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Aug 24, 2017

PACCAR's * USA: Testing new 12 speed transmission

* Texas - Test drive: Paccar’s 12-speed automated transmission

--- The debut of Paccar’s drive axle last October gave the company two-thirds of a fully integrated powertrain. For the 2018 model year, the truck maker will slide the last piece of the puzzle into place with its own transmission... The introduction of an automated transmission signals both Kenworth’s and Peterbilt’s transition to its first built in-house gearbox for the T680 Advantage and Model 579 Epiq, respectively...
Denton, TXS, USA - CCJ, by Jason Cannon - August 22, 2017

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Aug 6, 2017

NAVISTAR's MEDIUM DUTY TRUCKS * USA: With Cummins' engines.

* Illinois - Navistar to drop its medium duty engines by next year


--- Navistar announced Thursday plans to cease engine production at its Melrose Park, Ill., plant by early next year as the truck maker continues that facility’s transformation into the company’s technical center... The move will bring the company’s medium duty 9/10 liter engines to an end... Navistar reintroduced the 6.7 liter Cummins engine as an option for its Class 6/7 medium duty vehicles in 2013, and in 2016 made available a 9 liter Cummins engine option. The Cummins ISL and ISB, which now take standard position in those trucks, are manufactured in Indiana and North Carolina, while Navistar’s big bore engine plant in Alabama will continue to make engines for International Class 8 trucks... The cessation of engine manufacturing at Melrose Park is expected to affect about 170 employees... 
 (Photo: Navistar's medium-duty truck)   --  Warrensville, ILL, USA - CCJ, by_Jason_Cannon - August 3, 2017

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Jan 18, 2017

VOLVO's TRUCKS RECALL * USA

* NC - Volvo Trucks North America recall 6,000 trucks
--- Volvo Trucks North America is recalling 6,127 of its model year 2013-2017 VNL and VNM trucks and model year 2017 VNX trucks with faulty software to prevent possible contamination of the brake system... The vehicles have incorrect software for controlling the electronic air dryer and that may result in oil and water contaminating the brake system, VTNA said... The recall is expected to begin Feb. 17, and VTNA will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the vehicle control module and replace the air dryer filter, free of charge, the truck maker said... 
(Photo)   --  Greensboro, NC, USA - Transport Topics - 12 Jan 2017

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Jan 5, 2017

NAVISTAR's news * USA: Ending ALLIANCE with VW

* Illinois - Navistar expects Volkswagen deal to close by end of March

--- Navistar International Corp. expects regulatory review of its planned alliance with Volkswagen AG to be completed early next year, allowing the companies to begin working on commercial trucks and engines for the U.S. market... Navistar said Tuesday the U.S. government has already given its antitrust approval for the alliance. Regulatory approval though is pending in other countries, particularly in Brazil and Mexico where the German car and truck maker and Illinois-based Navistar compete more with each other... Navistar reported the two companies are close to completing the details for the venture’s initial projects for purchasing raw materials and commodity components and developing new powertrains... The company said it expects the deal to close by the end of March... 
(Photo: EUROPEAN PRESS: Navistar International Corp. expects the alliance with Volkswagen AG to yield $500 million of cost savings during the first five years) -- Peoria, ILL, USA - The WSJ, by BOB TITA - Dec. 20, 2016

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Oct 17, 2016

SPEED LIMITERS * USA: Truckers opposed

* DC - Truckers remain mostly opposed to speed limiter rule as comments pour in

--- Nearly 3,000 comments have been received by the Department of Transportation in just five weeks since it published its proposal to mandate the use of speed limiting devices on trucks weighing more than 26,000 pounds. Truckers, according to the publicly filed comments, remain opposed to the rule... The proposal is written as more of a fact-finding request than a fully formed rule proposal. It doesn’t offer specifics on a speed trucks would be limited to. The DOT did appear to be leaning toward either a 60, 65 or 68 mph cap, however... Many of the comments, if not most, received to the docket so far have been in opposition of the rule, and although it hasn’t filed a formal comment yet, the American Trucking Associations, has said it won’t support the rule as it’s currently written, despite its past strong support for a rule mandating limiters... ONE COMMENT: “I oppose speed limiters in trucks. Accidents are much less likely to happen when vehicles are traveling at the same speed. If speed limiters are such a great idea why don’t we put them on all vehicle[s]? Then everybody would be traveling at the same speed.” – Donald Beebe, Burnsville, Minn... 
(Photo: Highway truck) -- Washington, DC, USA - Overdrive - 13 Oct 2016

