Free Republic

Oshkosh - Facing cuts in defense spending, Oshkosh Corp. is gearing up for one of the biggest new military truck contracts on the horizon - worth billions of dollars and eight years of work at the truck maker's factory. The Army and Marines want thousands of Joint Light Tactical Vehicles that would be a replacement for the military's Humvees. At least five companies will probably seek the contract, which analysts say could be worth as much as $20 billion. With defense spending on the decline, the competition will be especially intense. "Honestly, this could get kind of vicious," said Jim...

Trucker nailed with a 30,855 dollar over weight fine. did not know the road was weight restricted until it was to late (sign was not visible until he was past the point of no return) while turning around he was stopped by local PD. While being weighed and handed the ticket he watched another truck that was over the limit (road had a 10 ton limit. 18 wheel trucks weigh more than that empty) Police claim he was not doing a local delivery. He was less than 4 miles from his delivery.

MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AP) -- Mexican officials say soldiers searching vehicles for hidden drugs found 140 Central Americans crammed into a tractor-trailer rig. The Defense Department says troops trying to fight narcotics traffic and organized crime in the southern state of Chiapas found the migrants on Sunday. It did not say what country they were from.

PEORIA — Ryder has canceled all truck rentals for the coming week due to credible but unconfirmed threats of terrorist attacks in the wake of the 10th anniversary of 9/11.

A customer who did not want to be identified told the Journal Star that she had been informed by Ryder of the cancellation by phone call Friday. A Ryder representative told the Journal Star all local rentals for the weekend had been canceled, though that person declined to elaborate on the reason.

Further questions were referred to the head of rentals for the local arm of the company. That person did not...

<p>DEVELOPING -- Federal authorities have come across what they believe may be a credible threat to the U.S. homeland surrounding the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, several sources tell Fox News.</p>

Spilled marijuana scooped up by bystanders after truck crashesSeptember 1, 2011 | 2:06 pm A truck carrying big bags of marijuana crashed in San Jose, allowing passing motorists and pedestrians to snatch up free pot. The San Jose Mercury News reported that bags of marijuana were strewn about an intersection after the truck crashed Wednesday near Oakridge Mall. The truck driver fled, and several motorists grabbed most of the pot before police arrived at the scene. "Officers eventually collected the remaining bags of weed left at the scene and also found a loaded handgun inside the white truck," the newspaper...

"Better Homes and Gardens" hasn't had a public figure on its cover in 48 years. With President Obama's approval rating plummeting along with the nation's employment picture, they must have figured now was the time to break with tradition and do an ultimate exposure puff piece on his wife: Better Homes and Gardens will feature First Lady Michelle Obama on the cover of its August issue - the first public figure to grace the magazine's cover in 48 years. Obama will be the focus of an article on healthful eating for children. The issue will hit newsstands July 19. Editors...

CHURCHILL COUNTY, Nev. -- At least two people were killed and about 20 others were injured in a fiery collision between a Sacramento-bound Amtrak train and a semitrailer on a rural northern Nevada highway. Nevada Highway Patrol Trooper Dan Lopez said the truck driver and one person on the train were killed in the 11:25 a.m. Friday accident about 70 miles east of Reno. He says an unknown number of other people on the train were injured and are being taken by ambulances to the hospital.

Naked man accused of slamming truck into home SOUTH BERWICK, MAINE -- A man is under arrest, accused of taking a dangerous drive, slamming into a house and nearly hitting a child inside. “Basically my dining room and my kitchen are now in my living room,” said Wayne Landers. It’s bad enough that Wayne Landers' refrigerator and dishwasher are smashed and strewn in the middle of his home. “This structural piece is here…is where the dishwasher used to be,” said Landers. What's worse -- minutes after the crash, he was confronted by a naked man. “I'm thinking a bomb or...

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) – A program to expand the busiest commercial crossing over the U.S.-Mexico border was inaugurated on Friday, nearly doubling the capacity for trucks entering Laredo, Texas, from Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, authorities said. The program increased the number of truck lanes at the World Trade Bridge into Laredo, to 15 from eight, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency said. The expansion also added an additional exit lane for vehicles leaving the facility, which currently handles around 5,000 trucks a day and has been so busy that trucks were delayed several hours. "It is going to be a...

