This is probably something that should be debated at more length than this, but here are a few questions for you: (a) Are American equipment operators tougher than their European counterparts or (b) Do they accepted that their job means tough working conditions?

I ask only because here in Munich at the bauma pre-media days a number of OEMs have in passing made this observation: I ask how the European model is different from the American model and they tell me basically it’s the same but the Euro model is more luxurious, more comfortable, more accessorized, adaptable and more capable of being setup just perfectly for the individual operator. Now I’m not naming names. (Oh no, no way!) But is this a myth, a misinterpretation, or in fact is there something there? It’s dangerous ground, so I’m really just floating it out there. I’m afraid it feels a little like sticking you head up out of a foxhole. Interesting conversation starter though. Or a conversation ender. –John Latta, Editor-in-Chief, Better Roads, reporting live from Munich, Germany