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Jan 28, 2016

VOLVO to REORGANIZE TRUCK BUSINESS * Sweden / USA: Mack's Trucks

* Stockholm - Mack's parent company to reorganize truck businesses

-- Mack Trucks' parent company is letting the iconic heavy-duty truck manufacturer stand on its own wheels... The Volvo Group is planning to reorganize its truck operations into four separate units — Mack Trucks, Volvo Trucks, UD Trucks and Renault Trucks — giving each profit-and-loss responsibility for their respective businesses, the Sweden-based company said Wednesday... The new organization, with a total of 10 business areas, will be effective March 1...  In addition to the four truck units, Volvo Group will comprise Value Truck & JVs; Volvo Construction Equipment; Volvo Buses; Volvo Penta; Governmental Sales; and Volvo Financial Services... 
(Photo: Mack USA. trucks)  --  Stockholm, Sweden - The Morning Call, by Jon Harris - 27 Jan 2016

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Jan 27, 2016

TRUCKMAKERS NEWS USA: * GM's ** Paccar'

* Michigan - GMC unveiling new Sierra All Terrain X pickup

-- General Motors Co. on Wednesday will unveil a new special edition of its 2016 GMC Sierra 1500 All Terrain pickup at the Houston Auto Show... The 2016 Sierra All Terrain X, the company says, is a new trim package for the pickup that features exclusive premium content that enhances off-road capability, and an aggressive, monochromatic appearance... The Sierra All Terrain offers: Z71 off-road suspension suite of technologies, four-wheel-drive with locking rear differential and All-Terrain badging, as well as other aesthetic and performance features... The “X” package also includes special off-road tires on 18-by-8.5-inch black aluminum wheels; performance exhaust that bumps output of its 5.3-liter V-8 engine to 365 horsepower; bed-mounted sport bar designed to support the accessory off-road LED lighting package; and other exterior features... GM sold 224,139 Sierra pickups in the United States in 2015, up 5.8 percent from the previous year... 
(Photo: GMC - 2016 GMC All Terrain X) -- Detroit, MICH, USA - The Detroit News, by Michael Wayland - January 27, 2016 


** Washington - Peterbilt, Kenworth truck maker PACCAR approves B20 use
-- More than 100,000 trucks join renewable fuel ranks as PACCAR embraces biodiesel blends in its engines, old and new. Considering average mileage, these trucks alone have the potential to run 12 billion miles annually, and they are just the tip of the biodiesel vehicle population... Many users are realizing that B20 biodiesel blends offer them a cost-effective and seamless option to help meet aggressive new greenhouse gas and carbon reduction goals, and thus are increasing their use of biodiesel blends. Customer preferences play a strong role in influencing vehicle manufacturers, as a growing number of fleets and individual customers expect—or demand—that the vehicles and equipment they purchase be compatible with B20... 
(Photo by Ron Kotrba/Biodiesel Magazine: NBB & PACCAR executives) -- Kirkland, WASH, USA - The National Biodiesel Board - January 26, 2016

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Dec 5, 2015

TRUCKMAKERS NEWS * USA: * Ford's - ** GM's

* Kentucky - Ford adds 2,000 jobs at Truck Plant

(Kentucky Ford Truck Plant & Super Duty, video by Cars - Jan 25, 2014)
 -- One of Louisville's biggest employers is about to add 2,000 more jobs... Ford announced Tuesday they're expanding the Kentucky Truck Plant, which already employs more than 5,000 people... They make all of the F-Series pickups. Ford officials expect more and more people will buy the Super Duty trucks in the next few years... Ford’s president of the Americas, Joe Hinrichs said, the two plants employ more than 9,000 people already... He said the ripple effect creates an additional 80,000 jobs... The expansion is needed to build new aluminum bodies for the 2017 F-Series truck models... There’s no word on when Ford will begin hiring for the new positions, but they need the new workers for the 2017 models that will roll off the assembly line next year... 
Louisville, KY, USA - WLKY - Dec 01, 2015


