was signed in July 2008, with initial deliveries starting in November 2011. The engine is offered in the Brazilian market S10 pickup (new U.S. market Colorado/Canyon) and S-10 based Trailblazer SUV. Last August, GM stated it would terminate this agreement at the beginning of 2016 and intended to switch production to one of its own Brazilian plants. However, GM so far has shown no sign of making an investment to produce the engines. If the decision is back on the table, the decision by GM and Navistar to jointly produce medium truck may have some bearing. With the end of engine production scheduled for February 2016, the Canoas plant will depend exclusively on truck assembly to survive, because all other lines of engine assembly plus the parts distribution center function have already been transferred to the MWM plant in São Paulo. Given Brazil’s severely depressed truck market, it will be difficult for Navistar to continue producing just two models, the 9800i heavy COE tractor and Durastar medium truck, at a time when demand is at record lows. From January to October, only 58 new International trucks were registered in Brazil, down 93.8% from the same period last year when Navistar’s Canoas plant was being sustained by a large 2013 year Durastar order from the Ministry of Agrarian Development (MDA) for 898 trucks. Since production for the contract concluded in June last year, production at Canoas has come to a near standstill and Navistar has now decided to suspend operations indefinitely. Accordingly, truck assembly employees are being let go. Navistar says truck assembly will resume if there is demand. Over the last five years, Navistar has tried to forge a partnership with incoming Chinese truckmakers who needed a production facility in Brazil, including Foton, JAC and Sinotruk, Foton and JAC. All had plans to build truck plants in Brazil until the countries economic slow down. Navistar acquired the Canoas plant from engine maker Maxion in the early 2000s. Navistar acquired Brazilian engine maker MWM in 2005. Navistar has produced International trucks in Brazil since 1998, initially in a rented plant belonging to Agrale in Caxias do Sul. In 2002, Navistar terminated Brazilian production and began building global market 9800i heavy COE tractors in Minnesota, only for export. In 2010, the International brand returned to Brazil, and added the Durastar medium truck series to its small portfolio. Related reading: http://brazil.internationaltrucks.com/trucks/9800i.html http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/index.php?/topic/38944-is-the-end-near-again-for-navistar-in-brazil/?hl=9800i http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/index.php?/topic/41271-navistar-struggles-to-continue-manufacturing-in-brazil/?hl=9800i http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/index.php?/topic/41822-road-test-international-9800i-the-cabover-in-brazil/?hl=9800i .

Industry fury over lack of action on overcharging Australasian Transport / November 9, 2015 Heavy vehicle overcharging to continue for at least two more years. The transport and logistics sector has reacted with anger at state and federal governments on the heavy vehicle charging issue following last week’s Transport and Infrastructure Council meeting. While criticism by industry representative bodies of the heavy vehicle charging regime has been muted in recent years, the tone heated up in the lead-up to the meeting and criticism was strong after the council’s communique was released. Australian Livestock and Rural Transporters Association national president Kevin Keenan, who joined the Australian Trucking Association (ATA) chair Noelene Watson and CEO Christopher Melham to observe the meeting, is "bitterly disappointed" in the decision to leave the situation unchanged. Transport ministers "had a chance to return to fair cost recovery principles but have instead ignored the advice of their own statutory authority and opted to continue the blatant opportunistic tax grab", Keenan says. "Not one of the Ministers present was prepared to do the right thing by industry." The federal government froze the road user charge in its 2014-15 and 2015-16 budgets, in recognition of the problems with the National Transport Commission (NTC) charging model. Over the next two years, truck and bus operators will face $515 million in charges above the revised NTC rate due to an under-estimation of vehicle numbers, the industry charges The communique says registration and fuel fees "will be adjusted appropriately during this period". Keenan’s exasperation is unconcealed. "Ministers have pitched this decision as a step towards implementing the new charging methodology, but this is not the case," he says. "Revenue is being frozen at a level calculated under a flawed model. "Governments will now collect $3.2 billion no matter how much they spend on roads. "Given that government expenditure on road infrastructure actually decreased during the past two years of over-charging, we can now expect to see further deferment of road spending. "I have lost confidence that Governments will ever fix this problem. "We have already had a two year delay and that has just been followed by yet another two year delay. "It is no secret that Governments are actively working on a mass-distance-location charging system and moving to a forward looking cost base. "The persistent over-charging will just be used as leverage to push us into a more complex