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The Detroit News / June 25, 2013 Washington — President Barack Obama unveiled a new plan Tuesday to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including setting new fuel-efficiency standards for heavy-duty trucks after 2018, carbon emission limits for power plants and increasing use of compressed natural gas as a fuel for vehicles. The White House in 2011 finalized first-ever fuel-efficiency standards for medium- and heavy-duty trucks. The standards call for those vehicles to reduce fuel consumption between 10 and 20 percent, depending on the design and purpose of the vehicles. The new rules, which take effect in the 2014 model year and run through 2018, are required under a 2007 energy law and will boost the efficiency of bigger vehicles up to 20 percent. The White House says it will begin work on post-2018 fuel economy standards for heavy-duty vehicles to further reduce fuel consumption. Heavy-duty vehicles are the second-largest source of greenhouse gas emissions within the transportation sector. Overall, the rules announced in 2011 are expected to save the industry $50 billion in fuel costs, or 530 billion barrels of oil, over that period, but will cost manufacturers $8.1 billion to build the more efficient vehicles. Prior to the 2007 energy law, medium- and heavy-duty trucks faced no regulations, unlike light-duty vehicles subject to the Corporate Average Fuel Economy mandates. Under the program, trucks and buses built from 2014 through 2018 will reduce greenhouse gas pollution by approximately 270 million metric tons. Certain combination tractors — commonly known as big-rigs or semi-trucks — will be required to achieve up to approximately 20 percent reduction in fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by model year 2018, saving up to four gallons of fuel for every 100 miles traveled. The White House said Obama will again call for more use of compressed natural gas by vehicles. In April, Obama said he wants to hike the Energy Department’s vehicle research budget 75 percent to $575 million and create a $2 billion trust fund to fund research into getting the country off foreign oil over the next 10 years.

Transport Topics / June 25, 2013 Penske Truck Leasing today said Tuesday it has ordered 100 compressed natural gas Freightliner Cascadia tractors equipped with Cummins Westport 12-liter engines. The trucks will be used by Penske’s full-service truck leasing and commercial-truck rental customers at locations across the United States. “Many full-service truck leasing customers continue to evaluate using natural gas vehicles within their truck fleets, while others are quickly adopting [their] use to meet their sustainability goals,” said Art Vallely, Penske Truck Leasing’s executive vice president of operations. “We’re encouraged by the interest we are seeing from customers with regard to [natural-gas vehicles], and we are fully capable of assisting any fleet with their natural gas-powered truck needs,” he said in a statement. Penske, which is exhibiting at this week’s ACT Expo in Washington, estimates that by year’s end it will have more than 200 natural-gas tractors within its fleet for use by its full-service truck leasing customers and commercial-truck rental customers.

Fleet Owner / June 25, 2013 Andrew J. (A.J.) Cederoth, executive vice president and chief financial officer of Navistar International Corp., will leave the company at the end of the month. The company said Cederoth’s departure is part of a “planned transition to a new CFO.” Cederoth, 48, has served as the company’s CFO since September 2009. James M. Moran, Navistar senior vice president and treasurer, will oversee the company’s financial operations and functions on an interim basis, while the company finalizes its appointment of a new CFO from outside the company. “I want to thank A. J. for his many contributions during his 23 years at Navistar, particularly the leadership he displayed this past year in helping to create, implement and drive significant progress in our turnaround plan,” said Troy A. Clarke, Navistar’s president and CEO. “I also appreciate the support A. J. provided during this CFO transition process. He has had a distinguished career at Navistar and we wish him well in his future endeavors.”

P.T. Allbest was the Mack distributor for Indonesia back in the days of Mack Trucks. From 2000 on, after Volvo Group had acquired Mack Trucks, I have no idea what Mack-brand sales and after-sales support representation was arranged by Volvo Group for Indonesia. According to the global dealer locator on the Mack website, there currently is no Mack representation in Indonesia (or anywhere in Southeast Asia now for that matter).

Maybe I can express the situation more clearly by saying that after Volvo Group purchased Mack Trucks in 2000, all Mack operations (e.g. Mack Australia) and responsibilities (e.g. the sale and after-sales support of Mack-brand trucks in Indonesia) were under the new owner - Volvo Group. Paccar International has a representative office in Jakarta. Great people too under Don Helgerson (Paccar Int'l Asia Pacific regional manager). They take the Indonesia and Southeast Asia market very seriously. They're looking after those Kenworths. This is why Paccar continues to be successful in Indonesia. But Volvo, well, they clearly don't wish to support the Mack-branded product that they've sold. The former Mack Trucks didn't do business that way.

