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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3B4z179rqU

Transport Topics / July 24, 2015 Navistar said it invited each of its Class 8 competitors to participate in a performance test comparing fuel economy of their best performing truck against its International. The showdown would take place at the company’s new proving grounds in New Carlisle, Indiana during the week of Aug. 31. “We have worked hard to ensure our heavy-duty products lead the way in fuel economy, driver appeal and uptime performance, and we want to prove it,” Navistar Senior Vice President Jeff Sass said in a statement. “The heavy-duty products we are building today are the highest quality, most fuel-efficient trucks we have built in decades,” he added. The company said the testing will follow Society of Automotive Engineers protocols with vehicles driven at typical highway speeds with a gross combination weight of about 65,000 pounds. The test will be for Class 8, on-highway sleeper model-year 2016 trucks. Only factory installed options will be allowed, including hardware, software and fluids. Also, the truck must meet compliance and be capable of delivery. “We’re all proud of our trucks, and I believe that running our vehicles in an open and transparent forum, side by side, will not only raise the watermark but will also benefit each of our customers in this industry,” Sass said. Tires will be standardized and provided by Navistar with sets randomly assigned for each vehicle as well as trailers. To maintain consistent break-in levels, all the trucks will have mileage of 2,500 to 15,000 miles, Navistar said.

Transport Engineer / July 27, 2015 Shetland Transport has taken delivery of two more Gray & Adams curtainsider semi-trailers, with another four on order, after its first two units delivered last year performed “flawlessly”. The 13.6m units are equipped with low-emission Thermo King SLX-e 400 refrigeration units. Heavy-duty insulated curtains ensure temperature integrity, as well as providing side access loading capability that Shetland Transport founder and managing director Hamish Balfour values so highly. "The first two have performed flawlessly in terms of their strength and component reliability, while we've had no issues with regards to temperature control either," confirms Balfour. "Most of our outbound loads are of salmon, and other fish, but we also carry a certain amount of what I call 'ugly' freight, by which I mean products which are particularly long or big and bulky," adds Balfour. "Easy access side-loading capability makes the curtainsider particularly well suited to this type of work." Shetland's trailers have specially strengthened chassis to prevent buckling and bending in rough seas during 12-hour ferry crossings. .

Navistar Trail Magazine

Rather, it indicates that Volvo Group wants to promote/sell Volvo brand on-highway trucks more than Mack brand. Currently, Volvo identifies the Mack brand as having primary value in vocational (though the Mack brand's grip on vocational is far less than decades past). Remember, Volvo and Mack-branded trucks share the same platform and drivetrain. The hood and cab is virtually the only difference.

The short answer is that Scania has earned global respect around the world (not just the EU), because it is successfully brings a lower total cost-of-ownership o the customer. Scania believes in life-time relationships, a partnership between Scania and the customer. Once you have the opportunity to drive a Scania...........you'll understand.

http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/index.php?/topic/40823-hackers-give-orders-to-german-patriot-missile-battery/?hl=missile You already know why the vehicle hacking issue is in the news but the hacking of a Patriot missile battery isn't.

Acknowledging the escalating air pollution problem in the United States and around the world, General Motors showcases low emission, alternative fuel powerplants including electric, steam, fuel cell technology and the Stirling engine at the GM Technical Center in Warren, Michigan. The Detroit Diesel Allison GT-404 gas turbine-powered GMC Astro 95 is introduced mid-way through the presentation, as well as the gas-turbine powered RTX municipal transit bus. Related reading - http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/index.php?/topic/31951-the-gmc-astro-95-and-astro-ss-gas-turbine-tractors/?hl=gt-309

HQ, R&D, truck and bus chassis assembly, engine and other component production Södertälje, Sweden Truck assembly Zwolle, The Netherlands Angers, France Sao Paulo, Brazil Truck and Bus assembly Kolar, India Cab production Oskarshamn, Sweden Cab and chassis components Meppel, The Netherlands Transmissions and rear drive axles Tucuman, Argentina Frames and rear drive axles Lulea, Sweden Bus body production Lahti, Finland Slupsk, Poland

About Freightliner and the fantastic Daimler/Detroit Diesel engines, you should talk with Ernie Delli Santi (aka. Bullhusk). I can't speak for the Freightliner dealers in Florida, but ones like Horwith in Northampton (Allentown), Pennsylvania will bend over backward for you. If you go with Cummins, you're getting a superb Scania high pressure fuel injection system (Scania XPI).