charging scheme. "How can we trust them to get that right and charge us fairly if they can’t, or more correctly won’t, fix the agreed PAYGO model." The Australian Trucking Association’s (ATA) response focused on the burden and where it lands. "As a result of this decision, truck and bus operators will be overtaxed by $250.2 million in 2016-17 and $264.8 million in 2017-18 – in total, a $515 million hit on an industry filled with small businesses working on wafer thin margins," ATA CEO Chris Melham says. The NTC told ministers in 2014 that overcharging was going on and reforms to the system were needed. However, ministers have merely asked it to complete further work on the issue, thereby delaying any move at a time when government budgets are under pressure. "Ministers requested the National Transport Commission investigate and report back to it with options to advance the methodology to better balance heavy vehicle charges and government revenues," the communique says. "This decision will ensure that governments can maintain the quality of roads and services that support the heavy vehicle industry." Melham says the ATA argued strongly against a freeze to government revenue. The ATA has also taken issue with a government plan for trucking operators to fund the future activities of the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) through registration and fuel charges. "I also told ministers that any future increases in the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator’s budget should be paid for by governments, not industry, given this half billion dollar hit to road transport," Melham says. During the meeting, transport ministers also discussed changes to chain of responsibility contained within the Heavy Vehicle National Law, such as adding primary duty of care provisions covering operators, prime contractors and employers. "The HVNL needs to be streamlined and safety prioritised through the introduction of a general duty that applies to trucking operators, consignors and all other chain parties," Melham says. "By doing this, governments could remove large numbers of prescriptive rules that impose high compliance costs and prevent businesses from innovating. "I’m very pleased that ministers have agreed to a series of changes along these lines, including major improvements to the way roadworthiness is handled. "The ATA looks forward to working closely with the National Transport Commission to develop the fine detail of the reforms." Ministers also agreed to continue work on a harmonised risk-based heavy vehicle inspection regime and to release expenditure plans to show how revenue from registration and fuel charges is being invested. "These measures provide transparency around the costs of services being delivered to heavy vehicle operators and are a key achievement along the path to reforming heavy vehicle investment and charging arrangements," the communique says. Ministers discussed advances in transport technology systems and South Australia’s decision to conduct the country’s first on-road trials of driverless vehicles. "The council agreed it was important to share learnings across jurisdictions; have a view on future challenges; and work towards harmonised standards and regulation to ensure that Australia is well positioned to adopt new technologies," the communique says.

The New York Times / November 8, 2015 On the Dalton Highway, most conversations concern the Dalton Highway. Although there aren’t many people on the road, they inevitably talk about the road. My first conversation, during a three-day drive along the isolated freeway in Alaska, was with a man named Steven Duffy who was working as a waiter at the Yukon River Camp, a lonesome rest stop marooned among the fir trees four hours north of Fairbanks. I had stopped for lunch and encountered Duffy -- the first fellow human I had seen all day -- while still becoming accustomed to the highway’s various perils. Those, I had found, included fog, fatigue, flat tires, facing traffic, passing traffic, potholes, gravel, grizzly bears, rain, snow, sleep-inducing silence, sudden engine failure, an abruptly shattered windshield and running out of gas. “So how’s the road?” Duffy asked as I walked in, getting, in the spirit of the Dalton, straight to the heart of things. He was a big man with a beard and burly shoulders, and as he handed me a menu, it came with some advice. I should probably take it easy on the hills, he said, and be sure to clear my wheel wells out from time to time. It was also important to pay scrupulous attention to my mirrors and to always -- always -- drive slowly through the mud. “This isn’t Anchorage,” he warned. “It’s the middle of freaking nowhere.” After he took my order -- grilled cheese and a coffee -- Duffy added, although it hardly needed saying, “It’s remote out here.” The James W. Dalton Highway, which slices through the wildest and northernmost portions of Alaska, is nothing if not remote. Chiefly made of loose-packed dirt and gravel, it shudders over 414 miles from the flyspeck town of Livengood (population 13) to the grim industrial oil fields that mar the frigid shores of Prudhoe Bay. Along its length, its spine-snapping roadbed cuts through boreal forests, across the Arctic Circle, up and down the passes of the Brooks Range and deep into the reaches of a misty coastal plain. The highway boasts, if that is actually the word, the longest stretch of unserviced road on the North