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Sep 8, 2017

FORD: You too ??? * USA: Electric pizza delivery trucks?

* Michigan - Ford looking at self-driving systems for commercial trucks

--- Ford Motor Co is considering deploying self-driving vehicle technology in larger commercial vehicles and is working with multiple partners to put its autonomous vehicles on the road, a senior Ford executive told Reuters on Tuesday... Sherif Marakby, vice president of autonomous vehicles and electrification at Ford, said in an interview, recently rejoined Ford from ride-services company Uber Technologies Inc, where he oversaw development of self-driving vehicles... Ford Chief Executive Jim Hackett, who took over in May, is leading a review of the automaker's strategy, including its investments in electric and self-driving vehicles... The company is already operating Transit vans in an "on-demand" shuttle service called Chariot, which is similar to Uber Technologies Inc's ride-hailing service, and eventually could outfit those vehicles with self-driving systems... Tesla Inc and some commercial truck makers are trying to develop self-driving trucks. Ford does not make Class 8, long-haul semi trucks, but the company does build light- and medium-duty F-series trucks and Transit vans that commercial customers use to deliver goods... 
(Photo: Ford Domino's self-driving pizza delivery test) -- Detroit, MICH, USA - REUTERS/The Globe and Mail, by PAUL LIENERT - AUGUST 30, 2017

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Aug 31, 2017

CUMMINS vs. TESLA * USA: About electric engine for trucks

* Indiana - The Cummins 18,000 lb. truck, can travel 100 miles on a charge


--- Cummins Inc. on Tuesday unveiled what the company is billing as the first of its kind zero-emissions truck that runs entirely on electricity. The 18,000-pound truck, built by Roush, is designed to be used for local deliveries, such as moving products between warehouses and stores. It has a maximum payload of 44,000 pounds and takes one hour to charge... Cummins isn't pinning its future solely on electric engines. The company has said it expects diesel engines to persist well into the future... In addition to rolling out an electric concept truck Tuesday, Cummins also introduced a new engine classified as near-zero natural gas, as well as super-efficient diesel engines, and announced that it would produce a "revolutionary" new heavy-duty diesel engine in 2022... 
 (Photo: AJ Mast/AP Images for Cummins: Engine maker Cummins says it has jumped out in front of Tesla in the race to develop an all-electric engine for large trucks) -- Indianapolis, IND, USA - Indianapolis Star/USA Today, by James Briggs - Aug. 29, 2017

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Aug 12, 2017

TRUCKS RECALL * USA: From Daimler

* Oregon - Tow hook, fuel pump issues prompt recalls of 2,500-plus Freightliner, Western Star trucks

--- More than 2,500 Freightliner and Western Star trucks are affected by two separate recalls affecting tow hooks and fuel pump issues. Ranging from severe duty to Class 8 long-haul tractors, are included in two separate recalls, according to documents from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration... The largest of the two recalls affects approximately 2,483 trucks and was prompted by tow hooks that were not manufactured properly. Recall documents state the tow hooks could fail during a recovery, causing the sudden release of the truck...
(Photo: Freightliner truck next to other trucks) -- Portland, ORE, USA - CCJ - 7 Aug 2017

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Aug 9, 2017

800,000 trucks RECALL * USA: By GM

* Michigan - Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 models could lose power steering, says traffic safety authority

--- General Motors Co is recalling nearly 800,000 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 pickup trucks worldwide that could lose power steering, according to documents made public on Friday... The largest US automaker said the 2014 model year trucks could suffer a temporary loss of electric power steering, especially during low-speed turning manoeuvres, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration... The recall includes about 690,000 vehicles in the US, 80,000 in Canada and about 25,000 in other markets. GM dealers will overwrite the vehicle’s software to address the defect... GM has not said when dealers will begin repairing vehicles... 
(Photograph: Mark Humphrey/AP - a GMC truck's grill) -- Detroit, MICH, USA - Reuters - 5 Aug 2017