Thanks for posting. I'd like the Z50, CT70s and XL250 if good condition (justification for a long distance purchase), but I doubt I can be there.

Hillary Clinton's lawyers and the Republican-led committee are negotiating over the terms under which she “might” appear before the House committee investigating the deaths of four Americans in the 2012 attacks in Benghazi, Libya. A committee spokesman says Hillary Clinton is demanding limitations on the questioning. Can an ordinary American, one of the commoners rather than the governing aristocracy, get away with that? Of course not. “Well, I might come in to be questioned, but gee, you will certainly have to limit the questioning to subject matter that will not implicate me, and not cast me in a worse light than is already on me….what with the upcoming election in mind.” Today’s touch of humor: During a speech in Philadelphia in 2008, Hillary Clinton said that she was “probably the most transparent person in public life”.

Fiat Chrysler Recalls 1.4 Million Vehicles to Defend Against Hacks Bloomberg / July 24, 2015 Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV is recalling about 1.4 million cars and trucks equipped with radios that are vulnerable to hacking, the first formal safety campaign in response to a cybersecurity threat. The move marks a milestone for the industry, which last year set a record with 64 million autos called back for fixes in the U.S. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, under fire from Congress for not catching defects more quickly, has been considering punitive action against Fiat Chrysler for failing to protect vehicle owners. Unauthorized remote access to certain vehicle systems was blocked with a network-level improvement on Thursday, the company said in a statement. In addition, affected customers will receive a USB device to upgrade vehicles’ software with internal safety features. Fiat Chrysler was already distributing software to insulate some connected vehicles from illegal remote manipulation after Wired magazine published a story about software programmers who were able to take over a Jeep Cherokee being driven on a Missouri highway. The company led by Chief Executive Officer Sergio Marchionne reiterated that it’s not aware of any real-world unauthorized remote hack into any of its vehicles and stressed that no defect was found and that it’s conducting the campaign out of “an abundance of caution.” NHTSA said it encouraged the action to protect consumers against a vulnerability that could affect a driver’s control. “Launching a recall is the right step to protect Fiat Chrysler’s customers, and it sets an important precedent for how NHTSA and the industry will respond to cybersecurity vulnerabilities,” NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind said in a statement Friday. Expanded Action The recall covers about a million more cars and trucks than those initially identified as needing a software patch. The action includes 2015 versions of Ram pickups, Jeep Cherokee and Grand Cherokee SUVs, Dodge Challenger sports coupes and Viper supercars. “That’s not a small number to go after,” Mark Boyadjis, an analyst with IHS Automotive, said in a telephone interview. “This is a pretty quick response and much of it could be P.R. driven. But I think it will keep consumers comfortable and prevent current ones and future ones from straying away from the brand.” Fiat Chrysler shares fell 2.5 percent, the most in two weeks, to $15.15 Friday at the close in New York. The drop pared the stock’s gain for the year to 31 percent. This isn’t the first time automobiles have been shown to be vulnerable to hacking. What elevates this instance is that researchers were able to find and disable vehicles from miles away over the cellular network that connects to the vehicles’ entertainment and navigation systems. That capability makes the possibility of remote hacking of cars a reality. Earlier hacks have mostly been achieved by jacking the researchers’ laptops into diagnostic ports inside the cars. Fiat Chrysler’s UConnect infotainment system uses Sprint Corp.’s wireless network. “This is not a Sprint issue but we have been working with Chrysler to help them further secure their vehicles,” said Stephanie Vinge Walsh, a spokeswoman. NHTSA said it would open an investigation on the remedy “to ensure that the scope of the recall is correct and that the remedy will be effective,” agency spokesman Gordon Trowbridge said in an e-mailed statement. The agency said its electronics and cybersecurity experts will continue to monitor hacking threats and take action when necessary. Consumer Confidence There’s a possibility the recall could affect consumer confidence in Fiat Chrysler, even though the company isn’t the only one with cybersecurity challenges, said Thilo Koslowski, vice president and automotive practice leader at technology consultant Gartner Inc. “It validates that cyber-hacking with cars is a serious issue that the auto industry must pay attention to,” he said. “The auto industry needs to develop new technology to combat these technological problems.” General Motors Co. has a team working on cybersecurity and has hired Harris Corp.’s Exelis and other firms to develop anti-hacking systems, said Mark Reuss, the Detroit automaker’s executive vice president for global product development. GM seeks to block hackers’ access to its autos, he said, and if they do get in, it tries to prevent them from gaining control. “It’s probably one of the most important things we spend time on,” Reuss said. “Anyone who wants to do something like that will probably get on, so you have to look at what happens when they do.” GM has worked with the U.S. military and with Boeing Co. on its anti-hacking systems, he said. Proposed Legislation Senators Edward Markey of Massachusetts and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, both Democrats, introduced legislation on July 21 that would direct NHTSA and the Federal Trade Commission to establish rules to secure cars and protect consumer privacy. The senators’ bill would also establish a rating system to inform owners about how secure their vehicles are beyond any minimum federal requirements. The lawmakers released a report last year on gaps in car-security systems, concluding only two of 16 automakers had the ability to detect and respond to a hacking attack. Markey questioned why it took nine months after learning about the security gap for Fiat Chrysler to order a recall. “There are no assurances that these vehicles are the only ones that are this unprotected from cyberattack,” he said Friday in an e-mail. “A safe and fully equipped vehicle should be one that is equipped to protect drivers from hackers and thieves.” Representatives Fred Upton and Frank Pallone, leaders on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, sent letters to 17 manufacturers and NHTSA in May to gather information about how the industry is addressing cybersecurity. “As the underlying technologies seemingly evolve by the day, so too must our manufacturers and regulators keep pace to protect drivers from these growing threats,” the Michigan Republican and New Jersey Democrat said in a statement Friday.

