kscarbel2

I say that, with respect to the second best looking Mack conventional of all time, the Australian market Value-Liner. .

Ford begins medium-duty production in Ohio Fleet Owner / August 12, 2015 The revamped F-650 and F-750 medium-duty truck models unveiled by Ford Motor Co. in March last year are now rolling of the production line at the OEM’s Ohio Assembly Plant. Previously built in Mexico, Ford said shifting the production of its medium-duty truck line to Ohio last year helped secure more than 1,000 hourly jobs. The OEM added it also invested $168 million in its Ohio plant to build its redesigned medium-duty models. “Our investment in Ohio Assembly Plant reinforces our commitment to building vehicles in America and to delivering best-in-class commercial trucks,” noted Joe Hinrichs, Ford’s president for the Americas, said in a statement. “Working with our partners in the UAW, we found a way to make the costs competitive enough to bring production of a whole new generation of work trucks to Ohio.” Opened in 1974, Ford’s Ohio Assembly Plant now employs nearly 1,400 people. In addition to now producing all Ford F-650 and F-750 models and configurations, the plant also produces Ford E-Series cutaway vans and stripped chassis. More information regarding the all-new 2016 Ford F-650 and F-750 model lineup can be found here.

Value-Liner, the most beautiful Mack conventional of all time. .

At any given moment, for every one man working, I see one to five men just standing around. The union fostered environment. The employees appear as though they're more accustomed to assembling compact cars..........and they probably are.

The "fine young man" shot by police in self-defense this week after he attacked them with a stolen handgun. (did he ever work a day in his life so as to pay for something?) Tyrone Harris Jr. called himself 'Glocks' after the gun maker, and was part of a group called the 'Pistol Gang'. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3195156/Armed-teenager-shot-police-Ferguson-anniversary-Michael-Brown-s-death-called-Glocks-posed-guns-boasted-gangster.html

Or, rather then go thru the expense of rebuilding a 12+ year old truck (not knocking the idea), you can buy a new Fitzgerald glider kit with a pre-emissions proven and reliable Series 60 Detroit, and choose from Kenworth, Peterbilt and Freightliner. https://www.fitzgeraldgliderkits.com/detroit-60-series/

Sorry to hear today that Carter has cancer. As for as I am concerned, Carter is a great human being, one of the few in leadership during my lifetime. Sub drivers make good presidents. http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/former-us-president-jimmy-carter-says-he-has-cancer/ar-BBlGLk4

By intention, the 300 Plus was designed for a multi-speed transmission (9 or more speeds). But having said that, we had customers pair them with Maxitorque 5-speeds and drive them thousands of miles, completely satisfied with performance, fuel economy, ect. Operators do need to watch their pyrometers in "extreme" operating conditions.

Reuters / August 12, 2015 Ford Motor Co. today will start building its medium-duty F-650 and F-750 commercial trucks at its Avon Lake plant outside of Cleveland, Ohio. The shift to the 41-year-old plant here means that about 1,000 workers represented by the UAW will keep their jobs, Jimmy Settles, UAW vice president, said in a statement issued by the company. There are about 1,400 workers at the Avon Lake complex. Ford is currently in negotiations with the UAW for a new national contract affecting about 52,300 workers. Just before those talks began last month, Ford announced it would move production of small cars Focus and C-Max from a plant in Wayne, Mich. Ford has not confirmed UAW comments that the production is shifting to Mexico. "Working with our partners in the UAW, we found a way to make the costs competitive enough to bring production of a whole new generation of work trucks to Ohio," said Joe Hinrichs, Ford president of North America and South America. From 2000 until earlier this year, the commercial trucks were built by a joint venture of Ford and Navistar International Corp. called Blue Diamond in Escobedo, Mexico. The trucks are often sold as cab-and-chassis skeletons and customized by purchasers to serve a wide range of uses from beverage delivery to ambulances to oilfield services. The 2016 model year trucks go on sale later this summer, which is a few months later than Ford had announced when it first announced the shift of production to Ohio in March 2014. For every F-650 or F-750 truck sold to a fleet buyer, another six Ford trucks are also sold to the same customer, said Mike Levine, Ford truck spokesman. He said that in 2014, the company sold 9,627 F-650 and F-750 models, which was 11 percent more than the previous year. The trucks will sell from $56,705 for a gasoline-powered regular cab F-650 to $76,690 for a diesel-powered tractor crew cab. Prices include delivery charges. The Avon Lake plant was where Ford for years built Econoline vans. In recent years, the name was changed to E-Series vans, which are no longer produced. Now, Ford builds its Transit vans in Kansas City, Mo.