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Aug 6, 2017

TOYOTA PICKUP TRUCKS * Mexico - Planned to build at a new plant

* Mexico - Toyota plans truck, possibly SUV production in 
--- Toyota Motor Corp said on Friday it planned to build pickup trucks and possibly SUVs at a new plant in Mexico, a move that followed threats by U.S. President, Donald Trump,  to penalize the company if it built small cars south of the border... Toyota initially planned to produce Corolla sedans at the plant it is building in the central state of Guanajuato but will now switch production of the small cars and a new Mazda SUV crossover to a new assembly plant planned for the United States... Trump threatened in January to impose a hefty fee on the world's largest automaker if it built Corollas for the U.S. market in Mexico... "Instead of building lower value cars that generally offer smaller margins in Mexico and keeping high-value SUV and luxury model production in the U.S., they are moving in the opposite direction," said Wilson, deputy director of the think tank's Mexico institute... 
(Photo: LED Car Logo Blue front emblem for Toyota Corolla)  --  Mexico City, DF, MEX - Reuters, by Anthony Esposito - 4 August 2017

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Aug 1, 2017

PICKUP TRUCKS' GRANDFATHER * USA - 100th Anniversary TT Ford

* Michigan - Ford Trucks celebrate 100 years as America’s workhorse icon


(Photo from Ford: 1918 Ford Model TT one-ton stake bed truck)

--- Exactly 100 years ago today — July 27, 1917 — the first Ford Model TT truck rolled out of the assembly plant on Woodward Avenue in Highland Park, beginning an American love affair with pickups that still burns hot... Henry Ford had no idea what he’d begun when he had the TT engineered specifically to be a truck at a time when most pickups were modified cars... He intended the Model TT for farmers, another tool like the Fordson tractors he built for the rural life he idealized. He would’ve tipped his straw boater hat back, squinted and laughed in your face if you told him the F-series pickup that’s the direct descendant of his Model TT would become America’s best-selling vehicle for 35 years straight... 

 (Video by YOUCAR - Jan 12, 2015)

... Ford’s culture is steeped in the lore of the F-series and “Built Ford Tough,” the slogan coined in a company magazine in 1977, the year when the F-series first became America’s best-selling truck. Ford has sold more than 26 million F-series trucks in the U.S. since then... 
Detroit, MICH, USA - The Detroit Free Press, by Mark Phelan - July 27, 2017

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Jul 19, 2017

ALL NEW Volvo VNL Truck * USA (Video)

* North Caroline - Watch a 3-year-old unbox the 80-foot-long truck

  (Video from VolvoTrucksUSA - Jul 11, 2017: A 3-year-old truck enthusiast gets the surprise of his life. Unboxing a full-size heavy truck–the new Volvo VNL–he receives A GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title) 

--- We all love our cars and trucks... When I was two-years-old, I started sitting behind the screen of my front door, yelling out the names of cars as they drove by and I jumped with joy every time I got to touch one... Fast forward 25 years, and I act the same exact way. I stand by my desk, look out the window and yell to The Drive staff what I just say driving by (ED: It's true, he does that). When a car comes into The Drive's garage, I greet the vehicle with a series of "oohhh....niceee... I bet it sounds purrty." The point I am getting at is our love for cars and trucks doesn't change with age... Volvo capitalized on this idea and had an adorable 3 year-old named Joel Jovine (sick name) unbox the company's brand new VNL truck. Available in numerous configurations, the new Volvo VNL 760 tractor comes with a 70-inch rear cabin, a Cummins X15 making 565 horsepower and 1850 lb-ft of torque, and semi-enough autonomous features to make Tesla nervous. To unveil the truck, Volvo recruited Joel to unbox that truck as if it was one of his toys. Volvo then had the curious 3 year-old explore the truck and play with all the creature comforts the cabin had to offer. Finally, Joel to a ride around the block with some friendly trucker... Long story short, the Volvo VNL has the most autonomous features of any truck currently on the market... 
Greensboro, NC, USA - The Drive, by MAX GOLDBERG - July 13, 2017

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CLEAN DIESEL TRUCKS ON THE ROADS * USA