New inquiry into Clinton emails fuels political questions Associated Press / July 24, 2015 A new letter by intelligence investigators to the Justice Department says secret government information may have been compromised in Hillary Rodham Clinton's private server, underscoring an inescapable reality for her presidential campaign: Email is forever. Clinton, the former secretary of state and now the leading Democratic presidential candidate, wants to focus on the economic issues she and her team believe will drive the next election. But they remain unable to fully escape the swirling questions surrounding her decision to run her State Department correspondence through an unsecured system set up at her New York home. The inspector general of the U.S. intelligence community recently alerted the Justice Department to the potential compromise of classified information arising from Clinton's server. The inspector general also sent a memo to members of Congress that he had identified "potentially hundreds of classified emails" among the 30,000 that Clinton had provided to the State Department — a concern the office said it raised with FBI counterintelligence officials. Though the referral to the Justice Department does not seek a criminal probe and does not specifically target Clinton, the latest steps by government investigators will further fuel the partisan furor surrounding the 55,000 pages of emails already under review by the State Department. A statement from the intelligence inspector general, I. Charles McCullough, and his counterpart at the State Department, Steve Linick, said that McCullough's office found four emails containing classified information in a limited sample of 40 emails. "This classified information should have never been transmitted via an unclassified personal system," they said. For Clinton, the news amounted to a major distraction on a day when she'd hoped to focus on unveiling a new set of economic policies. Instead, she opened her New York City speech by addressing the controversy, decrying some reports as inaccurate. Some media initially reported that Justice Department had been asked to consider a criminal investigation into whether she mishandled her emails. "We are all accountable to the American people to get the facts right, and I will do my part but I'm also going to stay focused on the issues," she said. It was not immediately clear whether the Justice Department would investigate the potential compromise highlighted by the intelligence inspector general. The Justice Department has not suggested any wrongdoing by Clinton, according to U.S. officials speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the referral publicly. (WHY ???) But the inspector general's office said in its letter to Congressional oversight committees that it was concerned that "these emails exist on at least one private server and thumb drive with classified information and those are not in the government's possession," said Andrea Williams, a spokeswoman for McCullough. None of the emails were marked as classified at the time they were sent or received, but some should have been handled as such and sent on a secure computer network, said the letter sent to congressional oversight committees. Clinton has maintained that she never sent classified information on her personal email account, which she said in March she used as a matter of convenience to limit her number of electronic devices. The State Department has made public some of the emails involving Clinton, and is under court order to make regular further releases of such correspondence. The aim is for the department to unveil all of 55,000 pages of the emails she turned over by Jan. 29, 2016. But a federal judge this month chastised the department for moving too slowly in providing The Associated Press with thousands of emails submitted through the Freedom of Information Act. Republicans are pushing Clinton to turn over her server to a third party for a forensic evaluation. "Her poor judgment has undermined our national security, and it is time for her to finally do the right thing," said House Speaker John Boehner. (And an arrogant individual with such poor judgement, that would throw state dept. policy to the curb, wants to be president………..unbelievable) Clinton spokesman Nick Merrill said she had followed "appropriate practices in dealing with classified materials." But there's little dispute among intelligence officials that Clinton should have been more careful with her information — though her behavior was likely not criminal. (Sure, why would running her State Department correspondence through an unsecured server in her New York home be irresponsible and criminal? Though our government’s impenetrable systems and those of corporate America including defense contractors that are designing our critical next generation weaponry were successfully hacked, I’m certain that Hillary’s home server is impregnable………sarcasm on my part.) Current and former U.S. intelligence officials say they assume that all of the email that transited Clinton's home server is in the possession of Russian or Chinese intelligence services, who would have easily bypassed whatever security measures she took. They, too, spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the Clinton email situation publicly. Whether a security violation or not, the risk for Democrats is that questions about her email harden into an early narrative about Clinton's honesty and management skills. Already, Republicans have spent months depicting Clinton as a creature of Washington who flouts the rules for personal gain. Clinton's people say questions about her correspondence won't sway voters, who they argue are more focused on economic and family issues. But, there are signs that the issue may have already affected views of their candidate. An Associated Press-GfK poll released last week found that voters view her as less decisive and inspiring than when she launched her presidential campaign just three months ago. Just 3 in 10 said the word "honest" describes her very or somewhat well.