American continent. For 240 miles, from Coldfoot to Deadhorse, there are no gas stations, no flush toilets, no auto body shops, no restaurants, no medical facilities, no hotels, no motels, no state police posts, no cellphone service, no Internet connections, no radio reception -- nothing at all, for a seven-hour span, if you are lucky, but the thoroughfare itself. In addition to these numerous privations, there is also no good reason for a nonprofessional driver to drive the Dalton Highway. Hewed from the permafrost over five brief months in 1974, it originally served as an access road for construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, which itself was built from 1975 to 1977, after oil was discovered on Alaska’s North Slope. Today the Dalton is primarily a haul road for the speeding eighteen-wheelers transporting everything from apple sauce to Therma-steel panels to the oil-field workers living in the scarcities of Deadhorse. In winter, the climate can be brutal: The coldest temperature ever measured in the United States -- minus 82 degrees -- was said to have been recorded on the highway in 1971. And even in the clemency of summer, when temperatures can rise to 65 degrees, the casual traveler is confronted by refrigerated trucks hauling frozen food, by tanker trucks hauling heating oil and water, and by huge tractor-trailers hauling huge modular housing units, all of which have a tendency to fling stones at your windows and, with the right of way, aggressively threaten to run you off the road. My personal not-good reason for driving the Dalton was the TV show “The Wire.” In early June, my girlfriend, Cheyne, left for her own adventure traveling in Europe for the summer, and in her absence, I decided I would catch up on what Netflix had to offer. But when I sat down to watch the show, something went wrong. I was badly distracted; I couldn’t even make it through the credit sequence. So I reached for a book: same thing -- I found I couldn’t read. My brain, it seemed, was congested with a thought-dispersing ooze that stymied every effort at attention. When I tried to diagnose my condition, it suddenly occurred to me that I was very much alone. Although I had been married and was now in a relationship -- albeit at a distance for a season -- it came to me with a nauseating thump that, aside from a few weeks here and there, I had not been on my own in nearly 20 years. This was an unsettling epiphany. But as it passed, I realized that, much as with vaccines, sometimes the poison in one’s life can also be the cure. So at home in Brooklyn I sat at my laptop and Googled the words “loneliest road in America.” After finding several links for U.S. 50 in Nevada, which I had already driven, I saw one for the Dalton. I clicked the link and found a passage reading: “There are only three very sparsely populated towns along the entire route -- Coldfoot, Wiseman and Deadhorse. So it’s probably wise to stock up on food and gas.” Two months later I landed in Alaska. I rented a custom-rigged RAV 4 with triple-tread tires and a CB radio, filled the tank to capacity, checked the brakes and oil, and then the next morning drove due north from Fairbanks toward the Dalton. All that I had with me was a bag of clothes, some water, cheese and trail mix, and a vague belief that if I was alone, it might as well be very alone, and on the road. After lunch in Yukon River I turned on my radio. The experiment failed. The little digital numbers churned four times through the FM dial then finally caught on 88.3, a contemporary Christian station out of Fairbanks. For half-a-minute, I was treated to a tune called “Trust in Jesus” (“Blessed redeemer/My Lord forever”), then all trace of human voice was gone. The Dalton’s emptiness is practically a mandate to merge with the landscape, and the landscape I was passing through was striking. Fields of fireweed burned near the shoulder, an incendiary carpeting of lavender. Amid the purple, red and yellow wildflowers popped like flaming sparklers, and hovering above them was the white wisp of cirrus cloud fallen from the sky. In the distance there were hills, the near hills green and vibrant, the far hills gray and faded, like memories of themselves. And through these hills went the road: a long, brown, dull, unfurling tongue. Whenever you get romantic about the beauty of the Dalton, the highway has a habit of kicking you in the back. Lost in a reverie about how Tolkienesque it seems, you might pass through a valley choked with blinding fog or skid across a sudden patch of washboard, that angry rutted surface that -- chukka-chukka-chukka -- buckets you up and down. In summer, the road is often treated with calcium chloride, a chemical compound that helps to keep the dust down, but that quickly turns into a greasy gruel when wet. Especially south of Coldfoot, there are several daunting hills with grades of up to 9 percent and unnerving names like the Roller Coaster. While not as perilous as the winding mountain route through Atigun Pass, two hours north of Coldfoot, they tend to slow you down -- sometimes to 20 mph or less. It was not far from the Arctic Circle, while descending one of these hills, that I finally made peace with the oddest aspect of the Dalton’s scenic backdrop: the pipeline. For mile after mile, it had blandly snaked beside me, following the highway like an endless ugly suture made of steel. Beyond the road itself, the pipeline is the Dalton’s most intrusive