I apologize to all for not at first including this related reading: http://www.kenworth.com.au/trucks/C509/ http://www.kenworth.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/C509_web.pdf

Report: F-35 Inferior to Older US, Foreign Fighters Stars & Stripes / August 11, 2015 The F-35 Lightning II passed a major milestone last month when the Marine Corps declared it operational, but the accomplishment has not silenced critics. A Washington think tank released a report Tuesday that found the 5th-generation jet – billed as the world's most advanced fighter – will be outmaneuvered in dogfights with current Russian and Chinese jets as well as the U.S. aircraft it is slated to replace. The report comes after details were leaked last month on a test flight where the F-35 was bested in most aerial maneuvering by an F-16. "The F-35 will find itself outmaneuvered, outgunned, out of range, and visible to enemy sensors," according to Bill French, a policy analyst with the National Security Network, a progressive think tank that claims to challenge overly militarized conservative defense policies. "Staying the present course [on the aircraft program] may needlessly gamble away a sizable margin of American airpower at great expense and unnecessary risk to American lives." The think tank has an advisory board that includes Sandy Berger, the national security advisor to President Bill Clinton, and Richard Clarke, a senior White House advisor to several administrations. A call and email request for comment were not immediately answered. Related Video After 14 years and over $390 billion invested, the first F-35s entered service just two weeks ago when the Marines completed a battery of tests on a squadron of Harrier variants in Yuma, Ariz., and declared it ready for deployment around the world. Navy and Air Force variants are still being developed, and U.S. weapons contractor Lockheed Martin is working to overcome software and engine difficulties. The Defense Department says the joint strike fighter will bring cutting-edge technology to the battlefield and become the backbone of United States air power over the next five decades. Congress has backed the program as a costly but necessary upgrade following years of delays, massive cost overruns and a final price tag estimated at $1.4 trillion. But the F-35 has become a magnet for criticism and doubt. The blog War is Boring published a leaked report by a test pilot who flew an F-35 against an F-16 in a mock dogfight at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., in January. The pilot wrote that the joint strike fighter performed sluggishly against the older jet and was mostly inferior in testing that consisted of "traditional basic fighter maneuvers in offensive, defensive and neutral setups at altitudes ranging from 10,000 to 30,000 feet." French compared the power, maneuverability and maximum payloads of the F-35 against the Russian-made MiG-29 Fulcrum and the Su-27 Flanker, which is made by Russia and flown by China. The U.S.'s next generation fighter is "grossly inferior in terms of wing loading [except for the Navy variant], transonic acceleration and thrust-to-weight," French wrote in his report, "F-35, Thunder without Lightning." "These are the kinds of aircraft the F-35 would most likely face in air-to-air engagements against a high-end opponent," he wrote. The F-35 fared little better against the F-16, F-18 and AV-8B Harrier, which it is expected to replace in the current fleet due to its planned versatility. It was weaker in thrust, acceleration and wing loading, according to French. "These performance factors are critical to building up speed and gaining or retaining energy that enables the aircraft to maneuver and gain advantages in firing position against other aircraft or defeating incoming missiles," he wrote. The aircraft also has its defenders inside the Washington beltway. "Compared with an F-15 or F-16, this is the most survivable tactical aircraft we've ever fielded," said Loren Thompson, chief operating officer at the Lexington Institute who has worked as a consultant for Lockheed. Thompson has authored recent articles cheering the program as a success and said it is typical for newly developed military aircraft – especially very expensive ones – to be heavily scrutinized. He called the V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft, which killed 19 Marines during development and raised safety concerns before being integrated into the fleet a few years ago, a perfect metaphor for the joint strike fighter. Thompson said he had not seen the National Security Network report Tuesday morning but that the earlier leaked test documents on the F-16 dogfight in California provided only a partial picture because it involved an F-35 that was not completely operational. For example, the pilot was not equipped with the F-35's much-heralded advanced helmet, a key feature in dogfights that provides a 360-degree view through the surrounding aircraft. "It's naïve to think that three presidents and three U.S. military services would have spent so many billions of dollars on a program that doesn't work," he said.