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - A two-day strike over rising fuel prices turned violent in Shanghai on Thursday as thousands of truck drivers clashed with police, drivers said, in the latest example of simmering discontent over inflation. About 2,000 truck drivers battled baton-wielding police at an intersection near Waigaoqiao port, Shanghai's biggest, two drivers who were at the protest told Reuters. The drivers, who blocked roads with their trucks, had stopped work on Wednesday demanding the government do something about rising fuel costs, workers said. "I want the government to stand up to solve our problems because we cannot take this anymore....

WASHINGTON, Jan. 27, 2011 — A new Carnegie Mellon University study, released at the Washington Auto Show, reveals that despite the sticker shock associated with diesel-engine vehicles, they are a better value compared to vehicles with gasoline engines because of their lower operating costs and higher resale value over time. The study by researchers at CMU’s Tepper School of Business, underwritten by Bosch, noted diesel’s better fuel efficiency and a residual value up to 30 percent higher than traditional port-fuel injection (PFI) gasoline-powered vehicles. “It’s been generally known that diesel vehicles typically post lower operating costs because of their increased...

A driver believes his gaming skills honed the split-second reflex which miraculously enabled him to swerve out of the way of a lorry speeding towards him. Matthew Krizsan was driving along Highway 401 in Ontario, Canada, on Friday morning when the lorry travelling in the other direction smashed through a concrete barrier at great speed and into his path. Krizsan, who just happened to have his dashboard camera on at the time, had to react instantly as the vehicle jackknifed and hurtled towards him.

-click any to enlarge- Accident occurred north of Deer Lodge, Montana on I-90. The driver was a twenty-something guy headed back east to college. He had left central Washington early in the morning, but fell asleep at the wheel and drifted off the shoulder hitting the end of the section of guard rail at high-speed... The guard rail came through the right headlight, engine compartment, firewall, glove box, passenger seat, rear seat and exited out the driver s side rear window. That is 120 ft. of guard rail that threaded through the Suburban... Thankfully, there was no passengers in the...

An “out of place” flatbed truck left under a tunnel near Van Nuys Airport raised enough concern for the Los Angeles Police Department bomb squad to deploy investigators Thursday evening. In addition, police said the suspicious truck also had three containers. Police noticed the flatbed truck just after 6 p.m. parked under a tunnel on Sherman Way at Hayvenhurst Avenue, said Officer Sara Faden of the Los Angeles Police Department. “It was an unintended truck parked under a tunnel…and runways from the Van Nuys airport run over that tunnel,” Faden said. “The truck just looked out of place, so we...

It's boxy, bland, and relentlessly practical, but in an age of diminished wealth and high unemployment, maybe that combination doesn't sound so bad. Despite those qualities, or because of them, the minivan is making a comeback. Sales are up, new models are appearing, and the woman who once did the blog "Rage Against the Minivan" has fallen in love with one. "In marketing campaigns featuring heavy-metal theme songs, rapping parents, secret agents in cat masks, pyrotechnics and even Godzilla, minivan makers are trying to recast the much-ridiculed mom-mobile as something that parents can be proud—or at least unashamed—of driving," reports...

BRANFORD — A tractor-trailer thought to be possibly carrying explosives was found by state police at about 6 p.m. at the TA truck stop off I-95 in Branford, but no hazardous materials were found. "No explosive. No danger to the public," said William Reiner, a spokesman for the FBI in New Haven, at 8:45 p.m. Friday. Troopers approached the vehicle and took the driver and a passenger into custody at gunpoint, then checked the truck for hazards. The state police bomb squad is en route to the rest stop to further examine the truck. State police, Branford police and the...

A York County man says he exercised his Second Amendment right when a thief stole his pickup truck from his driveway. Dustin McKinley, of Newberry Township, said he mistakenly left his keys in the truck before he went to sleep. When he woke up just after 5 a.m. Sunday, he said he saw the thief driving his 1978 Ford pickup down Cly Street. He armed himself with a .357 magnum and followed the stolen truck. McKinley said when he caught up with his truck, the thief was driving only 20 miles per hour and was on the wrong side of...