man-made structure -- both its bane and raison d'être. There is something profoundly unnatural about the way its metal segments march across the countryside. And something mocking, too: Even though hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil a day pass through the pipeline, the tube itself passes through a wilderness with only three places to fill your car with gas. The town of Coldfoot is not in fact a town. Technically, it is a “census-designated place” in what is known as the Yukon-Koyukuk area. But really, it is no more than a truck stop with a post office. All of Coldfoot could likely be contained within a football field: the Old West-looking restaurant, the pair of busy gas pumps, the sprawling muddy parking lot and the odoriferous rooms at Coldfoot Camp, which rent -- for $200 a night -- inside a trailer. I got to Coldfoot seven hours after setting out from Fairbanks, blissfully on one of the highway’s rare paved sections. It was 3 p.m. and after checking in I took a nap. When I woke up, I found a dead mouse in a trap outside my door and a shirtless man in the common room talking to a television set. By now it was six but still as bright as noon outside. In Coldfoot, in August, the sun barely sets. Crossing the lot, I made my way past a fleet of filthy pickups toward the bar. If Coldfoot has a claim to fame, aside from being the world’s most northern truck stop, it may be that it’s the only place on the Dalton where you can legally buy a drink. Founded in the 19th century as the Slate Creek mining camp, Coldfoot got its present name in 1900 when travelers on a nearby river got cold feet as winter came on and wisely turned around. These days the rest stop, which is midway on the highway, serves as a fuel depot for the truckers making barrel runs to Deadhorse. When I was there, it was also a base for hunters and a small brigade of construction workers working on the pipeline. The only person at the bar when I arrived was a hulking man in a T-shirt reading, “The Plural of Moose Is Moose,” who was demolishing some chili from the all-you-can-eat buffet ($21.95). But by the time I loaded up on the hotline’s green beans, cabbage and chicken puttanesca, the place was filled with pipeline workers, including one named Mark. Mark, who kept his last name to himself so as not to annoy his employer, had for years been a medic in Portland, Oregon. But recently he burned out on the job and found his way to the Dalton in the desperate hopeful manner of a Jack London character. In my three days on the highway, I never met an actual Alaskan: I met Floridians, Virginians, a woman from Connecticut and a guy from British Columbia traveling on a Harley with his dog riding shotgun in a sidecar. In the Dalton’s nagging solitude, human bonds form quickly. And soon enough Mark and I were discussing our jobs, our loves, our politics and, naturally, the road. The washboard was the worst, he said -- “It’ll run you into a ditch” -- although he granted that the potholes weren’t much better. It was around that point that one of Mark’s colleagues leaned in with a comment. “Oh, hell no!” he exclaimed, having heard that I was headed up to Deadhorse. “You do not want to be on that part of the road.” Then, sipping his drink, he seemed to soften. “I guess you’ll be all right,” he said. “Probably.” I woke the next morning at 5 a.m. Since I was traveling to Deadhorse and rain was in the forecast, I wanted to start early. It was 44 degrees outside, but at least for now the sun was throwing shredded orange daylight over the mountains. As I set out, the road got bad, then better, then bad again, until I came to Atigun Pass, where it began to rain and the highway turned into Campbell’s Chunky soup. Climbing to 4,739 feet on slimy switchbacks with semis both in front of and behind me was a far more potent stimulant than Coldfoot’s tepid coffee. But descending from the pass I reached a vacant plain, the jaundiced sun obscured behind a leaden bank of fog, and in all that emptiness, with the highway jostling hypnotically beneath me, I suddenly forgot that I was on my own. If loneliness is the state of being aware of your aloneness, then solitude is different: To be solitary is to be inside yourself with no need for escape -- a separateness without the human ache of isolation. It was with these thoughts that I finally got to Deadhorse, which may rank as the most horrific place on planet Earth. The town, if you can call it that, is the apotheosis of petrochemical dismalness: a wasteland of oil tanks, acetylene fires, heavy-machine repair shops and spill-abatement companies that is drenched in freezing rain and pocked with muddy puddles, and where everyone I encountered wondered what in the world I was doing there at all. In between arriving and filling my car with gas, I had seen enough of Deadhorse. I had planned to spend the night there, but after getting in at noon, and with 10 more hours of sunless daylight pending, I ate a hasty lunch, turned around and drove another six hours back to Coldfoot. The following day, as I returned to Fairbanks, I passed the Yukon River Camp. Feeling solitarily sociable, I stopped in on a whim to see if Steven Duffy was around. He was not. He had apparently gone to Fairbanks himself to use the Internet for his fantasy football draft, but the waitress who took care of me amply filled his shoes. I bought some coffee and she handed me my change. Then she asked, “So how’s the road?”