Louisiana theater gunman kills two and injures seven before turning gun on himself Daily Mail / July 23, 2015 A gunman opened fire Thursday evening at a movie theater in Lafayette, Louisiana killing two people and finally himself. The 58-years-old white male was in the audience at the Grand Theatre prior to opening fire. Seven additional victims were shot and taken to three hospitals. Layfayette Police Chief Jim Craft said the killer stood up 20 minutes into the show and shot two people sitting in the row in front of him. As soon as people started fleeing the auditorium, the killer tried to lose himself in the crowd when he saw two police officers. Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal said one teacher managed to clear the cinema of patrons, while shielding her friend from the gunman. He said the teacher 'jumped in front of a bullet to save her friend's life', before pulling the fire alarm to clear the theatre. The two teachers have been named as Jena Meaux and Ali Martin of New Iberia in Louisiana. According to eyewitnesses Ms Meaux threw herself between the gunman and her friend Ms Martin taking a bullet. Despite being wounded, Ms Meaux dragged herself to the fire alarm to evacuate the building. Officers have identified the criminal, who had a 'pretty old' criminal history, but have not released his name. The injuries of these victims range from critical to non-life threatening, and their ages from late teens to 60s. President Obama meanwhile had just given an interview on gun control to the BBC hours earlier expressing how 'frustrated' he was that the country does not have 'common-sense gun safety laws, even in the face of repeated mass killings.' (American society is “regressing”, moving away from the signature morals and values that for decades defined America. This massively negative change is able to occur and gain momentum because our government refuses to acknowledge and confront it. I feel that our government, inherently, bears a significant responsibility in guiding the positive forward development of American society. Our government, by design, is the steward of our great country. We all know that gun safety laws do not keep guns out of the hands of most people intent on committing harm unto others. Such talk avoids the actual problem, dare I say crisis, we now face in America) The shooting has drawn comparisons to the 2012 Aurora shooting in Colorado in which James Holmes walked into a theater and killed 12 and injured 70 after opening fire. He was recently convicted on 24 counts of first-degree murder in that rampage, which occurred shortly after midnight on July 20 - almost three years ago to the day of Thursday's shooting. Holmes is currently in the sentencing phase of his trial. (Why was James Holmes not executed for this horrendous crime within 48 hours? In cases where there is indisputable evidence (over 100 witnesses in the Holmes case) where a human being deliberately took the life of another human being(s), the only rational response is for the murderer to promptly pay the ultimate penalty for his action of abruptly bringing the life(lives) of others to a premature end and causing irreparable damage to their families including spouses and children. Why would U.S. taxpayers foot the bill for over three years of court processing and prisoner confinement when the individual in question is indisputably guilty of murdering 12 Americans in cold blood? Only when the government sends out a firm message that such behavior is unacceptable in the United States of America, and will be immediately responded to in kind, can society get back on a healthy course that allows American citizens to live their lives in peace)