* Maryland - Research: Number of clean diesel trucks on the road reaches 30%

--- Trucks equipped with clean diesel engines and advanced emissions control systems make up 30 percent of the road, according to new research by the Diesel Technology Forum. Executive Director Allen Schaeffer says nearly 3 million heavy-duty diesel commercial vehicles introduced in the U.S. from 2011 through 2016 are now on the road... The newest generation of clean diesel trucks have NOx emissions that are 99 percent lower than previous generations along with 98 percent fewer emissions of particulate matter, resulting in significant clean air benefits throughout the U.S. ... Beginning in 2011, all heavy-duty diesel trucks sold had to meet NOx emissions of no more than 0.20 grams per brake horse-power hour (g/BHP-hr.) in addition to particulate emissions levels of no more than 0.01 grams per brake horse-power hour (g/HP-hr.) established in 2007... Class 8 tractor-trailer sized vehicle powered by the latest generation clean diesel engine, Schaeffer says, will save the owner 960 gallons of fuel each year, relative to the previous generation of technology... 
 Frederick, MD, USA - CCJ, by_Jason_Cannon - July 13, 2017

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TRUCK TEST * USA: 2018 New Cascadia

* Arizona - 2018 New Cascadia road test: Safety Features

 (Video by TodaysTrucking, originally published on May 29, 2017 - A video series that look closely at Freightliner's New Cascadia) 

 --- This Ultimate Test Drive video series looks closely at Freightliner's New Cascadia. It's not a rework or a remake of the popular Cascadia, but clean-page design that improves much of what made the Cascadia popular. While the New Cascadia is the most fuel efficient truck the company has ever built, all the fuel savings in world won't matter much compared to the cost of serious collision. That's why it's probably also the safest. This video it's not a rework or a remake of the popular Cascadia, but clean-page design that improves much of what made the Cascadia popular. Fuel efficiency is said to be 8 percent better than the current Evolution model and a whopping 13 percent better than the base-model Cascadia. In this video, we dig into the Cascadia's fuel saving potential and explore the technology that makes those savings possible... 
 Tolleson, AZ, USA - Today's Trucking - Jul 13, 2017

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Jul 15, 2017

TRUCKMAKERS' CARTEL * UK: A class action against a group

* London - Cartel of truck manufacturers could face a compensation bill of nearly £4bn

---   A second law firm and a financier have joined a class action against a group of truck manufacturers, offering support to claimants... Hausfeld has teamed with Burford Capital to offer legal and financial help to hauliers affected by the truck cartel... Companies across the European Economic Area that bought or leased medium or heavy-duty trucks from any of the members of the cartel have a right to compensation if they suffered losses as a result of higher prices they had to pay. They may also claim interest... The UK Road Haulage Association (RHA) believes compensation of around £6,000 per truck is likely... The truck manufacturers could be liable for claims amounting to some £3.9bn... Hausfield adds that there are some 650,000 hauliers operating in Europe, many of which are small businesses... 
(Photo by Valeria Cantone)  --  London, EN, UK - The Load Star, by Alex Lennane - 7 July 2017

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NAVISTAR's * USA: New "International" serie trucks

* Illinois - Test drive: International RH Series

--- International debuted its RH Series tractor in April...  Little influence remains from the ProStar 113-inch BBC and the TranStar 107 models that the RH – the second of four tractors that will be born from the company’s Project Horizon – will soon supplant... An improved onboard computer now includes after treatment controls, which previously was under the driver-side door... International’s RH Series is a smart re-refreshment of its regional haul entry that maximizes maneuverability while amping up drivability, and its pairing with the nimble and powerful A26 gives Navistar a capable short-haul delivery truck that makes a strong business case for its share of the highway... 
Warrensville, ILL, USA CCJ, by Jason Cannon - July 12, 2017

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MERCEDES' NEW PICKUP TRUCK * USA

* New Jersey - Mercedes Benz X Class unveil details revealed

 (Video by PowerDrift - Mar 16, 2017) 

 -- German automaker Mercedes-Benz is getting ready to pull the wraps off an all-new, mid-size pickup truck later this month... Named the “X-Class”, Mercedes’ upcoming truck was first previewed by a concept model late in 2016... The truck will be powered by a V6 diesel mated to 4MATIC permanent all-wheel drive. The X-Class further expands the Mercedes-Benz portfolio and will be launched later in 2017... At the moment, then, Ford has no cause for concern in the US; the Mercedes X-Class isn’t likely to penetrate the market unless an additional factory is built. But it would be foolhardy to assume that the new truck will be priced like a luxury product, and if it isn’t, it could prove a (surprising) competitor to the global Ford Ranger... 
 Montvale, NJ, USA - Drivers Park - 6 July 2917