Owner/Driver / November 6, 2015 Australia's transport ministers ignore calls to stop overtaxing trucking operators. The nation’s transport ministers have delivered a slap in the face to the trucking industry by agreeing to overcharge operators by more than $500 million in registration and fuel fees. Transport ministers met today as part of the Transport and Infrastructure Council to discuss heavy vehicle charges and decided to stick with the existing system despite knowing it has led to trucking operators paying too much. The trucking industry urged ministers to reduce fees to make up for years of overcharging, but they decided instead to freeze the revenue from charges at 2015-16 levels for the next two years. A communique from the meeting says registration and fuel fees "will be adjusted appropriately during this period". Trucking operators will be overcharged by about $200 million in 2015-16, meaning the decision to freeze revenue at current levels will ensure overcharging keeps occurring. "As a result of this decision, truck and bus operators will be overtaxed by $250.2 million in 2016-17 and $264.8 million in 2017-18 – in total, a $515 million hit on an industry filled with small businesses working on wafer thin margins," Australian Trucking Association (ATA) CEO Chris Melham says. The National Transport Commission (NTC) told ministers back in 2014 that overcharging was going on and reforms to the system were needed. However, ministers are clearly not satisfied with the NTC’s recommendations and have asked it to complete further work on the issue. "Ministers requested the National Transport Commission investigate and report back to it with options to advance the methodology to better balance heavy vehicle charges and government revenues," the communique from the ministerial meeting says. "This decision will ensure that governments can maintain the quality of roads and services that support the heavy vehicle industry." Melham, who was an observer at the ministerial meeting, says the ATA argued strongly against a freeze to government revenue. The ATA has also taken issue with a government plan for trucking operators to fund the future activities of the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) through registration and fuel charges. "I also told ministers that any future increases in the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator’s budget should be paid for by governments, not industry, given this half billion dollar hit to road transport," Melham says. During the meeting, transport ministers also discussed changes to chain of responsibility contained within the Heavy Vehicle National Law, such as adding primary duty of care provisions covering operators, prime contractors and employers. "The HVNL needs to be streamlined and safety prioritised through the introduction of a general duty that applies to trucking operators, consignors and all other chain parties. By doing this, governments could remove large numbers of prescriptive rules that impose high compliance costs and prevent businesses from innovating," Melham says. "I’m very pleased that ministers have agreed to a series of changes along these lines, including major improvements to the way roadworthiness is handled. The ATA looks forward to working closely with the National Transport Commission to develop the fine detail of the reforms." Ministers also agreed to continue work on a harmonised risk-based heavy vehicle inspection regime and to release expenditure plans to show how revenue from registration and fuel charges is being invested. "These measures provide transparency around the costs of services being delivered to heavy vehicle operators and are a key achievement along the path to reforming heavy vehicle investment and charging arrangements," the communique says. The council discussed the implementation of an online map of national key freight routes, a process that started two years ago. "The council agreed to Australia’s first ever national key freight routes map in November 2014 and the new online version brings transport mapping into the digital age," the communique says. Ministers discussed advances in transport technology systems and South Australia’s decision to conduct the country’s first on-road trials of driverless vehicles. "The council agreed it was important to share learnings across jurisdictions; have a view on future challenges; and work towards harmonised standards and regulation to ensure that Australia is well positioned to adopt new technologies," the communique says.

Driving the 2017 ISX15 with SmartAdvantage powertrain Truck News / November 6, 2015 Having recently completed a coast-to-coast tour in the US and Canada showcasing its prototype 2017 ISX15, Cummins joined Eaton this week in Michigan to allow the first editor test drives and to announce the launch of a new SmartAdvantage powertrain. Michael Taylor, general manager, global powertrain with Cummins, said the 2017 engine has already been well tested, even though it won’t launch until late next year. He said it has already accumulated more than nine million miles in real-world customer applications, which is equal to 4,000 trips from coast to coast. Early indications are that the engine will excel in the four key areas customers care about: uptime, fuel economy, driveability and maintenance. Taylor vowed the 2017 ISX15 will deliver the best fuel economy and lowest overall total cost of ownership in the industry, even when compared to 13L engines. Asked how a larger, heavier engine can compete with a more compact 13-litre in terms of fuel economy, Taylor said, “With a big bore engine like the 15-litre ISX, you are able to take advantage of the low-end torque and you’re able to lug the engine down to a lower speed. As you go lower in speed, you reduce frictional losses and improve your overall parasitics, so you’re actually operating in a more efficient range of the engine. With a big bore engine you have the opportunity to utilize that low-end torque and therefore get higher efficiency compared to a smaller engine, where you’re not capable of lugging down as far and therefore have to run at higher speeds, which generates higher friction.” Taylor also noted 15-litre engines