Criminal Inquiry Is Sought in Clinton Email Account The New York Times / July 23, 2015 Two inspectors general have asked the Justice Department to open a criminal investigation into whether sensitive government information was mishandled in connection with the personal email account Hillary Rodham Clinton used as secretary of state, senior government officials said Thursday. The request follows an assessment in a June 29 memo by the inspectors general for the State Department and the intelligence agencies that Mrs. Clinton’s private account contained “hundreds of potentially classified emails.” The memo was written to Patrick F. Kennedy, the under secretary of state for management. It is not clear if any of the information in the emails was marked as classified by the State Department when Mrs. Clinton sent or received them. But since her use of a private email account for official State Department business was revealed in March, she has repeatedly said that she had no classified information on the account. At issue are thousands of pages of State Department emails from Mrs. Clinton’s private account. Mrs. Clinton has said she used the account because it was more convenient, but it also shielded her correspondence from congressional and Freedom of Information Act requests. She faced sharp criticism after her use of the account became public, and subsequently said she would ask the State Department to release her emails. The department is now reviewing some 55,000 pages of emails. A first batch of 3,000 pages was made public on June 30. In the course of the email review, State Department officials determined that some information in the messages should be retroactively classified. In the 3,000 pages that were released, for example, portions of two dozen emails were redacted because they were upgraded to “classified status.” But none of those were marked as classified at the time Mrs. Clinton handled them. In a second memo to Mr. Kennedy, sent on July 17, the inspectors general said that at least one email made public by the State Department contained classified information.. The memos were provided to The New York Times by a senior government official. The inspectors general also criticized the State Department for its handling of sensitive information, particularly its reliance on retired senior Foreign Service officers to decide if information should be classified, and for not consulting with the intelligence agencies about its determinations. In March, Mrs. Clinton insisted that she was careful in her handling of information on her private account. “I did not email any classified material to anyone on my email,” she said. “There is no classified material. So I’m certainly well aware of the classification requirements and did not send classified material.” In May, the F.B.I. asked the State Department to classify a section of Mrs. Clinton’s emails that related to suspects who may have been arrested in connection with the 2012 attacks in Benghazi, Libya. The information was not classified at the time Mrs. Clinton received it. The revelations about how Mrs. Clinton handled her email have been an embarrassment for the State Department, which has been repeatedly criticized over its handling of documents related to Mrs. Clinton and her advisers. On Monday, a federal judge sharply questioned State Department lawyers at a hearing in Washington about why they had not responded to Freedom of Information Act requests from The Associated Press, some of which were four years old. “I want to find out what’s been going on over there — I should say, what’s not been going on over there,” said Judge Richard J. Leon of United States District Court, according to a transcript obtained by Politico. The judge said that “for reasons known only to itself,” the State Department “has been, to say the least, recalcitrant in responding.” Two days later, lawmakers on the Republican-led House committee investigating the Benghazi attacks said they planned to summon Secretary of State John Kerry’s chief of staff to Capitol Hill to answer questions about why the department has not produced documents that the panel subpoenaed. That hearing is set for next Wednesday. “The State Department has used every excuse to avoid complying with fundamental requests for documents,” said the chairman of the House committee, Representative Trey Gowdy, Republican of South Carolina. Mr. Gowdy said that while the committee has used an array of measures to try to get the State Department to hand over documents, the results have been the same. “Our committee is not in possession of all documents needed to do the work assigned to us,” he said. The State Department has sought to delay the hearing, citing continuing efforts to brief members of Congress on the details of the nuclear accord with Iran. It is not clear why the State Department has struggled with the classification issues and document production. Republicans have said the State department is trying to use those processes to protect Mrs. Clinton.