SNIPPET: "BRANFORD, Conn. — Police and FBI agents Friday night said a tractor-trailer stopped in Branford, Conn., and suspected of carrying explosives was empty, NBC station WVIT of Hartford reported." SNIPPET: "Police were told to be on the lookout for a brown Peterbilt tractor-trailer that may have a bomb in it that was en route from Rhode Island to New York City, the New Haven Register reported. Officers were told if they encountered it to stop it and create a perimeter and stand by. Branford is about 80 miles north of New York City. In another incident, around 6:21 p.m....

...So there I was, tooling along I-20 through Tuscaloosa, AL. The MS state line was only 71 miles away. It was early afternoon and I was already thinking about what I was going to fix myself for dinner when I got home. Then all hell broke loose...

<p>ODESSA, Fla. - It's hard to believe that A.J. Vizzi spent nearly $200,000 defending his right to park his own pickup truck in his own driveway.</p> <p>When he first moved in back in 1997, Vizzi was told that parking his large truck in the driveway wasn't against the subdivision's rules. But years later, the Eagles Masters Association, which governs the entire community, said it did violate their rules and therefore, the truck had to go.</p>

I have my own observation on the state of the economy, and its not good. I drive back and forth between Orlando and Tampa on I-4 at least once a week and have for several years and have noticed a disturbing trend. For the last 6 mos. or so the number of trucks on the road has been dropping at a steady rate and now there are almost none. BTW when I say truck I mean Tractor/Trailers. On the way to Tampa Sat I only counted 21, on the way back to Orlando today my wife & I counted 70....

Captured Palestinian "garbage truck" from Gaza NOTE HOW IT IS FITTED TO SHOOT MISSILES This is a captured Palestinian garbage truck from Gaza. The truck is set up to fire 9 Kasem rockets and then drive off innocently. The note pasted on the drivers door says In case of traffic violations, please contact The Palestinian Authority. The Israelis have evidence of ambulances and emergency vehicles set up the same way. Doesn't it make you all "warm and fuzzy" that Obama just gave the Palestinians 400 million dollars from your taxes?

HOUSTON—One man may have accidentally caused his own death after he intentionally crashed his vehicle on the Highway 59 North feeder road early Tuesday, according to police. Police found the man's body after responding to a fatal accident call on the 59/Eastex Freeway at Cavalcade around 2 a.m. Police said the witness on the scene was a friend who was traveling behind the victim's big rig. The witness said they were driving on the feeder road when his friend suddenly fell out of the big rig. Police said the victim’s wounds were not consistent with the story and they called...

This is a video of a 2006 Nissan Titan Versus 2006 Chipped Dodge Dually -- who will win? WATCH VIDEO

Witness: 'It dropped right on top of the car' June 17, 2010 BY LORI CALDWELL, (219) 648-3258 GARY -- A truck driver hauling heavy equipment slammed his cargo into a railroad overpass Wednesday morning, sending a huge chunk of metal flying onto the car behind him. Four occupants of the Pontiac were trapped under the cab of a payloader that fell as Jewan Mendonca, 50, tried to drive his 15-foot-tall load under a bridge 14 feet 2 inches high, police spokesman Cpl. Gabrielle King said. Jessie Small, 27, of Gary, who was driving the car, and his 21-year-old back-seat passenger...

Freight And Truck Traffic Point To Recovery by: Edward Harrison June 10, 2010 One common metric used by analysts to gauge how the economy is doing comes from freight or rail tonnage. If the economy is doing well, then more goods will be shipped via trucks and trains. This is exactly what is happening. Andy Lees showed this via a few Bloomberg charts in a note earlier today. Of note: The seasonally adjusted truck tonnage index is at its highest level since September 2008. US railcar container index which is just 4% off its all time high. The ConTex container...

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama called for first-ever mileage and emissions standards for big rig and work trucks Friday, seeking to limit pollution from the large vehicles that contribute a big share of it. With a presidential memorandum signed in the Rose Garden, Obama also ordered federal agencies that have already brought out new standards for cars and light trucks for the 2012-2016 model years to begin work on even stronger rules for 2017 and beyond.