Welcome to the forum. And thank you for taking the time to write and share with us more information on those two Titans. By the way, Volvo Group acquired Mack Trucks in 2000, so these 2001 model Titans were built and operated entirely under Volvo Group's stewardship. From what you say, It's ashame that Volvo didn't provide adequate after-sales support for these trucks in Indonesia. Having a Cummins engine and Eaton transmission doesn't classify a truck as a "hybrid" though. And Aussie Mack dealers provide one-stop service for such Macks every day.

Those left and right fuel tanks look to be around 600 liters each (about 160 gallons). That would give these Iran Kaveh Mack R-models quite a range. .

Previously, the Voith model "VR115H Eaton" integrally-mounted retarder was available with the global market Eaton 16-speed fully synchronized transmission. RTS(O)-12316A 1750N.m / 1291ft-lb RTS(O)-14316A 1900N.m / 1401ft-lb RTS(O)-17316A 2375N.m / 1752ft-lb Eaton obsoleted this transmission and sold it to Hino (who continues to produce it), replacing it with the current design global market fully synchronized 9, 10, 12 and 13 speed transmissons. Eaton is now redesigning the rear housing of current generation transmission to accept an integrally-mounted Voith retarder. Note: Voith has been the Eaton/Fuller transmission distributor for Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany and Switzerland since 1999.

Eaton is redesigning the rear housing of their current heavy transmission range to accept an integrally-mounted Voith retarder, for both the U.S. and global markets. Interestingly, Voith has been the Eaton/Fuller transmission distributor for Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany and Switzerland since 1999.

As I mentioned above, "full lockers" as you call it was an available factory option from Mack Trucks. But it's up to the customer and/or salesman to spec it. Most Mack vocational customers never needed more than the air lock-out power divider, but the inter-wheel power divider option was also available.

Deutz is a huge powerplant supplier for construction, agricultural and gen sets worldwide. In China, their 1013 and 2012 series 2-valve engines have been solid performers in the medium and baby 8 truck segment. The 7.2-liter Volvo D7 was actually a Deutz 4-valve 2013 series engine. The truck engine contract ended in 2010 when Volvo decided to begin using Nissan Diesel engines (Volvo purchased Nissan Diesel in 2007). But Deutz will continue to supply Volvo construction equipment with 4- and 6-cylinder water-cooled engines under contract thru 2030. The 2015 series V-8s are indeed quite impressive. You'll find them all around the world including in marine applications. http://www.deutz.de/html/default/home.en.html;jsessionid=5DC7CEE455C6441888E93865EAC75994 .

44 rears of course came standard with an automatic inter-axle power divider. An air-actuated inter-axle power divider "lockout" was a factory option. In addition, an "inter-wheel" power divider was also available. With this option, rather than the front/rear carriers being CRDPC92/CRD93, they'd be CRD921/CRD931. So with the combination of the two options, your rear bogie would be driving at all four corners for enhanced off-highway mobility.

From the moment that Clessie L. Cummins partnered with Jacobs Manufacturing Company in 1960 to produce engine brakes, Jacobs became much more than a drill chuck manufacturer. Actually Jacobs split in 1986. The engine brake unit is in Connecticut, and the drill chuck unit is in South Carolina. After retiring from Cummins in 1955, Clessie Cummins began working on a viable engine brake design, arriving at one in 1957. He’d wanted to start his own company, but through a twist of fate, his nephew married the daughter of Robert Englund, the vice president of Jacobs Manufacturing Company. The two hit it off and the Clessie L. Cummins Division of Jacobs Manufacturing was formed (now known as Jacobs Vehicle Systems). In addition to being the world leader in engine brake design, Jacobs is now expanding their global footprint by doing contract engine design work. Jacobs had actually for years been helping engine makers to design the upper end so as to maximize engine brake performance. Now Jacobs is taking that expertise to the global market. Mercedes-Benz completely redesigned the originally adopted upper end design for their OM471/DD13, OM472/DD15 global engine platforms, at Jacobs’ suggestion, so as now to have the best engine braking performance in their class.

Regarding paint cleaning and waxing, these two articles are an excellent overall introduction. http://store.carcareonline.com/cleanyourcarspaintwork.aspx http://store.carcareonline.com/protectyourcarspaintfinish.aspx Owner Larry Reynolds is wonderful. I've purchased from him for over 25 years.