Daimler Press Release / July 22, 2015 LEGO, working together with Mercedes-Benz Trucks, is now following up its Unimog with a further Mercedes-Benz model. “When we looked at all the new products that Mercedes-Benz Trucks had launched, going back to 2011 – there was one particular vehicle that stood out as a potential subject for a further collaborative project: the new Arocs 3245 tipper“, according to Michael Dietz, Head of Marketing for Mercedes-Benz Trucks. With a total of 2,793 separate parts, battery-operated “power functions“ that allow electronic control of the LEGO model and various pneumatic components, the construction-site vehicle is one of the most complex models in the LEGO Technic range. In order to ensure that the LEGO developers did justice to the actual Mercedes-Benz Arocs with their model, LEGO Senior Manager Niels Henrik Horsted and his team visited the Mercedes-Benz Trucks manufacturing facility at Wörth, Germany beforehand to see the production line for themselves. “The Arocs is a perfect match for LEGO Technic“, said Horsted. For the developers, authenticity, functionality and the skill needed to build the model were paramount. Meticulous attention was also paid to characteristic details of the Mercedes-Benz Arocs. The model is 31cm (12.2”) high, 14cm (5.5”) wide and 54cm (21.3”) long, and incorporates many of the key features of the real-life Mercedes-Benz Arocs 3245 tipper. The bucket-tooth design of the radiator grille, the handrail, the steps, and many other features all add up to give the Arocs its unmistakable look. The LEGO Technic Mercedes-Benz Arocs 3245 tipper will be available from retailers from 1 August 2015. .

Owner/Driver / July 23, 2015 Burnt out from years of driving interstate up the east coast, Robbie Caldwell headed for the forests. Robbie Caldwell has spent more years than he cares to remember driving up and down the east coast. More to the point, most of the 22 years of his married life were spent out on the highway. "I would have been home for bugger all during those years," Robbie says. He drove for Iannelli Transport for 16 of those years, including a stint behind the wheel of a gold Kenworth T604 hauling a fridge van. "The trucks were the full works, and I was up and down the coast like a yo-yo," Robbie recalls. "They had seven fruit shops, including one in Geelong and one in Brisbane. It was full on." Things went slowly downhill for Robbie, and he ended up in hospital. Once out of hospital he decided it was time for a change, so he went for his B-double license. He scored a job with Monaro Logging, which harvests and hauls timber for the Forestry Corporation of New South Wales (FCNSW) in Bombala, as well as harvesting for PF Olsen in Tumut. Robbie has been with Monaro Logging for six years now. His current steed is a new Kenworth T909, one of six in the Monaro Logging fleet. Robbie says when he first started with Monaro Logging, he wasn’t sure if the job would suit him. "But I do like a bit of a challenge," he says. "Anyone can drive around with a single freezer van. It was good, but some of the places you go in the bush are just spectacular. "When you are out near Tumut, you can look out and see forever." .

