The rookie driver interviewed is TruckerDesiree who can be followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/TruckerDesiree who was unleashed on the open road after taking a truck around the block a couple of times and passed her test in an auto.

There is also a very worrying story about a driver trainer accompanying a young driver being dead and several other horror stories. The whole industry should be extremely worried about what’s going on and can we be sure our new trainees are much better?

Thanks to Tachoblog for pointing out this story

This video shows a Navistar engineer demonstrating their latest engine offering, the 13 litre Maxxforce built to comply with the extremely tough US EPA 2010 exhaust emission regulations.

Based on the 13 litre MAN engine, the new power plant has to use every trick in the book to keep the emissions down low enough to meet the criteria. There are two turbos each of which are connected to a different cooling radiator to get the recirculated gases down to the right temperature for reintroduction into the air intake.

Altogether there are four radiators as well as the air conditioning system using the air coming into through the front grille to reduce temperature. The air management system looks extemely complex and the engine compartment looks full of add-ons needed to control combustion and the production of illegal emissions.

I am no engineer but this engine looks like it was designed around one concept, to avoid using SCR to control emissions. It looks like the International marketing department have decided the best way to sell trucks is to not use the technology every other truck maker has chosen, SCR, and then bag the system as a marketing strategy.

The decision to head down the absolutely-no-SCR path seems to have forced the Navistar engineers to throw every single thing in the toy box at the engine’s systems in order to keep particulates and nitrogen oxides below the new limits.

US truck manufacturer, Navistar, have come up with a silly TV show to publicise their new range of engines,, coming out soon, to meet the 2010 exhaust emission rules. The quiz show takes place in a truck stop and sees an unsuspecting truckie answering questions about the new engines to be fitted in the International range of trucks in the US.

Being American, it is over the top and lacks any subtlety or humour. It is simply an opportunity for the International marketing department to get their bullet points hammered home while giving the truckie US$450.

It is impossible to imagine this kind of kitch being performed in any other truck market, trucking people are, generally, very suspicious of this kind of B/S. However, the show at the Volvo stand at this year’s Brisbane Truck Show did seem to be heading down the same track.

Click here to see the whole show

Comparing images released of the Bulldog statue and a Mack Granite outside the swish new HQ building and photos taken outside the traditional HQ in Allentown say a lot about what has happened to the Mack brand and company in the last ten years.

The new HQ looks modern, sleek, understated and cool, it shows the Scandinavian influence of Volvo. The old building was impressive but looks brash, industrial and (unfortunately) dated. This slightly dated look and feel is one of Mack’s endearing qualities and does engender loyalty. However, this is the 21st century and things have to move on and move on quick. The new look Mack has embraced the latest in new technology and has produced a more efficient and stylish truck.

However, I can’t help feeling nostalgic for the old Mack, somehow it felt comfortable, less clinical and a bit of fun.

Firstly, Kenworth’s, preferred, two engine strategy may be under threat. The Paccar company are very conservative, financially, and as a result of the recession, have delayed the commencement of production of the Paccar MX engine in the US for a year. In Australia, this engine was to become the alternative engine choice to Cummins after the disappearance of the Caterpillar engine this year. In an effort to reduce costs, Paccar will not produce any engines until they can afford the capital outlay.

This may not cause many problems for Kenworth dealerships but truck buyers who are not fans of the big red engine may look to other North American brands who can offer an alternative in the form of the Detroit Diesel.

Confusion reigns at the headquarters of the Navistar Corporation, makers of International Trucks, as they engage in a legal battle and a PR war of words with the rest of the truck manufacturing industry in North America. They are the only engine maker to offer a non-SCR heavy-duty diesel engine to meet the new US EPA 2010 exhaust emission regulations coming up next year. To a lot of observers in the US this plan lacks credibility and doubt has been cast over the practicality of reaching the extremely strict emissions limits just with high pressure fuel injection and a high percentage of EGR.

Navistar have embarked upon a legal battle to prove the SCR technology is environmentally dangerous and should not be endorsed by the US Environmental Protection Agency. They have pitted themselves against all of the other truck manufacturers in an effort to justify their decision to rely on an EGR solution. This tactic smacks of desperation and if it fails, as it is predicted to do, International Trucks could find themselves in some difficulty. Again, this could affect the viability of the International operation run here in Australia by Iveco.

Further uncertainty is being created by the mixed messages people are receiving from inside and outside of the Caterpillar organisation. In the US, the new Caterpillar branded trucks to be built in a joint venture with Navistar are being played down without a date being set for their release. On the other hand, here in Australia, reports from within Caterpillar suggest the new trucks are not very far away. These claims are being questioned by their competition who have seen little evidence of real trucks appearing in the metal any time soon.

Meanwhile over in Europe, all of the truck manufacturers seem to be having an equally hard time with massive falls in sales over most of their major markets. Although there have been no major casualties of the recession, so far, the troubled economic times have put pressure on some of the larger companies. Scania appear quite safe under the new Volkswagen ownership whereas MAN, also owned by VW, are struggling financially and fighting a corruption court case in the German courts.

Elsewhere in Germany, Daimler have sold a large share of their company to a Middle Eastern investor, suggesting there long-term future will see the ownership pass out of Europe, increasing uncertainty. The Volvo group are also seen to be struggling financially and it has been suggested they may drop the Renault truck brand in the near future, concentrating their efforts on the core Volvo brand in Europe.

As is always the case for buyers here in Australia, we will just have observe from afar. Our preferences and our choices are not important enough on a global scale to affect decisions. It is simply a matter of waiting and seeing what plays out elsewhere in the world and working with what we’ve got as a result.

[video

nolink]

The show’s success is not the over-hyping of the dangers involved or the excellent cinematography. it is its realism. No TV show has shown the realities of the life of the truckie in such a way and recorded the hum-drum of life on the road.

Preivious attempts at ‘truckie life’ shows tend to either portray the drivers as heroes doing something extra special or villains going all out to break the rules. On ‘Ice Road Truckers’ one driver, Alex, spends one journey worrying about a sticking bleed valve on the air tanks and Rick sits in the bar whingeing about his boss while doing nothing to improve things. Rick’s boss, an owner/driver, doesn’t give a monkey’s about Rick’s problems and tells him to get on with it. Sound familiar? Typical truckies!

Here are a couple of good videos posted up onto YouTube in HD of a parade of trucks at the Mid America Truck Show recently.

Watch out for the low rider dropping the front bumper almost to the ground before setting off. Some of these trucks look to be a liability out on the road and impossible to back into a tight loading dock, but that isn’t the point, it’s all about bling and shine, and there’s plenty of that!

One of the great accessories is this very neat looking barbeque fitted to the chassis and looking to good to cook on.

The advent of HD on YouTube has given us a real improvement in quality and makes it possible to look at these trucks in all their glory and not as blotchy, fuzzy messes on ordinary YouTube.

Thanks to http://www.tachoblog.com/ for pointing etruck in the direction of these videos. Enjoy!