  ** Michigan - GM offers Box-Delete across pickup lineup

-- In response to customer demand, GM will be the first pickup truck maker in the U.S. to offer a box-delete discount to midsize, half-ton and heavy-duty pickup customers... Available through both fleet and retail dealerships, the box-delete option will give customers a chance to exercise even more creativity in building a truck that suits their needs. The box-delete option has been available for GM's 2500 and 3500 models through the GM's fleet and commercial network, but this program will now extend to retail customers and include extended-cab versions of the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon as well as half-ton regular-cab models of the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra... The new option eliminates the bed box, the rear bumper and spare tire assembly, and includes higher-rate rear leaf springs and a front stabilizer bar. Pricing discounts for the midsize pickups will be $575 off the suggested retail price, but the spare tire can be added back for $335... The Silverado 1500 and Sierra 1500 regular cabs can be ordered in either two-wheel or four-wheel drive, with the former starting at just less than $31,000. A box delete for a 2500 heavy-duty regular cab with two-wheel drive will start at just less than $35,000... 
(Photo: 2015-Chevrolet-Colorado-BoxDelete-158 II) -- Detroit, MICH, USA - PickUp Trucks, by Mark Williams - December 3, 2015

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Dec 3, 2015

TRUCKMAKERS NEWS * USA: Daimler's

* Michigan - Daimler to invest $375 mln to build diesel engines

-- The head of Daimler AG's commercial truck operation told the company will invest $375 million at a complex near Detroit to build diesel engines for medium duty trucks, expanding a strategy of building and selling trucks, engines, transmissions and axles as a package... Bernhard said Daimler, which controls about 40 percent of the U.S. heavy truck market, is not cutting back. Production at its Detroit engine and transmission factories is still running around the clock, seven days a week, he said... Daimler's latest investment in Detroit builds on a strategy Bernhard has pursued to bring engineering and manufacturing of the company's commercial trucks under one roof... Traditionally, especially in North America, heavy truck makers such as Paccar Inc or Navistar International Corp have purchased engines, transmissions, axles and other major components from suppliers such as Cummins Inc , Eaton Corp PLC, Caterpillar Inc or Dana Holding Corp... Government demands to cut carbon dioxide emissions are putting more pressure on commercial vehicle makers. Bernhard said Daimler's response will be to design and engineer itself more of the technology in its vehicles... "We can perfectly optimize those components to each other to get the best fuel economy and reliability," he said...
(Photo: Detroit's new integrated powertrain includes a DD15 engine, DT12 transmission and front and rear Detroit axles)  --  Detroit, MICH, USA - Reuters, by Joseph White/Nick Zieminski - Nov 20, 2015

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Nov 6, 2015

TRUCKMAKERS NEWS USA: * Paccar's - ** Mack Trucks' layoffs - *** Reading Truck Body

* Mississippi - PACCAR may add equipment, jobs
-- The world’s fifth largest truck maker could be expanding capacity at its Lowndes County plant, creating about 20 jobs... Scott Blue, the manager of PACCAR’s truck engine manufacturing and assembly plant, says the 420,000-square-foot plant already has positions for new machining equipment. It’s just discussing how much capacity it needs to add... The 5-year-old plant employs 520 people and turns out 140 engines a day. Low fuel prices continue to help the trucking and freight business from top to bottom, despite the fact that new EPA emissions regulations in the last seven years have added $20,000 to the price of each truck... PACCAR has posted profits for 76 straight years and since 2004, has gained market share in the U.S. every year. It now has 29 percent of the domestic truck market... Its engines are built to last a million miles on the road... The Lowndes County plant's safety record tops national averages for the industry and its the safest plant among more than 30 PACCAR operates. It's also environmentally riendly, recycling or reusing every product and scrap, sending nothing to landfills... 
Columbus, MISS, USA - WTVA, by Steve Rogers - Nov. 3, 2015