<p>I don't see this below, so I thought I'd post. The Triborough Bridge here in NYC has been closed because an abandoned rental truck, smelling of gas, has been found on the bridge. Who knows - may be nothing, but I thought it was worth the post.</p>

<p>Amazing footage of a truck careening at 60mph along a British freeway with a car trapped sideways on its front bumper emerged Thursday, sparked an investigation.</p> <p>Video shows a trucker thundering along the A1(M) major road in West Yorkshire, northern England, seemingly oblivious to the automobile trapped under its cab.</p>

The owner of a Missouri dealership is giving away free AK-47s with the purchase of any truck.

It's a big name for a big truck... deservedly celebrating its impressive lineage. Chevrolet rolled out the 2010 Suburban 75th Anniversary Diamond Edition model at the Chicago Auto Show specially commemorating 75 years of family hauling (making it the longest running nameplate in the industry). The decked-out SUV, limited to just 2,570 units (apparently, GM is limited by the amount of White Diamond paint it can procure), is identified by its White Diamond Tricoat exterior paint and Cashmere interior.

Talk about brass! This guy escaped by a split second. A man pushed a truck off the rails of the train/trolley that was passing at that moment. This happened in Tigre, Argentina.

Only three days after Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced the new rules that prohibit drivers of trucks and buses from using cell phones and texting while behind the wheel, officials at the Highway Loss Data Institute released study findings that show no reductions in crashes after hand-held phone bans take effect.

It would be great if we could organize a series of rallies all up and down the I-95 Corridor to cheer Scott Brown on as he drive the truck down to Washington DC. He is supposed to be driving down Thursday or Friday, so time is obviously short. Maybe it is just a fantasy, but wouldn't it be grand to have a Scott Brown Truck Tour, so all of the folks who weren't lucky enough to be in Massachusetts to vote for him got a chance to come out and show their support? Think of all the free publicity, and...

Republican Scott Brown has been running ads in Massachusetts where he is out driving around in his old pickup truck while campaigning for US Senator something Marcia Martha Coakley refuses to do. On Sunday Barack Obama slammed Scott Brown and his truck several times in his Bush-bashing campaign speech for Martha Coakley. Obama - Everybody Can Buy A Truck Maybe Barack Obama didn't notice that Scott Brown's truck is a GM truck. A GMC Canyon Hat Tip ebayer Maybe Obama forgot that the US now OWNS General Motors. You'd think he'd want Americans to Buy GM; not Bash GM? You'd...

Today, we have learned that Indian automaker Mahindra is on track to sell the TR-series diesel trucks after completing all federal tests and is set to submit certification paperwork to the government in January. Final federal approval is expected in February; the trucks would then finally go on sale in the spring. It was just last month that we reported that the trucks were under review by the EPA and NHTSA, with final approval expected by Q1 2010. “As of today, we are projecting that the vehicles will be on sale in the middle of spring, [2010],” said John Perez,...

Navistar Beats Fourth Quarter Earnings On Stronger Truck Sales by: Zacks.com December 28, 2009 Navistar International Corporation (NAV) showed a profit of $128 million or $1.77 per share, before special items, for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2009 ended Oct 31, 2009. With this, the truck maker exceeded the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.53 per share. The company has also fared well compared to the year-ago profit of $42 million or 56 cents per share, before special items. Navistar credited the improvement in profit to the recouped commercial truck volume and sustained military sales. Nevertheless, total sales of $3.3 billion...

CLEVELAND, Ohio — A truck hauling beer flipped about 8 p.m. Sunday, tossing kegs and spewing beer across Interstate 90 west, under the West 110th Street bridge. The truck fell onto its side in the median. Police and a cleanup crew were still at the scene at 6:50 this morning. Police were requesting a salt truck to melt a sheet of frozen beer. A police dispatcher, speaking to a Plain Dealer reporter, quipped, "Bring the pretzels." All lanes of the highway were expected to be reopened by 7:15 a.m.