Diesel News Australia / July 23, 2015 This morning sees the opening of the Perth Truck and Trailer Show at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre. The show’s 120 exhibitors have filled the exhibition hall, the foyer and a display area outside the venue with trucks, trailers and transport industry equipment. Running from today until Sunday, the show will take up all six pavilions at the Perth Convention Exhibition Centre. It is is presented by the Commercial Vehicle Industry Association, which is a division of the Motor Trade Association of WA. On show is the new improved cabin interior for the Kenworth K 200, the latest iteration of the Isuzu N Series, Scania’s latest Euro 6 compliant trucks, a heavy duty Cat, the Iveco Powerstar 7800 road train prime mover and the all new Western Star 2800 medium duty truck. Western Australia’s isolation, both in terms of distance and different truck regulations, means suppliers are offering variant not found elsewhere in Australia. This is probably most apparent in the trailers on display. Many designs on show are Western Australia specific and this show is an opportunity for those supplying the WA trucking industry to put their equipment on show. Related photographs - http://www.dieselnews.com.au/perth-show-opens/

Per Volvo Group, Mack Trucks has activated its GuardDog Connect integrated telematics solution in more than 25,000 models since the product launched in 2014. Built upon the Mack Asist platform, it ensures timely information sharing, communication and tracking. The highly talented software engineers of today's vehicular wireless communications systems knew the danger. All software has a backdoor (the NSA insists on them). The truckmakers weighed their options: A. Provide no cybersecurity system and hope the public would accept buying security software from a third party supplier as you purchase anti-virus/malware software for your computer at additional costs with no 100 percent guarantee of performance; B. Or offer their wireless communications system with cybersecurity software and create liability, given they can not give 100 percent assurance that the customer will never be hacked. After consulting with the corporate lawyers and accountants, they went with plan A. So one day in the future, your truck's information screen is going to go gray, followed by a message from a hacking group based in Russia or Ukraine politely explaining that your truck's electronic system has been encrypted, locking you out. But after you pay a Bitcoin ransom, they will gladly unlock your system.

Transport Topics / July 23, 2015 Daimler AG reported a 50% increase in operating income at its global truck division in the second quarter, led by record sales in North America. The Stuttgart, Germany-based manufacturer said earnings before interest and tax at its commercial truck unit jumped to a record 682 million euros (about $747 million) from 455 million euros ($498 million) in the same period last year. Revenue grew 19% to 9.44 billion euros from 7.97 billion a year earlier. “The main drivers of this earnings development were increased unit sales in the NAFTA region and Western Europe, positive exchange-rate and interest-rate effects and the realization of further efficiency improvements,” the manufacturer said in its July 23 report. Daimler Trucks, which sells Freightliner and Western Star models in North America, said second-quarter sales in the region climbed 20% to a record 49,388 units, including a 22% gain to 43,703 units in the United States. Worldwide sales dipped 1% to 125,113 trucks. Daimler said it expects the market for medium- and heavy-duty trucks to vary from region to region during 2015 and pointed to North America and Europe as the most promising markets. “In North America, the main economic indicators suggest that demand for trucks will remain favorable despite a slight cooling off, so the market should expand by between 10% and 15%,” the company said. Daimler captured 35.9% of the total North American Class 8 market during the second quarter, up from 33.8% a year earlier. The company said its Classes 6-7 market share in the region rose to 40.9% from 40.5%.