* Pennsylvania - Layoffs likely to hit Mack Trucks

-- Mack Trucks' assembly plant in the Lehigh Valley likely will be hit with layoffs, though the extent of the planned reduction is not yet known... Mack expects the heavy-duty truck market to decline about 10 percent in 2016 and needs to adapt production at its Lehigh Valley operations to meet market demands, Mack spokeswoman Kim Pupillo said in an email. "It's too soon to say how many employees will be affected, but as soon as we do quantify the impact, we'll be communicating it to our employees first," she said... Several industry analysts expect heavy-duty truck production to peak this year. In a recent report, Stifel Financial Corp. estimates North American heavy-duty truck production will decline about 15 percent next year... 
(Photo by CHRIS SHIPLEY / THE MORNING CALL: A July 1 file photo of Mack's plant in Lower Macungie, where 1,870 work. Layoffs are likely there in the coming months, as Mack plans to adapt its employment needs to better fit market demands)  --  Lower Macungie Township, PENN, USA - The Morning Call, by Jon Harris and Anthony Salamone


* Pennsylvania - Poindexter buys Reading Truck Body

-- J. B. Poindexter & Co. Inc. acquired work-truck body maker Reading Truck Body, in a transaction that closed October 30... Reading Truck Body includes Reading Truck Body, LLC, which has a manufacturing plant in Reading, PA, and five company-owned installation facilities operating as Reading Equipment &Distribution, LLC. Reading will operate as an independent business unit within JBPCO... J. B. Poindexter & Co., Inc. is a privately-held, diversified manufacturing company, with operating subsidiaries engaged in producing commercial truck and van bodies, step-vans, funeral coaches, limousines, pickup-truck bed enclosures and tonneau covers, precision machined components and expandable foam plastics...
  Reading, PENN, USA - For Constructions Pros - NOV 3, 2015

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Oct 13, 2015

TRUCKERS' COMPLAINTS * USA: 'Cab sway' in Volvo VNL 780

* Florida - Couple's complaints of 'cab sway' in Volvo VNL 780 prompt NHTSA assessment

-- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is seeking input from truckers who may have experienced excessive cab sway or lean in late-model Volvo VNL 780 vehicles that may be contributing to driver fatigue and injury or to loss of vehicle control... On Sept. 28, NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation responded to a petition for an assessment. According to ODI’s summary, three complaints received by the agency claimed both driver fatigue and loss of control due to the swaying of the cab. One driver claimed the sway was so pronounced it activated the truck’s crash avoidance system while rounding a corner on a four-lane divided highway at a speed of 40 mph. The summary states that in all cases, claims of cab sway were evident from the first day of use... Nate Seymour, a safety defect engineer with NHTSA, said the agency is in an information-gathering stage right now, and is seeking input from both Volvo engineers and other drivers who may have complaints similar to the ones reported... For its part, Volvo spokesman John Mies said the nation’s largest commercial truck maker takes customer feedback “very seriously,” and has followed up individually with customers who’ve complained about “perceived ‘cab sway’" ... 
 (Photo by Greg Grisolano - OOIDA Members Nancy and Albert Cusson)  --  Kathleen, FLA, USA - Land Line, by Greg Grisolano - 9 Oct 2015

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Jul 9, 2015

TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS * USA: Navistar's *

* Illinois - International launches telematics credit


 -- International Truck has announced what it calls the industry's first telematics credit, available through approved, integrated telematics providers, effective immediately... The telematics hardware and a two-year data plan from one of several providers will be standard and available at no cost to the customer through this program...
Warrensville, ILL, USA - Today's Trucking- Jul 8, 2015 


* Indiana - Navistar closes foundry

--  Navistar Inc. said it has ended operations at the Indianapolis foundry where it previously produced engine blocks and heads for its MaxxForce engines. The truck and engine maker first announced plans in December 2014 to close the facility as a way to cut expenses. Navistar said it expected the closure to eliminate about 180 jobs and reduce annual operating costs by about $13 million. Company spokesman Steve Schrier confirmed that operations had ceased by late June...
Indianapolis, IND, USA -  IND, USA - Transport Topics - 7 July 2015