CHIBA — Police on Friday arrested a truck driver Friday on suspicion of property damage after he allegedly urinated on a towel at the entrance of the apartment belonging to a woman he liked. Police said that 22-year-old Yuuki Oshima, a resident of Noda Cioty, visited the woman’s apartment after midnight on Nov 19 and urinated through the mail slot in the door onto a towel that was hung inside to keep people from peeping into the apartment. Police said Oshima admits to the charges, and quoted him as saying, “I absolutely went crazy for her the first time I...

<p>A truck driver died early today after losing control on the Bay Bridge S-curve at high speed and plummeting 200 feet below to Yerba Buena Island, the most serious collision yet since the new detour was installed, the California Highway Patrol said.</p>

A local auto dealer announces opening of "truck season:! This is great news to see another business actually promoting the American hunting tradition.Tom Iepe of Milan.Indiana offers a voucher redeemable at sporting goods stores with purchase of American-made truck.

In a recent test at the White Sands Missile Range, a specially equipped C-130 plane fried a parked truck with a powerful laser. And while we still haven't seen evidence of the laser "defeating" a ground target, as Boeing puts it, a video of it scorching a direct hit on the hood of a truck is still pretty amazing.Click here for the video. As you can see, the laser beam burns right through the truck's hood, and then through the engine, "defeating" the vehicle. Called the "Advanced Tactical Laser" (ATL), this is the first time the megawatt-powered chemical laser has...

"Feds probe alleged terrorists who tried to rent giant truck in suspected Al Qaeda bomb plot" BY JAMES GORDON MEEK IN WASHINGTON, JUDITH CROSSON IN DENVER, KATE NOCERA, ROCCO PARASCANDOLA AND LARRY MCSHANE DAILY NEWS WRITERS Saturday, September 19th 2009, 4:00 AM Investigators probed a failed Queens truck rental for ties to a possible Al Qaeda bomb plot yesterday as a chief terror suspect tried making a deal to save his skin. The New York end of the expanding federal probe centered on seven Afghan men who tried to rent the biggest truck at a Queens U-Haul on Sept. 9,...

Unless you drive one of its tractors, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. is an unfamiliar name. That should change as the company enters the U.S. truck market by year’s end. Two Hampton Roads automobile dealers have bought territories: Beach Ford Lincoln Mercury for Suffolk and Cavalier Auto Group for Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth and Virginia Beach. "We really wanted it if we could get the entire market," said Steve Klimkiewicz, vice president of Cavalier Auto Group, which will open showrooms on the site of its wholesale used car store on Military Highway in Chesapeake and in Saturn of Virginia Beach's used car...

A toddler has miraculously survived after he drove his toy jeep into a river and then floated nearly eight miles downstream. Demetrius Jones, who turned three yesterday, let himself out of his grandmother's holiday trailer while his family slept and took his battery-operated truck down to the Peace River in British Columbia, where he was swept away by the current. The red miniature Chevrolet Silverado truck flipped over but the boy - who was only wearing a nappy and T-shirt - floated on it, along swirling waters. When his family woke up and realised he was missing police were called...

For those interested in such things. Freepers that have farm experience are aware of how efficient diesel tractors are. I put five gallons in mine and bush hog all summer. Here is a link to some guys that convert vehicles to tractor power and have gotten as much as 50mpg from a full size pickup! http://www.shadetreeconversions.com/

13-week moving averages are still moving lower, with no apparent end in sight. The first chart shows the one relatively bright spot is coal. I hear the same message about coal from trucker friends.

When Shane Amundson's girlfriend gave him a large Confederate flag decal for his pickup truck, he had no idea the image would cause a stir at Lakeville South High School.

BAGHDAD, April 27, 2009 – Not long ago, Army Pfc. Paul Henry was a car salesman in Marion, Ill., a divorced father of two children who was looking for something different in his life. So he decided to enlist in the Army. Army Pfc. Paul Henry, 42, was a car salesman before he decided to enlist in the Army and train with recruits who were half his age. U.S. Army Photo by 1st Lt. Christopher Gregg  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do,” Henry said. “When I quit selling cars, I wanted to...