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Jul 13, 2017

NEW TRUCK MODEL * USA: By Mack Trucks in September

* North Carolina - Mack Trucks to unveil new highway tractor in September

--- Mack Trucks said it will unveil a new Class 8 highway truck on Sept. 13... The company launched a major social media push over the weekend to promote the new model, set for introduction just ahead of the new North American Commercial Vehicle show in Atlanta later that month... 
(Photo Mack Trucks: Semi Truck Models) -- Greensboro, NC, USA - Fleet Owner, by Neil Abt - Jul 9, 2017

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Jun 14, 2017

TOYOTA PICKUPS RECALL * USA

* Texas - Toyota recalls 36,000 Tacoma pickups for stalling risk

--- Toyota is recalling 36,000 Tacoma pickups in North and South America because they can stall without warning... The recall involves Tacomas with V-6 engines from the 2016 and 2017 model years. Most of the trucks — 32,000 — are in the U.S. The rest are in Canada, Mexico, Bolivia and Costa Rica... The company says an engine crankshaft timing rotor may have been produced with excessive anti-corrosion coating, which could cause the crank position sensor to malfunction... If the sensor malfunctions, the vehicle may run roughly, misfire or stall... Toyota Motor Corp. won't say if there have been any reports of injuries or accidents related to the defect... Vehicle owners will be notified of the recall starting next month. Toyota dealers will replace the crank position sensors for free...
(Photo from Toyota - Tacoma recall)   --  Plano, TXS, USA - Associated Press/Fox News Auto - June 02, 2017

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DAIMLER VANS RECALL * USA

* South Carolina - Daimler recalls 1,257 Sprinter vehicles over tire pressure mislabeling issue
--- Daimler Vans USA is recalling nearly 1,260 2016 Mercedes-Benz and Freightliner Sprinter 2500 and 3500 vehicles equipped with reinforced front axles that are labeled with a tire pressure that is too low, the company announced Tuesday... Daimler said that operating the affected vehicles, with low front tire pressure may result in tire damage, increasing the risk of a crash. The label with the incorrect tire pressure is located on the B-pillar... The company has not yet announced the date when it plans to notify affected customers... If necessary, Freightliner Sprinter and Mercedes-Benz dealers will check and replace the tire label at no cost to the customer...
(Photo: Ryan ZumMallen/Trucks.com - Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vans) -- Charleston, SC, USA - Trucks.com, by CLARISSA HAWES - JUNE 13, 2017

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TRUCKERS' COMFORT * USA - New cab desing from VOLVO

* North Carolina - Comfort guided Volvo VNR interior designers

--- Drivers are proud of their trucks, so many were happy to invite Volvo designers into their cabs. The company met with about 2,000 drivers and fleets while developing the truck, which was unveiled in April... Helping drivers stay comfortable behind the wheel is also vital, especially considering the breadth of new recruits entering the industry. They include women, said product marketing manager Allison Athey, she pointed specifically to the truck’s adjustable seat belt and three-way adjustable steering wheel as features that help drivers of varying sizes find the right fit... The wheel itself features 19 buttons that control such functions as Bluetooth connectivity, integrated engine braking and cruise control, gauge cluster backlight and audio volume and buttons that permit drivers to flash their headlights or taillights at other drivers... If sensors in the base determine a crash is imminent, the seat will drop and slide back. The seat also features a side-mounted air bag, which is in addition to the standard driver-side steering wheel-mounted air bag... 
 Winston-Salem, NC, USA - Transport Topics, by Joe Howard - 5 May 2017

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MILITARY TRUCKS PURCHASES * USA: Navistar's

* Illinois - U.S. Army awards Navistar Defense $18.8 Million contract to build 115 Medium Tactical Vehicles