http://www.scania.com/products-services/services/fleet-management/

Scania Press Release / August 11, 2015 From cow udders to your breakfast table. Yes, we’re talking milk. But how does it end up at your place? One thing’s for sure. Meticulous logistics are involved. “Our ten vehicles pick up milk and milk products from farms and factories both in South Australia and other Australian states, and transport the produce within South Australia and around the country. Each truck runs 23 hours per day and can carry up to 41,000 litres (10,831 U.S. gallons) of milk,” says Mathew Williamson, Fleet Manager at Milkflow. Mathew is a guy with many strings to his bow. He’s a dad, a self-confessed car and truck fan and has two challenging jobs that he couldn’t live without. And aside from heading up the fleet operation of one of South Australia’s largest and ‘greenest’ raw milk logistic service providers, he also fights fires at SA Metropolitan Fire Service. In 2009 Mathew and his colleagues at Milkflow decided to take another step in the green direction and introduced Scania Fleet Management. “The system tells us where our vehicles are at any time and can monitor driver behavior, such as speeding and fuel consumption. We can also do vehicle odometer readings for servicing or operational requirements and see if the vehicles are on or off legitimate routes.” Based on this information, the drivers are coached in how to improve their driving to achieve better fuel economy and reduced environmental impact. Mathew, who’s no technophobe, was keen to implement the new system. The drivers, though, were a bit skeptical about being so closely monitored. “When it was first installed they weren’t keen. Now they see the system as an incentive to excel at driving. And when we published the fuel consumption for each driver, they started competing with each other to get better results,” says Mathew. Facts at a glance - Scania Fleet Management helps you identify key data for increasing your fleet productivity - The system provides options for monitoring, analyzing and controlling the fleet with the aid of a number of customized services, all aimed at maximized uptime and improved safety. - You can monitor where your vehicles are, their fuel consumption, how they are driven and when servicing will be needed. - You can also use the information to analyze driver performance and thereby improve traffic safety and reduce the environmental impact of your operations. Read more about Scania Fleet Management here. .

Where are you based, Greensboro ?

As the truckmaker has already done with its vocational truck range, GAZ designer Sergei Barinov is purportedly making use of the company's new corporate cab first seen on the GAZelle Next and GAZon Next to create an all-new North American style long haul Ural brand truck. The cab architecture originates from the LDV Maxus commercial van. GAZ purchased the assets of troubled LDV in 2006, a UK-based commercial van manufacturer. The new conventional heavy truck is born of the believe that the market is demanding fresh new designs, according to Ural, the heavy truck subsidiary of GAZ Group. At a press conference, GAZ Group Trucks director Victor Kadylkin said the new truck is expected to launch in 2017 or 2018. Like Australia, Russia has long distance North American driving conditions, and a sizable customer base that likes conventional cab trucks. Related reading: http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/index.php?/topic/40317-gaz-introduces-next-generation-ural-truck-range/?hl=gaz http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/index.php?/topic/37160-russian-vehicle-maker-gaz-launches-new-gazon-next-medium-truck/?hl=gaz .

