Search

In Costa Rica, weigh stations for trucks and commercial vehicles were reinstated in 2008. Since then, a stabilizing trend in the percentage of heavy vehicles with excess loading was observed. For pavement design purposes, this resulted in reduced variability in truck equivalency factors. These were statistically validated by processing all the weight data collected at different stations located throughout the national road network between 2008 and 2011. Using linear regressions, it was verified that given a constant noncompliance percentage, the truck equivalency factor for C2, C3, and T3-S2 vehicles tended to stabilize at 0.20, 0.66, 1.19, respectively. These results were consistent with additional power regression performed on the data. Higher weight enforcement on the T3-S3 vehicles' tandem axle would result in a 0.17 decrease in the truck equivalency factor. The findings presented herein should aid countries that have yet to implement weigh stations, considering the benefits of exploring the evolution of truck factors if weigh stations were installed. This weigh station implementation case study exhibits the reality and development of pavement loading over time. Therefore, government authorities should be encouraged to control truck traffic with weigh stations to reduce pavement damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing customer demands and product diversity as well as emerging technologies and market trends, such as the establishment of new driveline technologies, like e-mobility or hydrogen, present challenges for manufacturing companies in the commercial vehicle industry. Consequently, companies must strengthen their focus to the aspect of flexibility within their manufacturing processes. This paper contributes to the state of the art in flexible manufacturing technologies research, which enables manufacturing companies to deal with these increasing flexibility requirements. Focussing on the area of final assembly the paper takes a holistic perspective and characterizes the readiness of automotive companies to be able to implement flexible manufacturing technologies. The system ecosystem and the process organization of automotive companies are examined with respect to the requirements of flexible manufacturing. Finally, gaps that hinder the implementation of flexible manufacturing technologies are identified and described, and possible solution concepts for the identified gaps are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Technology Economics is the property of Chinese Society of Technology Economics and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

India’s economic and social growth Segments are agriculture, industry and service. Transparent economic and social policies of the govt. made the country achieve rapid progress in economic and social spheres. Though all the segments are participating the nation’s economic development the automobile industry in particular took its chief role in sharing 7.5 percent in the total GDP rate. The raise in standard of living, growth in young population, consumer demand, high domestic savings and cheap credit availability keep the industry growing in leaps and bounds in last decade. It is forecasted that the automobile industry will become world leader by the year 2020.This is because of the major part taken by the commercial vehicle industry in automobile segment. This can be vouched by the fact that the segment contributes more than 50 percent of the total share of 7.5 percent of automobile industry. Hence it is important to investigate the managerial efficiency of funds in commercial vehicle manufacturing firms. The managerial efficiency of funds indicates the well being of working capital of the firm. The Working capital management is one of primary factor that made impact on the profitability of firm. Keeping this conjecture in mind, the researcher is interested to undertake this study to analyze the cash management, inventory cycle, liquidity and Return on Assets (ROA) to identify the impact on profitability of the firm. The Ratio analysis and Motaal’s comprehensive rank test are important statistical tools were used by the researcher to analyze ten years spanning from the year 2009-10 to 2018- 2019 of annual reports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intensified pursuit for lightweight solutions in the commercial vehicle industry increases the demand for method development of more advanced lightweight materials such as Carbon-Fiber-Reinforced Composites (CFRP). The behavior of these anisotropic materials is challenging to understand and manufacturing defects could dramatically change the mechanical properties. Voids are one of the most common manufacturing defects; they can affect mechanical properties and work as initiation sites for damage. It is essential to know the micromechanical composition of the material to understand the material behavior. Void characterization is commonly conducted using optical microscopy, which is a reliable technique. In the current study, an approach based on optical microscopy, statistically characterizing a CFRP laminate with regard to porosity, is proposed. A neural network is implemented to efficiently segment micrographs and label the constituents: void, matrix, and fiber. A neural network minimizes the manual labor automating the process and shows great potential to be implemented in repetitive tasks in a design process to save time. The constituent fractions are determined and they show that constituent characterization can be performed with high accuracy for a very low number of training images. The extracted data are statistically analyzed. If significant differences are found, they can reveal and explain differences in the material behavior. The global and local void fraction show significant differences for the material used in this study and are good candidates to explain differences in material behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyse the fit between the strategy of service centres and their business model (BM) and to identify the BM components' characteristics and links that allow it to stand out in terms of service delivery and business performance. Design/methodology/approach: This study applies an inductive qualitative multiple case study approach through the empirical analysis of top-performing Italian service centres operating in the Medium–Heavy Commercial Vehicle sector. Findings: Research findings underline that the BM components of top performers are consistent amongst each other and with the adopted strategy and make a positive impact on the firm's performance. In particular, top performers are characterised by a solid financial structure based on equity, formalised and flexible organisational structures and processes, clarity in strategic direction and long-term orientation, grounded capabilities, competences and skills, trustful relationships with main service partners and a comprehensive set of managerial mechanisms. Research limitations/implications: This paper presents some limitations, typical of qualitative research based on case studies. Future works may include other dimensions of performance for identifying top performers, and extend the empirical analysis to different sectors and national contexts. Originality/value: This paper supports the relevance of contingency theory – particularly the strategy-structure-performance paradigm – in the analysis of the role of a BM in successful servitization strategies of service centres. It highlights that the BMs of the top-performing companies are characterised by some common elements. From a practical perspective, the authors provide insights that can be useful for designing successful service-based BMs for service networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Hybrid technology has been successfully incorporated in the passenger and commercial vehicle industry. Driven by the success and benefits it brings, many defense organizations around the world are investing in the development of hybrid technology for combat vehicles. They are also developing prototypes of tracked combat vehicles that have lower fuel consumption, better performance, better exhaust emissions and more electricity that can be used for various superstructure elements. However, there are various technical challenges that need to be addressed before a hybrid tracked combat vehicle can be put into operational use. Several successful prototype tests have been conducted, but there are still limitations regarding key technologies such as electric motors, power storage, and wired electronics. In such circumstances, where finances are limited, there can't be many mistakes or spending a lot of resources on planning, building prototypes and testing them. Method: It is rational to develop a software simulation by which it is possible to examine various parameters in simulated conditions that, more or less, mimic real exploitation conditions. The paper presents one of the possible solutions for the selection of appropriate hybrid drive technologies and proposes a system solution for a hybrid drive for an M-80A infantry fighting vehicle. A simulation model of a hybrid drive in the Matlab Simulink software environment was developed for the adopted solution. Results: The results obtained by the simulation show that the proposed hybrid drive solution provides significantly better vehicle drive group performance. Conclusion: Only the rotation parameters were considered, but the model can also be successfully applied in the analysis of the performance of rectilinear motion. In addition, the model can be used to test performance and transmission control algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To achieve competitive advantage (CA) in emerging markets (EM) firms are suggested to increase market orientation, using competitive intelligence (CI) as a source to increase firm performance. However, in-depth linkage between CA and CI, as well as its awareness/culture and process/structure constructs, has been researched and understood only in a limited way in general and for EM business in particular. This paper gives in-depth clarification of six research questions relating to the connection between CI, its constructs and CA for EM business as well as how CI as a product/process could be adapted for a larger impact on CA. It reports on a qualitative, document and interview data based in-depth single case study at a CI department of a European Union (EU) commercial vehicle manufacturer engaging in EM business. It finds that overall the linkage of CI for CA was traceable and transparent to users/generators of CI in the specific case with ambiguously perceived limitations, and influenced by seven identified factors. Seven out of eight pre-identified CI constructs were promoted but also heterogeneously understood as contributing to CA, with no other relevant constructs identifiable. Adaptions for more impact on CA were recommended for CI as a product in a limited sense, and as a process with eight potential levers more comprehensively. These results help businesses to improve CI, its constructs, its products and process for a better linkage to CA and firm performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • HIL testing verifies ECU and control software at hardware level before field trial. • HIL testing attacks system errors that were unattended during MIL or other testing. • Automation of HIL reduces time in executing test case compared to manual testing. • National Instrument VeriStand™ can be easily configurable to third party software. • This will help the developer/tester to develop their own testing methodology. Abstract In recent years, embedded control systems are extensively replacing the mechanical control systems in the agriculture industry, following passenger car and commercial vehicle segments. The main role of these electronic