tend to last longer and maintain a higher residual value than 13-litre engines. The truck I drove on some Interstate highway and secondary roads near Marshall was equipped with the 2017 ISX15 and SmartAdvantage powertrain. The SmartAdvantage combines the ISX with the Fuller Advantage Series automated manual transmission. The overdrive transmission features a small, 26% step between ninth and tenth gears, allowing for quick shifts and the ability to easily and efficiently pop back and forth between the top two gears so the transmission is always in its most efficient gear. “The small step between ninth and tenth gives us the opportunity to switch between ninth and tenth and keep the engine right in the sweet spot,” Taylor explained. “It’s okay to downshift. It’s switching gears fast enough and selects the most efficient gear based on all the data exchanged between the engine and the transmission.” Taylor said this is an ideal line-haul spec’, where engine cruise speeds would average 62 mph or higher. During my drive the transmission did change frequently between ninth and tenth gears. We were loaded to about 65,000 lbs and cruised at about 1,150-1,200 rpm. All SmartAdvantage powertrains are limited to gross combination weights of 80,000 lbs, making it an ideal spec’ for north-south runs into the US but posing some limitations for higher-payload domestic routes within Canada. The SmartAdvantage powertrain with small step technology can now be ordered with 400- and 420-hp ratings, in addition to the 450-hp initial offering. The 2017 ISX15 carries over all the latest features Cummins offers on its current product. These include: vehicle acceleration management, which limits power on acceleration to save fuel; SmartTorque2, which senses vehicle weight, grade and operating gear to slect the appropriate torque output; and SmartCoast, which disengages the driveline when coasting downhill to save fuel. Cummins officials were reluctant to divulge specific changes that have been built into the 2017 product, but those details will be available closer to the official launch date. The engines available to drive this week were prototypes, but fairly advanced in the development cycle. During their joint press event here this week, Cummins and Eaton also announced availability of a new SmartAdvantage powertrain featuring a 10-speed direct drive transmission. The new offering, intended for regional haul and LTL applications with average road speeds of less than 62 mph, gives the SmartAdvantage broader coverage of the industry. While the small-step overdrive SmartAdvantage readily jumps between the two top gears to ensure maximum efficiency, the 10-speed direct drive is inclined to grab and hold tenth gear to maximize the time spent in more efficient direct drive. The direct drive SmartAdvantage features faster rear axle ratios (2.26, 2.28 and 2.39 ratios are available, while the small step overdrive version offers rear axle ratios of 2.64 and 2.78). “One of the key enablers of this technology is the release of 2.26 and 2.28 axles, which gives us the opportunity to downspeed our direct drive transmission,” explained Ryan Trzybinski, product strategy manager, commercial powertrain, Eaton. “With those axle ratios, we can run our direct drive as low as 1,240 rpm at 65 mph – not quite to the overdrive level, but running in direct drive brings new features and opportunities to us…In regional haul applications with slower speeds and where you’re able to maintain and hold top gear, direct drive can give you an advantage over our SmartAdvantage small step.” Generally speaking, direct drive transmissions, with their ability to transmit power directly through the main shaft without parasitic losses, are more efficient than overdrive transmissions. But throw in some hills and higher average road speeds and an overdrive transmission could provide better performance, which is why Cummins and Eaton are now pleased to be able to offer both solutions. The two companies first announced their SmartAdvantage integrated powertrain in 2014, touting a 3-6% fuel economy advantage compared to their existing products at that time, which weren’t yet fully integrated. The addition this year of SmartCoast has added another 2% in fuel savings, the companies say. Having expanded the SmartAdvantage options available, Cummins and Eaton have also revamped their joint Web site. Customers can now access more tools and information at www.SmartAdvantagePowertrain.com to determine which configuration is best for their application.

Heavy Duty Trucking / November 6, 2015 Oakley Transport is adding Bendix collision-mitigation, full-stability, and side-object detection systems on around 300 new Volvo tractors, the carrier has announced. Specifically, the carrier will equip the new trucks with the Bendix Wingman Advanced collision-mitigation system along with the Bendix Electronic Stability Program system and the Bendix BlindSpotter Side Object Detection system. Around 250 of these trucks are already on the road with the majority being deployed by the end of the year. “Oakley Transport places a premium on safety,” said Peter Nativo, Oakley’s maintenance director. “Safety is the most important of the four service standards that guide our company, and it’s ingrained in everyone here. The Bendix technologies are another integral part of our safety offerings and they’ve already proven to be a wise investment.” Of the 250 trucks already equipped with Bendix Wingman Advanced, only one has been involved in a rear-end collision since late 2013 while 250 trucks without the system recorded eight such collisions. “In one example of how well Wingman Advanced works, the system helped one of our drivers avoid running into a set of tandems that were sitting on the highway in a low-light situation,” said Nativo. “Before our driver saw the wheels ahead, the system detected the hazard and gave the driver a three-second visual and audible stationary object warning, allowing him to take evasive action.” Based out of Lake Wales, Fla., Oakley is a liquid bulk food-grade carrier with 500 trucks and 770 trailers in its fleet. It serves the U.S., Canada and Mexico. To find out more about Bendix’s safety systems, click here.