Australasian Transport News / August 11, 2015 KordaMentha Restructuring has been appointed the administrator of trailer manufacturer Tieman Industries (http://www.tieman.com.au/) as the 60-year-old family business seeks a buyer. Tieman, which designs and manufacturers bulk road tankers in Campbellfield in Victoria, is presently under the full control of its administrators but will continue to trade as expressions of interest are received. The other two arms of the company, its tail lift business and its repairs and maintenance business, are also up for sale and seeking interested parties. KordaMentha spokesman Michael Smith says the first step of the administrative process has been completed, with the company and KordaMentha formalising a strategy for the business, and a creditors meeting has been organised for Thursday August 20 in Melbourne. Though the company directed inquiries to administrators today, joint-managing director Dale Tieman has told the Herald-Sun his firm hoped to recapitalise around the profitable tanker division. One of three KordaMentha Restructuring executives overseeing the changes, Rahul Goyal, says current schedules will be adhered to across all three businesses and customers will receive their products on time and to the same standards. Tieman suffered a significant loss in 2014 as a result of market conditions, very large overheads and overstaffing, Smith says. "The company has been on a restructure plan but was unable to execute due to lack of funds," he says. "They need to reduce costs which included consolidating sites and reducing labour." The high-cost subsidiary businesses yielded low margins for Tieman, he says, but may be more profitable for larger companies. "Repairs and maintenance has more than 20,000 customers and provided service to anyone who has material handling equipment including both large supermarket chains." The company’s approximate 250 employees are being advised of developments as the business is assessed. In the wake of the August 20 meeting, a second meeting will be held where the administrators will hand over a report on the state of affairs.

Transport Topics / August 11, 2015 Peterbilt is now offering Maxwell Technologies’ ultracapacitor-powered engine start module (http://www.maxwell.com/esm/) as a factory-installed option on its Model 579 and 567 trucks. The module replaces a traditional battery and is dedicated to starting the truck. It reduces weight by 60 pounds, according to Maxwell Technologies. The engine start module is not affected by hotel loads, lights, television and other in-cab or sleeper-powered devices, which can drain power during extended use. "Superior uptime and reliability are two advantages our customers expect from Peterbilt, and this new technology is one way to help bring those to even greater levels," says Anthony Gansle, Peterbilt marketing manager of on-highway products. "Our aerodynamic Model 579 and vocational Model 567 equipped with the Maxwell ESM will provide customers with greater confidence that their vehicles will be ready to move when they need to move," Gansle said. The engine start module helps heavy-duty engines start in temperatures from minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit to almost 150 degrees. "Expanding our Engine Start Module's availability in North America is an ongoing goal, and our relationship with Peterbilt is the next step in meeting the demands of our customers in the United States and Canada," says Maxwell CEO Franz Fink. "Now, more fleet owners and operators will be able to benefit from the reliable performance of the ESM in providing starting assurance for on-time deliveries and improved uptime." Related reading - http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/index.php?/topic/41308-ultracapacitors-on-the-way/

My understanding is they will share a common Volvo global cab platform with differentiating trim. Mack salesmen across the country have been frustrated for a long time now over Volvo's foot-dragging the introduction of the new Mack-brand cab. (Volvo dragged their feet for years on the LE upgrade as well - http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/index.php?/topic/40316-mack-introduces-new-lr-refuse-chassis/) In long-haul, a vast swathe of customers are turned off by the 27-year-old CH cab's lack of integration with the sleeper area. The dual-brand Volvo/Mack dealers are, as a result, becoming accustomed to putting these operators behind the wheel of a Volvo. And there's a very good possibility that this is a Volvo strategy, a between-the-lines way of migrating Mack customers over to the Volvo brand. Crunching the numbers, Volvo Group doesn't subscribe to the General Motors method of building duplicate truck products under two brands (ie. Chevrolet/GMC). Why compete with yourself? The unnecessary added expense of two plants producing overlapping products........... As you can see from the sales numbers, Volvo Group is successfully making its self-named brand their long-haul product for the North American market. The Mack brand will in all likelihood be reduced to being their vocational brand.