based control system is to enhance the tractor's performance, providing the necessary user interface for the ease of function selection, and enhance operator's comfort and safety. To achieve this migration, testing and verification of embedded systems are essential which is quite challenging in the automotive industry. Therefore, before entering to the field, Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) becomes a crucial part of testing for the verification of system functionality. The current research, discusses in detail about Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) testing automation facility using National Instruments hardware and NI VeriStand™ software as a testing platform. This test facility performs the auto test execution and functionality verification at hardware level. A plant model was imported and run in the HIL simulator along with the control software in the embedded system for real time system functionality verification. It was seen that adapting this methodology, a considerable amount of time has been reduced compared to the manual testing. This test automation helps majorly in reducing the time for executing test case, re-executing the test during system error correction (bug fixing) and for rapid prototype testing. Therefore, the developed test approach can be beneficial to the embedded system developers/testers to develop their own testing framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract An increase in urban freight transport is inevitable as growing urban populations require more goods, more conveniently. A deeper understanding of the geography and trends of urban freight transport must recognise that it is the aggregate result of a complex web of supply chain interactions. To understand the trends, the behaviour of the underlying supply chains must be understood. Using Global Positioning System (GPS) traces of commercial vehicles and network theory concepts, this paper examines the characteristics of supply chain micro-communities in three urban areas in South Africa. The similarity in the structure of these micro-communities across the three, very diverse, areas suggests that the dynamics that drive supply chain interaction are not dependent on local geography. Four prominent archetypes were identified that account for more than half of the micro-communities in each area. Directionality, geographic dispersion and the balance of importance in the micro-communities are studied in the context of these archetypes. This paper presents a first puzzle piece in deducing urban freight transport patterns from supply chain interaction. Furthermore the results are an empirical benchmark that can validate theoretic models of urban supply chain interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, Indian manufacturing industries have undergone a significant transformation emphasising customer-centric objectives to meet the dynamic market's demands. To achieve this, existing industries must upgrade their existing infrastructure to a smart environment driven by automatic data exchange, transparency, and interconnected digital systems. These are the key enabling elements of Industry 4.0. As a result, many Indian industries are developing various sophisticated implementation strategies for adopting it. However, few research works and strategies contribute to its effective and successful implementation. This paper proposes two types of implementation strategies for implementing Industry 4.0 enabling technologies based on the requirements and adaptability of India's commercial vehicle manufacturing industry. The first strategy identifies various aspects of implementing Industry 4.0 enabling framework elements and categorizes it for developing implementation strategies based on India's commercial vehicle manufacturing industry. The significance of each was determined using fuzzy-AHP analysis and ranked accordingly based on the linguistic responses of the industry experts. The most significant framework element is found to be 'Decision Making and Management Skills'. The second strategy emphasizes long-term sustainable implementation objectives. The framework elements are reconstructed and developed into a novel, customized sustainable framework based on six dimensions of sustainability. Using the Fuzzy-DEMATEL method, the causal relationships among these elements are investigated to determine a sustainable implementation strategy. 'Central Database Server' is determined to be the most significant sustainable framework element, while the maximum number of casual relationships is obtained from the group, 'Skill upgradation of the workforce'. This paper proposes a novel research direction for implementing Industry 4.0 technologies into the existing industry. The findings provide several insights and strategies for technological upgradation in other industries in this geographical region. The findings of the work enhance the implementation process of I4.0 technologies, transitioning it from a conventional approach to a futuristic sustainable implementation that is economical and effective. • Industry 4.0 enabling framework elements for Indian manufacturing industry were identified and categorised. • Significance of each framework element are determined using Fuzzy AHP. • A customised sustainable framework of I4.0 enabling elements is presented. • Fuzzy DEMATEL approach used to examine their causal relationships and significance based on long-term sustainability. • Sustainable implementation strategies and implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the efforts to develop and use hydrogen fuel in the commercial vehicle market as of October 2020 to reduce emissions in trucks and buses. Also cited are the construction by Hyundai of a fleet of fuel cell heavy-duty vehicles (HDV) like the XCIENT Fuel Cell trucks, and the joint venture formed by Hyundai and Hyundai Hydrogen Mobility to manufacture 1,600 XCIENT trucks by 2025.