Truck recall roils Navistar stock price Fleet Owner / June 20, 2013 Shares of Navistar International Corp. (NAV) were buffeted today by the recall of over 7,000 late-model ProStar and TranStar Class 8 trucks that might have a braking-related issue. At one point this morning, Navistar’s stock was trading at $26.92-- roughly 10% off its opening price. The truck recall was first issued last November, but was expanded earlier this month to include 1,000 more units. The total number of trucks affected now stands at 7, 756. Navistar was also hit with bad financial news last week. Standard & Poor's (S&P) Ratings Services downgraded its credit from B to B- and maintained a “negative outlook” for the OEM. S&P also adjusted Navistar's “business risk profile” from “weak” to vulnerable.” S&P is “cautious about the liquidity of the company and expects that Navistar will generate wider losses in future.” Navistar’s shares had slipped “around 9.1%” after the company announced its fiscal 2013 2Q earnings on June 11th. The recall notice posted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTSA) affects “certain model year 2012-2013 International brand ProStar and TranStar commercial trucks, manufactured from August 01, 2011, through July 10, 2012, and equipped with front brake linings listed as feature codes 0504501, 0504504, or 04EWM.” NHTSA said the recall was issued because S-Cam tube bracket assemblies on the steer axles of these trucks may fracture. “Brake assembly fractures may result in an inoperative brake on the affected wheel,” stated the agency. “This will cause the vehicle to pull to one side unexpectedly during braking and/or increase the stopping distance. Either result may increase the risk of a vehicle crash.” According to NHTSA, Navistar has notified all affected owners about the defect and the “remedy is expected to be available in August 2013.” That will involve dealers replacing the S-Cam tube bracket assemblies, free of charge.

Yes, the Mack-designed R-U-DM cabs were produced under contract by Sheller-Globe. CA36 (pre 1973 R-model) CA361 (pre 1973 U-DM) CA363 (post 73-81 U-model) CA49 (post 73 R/RD/RS/RL - fiberglass and steel hood) CA491 (post 73 DM - fiberglass hood / 81' on U-model) CA492 (post 73 DM - steel hood) CA494 (RWI600/700 Super-Liner)

Thank you. I'd rather not say too much. I worked many years for Mack. While at Mack, I never enjoyed life more. I can’t adequately express my heartfelt feelings for Mack Trucks. I can tell you that I have never known a finer high-caliber group of people. Simply put, there was no better company to work for than Mack Trucks. No other truckmaker had a family of employees from coast-to-coast and around the world with so much passion, dedication and pride. These qualities, I feel, were largely responsible for Mack’s successes. In the days of Mack Trucks, particularly under Zenon Hansen, you knew in your heart that you were part of something really special. Long after Mr. Hansen retired, the Mack spirit he created lived on at Mack World Headquarters, the plants, PDCs (parts distribution centers), Mack’s superb factory-owned branches* and the privately-owned Mack distributors. No matter where you were, the Mack family spirit was present. It was Mack pride and earned respect (never any arrogance) that allowed Mack to rise above the rest. Life at the other truckmakers was just a job. But at Mack Trucks, our work was an indescribably satisfying way of life. So it is extremely sad for any Mack veteran, like myself, to witness a foreign truckmaker purchase America’s truck industry icon and reduce it to a mere shell of its former self. If there was to be one remaining U.S.-owned truckmaker, it arguably should be Mack Trucks. With due respect to America's other truckmakers, no other U.S. truckmaker has contributed so much to America as Mack – “The Greatest Name in Trucks”. (Paccar executives have privately expressed sadness over what's become of Mack. That speaks volumes for the respect they had for the former Mack Trucks) *The factory-owned branches of Mack Trucks deserve special mention. From Atlanta to Richmond to Dallas, from Denver to Salt Lake City to Seattle, from Chicago (both the Wentworth Ave. and O'Hare branches) to Buffalo to Queens, no truckmaker in the history of the United States ever had a finer and more capable sales and after-sales support network than Mack Trucks. The Mack factory branches, I feel, set the benchmark for the entire industry. I can't say enough good things about the dedicated Mack men and women who made it possible. Job well done. .

We've discussed the 1978 Brockway 760 Super-Liner prototype and the Mack (New Zealand) RB before (Only NZ had this model). http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/index.php?/topic/19327-interesting-new-trucks/page-9 Mack Trucks had provided Brockway with a modified R-model cab (altered front firewall and front side panels). The wildcat strike killed Brockway. Mack's acquisition of Brockway gave the small truckmakers a second chance. They didn't have the money to design much-needed new cabs and Mack could provide. But in the end, with the wildcat strike, the death was self-inflicted. Mack used that modified R-model cab as the basis for the RWL/RWS Super-Liner. But of course, the RWL/RWS had an entirely different lightweight west coast chassis. Every component from the hood on was completely different. I'm fond of Brockway, but the only common part between the 1978 Brockway 760 Super-Liner prototype and the RWL/RWS Super-Liner was the Mack-sourced modified R-model CA49 cab.

Ford bought Sperry New Holland in 1986 (Sperry Corporation* had purchased New Holland in the 1947). Ford got out of the agricultural and light construction business in 1991. They sold their majority interest in Ford New Holland to Fiat under the agreement that the Ford name would be dropped in 10 years. So now its just New Holland, not Ford New Holland. *Sperry, an example of American know-how, was the inventor of the gyrostabilizer and gyrocompass for marine applications, the "auto pilot" for aircraft and many other cutting edge devices.