--- The U.S. Army tapped Navistar Defense LLC – the military vehicle division of the truck manufacturer – to build 115 International 7000-MV Medium Tactical Vehicles, or MTVs, headed to Iraq, worth an estimated $18.8 million... The MTVs are based on the International WorkStar severe-duty platform designed for off- and on-road operation. The vehicles are the “backbone for the company’s MaxxPro Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle,” Navistar said Tuesday... “Since 2004, Navistar Defense has delivered nearly 7,000 trucks and buses to Iraq through foreign military sales contracts,” said Kevin Thomas, the company’s president... The vehicles will be built primarily at Navistar’s assembly plant in West Point, Miss., and will be delivered in January 2018...
 (Photo Navistar MaxPro Dash utility vehicle) -- Warrensville, ILL, USA - Trucks.com, by CLARISSA HAWES - JUNE 13, 2017


* Virginia - Army launches competition for new heavy dump truck
--- The U.S Army is inviting industry to compete for chance to build the service’s new, armored dump trucks... The Army intends to award a Single-Source Award, Firm-Fixed Price, Seven-year Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity commercial contract for the M917A3 Heavy Dump Truck, according to the May 26 solicitation... The service plans to buy about 683 M917A3 armored dump trucks... The last time the Army purchased new dump trucks was in September 2000 when it awarded a $400 million contract to Freightliner LLC to build almost 3,400 M917A2s, as well as M915A3 line haul tractors and M916A3 light equipment transporters... 
(Photo: U.S. Navy - The U.S. Army has launched a competition that will result in the purchase of more than 600 new, armored dump trucks) -- Arlington County, VIR, USA - DoD Buzz, by MATTHEW COX - JUNE 2, 2017

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NOW, TRUCKING VTOL * USA: Workhorse's vertical-takeoff-and-landing one

* Ohio - Truckmaker sees simple, practical route to electric VTOL

--- Workhorse Group is bringing its hybrid-electric truck experience to the piloted, two-seat SureFly. The company sees agriculture and logistics as initial markets, and air taxi in the longer term... For the first time, an automotive manufacturer is entering the fledgling electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing (eVTOL) market. Workhorse Group is bringing its hybrid-electric truck experience to the piloted, two-seat SureFly. The company sees agriculture and logistics as initial markets, and air taxi in the longer term. Workhorse may not be a household name, but the delivery step vans it makes for FedEx and UPS are everyday sights... 
(Photo:)  --  Loveland, OH, USA - - Aviation Week & Space Technology, by Graham Warwick- 8 June 2017

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May 29, 2017

OTTO TRUCKS * USA: No more. Yes UBER ATG

* California - Uber retires Otto brand name

--- Uber has quietly put the Otto brand name out to pasture, according to published reports out of San Francisco... Forbes reports, “Uber consolidated Otto’s activities under its Advanced Technologies Group, or Uber ATG, in April and ‘retired the Otto name’”  ... Uber has had no further comment on the move since...  Although the Forbes article does note that “the change came shortly after the dismissal of a trademark infringement suit brought by Kitchener, Ontario-based Otto Motors, a unit of Clearpath Robotics that makes autonomous vehicles for warehouses and industrial facilities” ... There is no word yet from Uber on what the company will rename its autonomous truck technology business... 
 (Photo Otto: The retirement of the Otto brand name comes on the heels of a tough year for the autonomous truck company)   --  San Francisco, CAL, USA - TruckingInfo - May 26, 2017

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May 20, 2017

DAIMLER news * USA: The Madras track for trucks

* Oregon - Daimler opens truck proving grounds

--- Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) on Thursday opened its new High Desert Proving Grounds in Madras, Ore... Built in just more than 13 months, the $18.7 million research and development facility sits on 87 acres next to the city airport and includes a 3.5-mile test-track loop and 32,000 square feet building... The track represents part of a more than $170 million investment in the State of Oregon, including Daimler’s new Portland headquarters about 120 miles north... The track’s design, thanks in part to its varying engineered surfaces, allows the company to accelerate its road testing. Achenbach says 6,000 miles around the truck represents 1.2 million miles on-highway, allowing engineers to simulate a typical vehicle’s full service life in approximately six months... 
Madras, ORE, USA - CCJ, by Jason Cannon - May 18, 2017

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