These new products and services were introduced at the Great American Trucking Show in Dallas in September:
New Ford Models
Ford Motor Co. unveiled its 2004 model F-650 and F-750 Class 6 and 7 commercial trucks, offering a much larger range of options for wheelbase, engines, transmission, axles, seating and other components than in the past.
The trucks, which will be available in January 2003, are the first from Ford under the company’s Blue Diamond joint venture with Navistar International Corp., parent company of International Truck and Engine Corporation. The 50-50 joint venture, formed in 2001, is producing Class 6 and 7 medium commercial trucks for both companies at an assembly plant in Escobedo, Mexico.
Ford Motor Co.
www.commtruck.ford.com
Bed Sack
Custom Curtains has an answer to the problem of sheets that won’t stay tucked around a sleeper mattress: the Bed Sack. The product works like a large pillowcase, allowing the driver to place the mattress inside
the sheet.
Custom Curtains owner Patti Hancock noted that the product also allows team drivers to each have their own sheet by simply flipping the mattress.
Each Bed Sack sheet set comes with a top sheet sewn to the foot of the sack, and a standard pillowcase. The set fits any mattress up to 42 inches wide and 80 inches long. Each set cost $34 plus shipping.
Custom Curtains
(800) 277-7068
Pepper Escort Spray
Pepper Escort is a self-defense spray that shoots a direct stream, as opposed to the mist produced by some self-defense products, up to 20 feet. Its accessories include an attached flashlight and an attached whistle.
The spray, which is difficult to wash off, has ultraviolet paint intended to assist law enforcement in apprehension, and the gun is designed to prevent accidental spraying.
The product’s, distributor, Aim to Protect, offers a Trucker Special, which includes the gun, belt clip, wall mount and an extra cartridge.
Aim to Protect
(866) 900-5881
www.aimtoprotect.com
Truck Tire Step
The Universal Big Truck Tire Step is a portable, aluminum step, which fits over the tire to allows the driver to easily reach his windshield or motor. It is available in one- and two-step models, and both have a standing platform above the tire. The one-step weighs less than 10 pounds. The two-step version weighs less than 13 pounds and features two plastic bumpers to prevent damage to the wheel and stabilize the step.
An adapter is available with the two-step model to use on rear duals and bud wheels.
Ehnes Co. Inc.
(888) 200-6695
www.ehnescompany.com
Routing/Mapping Software
ALK Technologies announced the upcoming release of CoPilot Truck 2003, which merges its PC Miler routing software with its CoPilot Truck mapping database to create a dock-to-dock, laptop-based GPS navigation system for owner-operators, leased operators or company drivers.
PC Miler 16, the latest upgrade, released in May, features 76,500 additional North American road miles for a total 734,000 miles, 4,000 truck stop updates, 630 CAT Scale locations, 53-foot trailer routing and updates of 13-foot-6-inch height restrictions.
CoPilot Truck delivers street-level directions in both voice and text. It also provides instant route recalculations and one-click detour routing to help the driver avoid traffic and construction areas.
CoPilot 2003 will also feature estimated arrivals times based on a driver’s down time and average speed.The product should be available in December for $449, after a $50 rebate, said Sean Brown, ALK marketing manager.
ALK Technologies Inc.
(800) 377-Mile
www.alk.com
Tarp Arm
Mountain Tarp, manufacturer of roll and flip tarps, guarantees that the StrongArm tarp arm will not break, ever. Constructed of 2-inch thick extruded aluminum in a single-piece design – no elbow joints or telescoping parts – the arm has been polished and anodized to keep from scratching and to cut down on maintenance. The StrongArm requires only periodic applications of penetrating fluid to keep the springs and bearings in good working order.
There are electronic and manual systems available, and the StrongArm can also be retrofitted to any existing spring assembly. The tarp deploys and extracts in seconds, and the whole system can be purchased for $500. Mostly applicable to dump truck users, the StrongArm is available for 48-foot trailers, especially grain carriers.
Mountain Tarp
(800) 248-7717
www.mountaintarp.com
Truck Security System
Scorpion Security Technologies Corp. presented its Sentinel truck and trailer system, which includes different types of sensors to safeguard a vehicle and its cargo. “We have multiple forms of wireless communications built into the Sentinel,” said Jim Prendergast, Scorpion president.
The system is produced in conjunction with HGI Wireless, which specializes in producing “bait vehicles” for police to catch car thieves. Like those systems, the Sentinel can incorporate video cameras, motion detectors and other devices to send an alarm when a cab door is opened, a trailer wall is breached, a trailer latch is turned or other types of contact. It can be programmed to turn off ignition or apply trailer brakes.
Scorpion Security Technologies Corp.
(732) 896-5885