The entry and exit of products, rather than firms, serve as the main equilibrating force in many markets, so accurately predicting changes from a merger or bankruptcy should incorporate this behavior. This paper estimates a structural model of the US commercial vehicle market and demonstrates the importance of allowing for endogenous product offerings in the context of the $85 billion automotive industry bailout in 2009. Under alternate policies that facilitate an acquisition or liquidation of GM and Chrysler, product entry and exit moderate markup increases and output decreases by up to three-quarters. (JEL D22, G33, G34, H81, L13, L62) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Commercial vehicles are of particular interest in parking enforcement because of their heavy presence in central business districts and their recurrent behavior of illegal parking. To deter illegal commercial vehicle parking, enforcement policies are defined by the citation fine and level of enforcement. This paper investigates how rational carriers react to a policy under steady state equilibrium conditions. To model the equilibrium, the paper uses the theory of bilateral searching and meeting where enforcement units meet illegally parked commercial vehicles at a rate which depends on the size of the two agents (illegally parked commercial vehicles and enforcement units). In assessing policy effectiveness, two objectives are defined which are profit maximization and social cost minimization. With the two objectives, the paper presents three market regimes and studies the equilibrium of each market. The proposed model covers several gaps in the parking literature by introducing illegal parking behavior elasticity with respect to parking dwell time, level of enforcement, citation fine, and citation probability. The model is applied on a case study of the City of Toronto and the results show that the citation probability increases with dwell time and the level of enforcement. Increasing either the citation fine or level of enforcement will hinder illegal parking but the obtained profit remains approximately constant. Sensitivity analysis on the meeting rate elasticity shows that profits are low when both elasticities are either high or low. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents a mixed Multiple Discrete-Continuous Probit (MDCP) modeling framework to describe time of day choice behavior of commercial vehicles and the vehicle-miles-traveled (VMT) at the chosen time(s) of day. The mixed MDCP model recognizes the unobserved heterogeneity across commercial vehicles in response to customer-to-customer travel speeds, and service time/dwell time at customer stops due to customer preferences for predefined business hours. Possible common unobserved factors affecting different times of day are also captured estimating a general covariance error structure. The estimated models show that a host of factors affect commercial vehicle time of day choice behavior. These include commercial vehicle class, type, commodity type, total unloading weight, as well as location features of base and intermediate stops, frequency of stops to office locations and construction sites; and time of day attributes including travel speed and service time. The results indicate that travel needs, are for the most part, influenced by activity needs. The estimated model can be used to predict the likelihood of commercial vehicle time of day choice for performing daily activities and the VMT generated at the chosen time(s) of day. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We use a unique empirical setting to investigate the spillover of quality knowledge across supply chains and to the examine contingencies that affect such spillover. We analyze the quality performance of 191 suppliers, who utilize the same facilities to manufacture similar products for two distinct businesses: one that makes cars and the other that makes commercial vehicles. From 2006 to 2009, the car business undertook 2,121 quality improvement initiatives at these suppliers, while the commercial vehicles business did not undertake any such initiatives. We find that the quality knowledge developed through the quality improvement initiatives undertaken by the car business does not easily spill over to benefit the commercial vehicles business. Quality knowledge spills over under three conditions: (1) when quality improvement efforts are focused on organizational members, as opposed to when they focus on routines or technology; (2) when quality improvement efforts focus on the output activities of suppliers, not when they focus on the input or in-process activities; and (3) when quality knowledge is developed at suppliers with low complexity in their operations. Our results provide insights on managing quality at shared suppliers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motor-carrier safety is a critical and challenging issue in the US motorcarrier industry. Despite the vast safety improvements in the industry, a continuing challenge is the economic costs associated with regulatory oversight of safety inspection programs. The purpose of this article is to compute the costs and associated benefits of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's driver and vehicle inspection program of commercial motor vehicles in the 10,001- to 26,000-lb category. Our analysis reveals that for every dollar spent in program costs, the benefits are $8.86. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper reports the research work performed to convert a diesel engine used in commercial vehicles in a generating set of 65 kVA. The design, manufacture and testing of the prototype were performed, being emphasized the main conversion problems such as derating from 2800 rpm to 1500 rpm, changing of fuel flow rate of the injection pump, adapting air flow rate by means of selection of a by-passed turbocharger and intercooling. A special attention was paid to engine speed stability to which were imposed stringent conditions in order to ensure a constant frequency of the generated AC voltage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The Brazilian Fuel Cell Bus Project is being developed by a consortium comprising 14 national and international partners. The project was initially supported by the GEF/UNDP and MME/FINEP Brazil. The national coordination is under responsibility of MME and EMTU/SP, the São Paulo Metropolitan Urban Transport Company that also controls the bus operation and bus routes. This work reports the efforts done in order to obtain the necessary licenses to operate the first fuel cell buses for regular service in Brazil, as well as the first commercial hydrogen fueling station to attend the vehicles. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The optimum functional characteristics of suspension components, namely, linear/nonlinear spring and nonlinear damper characteristic functions are determined using simple lumped parameter models. A quarter car model is used to represent the front independent suspension, and a half car model is used to represent the rear solid axle suspension of a light commercial vehicle. The functional shapes of the suspension characteristics used in the optimisation process are based on typical shapes supplied by a car manufacturer. The complexity of a nonlinear function optimisation problem is reduced by scaling it up or down from the aforementioned shape in the optimisation process. The nonlinear optimised suspension characteristics are first obtained using lower complexity lumped parameter models. Then, the performance of the optimised suspension units are verified using the higher fidelity and more realistic Carmaker model. An interactive software module is developed to ease the nonlinear suspension optimisation process using the Matlab Graphical User Interface tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper illustrates the development and implementation of a parameter optimization methodology to improve impact harshness (IH) of road vehicles. A full ADAMS model of a small commercial vehicle is used as the IH test vehicle. The methodology involves the use of design of experiments methods together with response surface methodology. Significant design parameters affecting IH of the vehicle are first determined by the screening experiments. Once the critical parameters are identified, they are optimized to achieve improvement in the IH by constructing response surface. The optimization results indicate that the selected suspension parameters are capable of improving IH performance of the full vehicle ADAMS model by minimizing longitudinal and vertical acceleration responses. The results also show that considerable improvement can be obtained by using the proposed parameter optimization methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the computer-aided vehicle dynamics analysis of a 6 × 2 heavy-duty commercial vehicle is examined. For the analysis, Mechanical Simulation Corporation's TruckSim multibody dynamics simulation and SuspensionSim multibody statics simulation softwares are used. The aim of this study is to design and model the front suspension and tandem rear axle suspensions, compose the full-vehicle model representing the real-life vehicle, and examine the dynamic behavior of this model. The models related to the front and rear suspensions are prepared and solved in SuspensionSim and the solutions are imported thereafter to TruckSim. The full-vehicle model excluding the suspension system is formed by using TruckSim. The simulation scenarios, runs of which are made to observe the effects of different parameters concerning the dynamic behavior of the full-vehicle model, are also prepared in TruckSim environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The reliability analysis of the critical components is the basic way to establish the efficiency of complex systems. For this issue, it is very important to select capable methods for service data collection as well as for analysis. The study introduces a framework defining a general approach for Failure Process Modeling (FPM). The paper also discusses the critical role of censored data and the need for a continuous and repetitive application of the proposed approach during the service life of systems. A case study in a light commercial vehicle manufacturing system is presented. The distributions of some reliability parameters of several critical components (i.e. reliability, hazard rate, etc.) have been estimated, repetitively during the system life, from the date of the initial installation onwards with a growing collection of time to failures. The relevant effect of the number of data, and in particular of censored data, on the robustness of reliability estimation and evaluation process is investigated. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

TELCO is the leading manufacturer of commercial vehicles (trucks) in India. In 1998, TELCO succeeded in manufacturing a small car of international standards without financial or technological collaboration with any leading foreign car manufacturer. This case deals with TELCO's success in its small car project and the challenges that lie ahead. It highlights the role played by creative resource leverage in the success of firms from developing countries in a global environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the changes in commercial vehicle industry in the Czech Republic. Investigation of enterprise behavior before privatization and enterprise restructuring; Effects of privatization on production; Impact of the collapse of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance on automotive industry.

