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Nikola to Build Tre Electric Truck for Europe in Germany Jack Roberts, Heavy Duty Trucking (HDT) / February 6, 2020 One of the nagging unknowns concerning many of the electric truck startup companies breaking into trucking is how they will handle large-scale production once demand for their vehicles ramps up. Now, Nikola Motor Company has announced how it will produce its forthcoming Tre model in Europe. On February 6, Italy-based CNH Industrial's Iveco and FPT business units together with Nikola announced future Nikola Tre production will take place at an Iveco plant in Ulm, Germany. The companies said the strategic and exclusive heavy-duty truck partnership will have CNH Industrial taking a $250 million stake in Nikola as lead Series D investor. The Nikola Tre, a battery-electric heavy-duty truck is described as the first step towards the comapny producing a fuel-cell electric truck model. Today, the site in Ulm serves as Iveco’s chassis engineering hub. Nikola said the facility is “ideally” situated at the heart of the Baden-Württemberg region, which is striving to become a leading hub for fuel-cell mobility thanks to its skilled workforce and research labs. Additionally, Iveco noted that local governments and business groups in the area have committed a substantial investment to fund research and development projects in the area. Another strong point, Nikloa said, is the strong automotive industry presence there, with strategic project partnerships in the area that gives the Ulm facility close proximity to key suppliers. Furthermore, Nikola noted in a press release on the joint venture, the German Federal Government recently released its draft National Hydrogen Strategy, which aims to expand the pioneering role of companies engaged in hydrogen technologies. This strategy commits a total of €2 billion ( $2.2 billlion) to fund the hydrogen innovation program, including the development of the necessary distribution infrastructure. “Our European joint venture with Nikola and today’s announcement, is real proof that zero-emission long-haul transport is becoming a reality, resulting in tangible environmental benefits for Europe’s long distance fleets and its citizens,” said Hubertus Mühlhäuser, CEO of CNH Industrial. “The decision to build the Nikola Tre in Ulm – a center of heavy-duty truck engineering excellence – underscores the site’s strategic location at the heart of Germany’s fuel cell technology cluster.” In the first stage of the project, €40 million ($4.4 million) will be invested by the joint-venture company to upgrade the manufacturing facility, which will focus on final assembly of the vehicle. Start of production is slated for the first quarter of 2021, with deliveries of the Nikola Tre beginning that year. “The Nikola Tre is proving to be the most advanced articulated truck in the world and will continue to set the standard for zero-emission vehicles today and in the future,” said Trevor Milton, Nikola CEO. “The decision to volume produce the Tre in the city of Ulm is a fitting example of how to create jobs, foster innovation, provide certainty to new zero-emission part suppliers and serve as an example to other OEMs. The world is ready for zero-emission freight transportation, and the joint venture between Nikola and Iveco will be the first to deliver." The first models to enter production will be battery-electric 4x2 and 6x2 articulated trucks with modular and scalable batteries with a capacity of up to 720 kWh and an electric powertrain that delivers up to 480 kW of continuous power output, Milton said. The Ulm facility will receive module supplies from Iveco’s manufacturing locations in Valladolid and Madrid, Spain, which will enable a rapid ramp-up to meet expected customer demand. Fuel-cell electric versions, built on the same platform, will be tested under the EU-funded H2Haul project during 2021 for an expected market launch in 2023. The Nikola Tre currently in development is based on the new Iveco S-Way platform and integrates Nikola’s truck technology, controls and infotainment systems. Testing is expected to begin in mid-2020 with prototypes showcased at the IAA 2020 commercial vehicle exhibition in Hannover, Germany, this September. “By drawing on our Gold standard World Class Manufacturing sites in Madrid and Valladolid, Spain, where the Iveco S-Way is produced, we are able to accelerate final assembly, powertrain integration and high-end customization of the Nikola Tre for a timely market introduction in 2021,” said Gerrit Marx, president of Commercial and Speciality Vehicles for CNH Industrial. Nikola noted the production joint venture forms part of a wider partnership established to accelerate industry transformation towards the "emission neutrality" of Class 8 heavy-duty trucks in North America and Europe by adopting fuel-cell technology. The primary focus of the collaboration is to leverage each partners’ respective expertise to successfully deploy zero-emission heavy-duty trucks and to disrupt the industry with an entirely new business model, the company added.