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Jun 10, 2015

TRUCKMAKERS NEWS * USA: Garbage trucks can be hybrids, too

* DC - Wrightspeed replaces medium- and heavy-duty vehicle powertrains with hybrids
(Photo: A Wrightspeed powertrain) 
... Wrightspeed, has been building range-extended electric powertrains that companies like Fedex can use to completely replace the conventional internal combustion bits on their existing trucks... Focusing on the medium- and heavy-duty vehicle market made plenty of sense, Wright told us. "A vehicle needs to use at least 4,000 gallons (15,150 liters) of fuel a year to make the cost of a hybrid powertrain worthwhile, which happens to be about as much as a delivery truck" ...

Wrightspeed's powertrain uses high-speed permanent magnet motors (unlike the induction motors used by Tesla), one for either side of a driven axle. These motors send their power to the driven wheels via a two-speed transmission. The batteries (from A123) are lithium-ion phosphate, and Wright told us that the battery architecture and chemistry was chosen carefully—as were the inverters—to cope with regenerating up to 1,000 hp (730 kW) during deceleration. Wrightspeed has also developed its own range-extender engine, a turbine called the Fulcrum. This generates 107 hp (80 kW) and weighs 250 lb (113 kg), about a tenth the weight of a similarly powerful piston engine...

Wright told us that one of the company's range-extended electric powertrains should pay for itself through fuel savings within three to four years. Equipping a fleet of medium-duty trucks costs between $50,000 and $100,000 per vehicle, with a heavy-duty vehicle like a garbage truck costing closer to $200,000... Between 1990 and 2012, the amount of carbon emitted by the biggest vehicles on the road have increased by 74 percent; by contrast, passenger cars and small trucks have risen by just under 14 percent over the same period... 
Washington, DC, USA - Ars Technica, by Jonathan M. Gitlin - Jun 8, 2015

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Jul 10, 2012

ENGINE & TRUCKS MAKERS * USA

* Illinois - Navistar Falls on Truck Order ‘Mismatch’ Concern

(Photo: An International truck) 
Warrenville,ILL,USA -Bloomberg, by Hasan Dudar -Jul 9, 2012: -- March 2009 Bloomberg Industries reported that Navistar International Corp. the maker of International brand trucks, need to reduce output in the year’s second half. “New order cancellations for heavy-duty trucks in North America rose to 10.1 percent in May, the second-highest level since 2009,” Bloomberg said in that report... Navistar on July 6 fell the most since November 2008 after saying it expects additional costs to produce an engine that will meet U.S. emission standards after its earlier technology failed to comply. Navistar has declined 38 percent this year... Separately, Fitch Ratings cut its issuer default rating on Navistar to B+, or four levels below investment grade, from BB-. Standard and Poor’s Ratings Services lowered its corporate credit rating on Navistar to B, five levels into junk, from B+... 


* Wichita - Paccar: Europe to dampen, Brazil to boost

(Photo: The Peterbilt 281/351 was a line of semi-trailer trucks -big rigs- built by Paccar in Denton,TXS,USA)
Bellevue,WA,USA -AutomotiveWorld (UK) -July 5, 2012: -- Paccar’s global sales rose 75% in 2011 to 138,000 units, with all major regions reporting growth. The OEM, which markets trucks through DAF, Kenworth and Peterbilt brands and holds a 19% stake in Tatra, has reported net profits for 73 consecutive years and paid a dividend every year since 1941. As of 2011, it held 28.1% of the US and Canadian Class 8 market. The OEM’s global output is poised to peak next year at 155-160,000 units... While the anticipated downturn in Europe in 2014 and the US in 2015 will dampen the company’s total build figures, the decline will be partly offset by the start of production in Brazil and the anticipated start of assembly in Russia towards the end of the forecast period...