This article discusses a benefit analysis of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) functions for Commercial Vehicle Operations (CVO) along the Interstate Highway 35 (I-35) corridor. The deployment of ITS-CVO functions along the I-35 corridor have been at the core of proposals to make I-35 a land-based, North American trade corridor between Canada, the United States, and Mexico. The article specifically analyzes the application of electronic screens at domestic points of commercial vehicle inspection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper develops a technique for identifying competitors from data on the correlations in the market shares of different firms. The technique is based on an application of a 'complete system' demand model, and results are presented graphically by an application of principal components. The technique is illustrated with an example of competitors in the UK Commercial Vehicle Industry, and would be applicable to other markets.
This paper develops a technique for identifying competitors in a market, by using data on the correlations in market shares of the different firms. The technique does this by relating the covariance of market shares to the matrix of substitution effects in the 'almost ideal demand system' of Deaton and Muellbauer (1980). If these substitution effects are large, then firms are deemed to be close competitors; if they are small, then the firms are deemed to be not particularly close competitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New paradigms of work organisation espousing a radical break in production systems assert a natural identity between advanced manufacturing and utilisation of skilled labour. Using findings from a comparative project on the commercial vehicle industry in Sweden, Austria and the UK, the paper aims to unpack the theory and practice of new forms of production. It does identify common tendencies within advanced manufacturing, notably a growth in cognitive and extra-functional abilities, normally within a teamworking context. But this remains distinct from any version of craft or professional labour and there are marked national differences in managerial preferences of the type of labour perceived to be necessary for more flexible work organisation. The emphasis is on varied routes to the creation of skilled labour, with an extended view of skill formation that focuses on what firms do in the labour process as well as what the state does in education and training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article the author analyses the survival of small firms in the British car industry. According to the author in this industry the only independent survivors are those supplying the needs of customers with considerable financial resources, or with high performance and sporting requirements, or both. As cars are essentially a consumer good, the survival of small firms in the car market depends upon the continued existence of consumers with needs and effective demands differing from those of the general mass of the motoring public. Many customers wishing to purchase large vehicles estimate that the best value for money can be obtained by purchasing from the smaller producers. Here the author shows the significant position held by the independent firms in the commercial vehicle market and to suggest reasons why this state of affairs exists. It would be a mistake however to suppose that being small is either a necessary or sufficient condition for survival in Great Britain commercial vehicle industry.

The article discusses that now that electrification has gained a foothold in the passenger car market, it is starting to have an impact on commercial vehicles as well. Topics include while electric trucks and buses have, for a long time, been studied and tested as part of research and demonstration projects around the globe, more and more politicians and environmental associations have begun to explore the potential that this, not so small, sector has for curbing emissions.

Focuses on the mobile workplace legislation and the proposed Fringe Benefit Tax (FBT) reforms discussed at the Fleet Forum 2005 conference held in New Zealand in September 2005. Changes made to the health coverage of employees under the Health and Safety in Employment Amendment Act 2002; Information on the health and safety obligations of employers; Reasons behind the need for FBT reform.

German-based Robert Bosch GmbH and Nikola Motor Company in the US have collaborated on the development of a new commercial vehicle powertrain for Nikola's forthcoming range of Class 8 hydrogen-electric trucks. Bosch's eAxle expertise has enabled Nikola to move quickly on an aggressive path to bring its electric long-haul trucks to the market by 2021. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]