The Latest for Truckers

Mapping Software
DeLorme has produced three new titles in its Street Atlas USA 2004 product suite.
The Street Atlas USA 2004 is a comprehensive travel planner now with major Canadian roads and other enhancements.

The Street Atlas 2004 Handheld now has voice prompts for Pocket PC and high-density screen support for Palm OS 5.0 and later devices.

The Street Atlas 2004 Plus is a business mapping software. It can be used with new Phone Data 2004, containing more than 116 business and residential listings.

DeLorme
www.delorme.com

Mobile Entertainment
Nissho Iwai American Corporation has launched a new line of mobile electronic products including DVD players and video game units for vehicles. The product line is marketed under the brand name “G2G” (Good2Go) and offers a full complement of electronic, video and TV products for autos and boats, including console systems and portable systems that strap on to the back of the seat.

Screen sizes of the G2G products range from four to seven inches in flat-screen and console models and allow passengers to view movies, play video games and watch television. Overhead, flat-screen monitors with manual or motorized displays and console products are offered in wood-grain and vinyl finishes. Each unit includes the “Plug ‘N Go” Operation which allows for easy set up and operation.

The units range in price from $199 to $499 and can be purchased at Sam’s, Best Buy, BJ’s, Dodge-Chrysler and Pep Boys.

Nissho Iwai American Corporation
www.g2ggear.com

Improved Brakes
Commercial Vehicle Systems Division’s entire line of Dana Spicer standard brakes for trailers has been significantly enhanced.

The brake lining formula has been upgraded from Spicer Silver to the more durable Spicer Silver Supreme lining. This new lining is a second-generation formula that tests show will have a significantly longer lining and drum life, the company says.

To match the additional lining life, brake shoe corrosion resistance has been improved with the E-coat process, previously standard on single anchor pin tractor and trailer brakes and now standard on double anchor pin trailer brakes. The E-coat process also eliminates the need for additional anti-corrosion processes, previously needed to protect brake shoes, the company says.

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Silver Supreme linings and the E-coat process are now standard on all brake sizes, including standard linings and Extra Life lining thickness brake shoe configurations, as well as 12.25-inch, low-profile brakes.

Dana Corporation
(800) 826-4357
www.roadranger.com

Rear-Axle Slide
Transcraft’s new rear-axle slide option for its trailers is specifically engineered to redistribute the weight of cargo to meet specific state bridge laws. These slides can be California legal when in the closed position and provide a wide spread setting in the open position. There is less rear overhang with the rear-axle slide in the open position than there is on a “fixed” California legal trailer, the company says. All you have to do is flip a switch to lock the rear breaks and pull a pin, then move the unit forward or backward depending on the suspension setting you need for you load, then lock the unit in place.

Transcraft
(800) 950-2995
www.transcraft.com

Rope Cincher
Perhacs Design’s new Rope Cincher is a tie-down and bundling system for safely securing and transporting materials, ensuring that light- to medium-weight boxes remain steady during shipping and storage.

The Rope Cincher is a sturdy one-piece unit designed for use with solid braided rope from 3/16 inch to 1/2 inch. Rope is threaded through the Rope Cincher, pulled tight and held firmly by a V-locking wedge. The Rope Cincher is rotated to lock the rope in place. This unique design allows you to achieve better leverage and tension than when manually tying-down, keeping materials from shifting or slipping, the company says.

Made of glass-filled nylon for strength and durability, the Rope Cincher has no metal components and will not scratch or damage vehicles or tools. It is easy for a single person to handle and apply and is completely weather-resistant, the company says.

The tool has a suggested retail price of $14.95, comes threaded with a 15-foot length of 3/8-inch rope and has a limited one-year warranty.

Perhacs Design
The Better Mousetrap People
(800) 343-3275
[email protected]

Four-channel Tire System

Peterbilt trucks ordered with the Dana Spicer Tire Pressure Control System will now
feature an enhanced four-channel version, providing customers with improved reliability and safety, Peterbilt Motors Company says.

The TPCS allows operators to increase and decrease air pressure in the tires using an in-dash console, thus adjusting traction to best meet application and surface conditions. The new four-channel system provides each tire with an independent inflation/deflation valve, so loss of air in one of the drive tires – such as in the event of a tire puncture – will not disable the vehicle.

Operators can adjust tire pressure for loaded and unloaded applications – as well as for on-highway, off-highway and emergency surface conditions – for a total of six different settings. When the vehicle returns to normal paved road speeds, TPCS automatically increases tire pressure to prevent excessive tire wear.
TPCS is available for Peterbilt’s Model 357.

Peterbilt Motors Company
www.peterbilt.com

New Seat Suspension
Comfort Ride USA seating systems’ new EL suspension costs 30 percent less than the company’s Premium Suspension model.

The standard EL suspension has a quadrilateral elevating arm that keeps side-to-side movement to a minimum and the driver in maximum comfort, the company says.
This suspension can be selected with any of Comfort Ride’s three cushion styles, the 4500, 5500 or 9500.

Comfort Ride USA
(800) 765-8089

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