The intention of the Oath of Enlistment is for armed forces members to adhere to it during the contractual period of their enlistment. After one is discharged, one's obligation to the Oath of Enlistment ends, and one rejoins civilian life.

This woman should be escorted to our border with Mexico, and her United States citizenship cancelled. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3194101/A-brother-carried-attack-against-marines-TN-Thanks-God-teen-girl-ISIS-wannabe-Mississippi-praised-Chattanooga-shooting.html

Today, we learn that the police officer who shot and killed a 19-year-old black criminal has been fired. The criminal refused to surrender when asked, and instead decided to try and run away. (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3194328/Texas-cop-killed-unarmed-college-football-player-fired.html) Christian Taylor was caught in the act of robbing a car dealership. (The media keeps mentioning that he was a college football player........why? It has no connection with his criminal acts) Did the officer use excessive force? Only the officer knows. But I've long wondered why effective stun guns are not utilized.............we have that technology. What irks me is the family portraying the man as a "fine young man", when he obviously was not. Clearly, his parents did not instill in him the universally accepted good morals and ethics, and the correct sense of right and wrong, that create "a fine young man". A "fine young man" ??? Sorry, I'm just not seeing that here..........are I observe is a destructive individual committing blatant criminal acts. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mP_kJE4D9U

Circus or crisis, you be the judge.............. A group of five heavily armed white men calling themselves the Oath Keepers wearing bulletproof vests, camouflage gear and carrying AR15 assault rifles arrived in Ferguson just before midnight and began wandering around amongst the black protesters (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3193440/Heavily-armed-Oath-Keepers-inject-new-unease-riot-hit-Ferguson.html). St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar aptly told the media, “Their presence is both unnecessary and inflammatory,”............which it is. These fellows need to get a life and leave law enforcement to the authorities. Missouri’s gun laws permit licensed gun owners to openly carry unless their weapons are “displayed in an angry or threatening manner.” One protester said, “If those were black men walking around with rifles, they probably wouldn’t be living today.” And he’s right, black protesters walking down the street with assault rifles would be immediately arrested. Ironically, a group of black men were arrested on suspicion of firearm possession, but the group of white body camouflage-clothed armor-wearing Oath Keepers (they really should ponder a better name) armed with assault rifles were granted permission to walk through the protests by police officers.............go figure. The point is, NOBODY needs to be walking around America with an assault rifle, and the fact that some people can and do in Missouri is a black eye embarrassment for that state. Meanwhile, stepping outside of the box and standing amongst the world audience, onlookers around the world are shaking their heads if not laughing at us. The once respected United States that still wants to dictate how the rest of the world lives is itself falling apart from within. We’re losing reputation and integrity points faster than a PEZ dispenser.

Do NOT buy a Mack brand truck until they introduce common rail. Also, you may have noticed on most tractors now that you can stand up right out of the drivers seat........the cab front area and the sleeper area are one big open space. That's not the case with Mack-branded trucks. The upcoming new cab will address that issue.........relevant if that matters to you.

Scania introduced XPI common rail fuel injection in 2007 for Euro-5, and of course it helps to allow Scania to offer its superb SCR-only Euro-6 (EPA2010) engines which do NOT require a costly VGT or EGR cooler (http://www.scania.com/media/pressreleases/P14402EN.aspx). Daimler also introduced (Bosch) X-Pulse (ACRS) common rail fuel injection in 2007 with the DD13. Now, eight years later, Volvo still hasn't begun fitting common rail on US market engines. In the global market, Volvo finally did begin using common rail for Euro-6 in 2013, six years after everyone else. Apparently, Volvo has a problem switching its older engine platforms over from unit pump to common rail for the U.S. market (EPA2010). As cheap as Volvo is, and having a strong idea of the warranty bills they're paying Mack brand distributors for unit pump injection issues, they'd be saving a lot of money if they were fitting (could fit) common rail injection.

Your local Mack brand dealer no longer stocks them? What did the good folks at Watts Mack tell you on availability? (Watts Mack is responsible for BigMackTrucks, the world's finest Mack website)