Case-IH is not an American company. It's incorporated in the Neatherlands and controlled by Fiat. Case was last an American company when it belonged to Tenneco (1967-1999). Tenneco bought Case in 1967, International Harvester's agricultural unit in 1984, and Steiger Tractor in 1986. Then Case-IH was merged into New Holland in 1999 under a new parent (CNH Global) controlled by Fiat.

Bloomberg / June 20, 2013 MAN SE was sued by Effecten-Spiegel AG over answers given at a shareholder’s meeting in the first step in a potential legal battle with minority shareholders over Volkswagen AG’s plan to take full control of the truckmaker. Effecten-Spiegel, a Dusseldorf-based investor and publisher of a finance magazine, filed a complaint in a Munich court charging MAN with providing insufficient information at the June 6 meeting. . The suit, which is asking for more detailed information than given at the meeting, won’t hinder the implementation of Volkswagen’s domination agreement that was approved at the meeting, the law firm said. “We still deem the offered compensation as inappropriately low,” Peter Dreier, the Dusseldorf-based lawyer that filed the complaint on behalf of Effecten-Spiegel, said in the statement. “We will review this aspect for our clients after the resolution of the shareholders meeting is registered.” Volkswagen preferred shares dropped as much as 6.50 euros, or 4.1 percent, to 153.20 euros and was 4 percent lower as of 12:05 p.m. in Frankfurt trading. MAN was 0.1 percent higher at 84.09 euros. VW gained shareholder approval for a profit transfer and domination agreement with MAN, which eliminates the need for arm’s length negotiations between the companies and gives the carmaker access to MAN’s cash. The vote was never in doubt because VW’s voting stake of just over 75 percent gave it sufficient muscle to push through the plan. Takeover Offer VW, which is required under German law as part of the agreement to offer to buy out minority owners, is proposing purchasing the truckmaker’s remaining stock for 80.89 euros ($106.92) a share. Investors who don’t accept the cash deal will receive an annual dividend of 3.07 euros per share. Ferdinand Piech, supervisory board chairman at both Volkswagen and MAN, said at the meeting that he expects a drawn-out legal battle with investors seeking a higher price.

Although retarders are rare on U.S. trucks, they are extremely popular throughout the rest of the world. I like Jacobs (And so does Mercedes-Benz, having chosen a Jacobs engine brake for the OM471/DD13, OM472/DD15 and OM473/DD16). But having said that, ZF's retarder is a high performing product worth serious consideration. With the latest version down to 143 pounds while delivering 805hp of braking power, I think more U.S. customers will express an interest. Voith is the other big global name in retarders and they offer a superb product. Voith's integrally-mounted retarder has in the past been a factory option on Eaton's global market fully-synchronized heavy truck transmissions. Comparing (Jacobs) engine braking to retarders, there's much good to be said for each type. Every European truckmaker offers a retarder.

Diesel News / 6/19/2013 ZF has produced its 800,000th “Intarder” transmission-integrated hydraulic retarder. The third and latest generation Intarder weighs just 143 pounds while providing improved deceleration. ZF engineers have also achieved smaller dimensions for the unit, allowing for installations in tight confines. Since ZF introduced the Intarder in 1992, the number of truckmakers and bus builders utilizing the Intarder has rapidly grown. One in three ZF truck transmissions is equipped with the optional Intarder. The third generation Intarder is ideally suited for ZF’s new TraXon modular automatic transmission system. The Intarder now offers significantly higher braking torque, with the power model rated to 2,950ft-lb, while the Eco variant sits at 2,434ft-lb. These torque ratings are applicable to a maximum braking power of 805 horsepower, with a maximum response time of one second. Heat control for the Intarder is achieved via the engine’s cooling circuit, which makes it ideal for new generation trucks with higher coolant temperature thresholds. Since the Intarder is integrally mounted on the transmission output, the braking effect is maintained even when changing gears, providing maximum protection for the main brakes against fading. A new electronic control unit simplifies integration into vehicle brake management systems while also providing a cruise control function. Both during fading-free continuous braking and individual adaptive braking, safety systems such as ABS and ESP remain active. The driver can control braking power as required with 5 progressive steps.

There's no doubt in my mind that America, with the finest talent in the world, can set the benchmark for heavy truck and powertrain design.

You're right, the Navistar International PayStar 5000i-based Cat CT660 vocational trucks certainly aren't selling. Cat (and Oshkosh) certainly have the financial wherewithal to purchase the Mack brand back from Volvo. But in taking on Mack, from a product standpoint, they’d almost be starting from scratch. Over half of the Mack-branded truck's content is Volvo. For example, the engines, and the "Advantage" and "Cornerstone" chassis platforms, are all Volvo global components. All CAT would have is a cab and hood, which doesn't make the deal attractive, unless CAT is extremely committed to the project.