Taking Cummins' 2017 ISX15 diesel for a drive Fleet Owner / November 6, 2015 Fleets and trucking companies have more options for integrated Cummins-Eaton ISX15 SmartAdvantage Powertrains, including a new direct drive ratio. To highlight that, the companies let reporters drive some tractor-trailers sporting different SmartAdvantage configurations Wednesday, Nov. 4 — two of them, for the first time, with Cummins' 2017 ISX15 diesel being readied for the market to meet new emissions standards. Some of the trucks came from Cummins' Redefining Tour fleet showcasing the capabilities of the current and upcoming ISX15 engines. The tour trucks together logged nearly 77,000 miles in the United States and Canada. Mario Sanchez-Lara, director of on-highway communications and technical sales at Cummins, said the tour made believers of the drivers involved — including one who he said found the new trucks' fuel economy, ease of operation and comfort so convincing it opened up the possibility of returning to a former career as an owner-operator. While the companies wouldn't yet talk specifics about fuel economy of the 2017 engine, Mike Taylor, Cummins' general manager of global powertrains, said Cummins expects the new ISX15 will provide "best-in-class uptime with best-in-class fuel economy." Also, "with maintenance — and I can't say a whole lot more about this — it's going to be game-changing," he said. SmartAdvantage portfolio expanded New SmartAdvantage Powertrain options include direct drive transmissions that optimize performance and fuel economy for regional and less-than-truckload carriers whose trucks cruise at speeds below 62 mph, according to Cummins and Eaton. SmartAdvantage small-step overdrive powertrains, which are aimed at line-haul applications with cruising speeds above 62 mph, are now available with additional horsepower ratings. When the SmartAdvantage Powertrains were released for 2014, the companies claimed they provided fuel economy gains of 3-5%, noted Ryan Trzybinski, Eaton's global product strategy manager for line haul commercial powertrains. "We keep saying how we're not done — this is a collaboration," he said. "Since then, we've added SmartCoast, which is a neutral-coasting feature, and we're up another 2% in fuel economy. We have done testing, and we're up to 7% [fuel economy advantage] over competitive integrated powertrains," Trzybinski contended. Cummins and Eaton have continued to refine the SmartAdvantage integrated powertrains by sharing more data between the engine and transmission, he explained, adding, "That's part of what enables us to increase fuel economy and give the performance we can; we're optimizing our shifting for each environment." The direct drive transmission options include 2.26 and 2.28 axle ratios with ISX15 engines rated at 400 and 450 HP and use engine down-speeding to maximize fuel efficiency. The original small-step overdrive powertrain also employs down-speeding technology and has a 2.64 axle ratio and ISX15 with a 450 HP rating; the small-step tranny configuration is now available with ISX15s with 400 and 420 HP ratings. With the small-step powertrain's 2.64 axle ratio, "that's going to cruise in the 1,140 [RPM] range," Trzybinski said. "And now with the direct drive with those axle ratios we mentioned, we can run a direct drive as low as about 1,240 RPM at 65 mph. So we're getting down not quite to the overdrive level in terms of down-speeding, but you're also running it in direct, which brings in some new opportunities. "We're the only integrated powertrain to offer both" the direct drive and small-step overdrive transmission options, he added. "If you're going to go faster, like your typical line haul, and spend more time in top gear, the small-step SmartAdvantage product that we've had available since 2014 is still going to be your best fuel economy option," Trzybinski said. "But if you're going to go a little slower, maybe with a cruise speed of 62 mph and below, our options with the SmartAdvantage direct drive transmission perform better from a fuel economy standpoint."

If the U.S. Navy wanted to conduct top secret operations allegedly involving the test firing of a Trident II missile from the ballistic missile submarine USS Kentucky, given they have the entire Pacific Ocean to work with, or the Indian Ocean (the secretive Diego Garcia) for that matter, why would they instead force commercial aircraft flying in and out of LAX (one of the country’s busiest airports) to take alternative routes for a week and send the alleged missile over Orange County, California? What were they really doing? Was the object actually a U.S. missile? In a convoluted way, the event reminds one of when the government authorized the military to use the population of San Francisco as unsuspecting human guinea pigs for germ warfare experimentation in 1950 (and other US cities, from the 1940s thru the 1960s), a direct violation of the Nuremberg Code which stipulates that “voluntary, informed consent” is required for research participants, and that experiments which might lead to death or disabling injury are unacceptable. Of course, what they admitted to, and what they were actually doing, are quite possibly two different things. http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB1003703226697496080 http://www.businessinsider.sg/the-military-tested-bacterial-weapons-in-san-francisco-2015-7/ .