 * Illinois - Caterpillar truck engines also to get SCR aftertreatment

(Photos: New Caterpillar CT660 vocational truck)
Peoria,ILL,USA -Fleet Owner, by David Cullen -Jul. 9, 2012: -- Impacted by Navistar International’s announcement Friday that the OEM will be adding selective catalytic reduction (SCR) emissions aftertreatment systems to its diesel truck engines is Caterpillar, whose CT line of heavy-duty vocational trucks are powered by CT Series engines—two of which are “re-badged” Navistar MaxxForce diesels while the third uses technology supplied by Navistar...Caterpillar partnered with Navistar to develop its Class 8 on-highway vocational trucks-- the existing CT660 and the due-out-next-year CT680. Cat trucks are built at Navistar’s Garland, TX, plant where that OEM builds its International Paystar vocational model...


* UK - Ford Plant Passes 40m Engines Mark 

London,EN,UK -Press Association/Yahoo News -11 July 2012: -- One of Ford's best-known UK factories, in Greater London, has built its 40 millionth engine. The milestone was reached at the Dagenham plant in Essex, which has been manufacturing engines since 1931... The site now specialises in fuel-efficient diesel engines for Ford's small, medium and large car ranges, including the Fiesta and Focus, as well as for the US giant's commercial vehicles. Over half of global Ford diesel engine demand is supplied by Dagenham...

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May 27, 2011

TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS * USA - Fiat Ten Days Away From Majority Stake In Chrysler

(Chrysler and Fiat logos)
Auburn Hills, Mich,USA -The Car Connection -27 May 2011: -- By June 6, Fiat will own a controlling stake in American automaker Chrysler... The Wall Street Journal reports that Fiat will exercise an option in its contract to invest in Chrysler, to buy a 6-percent stake held by the U.S. Treasury... The purchase, to be executed within 10 days, eventually will raise Fiat's total stake in the Auburn Hills, Mich.-based automaker, to 57 percent... Last week, Fiat paid $1.3 billion to boost its share in Chrysler after the automaker refinanced loans from the Federal government. And later in the year, the start of production of a 40-mpg small car jointly with Chrysler will add another 5 percent to the Italian automaker's stake, all for the 57-percent total... With majority control, the WSJ points out, Fiat will be able to merge management teams now operating in parallel... Beyond the financial moves in play, Fiat still can purchase the Canadian government's 1.7-percent stake in Chrysler, and a piece of the UAW's share, which it received in lieu of cash payments into a retiree healthcare fund set up before Chrysler filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2009...


* Volvo Group to build $8 million addition to its 3P tech center

Greensboro,NC,USA -The Winston Salem Journal, by Fran Daniel -May 27, 2011: -- The Volvo Group broke ground Thursday morning on an $8 million project that will expand its Greensboro Technical Center. The expansion will add 39,000 square feet to the company's existing 100,000-square-foot tech center...  The Greensboro Technical Center, provides product planning, product development, purchasing and project management for Mack Trucks and Volvo Trucks — Volvo Group's two brands in North America...  Denny Slagle, the president and chief executive of Mack Trucks Inc. and Volvo Trucks North America, said the expansion will keep Volvo Group competitive on the purchasing side. He told the tech center's employees that their efforts are the reason for the new construction...  He said the expansion is needed to provide enough development capacity to support the Mack Trucks and Volvo Trucks brands... (Photo by TED RICHARDSON/JOURNAL 1: The Volvo Trucks building is near Interstates 40/85 in Greensboro)


* USA - Volvo awards 500,000th U.S.-built truck to Wilson Trucking

(Photo from fleetowner: VTNA Wilson truck)
Dublin,VA,USA -Fleet Owner, by Sean Kilcar -May 26, 2011: -- The 500,000th truck built by Volvo Trucks North American (VTNA) is going home with the same company that bought the very first unit to roll off Volvo’s New River Valley production line here in Dublin, VA... Brothers Chuck Wilson and T. Guy Wilson – the chairman and president, respectively, of Fishersville, VA-based Wilson Trucking – were on hand to receive the keys to their new Volvo VNL 300 daycab tractor. It shared the stage with the very first Volvo truck bought by the family-owned carrier in 1982, an F7 tractor, which Wilson Trucking only recently retired from active service... Virginia’s Dept. of Motor Vehicles also issued Wilson Trucking a commemorative license plate, emblazoned with the numbers “500 000,” in honor of VTNA awarding it the 500,000th truck built at the New River Valley plant...