Daimler, Volvo Win Dismissal of $950 Million Cartel Suit Transport Topics / February 7, 2020 Daimler AG, Volvo AB and other truck makers won dismissal of a 867 million-euro ($950 million) lawsuit claiming customers were overcharged in a price-fixing cartel. The way the plaintiff in the case acquired the claims was invalid so the pooled cases can’t proceed, presiding judge Gesa Lutz said when delivering the ruling in Munich on February 7. The action also targeted Volkswagen’s MAN unit, Paccar’s DAF and CNH Industrial’s Iveco. The case was brought by Financialright GmbH on behalf of more than 3,200 companies that say they paid too much for their vehicles because prices were fixed. Lawyers for the truck makers had asked to dismiss the suit, arguing that buying the claims violated the law. The ruling is a setback for the purchase model invented to make up for Germany’s lack of U.S.-style class actions. Financialright is cooperating with BGL, a German association of logistics companies, and Burford Capital, which is financing the litigation. They have also filed a second group case in Munich. “We made an offer to the justice system and the defendants to handle these claims swiftly and efficiently,” said Jan-Eike Andresen, Financialright’s founder. “We will now consider all options, including bringing the cases individually.” The court criticized how, under the Financialright model, all claims would be treated the same, regardless of their individual chances. This would allow customers with poorer cases to profit disproportionately from a potential settlement at the expense of holders of better-founded claims. It also took issue with the litigation being financed by a “foreign” company owned by a listed corporation. As a publicly traded company is under scrutiny by analysts and the press, it may take decisions that are not motivated by the interest of the claimants. “Since the plaintiff is dependent on litigation funding, there’s a concrete risk that undue criteria will influence on how the case is led which aren’t in the interest of the customers,” the court wrote.

The United States Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) estimates that influenza was associated with more than 35.5 million illnesses, more than 16.5 million medical visits, 490,600 hospitalizations, and 34,200 deaths during the 2018–2019 influenza season. https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/burden/2018-2019.html There were 490,600 hospitalizations and 34,200 deaths during the 2018–2019 season. More than 46,000 hospitalizations occurred in children (aged <18 years); however, 57% of hospitalizations occurred in older adults aged ≥65 years. Older adults also accounted for 75% of influenza-associated deaths, highlighting that older adults are particularly vulnerable to severe outcomes resulting from an influenza virus infection. An estimated 8,100 deaths occurred among working age adults (aged 18–64 years), an age group that often has low influenza vaccination uptake.

Ford Trucks International Press Release / February 7, 2020 The Ford Trucks Construction Series gives you to power to tackle any construction site! #FordTrucks #SharingTheLoad .

Please correct me if I'm wrong........I don't think the expeditor market is anywhere as big as it was at the peak some years ago.

It's invaluable to hear a first-hand educated opinion from one of us. Thank you!

Yes.

International Trucks is showcasing several vehicles from its vocational lineup this week at World of Concrete, including an International #HVSeries featuring the Hendrickson HAULMAAX EX suspension. #WOC2020 https://bit.ly/373PIFw

In the same vein that the Kenworth T440 and T470 have a deeper cab, a modification of the T270/370 cab. https://www.kenworth.com/media/9819/kenworth_t440_brochure.pdf

You’re right. But the powers that be don’t want it to publicize it. i suspect though that the Coronavirus is more contagious.

Now they have a longer version. .

The Cummins X12 engine—less weight, more freight. Plus, improved fuel economy for your Autocar DC-64 conventional cab vocational truck. Always Up - Autocar Trucks .

Autocar Model ACX "Xpeditor" equipped with Simard AMS40T2 "twin steer" front suspension at World of Concrete 2020. Learn more about the Simard AMS40T2 "twin steer" front suspension: https://www.simardsuspensions.com/en/products/front-suspension/ams40t2/ .

Definitely the best-looking crew at World of Concrete 2020! #AlwaysUp #Autocar #concretemixers #concretepumpers #concrete

The new #Autocar DC-64M #concretemixer has been drawing a crowd all day. Visit us in booth C-6661 if you haven’t seen it yet! #AlwaysUp #ROI #uptime #dieselconventional #concrete