Meanwhile, Germany has come to its senses about the nightmare that Merkel has created. Berlin has announced that the hundreds of thousands of Syrians entering Germany will NOT be granted asylum or refugee status. Syrians will only be allowed to enter Germany for ONE YEAR, are barred from having family members join them, and will only enjoy “subsidiary protection” which limits their rights as refugees. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/06/germany-imposes-surprise-curbs-on-syrian-refugees --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- New Year resolutions of the United States. 1. No to Middle Eastern refugees freely entering the US......they can apply to immigrate thru the normal process (they're actually from all over the place.......over half are not "refugees" at all) 2. All illegal aliens in the US must be immediately deported, and black-listed from legally immigrating to the US in the future, the penalty for their crime. Intentionally entering the U.S. illegally shows a character flaw that we don't need more of. 3. The U.S. citizenship of all birth tourism babies over the last 10 years must be revoked. The founding fathers did not intend for foreigners to fly to the US (and even US territories like Saipan) to give birth, so the child's family could use this means (loophole) to immigrate later.

John Q. Public, are your tax dollars being spent by your Washington employees as you intended? “Really ambitious goals” about increasing the number of U.S.-bound refugees??? I don’t recall discussing or approving any “really ambitious goals”. It's not up to the White House to decide how many, if any, Middle Eastern refugees may come to the US. The decision is up to the American people. You have to hand it to the State Department though. They are brilliant at keeping 90 percent of their work off the radar of their boss, the American people. They generally are clueless about the antics of the State Dept around the world, which have caused America's reputation to sink to an all-time low. One can't lead without being respected, and respect is earned by demonstrating a wide range of admired traits. --------------------------------------------------------------------- U.S. to open new screening centers for Syrian refugees - State Department Reuters / November 6, 2015 The Obama administration is moving to increase and accelerate the number of Syrian refugees who might be admitted into the United States by opening new screening outposts in Iraq and Lebanon, administration officials told Reuters on Friday. The move comes after President Barack Obama pledged in September to admit an additional 10,000 refugees in 2016 from Syria, torn by four years of civil war and disorder. The U.S. State Department confirmed the plans to open a refugee settlement processing center in Erbil, Iraq, before the end of 2015, and to resume refugee processing in Lebanon in early 2016, said spokeswoman Danna Van Brandt. The White House would not say how many additional refugees it may take in beyond the 10,000, but two senior administration officials said they are seeking ways to increase the number. "We want to be in a place where we can push out really ambitious goals," said one of the officials, who spoke to Reuters on the condition of anonymity. The State Department runs nine screening centers worldwide that serve as meeting points for refugees and U.S. Department of Homeland Security employees who have to decide who is suitable for resettlement in the United States. The additional centers will double the number available to refugees in the Middle East. Most Syrians are now screened for potential U.S. resettlement at centers in Istanbul and Amman, Jordan. The new centers are designed to "increase the channels" the United States has for reaching Syrian refugees, the official said. Homeland Security workers stopped traveling to Lebanon to meet with refugees when the facility there closed over a year ago due to security concerns. That closure sparked outrage among refugee advocates who say Lebanon holds the largest number of Syrian refugees, most of whom live in poverty because it is illegal for them to work. Lebanon announced last month, however, that it would no longer accept Syrian refugees except in special cases. Amid a tide of refugees in Europe, some congressional Democrats and refugee advocates say the United States should do more for Syrians who often make dangerous journeys to lands where they have no home or means of employment. Some Republicans have raised concerns that allowing more Syrians into the United States jeopardizes national security. "We have little or no information about who these people are ... no ability to determine whether they are radicalized," Republican Senator Jeff Sessions said at a hearing on Oct. 2. Another senior administration official told Reuters that the United States is also encouraging other countries to contribute more money to the United Nations' effort to help refugees. The administration is also looking to increase aid to Syria's border countries of Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey as they take in millions fleeing the war, the official said.

I apologize for making BC homesick but this is a smashing program. Hopefully those pills can help him through it. If he leaves a note under his wife's pillow this week and reappears at Maritime, I'm not responsible.