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Volvo Does it Again With Paraglider Video

In Volvo's latest promotional stunt video, the goal is to maintain a precise speed that allows pro paraglider Guillaume Galvani to stay in flight behind the Volvo FH rig on a highway in the Croatian Alps.

In the 2-minute "The Flying Passenger" video, New Zealand truck driver Louise Marriott passes vehicles while traversing a windy two-lane road. (Although the test was conducted in a closed-off area, so the vehicles apparently were a planned part of the demonstration.) At one point, the speed slows too much and Galvani's feet skim the roadway as cows look on curiously.

Perhaps the trickiest part comes as the highway goes through a narrow cut beneath a crossing overpass.

According to a report in the New Zealand press, Marriott last year became the first ever female driver to win the Volvo Trucks Asia Pacific Fuelwatch Challenge, beating 16 other international competitors, and the first woman to ever qualify for the Volvo Trucks Fuelwatch Challenge global final.

The goal of the video? To demonstrate how a Volvo FH can maintain its speed in difficult conditions like hilly and curvy roads, using the Volvo D13 engine and Volvo's I-Shift Dual Clutch. The transmission, which Volvo says is the world's first dual clutch gearbox for heavy trucks, can help drivers to save both time and fuel. (And keep paragliders up in the air thanks to seamless gearshifts and a steady flow of power.) It's not available in the U.S., but you can read one European editor's impressions here.

Another Volvo video offers some more insight into the powertrain.

This is the latest installment in Volvo's series of video stunts demonstrating its trucks capabilities; probably the best known was the one featuring Jean-Claude Van Damme in the "Epic Split."

In other videos in this series, we've seen a world ...Read the rest of this story

Professional Truck Driver Institute Breaks From TCA

The board of directors of the Professional Truck Driver Institute has voted to move the organization's headquarters to Denver, Colorado. There it will be managed by Leading Associations, the company that manages the North American Transportation Management Institute, a certification and training organization for a number of non-driving truck and bus positions.

Since 1996, PTDI has been managed by the Truckload Carriers Association, where it became an organizing force for truck driver training standards. The two organizations were challenged to develop standards and certify courses to teach those standards. It also worked to convince the trucking industry, insurance companies, schools, and other stakeholders to voluntarily accept formalized entry-level training.

The decision to switch management was brought on by converging changes to both PTDI's and the TCA's missions.

“First, the federal government is now putting forth its own prerequisite training standards for entry-level commercial truck drivers, so PTDI's focus will be changing accordingly,” said David Money, PTDI's board chairman. “Secondly, although TCA and PTDI have always worked closely together, TCA's leadership now needs to concentrate more on truckload-specific issues, as it should. And finally, Marlene (Dakita, certification coordinator) — who has worked tirelessly for us for nearly 21 years and intimately knows the organization — has announced her retirement. Change was simply inevitable.”

PTDI contacted Leading Associations' president Jeff Arnold to help oversee the transition and lead PTDI to its next phase. Tim Blum of Leading Associations will be PTDI's executive director.

“This is a great fit for PTDI, and for us,” said Arnold. “For the past 16 years, we've been managing operations for NATMI, which could be described as a sister organization to PTDI. Now we'll use that certification experience to benefit PTDI.”

NATMI provides internationally recognized, university accredited training and professional certification for truck and bus fleet management professionals, ...Read the rest of this story

Alliance grows its fan clutch and clutch product lines

Daimler Truck Financial Names U.S. VP of Sales, Marketing and Remarketing

Tobias Waldeck Photo: Daimler Truck Financial

Daimler Truck Financial has appointed Tobias Waldeck vice president of sales, marketing, and remarketing, effective immediately.

In his new position, Waldeck is responsible for delivering customized, flexible and innovative financial products and services for the business partners, dealers, and customers of Daimler Trucks North America's commercial vehicle brands. He also plays a key role in driving strategic initiatives to enhance the customer experience.

Daimler Truck Financial provides a range of financial and insurance services in support of Daimler Trucks North America's commercial vehicle brands, Freightliner, Western Star, Thomas Built Buses, Mitsubishi Fuso, and Sprinter.

Waldeck was previously the managing director of Daimler Financial Services Mexico. He succeeds Victor Calderon, who now is managing director for financial services in Mexico.

"Tobias has proven to be an effective leader who values the importance of our strong business relationships at Daimler Truck Financial, and he brings extensive commercial financing and leasing experience to the team," said Steve Goodale, vice president of Daimler Truck Financial. "He will continue to build upon the long-term partnership that Daimler Truck Financial has with our brand partner, Daimler Trucks North America, and provide exceptional support to our valued dealers and customers."

Waldeck joined the company in 1994 as the controller of credit risk for Mercedes-Benz Bank in Germany and has worked in various countries in the areas of finance, credit, and audit processes and strategy. He has also held several other positions of increasing responsibility, including serving as CFO of Banco Mercedes-Benz do Brazil and Mercedes-Benz Financiera Argentina.

Related: Daimler Appoints Vice President of Truck Financial

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Rugged Tablet PC Designed for Field and Office Use

The XSlate R12 is a rugged 2-in-1 tablet and laptop device designed for a quick transition from a desktop computing experience to a mobile form factor.

The device features a detachable companion keyboard and a 12.5-inch touchscreen, allowing it to be used with or without a physical input device. Available running Windows 10, 8.1 and 7 Professional with 8 GB of memory and up to 512 GB of storage, the device is designed to be powerful and reliable enough to be used as the primary PC in or out of the office.

The XSlate R12 features Intel Core-Series processors and can accommodate multiple data entry options including, keyboard, pen, SlateMate Module, Barcode Scanner, HF RFID, and an RJ45 + True Serial Port Dongle.

Weighing 2.95 pounds, the device has a magnesium alloy internal frame and rubberized enclosures for increased durability. The XSlate R12 can be disinfected and cleaned. It is available with a ruggedized secure mobile dock, dockable companion keyboard, standard replaceable battery, built-in 4G LTE broadband, and WiFi connectivity.

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