* Freightliner offers new AMT for Business Class M2


Portland,ORE,USA -Truck News (CAN) -May 24, 2011: -- Freightliner has introduced a new automated manual transmission for its Business Class M2, designed to provide smoother shifting and improved fuel economy...  The AMT3 transmission features "smart" electronics that evaluate road, grade and load conditions to perform shifts at the optimum engine RPM for fast, smooth shifts as well as fuel savings, the company reports...  As an automated manual transmission, there is no torque converter, as the engine is coupled to the transmission via a hydraulically actuated clutch, minimizing torque interruption during acceleration and shifting... (Image from classytrucks.org:  Freightliner business class M2)



* UPS composite-bodied prototype delivery vehicle


Atlanta,GA,USA -AutoblogGreen, by Eric Loveday -May 26, 2011: -- UPS has announced that it's testing five CV-23 prototype vehicles from Utilimaster/Isuzu. The goal of the trial is to see if the CV-23s can survive the rigors of hauling packages in extreme conditions while reducing fuel consumption by 40 percent when compared to UPS' standard P70 delivery truck. The testing for these vehicles began in April and will conclude at the end of 2011...  The 150-horsepower prototype truck utilizes an Isuzu four-cylinder diesel engine and a six-speed Aisin automatic transmission. The engine is significantly smaller than the P70's oil-burning mill and the thought is that this downsized engine will sip less fuel. Overall, the CV-23 tips the scales at 1,000 pounds less than the P70 due to its composite body panels...  Click here to view UPS' interactive infographic detailing some of the CV-23's unique features...

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Jan 29, 2011

SALES HYBRID TRUCKS * USA - Effort to drive hybrid truck sales powers up

Long-term process to build acceptance and demand for hybrid technology within the U.S. fleet communit

Baltimore,MAR,USA -Fleet Owner, by Sean Kilcarr -Jan 26, 2011:  --  The official deployment of 143 hybrid commercial vehicles manufactured by Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) under the auspices of the Maryland Hybrid Truck Initiative (MHTI) here this week is being characterized as but the first step of a long-term three-stage process to build acceptance and then demand for hybrid technology within the U.S. fleet community...  MHTI is using $5.9 million in grant funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA, also known as the “stimulus bill”) through the Dept. of Energy to help offset the incremental costs of these 143 vehicles – diesel-electric hybrid Freightliner Business Class M2 tractor and straight truck models, as well as diesel-electric and hydraulic hybrid Freightliner Custom Chassis “bread vans” ...   Those trucks are being deployed in local operations within Maryland with five fleets: Nestle Waters North America, UPS, Aramark, Sysco Corp. and Efficiency Enterprises...

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Nov 9, 2010

TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS * USA - Navistar nearly ready to certify International MaxxForce at 0.2 g NOx

"You guys don't see Freightliner marketing against Volvo or Volvo marketing against Paccar, they're all after us" ...

Huntsville,LA,USA -Truck News, by James Menzies -Nov 5, 2010: -- Navistar International will soon certify its heavy-duty engines at 0.2 g/hp-hr NOx but it will not roll those engines out to industry for as long as possible, until it has exhausted its collection of emissions credits...  The company says it has delivered 17,000 vehicles to US and Canadian fleets in the past quarter and has received more than 28,000 orders for EPA2010-approved vehicles, including 10,000 orders for the MaxxForce 13...   "We're being marketed against pretty tough here," Navistar chairman, president and CEO Dan Ustian said, "You guys don't see Freightliner marketing against Volvo or Volvo marketing against Paccar, they're all after us. We consider that a compliment, because it means they're worried. We have something they can't have, not only don't have, they can't have for a long period of time" ...   Technology wars aside, Ustian said the bigger challenge for Navistar was simply getting customers comfortable with its own International engines after Cummins abruptly changed course in 2008, requiring Navistar to fast-track the introduction of its MaxxForce engine for some applications...  Tim Shick, director of business and product strategy with Navistar's engine group, said the MaxxForce 13 is performing well in the field and is exceeding the company's own durability expectations. He showed media a torn down MaxxForce 13 which was demonstrating excellent wear after 400,000 real-world miles with a customer. Many of the components were still within original spec's, he noted...   Navistar also claims it will be able to improve fuel economy - by as much as 5% - as it winds its NOx emissions down from current levels of 0.5 g to the eventual 0.2...  He figures at least 80% of Navistar's market will be running 13-litre engines, even when its MaxxForce 15 is launched...    (Photo: International MaxxForce engines sit waiting for delivery at Navistar's big bore engine plant in Huntsville, Alabama. These are 2010 engines certified at 0.5 g NOx.)