Fleet Owner / February 3, 2020 One day after signing the updated trade agreement with Canada and Mexico, President Trump took the celebration to a Dana Inc. manufacturing facility in Michigan. On Jan. 29, Trump held a ceremony at the White House to sign the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), the replacement to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Included at the event were numerous trucking industry officials and members of America’s Road Team. The next afternoon, Trump took the message to the key election battleground state of Michigan, speaking to Dana employees and other invited guests at the famous manufacturing facility in the town of Warren. “The USMCA is the most fairest, balanced and beneficial trade deal we’ve ever signed into law,” Trump said during his remarks. James Kamsickas, president, CEO and chairman of Dana, wrote in an e-mail to Fleet Owner shortly after the event his company “has been a strong supporter of USMCA. It was an honor to host President Trump at the first official White House event following the signing of the bill into law and to hear from him directly on a topic that is important for our company and our industry.” Kamsickas noted the plant went from producing 16,000 parts a day to hosting the president -- and then immediately transitioned back to work on for next shift. “Dana Corp. is the perfect place to honor the immortal legacy of the American worker,” Trump said. “I just want to congratulate all of the people at Dana. You have all been outstanding and it really is the great people right now — the great people that work here — those people that can do such precision work. You’re the ones that are doing it, and you’re the ones in our country and the people who we have great respect for.” The facility, which makes axle components for the light- and heavy-duty markets, was originally designed as the Detroit Arsenal Tank Plant. Back in 1941, the plant began producing tanks and became “famous for producing more than one quarter of the tanks for the United States in World War II,” Kamsickas said. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt toured the grounds with the First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt in 1942. Technically, USMCA still must be ratified by Canada before it can be officially implemented. The deal requires that 75% of a vehicle must be made in North America, an effort to help the U.S. automotive industry. Under NAFTA, it was 62.5%. The signing of USMCA “is the beginning of the next phase in our strong and productive relationship with Mexico and Canada,” said Chris Spear, president and CEO of American Trucking Associations. “The USMCA will provide opportunity for manufacturing growth in the United States and throughout the region,” said MEMA President and CEO Bill Long, who also received an invitation to attend the White House signing ceremony. “This action begins to establish economic certainty, which is essential to preserving and enhancing vital North American supply chains for the U.S. motor vehicle sector.”

Transport Topics / February 4, 2020 Independent engine maker Cummins Inc. reported declines in net income and revenue in the fourth quarter amid downturns in key global markets. Net income for the period ended Dec. 31 was $300 million, or $1.97 per diluted share, on revenue of $5.57 billion. That compared with net income of $579 million, or $3.63, on revenue of $6.12 billion a year earlier. Annual profit set a record. In the quarter, the engine segment reported on-highway revenues decreased 13%, and off-highway revenues decreased 22% primarily due to decreased global demand in truck and construction markets. “Despite challenging conditions in many of our largest markets over the last six months, Cummins delivered record profits and operating cash flow in 2019,” Cummins Chairman and CEO Tom Linebarger said in a release. For the full year, net income increased to $2.26 billion, or $14.48, compared with $2.14 billion, or $13.15 a year earlier. Annual revenue dipped to $23.57 billion compared with $23.77 billion in the 2018 period. Columbus, Ind.-based Cummins forecast 2020 revenue could decline by 8% to 12%. The company cited as factors: lower truck production in North America, Europe, China and India as well as lower projected demand in off-highway markets, including global power generation, mining, oil and gas, and construction markets. “The actions we have taken to reduce costs will mitigate a further slowdown in 2020 and position the company for stronger performance when market demand improves,” Linebarger added. “We will continue investment in new technologies and products in 2020 to generate strong growth and profitability for the company in both the near and long term, which is consistent with how we have managed through prior cycles.”

We’re live at World of Concrete in booth C6661 w/ our partners Stertil-Koni USA Cummins Inc Allison Transmission & Beck Industrial — come see the #Autocar DC-64M #concretemixer, the #ACX chassis, the #Cummins X12 engine & #stertilkoni mobile lifts! #WOC2020 #AlwaysUp #ROI #uptime #LVCC

It's a blatant monopoly. I used to like Ferrara, before the acquisition.

Ford loses $1.7 billion in Q4 on pension charge, UAW contract costs Michael Martinez, Automotive News / February 4, 2020 DETROIT — Ford Motor Co. lost almost $1.7 billion in the fourth quarter after taking a big accounting hit from employee pension liabilities and retirement benefits, but the automaker eked out a modest profit for the year. Ford on Tuesday said its fourth-quarter earnings before interest and taxes in the quarter plummeted 67 percent to $485 million, while automotive EBIT dropped 81 percent to $215 million. Ford's North American earnings fell 64 percent to $700 million, mostly due to UAW contract costs, warranty expenses and problems with the launch of the redesigned Explorer and Aviator crossovers. Ford last month warned that its fourth-quarter results would include a $2.2 billion charge related to its pension plans. The company has now reported two consecutive fourth quarter losses, after losing $116 million in the final period of 2018. Revenue in the fourth quarter fell 5 percent to $39.7 billion. For the full year, Ford posted net income of $47 million, down from $3.7 billion in 2018. "2019 financially was not OK," CFO Tim Stone said. "From a strategic perspective, I think we had strong progress executing our strategic vision. As I look to 2020 and beyond, I'm very optimistic." For 2020, Ford said it expects adjusted free cash flow of $2.4 billion to $3.4 billion and adjusted EBIT of $5.6 billion to $6.6 billion.

Ford Trucks International Press Release / February 4, 2020 Ford Trucks' Model 1848T 4x2 prime mover enables operators to go the full distance in domestic transportation. #SharingTheLoad #FordTrucks .