Father arrested after unconscious son, 7, is placed in a coma after he is found starved and covered in bleach burns Daily Mail / July 22, 2015 A father has been arrested after his seven-year-old son was discovered unconscious in his family home, suffering from severe dehydration and starvation. Randall Lints, 26, from East Brookfield, Massachusetts, is now facing a string of child abuse charges after the youngster was taken to hospital and placed in a coma - weighing just 38 pounds. Paramedics arrived at the house last week after Lints called 911 because the child was unresponsive. Police say the child had bleach burns on his hands and knees, because he was made to get on his hands and knees to scrub the floor. They also discovered bruises on his jaw and forehead. Lints say the injuries were caused by him falling out of bed, but doctors said his explanation wasn't possible. Lints was arraigned Wednesday on charges of assault and battery on a child with substantial injury, permitting substantial injury to a child, reckless endangerment of a child and permitting injury to a child. A not guilty plea was entered for him. He is due back in court Friday where a judge will determine whether it is safe for him to be released. The child is still in a coma and is 'unresponsive'. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Update: School officials say they warned authorities about 7-year-old's dramatic weight-loss in the months before boy was 'beaten into a coma by his father' The Massachusetts Department of Children and Families knew 7-year-old Jack Loiselle was being starved by his father, but did nothing, school officials claim. Administrators at Hardwick Elementary School, where Jack is a student, say they made several reports to child protective services last year, when they noticed the boy was withering away to a mere 38 pounds. Some of those reports were made just a few months before Jack was hospitalized, following a beating by his father, 26-year-old Randall Lints. 'The school department had on a number of occasions requested the help of the Department of Children and Families,' says Quabbin Regional School District superintendent Maureen M Marshall. School administrators weren't the only ones concerned about Jack's wellbeing. According to records, a therapist voiced concern about Lints' insistence on limiting his son's food and water intake as recently as May. Seven-year-old Jack Loiselle was rushed to the hospital on July 14 after his father called 911 saying he found the boy unconscious at home. Paramedics found the boy starving, dehydrated and suffering bruises to his head and burns on his feet. While Lints claimed the numerous injuries on the boys' body were caused by a fall from his bed, police investigators didn't buy the story and last month the father was charged with assault and endangerment. According to court documents, Jack was kept on a tight leash at home where he lived with his father, his father's girlfriend, and her three other children. Lints installed an alarm on Jack's bedroom door and rarely let him leave. He also watched the boy's movements inside the room, using a security camera he could access through his cellphone. Lints monitored his son's activities in 15-minute increments and among the many items that investigators seized home the home were several notebooks labeled 'Jack's Daily Report'. State Trooper Douglas P Grout wrote in a report that 'Jack was required to stay in his room much of the time with very few toys to play with' and was not allowed in play video games in the living room with the other children. Lints forced his son to squat against the wall as punishment, and clean the floors with bleach - causing chemical burns. Additionally he was kept from attending school and doing homework and fed a strict no-sugar diet. Police say the father limited the amount of liquids the boy could ingest so as to control his 'accidents' in the bathroom. When he was brought to the hospital earlier this month, the boy weighed just 38 pounds. Alexandrea Chadwick, mother to Lints' two youngest children, ages two and six months, told police that Jack's strict life was to address behavioral issues. She claims that Jack started strangling and hitting one of his siblings and badly injured a kitten who later had to be euthanized. She says Jack would sometimes hurt himself by throwing himself against walls, 'biting his fingers and toes and stabbing himself with a pencil'. However, Jack's biological mother Amber Loiselle has painted a different story in the press, saying she noticed her son withering away as soon as he started living with his father. Loiselle told the Boston Globe that her son stopped acting like himself, and lost interest in the treats and games he once found joy in. Concerned about her son's well being, Loiselle says she filed complaints with the police but they did nothing. Lints was arraigned July 22 on charges of assault and battery on a child with substantial injury, permitting substantial injury to a child, reckless endangerment of a child and permitting injury to a child. He has pleaded not guilty and is due back in court on Wednesday for a bail hearing. .

The former Mack Trucks always offered all the parts of your R/U/DM model door vent windows separately, under part numbers beginning with the vendor code 2795 (Machine-Rite Products, which became a subsidiary of Excel Industries). Back in the day, the 84QS55R (right) and 84QS56R (left) vent window assemblies were reasonably priced. But under Volvo, I imagine they have a horrendous price now (and a meaningless Volvo global system part number instead of the former Mack part number that had meaning).