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posted by Unknown @ 9:48 AM  1 comments

Oct 24, 2010

TRUCKMAKER'S NEWS * USA - Cummins has shipped 37,000 EPA2010 engines



Columbus,IND,USA -Truck News -19 Oct 2010: -- Cummins has announced it has now shipped nearly 37,000 EPA2010-certified engines with selective catalytic reduction (SCR)... The company says customer feedback has been positive and reports of 6% improved fuel economy over EPA07 models are common... "The positive feedback we're receiving from customers across North America in various environments is in line with both Cummins' and customers' expectations of our 2010 products. SCR is a key factor in enabling our engines to achieve these fuel economy improvements and performance standards," said Rich Freeland, president of the engine business... The company is participating in the Diesel Technology Forum at the Clean Diesel 10 event in Washington, D.C., this week to showcase its latest products... (Images from dieselpowermag: New Cummins V6 CAD diagram)


* USA - Paccar’s Third-Quarter Earnings Jump. Truck Maker Boosting Dividend 33%

Bellevue,WA,USA -Transport Topics -26 Oct 2010: -- Paccar Inc. said Tuesday its third-quarter profit jumped to $119.9 million, or 33 cents a share, from $13 million, or 4 cents, a year ago...   Third quarter net sales and financial services revenues rose 26% to $2.54 billion, the truck maker said in a statement...   Paccar is the parent company of U.S. truck makers Kenworth Truck Co. and Peterbilt Motors Co., and Europe-based DAF Trucks...   Dan Sobic, Paccar’s executive vice president, said the company estimates that sales next year will rise to 160,000 to 180,000 units, due to high fleet age and general economic growth... (Photo: Paccar truck hybrid)

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May 11, 2010

TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS * USA - J.B. Hunt to Buy 5,000 Navistar Heavy Trucks

International tractors will be delivered over next five years

Lowell,ARK,USA -The Journal of Commerce Online, by William B. Cassidy -May 11, 2010: -- Intermodal trucker J.B. Hunt Transport Services will buy more than 5,000 heavy trucks from Navistar over the next five years... The companies signed a purchase agreement today for International sleepers and day cabs powered by cleaner burning 2010-model-year diesel engines... The new vehicles represent an expansion of its fleet, as well as an upgrade. At the end of last year J.B. Hunt Hunt reported a 21 percent increase in intermodal volume in the first quarter, and a 4.7 percent increase in truck shipments... It has also been purchasing rolling containers and "trailing equipment" to handle the additional business, according to company reports... (Photo from blog.fleetowner: J.B.Hunt offices)


* Tightening Capacity Pressures Truck Orders

Columbus,OH,USA -The Journal of Commerce Online, by William B. Cassidy -May 11, 2010: -- Research firms find more carriers looking to buy trucks, replace vehicles... Demand for new trucks and other equipment is rising as the economy improves and capacity tightens, surveys by two vehicle market research firms report... CK Commercial Vehicle Research said fleet operators are feeling much better about buying equipment and putting parked trucks back into service... Its Fleet Sentiment Buying Index rose 18 percent in April to 64.6 from January, with 33.3 percent of its private and government fleet participants saying they plan to place orders for power units in the next three months and 28.9 percent planning trailer orders... (Photo from signature-autoglass: Fleet Support)

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