EVENT * USA - Live from Louisville, Kentucky

News from Mid-America Trucking Show

* Cummins, the Changes ahead for diesel (See Video)

(Photo: Steve Charlton of Cummins)

Louisville,KY,USA -Fleet Owner -30 March 2011: -- Steve Charlton, chief technical officer for Cummins' engine business, gives a glimpse of changes diesel engines face down the road.

* Allison: Showcases new transmission

Louisville,KY,USA -Fleet Owner -30 March 2011: -- A new transmission option from Allison Transmission will provide fuel efficiency in stop-and-go operation while maximizing fuel economy under cruising speeds, the company said.

* Bendix foresees boom times ahead

Louisville,KY,USA -Fleet Owner, by Sean Kilcarr -30 March 2011: --  Booms times are ahead for the truck making business, according to Joe McAleese, president & CEO of Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC, though much of the increased demand for heavy trucks is going to come from the “BRIC” nations, short for Brazil, Russia, India and China.

* Bendix unveils Wingman Advanced; adds trailer remote diagnostic unit

Louisville,KY,USA -Fleet Owner -30 March 2011: -- On the first day of the Mid-America Trucking Show here, Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems made a number of announcements, including the introduction of a new product and the latest improvement to its popular Wingman system.

* Cameras improve blind-spot visibility

Louisville,KY,USA -Fleet Owner -30 March 2011: -- A new camera system designed for trucking includes infrared LED technology and a wide-angle lens to improve visibility, particularly in traditional blind spots. The PerfectView RVS camera system from Dometic was unveiled at the Mid-America Trucking Show here.

* Dometic introduces portable air purifier for cabs

Louisville,KY,USA -Fleet Owner -30 March 2011: -- A new portable air purifier that reduces allergens, contaminants, and other odors from inside the cab of a truck has been introduced by Dometic. The Breathe Easy air purifier is on display this week at the Mid-America Trucking Show here.

* Rand McNally adds traffic predictor

Louisville,KY,USA -Fleet Owner -30 March 2011: -- Using historic data, a new Traffic Predictor feature for Rand McNally’s IntelliRoute TND GPS system for commercial trucks will automatically offer drivers alternative routes based on expected traffic congestion.

* Truck-specific navigation adds HOS logs, police speed trap warnings

Louisville,KY,USA -Fleet Owner -30 March 2011: -- A new navigation system from Cobra Electronics Corp. has been designed specifically for the professional truck driver with truck routing and points-of-interest pertinent to drivers.

* Yokohama debuts new wide single, prototype drive tire

Louisville,KY,USA -Fleet Owner -30 March 2011: -- A new wide base trailer tire and a prototype drive tire are on display this week at the Yokohama Tire Corp. booth at the Mid-America Trucking Show (MATS) here.

* Smaller TrailerTail aerodynamic device on the way

Louisville,KY,USA -Fleet Owner, by Sean Kilcarr -Mar 30, 2011: -- A smaller version of the “TrailerTail” aerodynamic device developed by ATDynamics to improve the fuel economy profile of 53-ft. dry van trailers is being readied for launch this fall, aimed at operators of 48-ft. “pup” trailers, intermodal units, and Canadian fleets that face stricter trailer length laws... (Photo from ht3.gstatic: ATDynamics' trailer tail)

* Meritor showcases Euro-style 6x2 rear axle package

Louisville,KY,USA -Today's Trucking (CAN) -March 31, 2011: -- With a new logo and a new name, commercial vehicle component systems supplier, Meritor, debuted what it calls an "advanced technology display"...  Comprised of current and future technologies aimed at improving fuel economy and operational efficiency, the display featured the Advanced Rear Axle concept – a unique 6x2 rear axle, based on the 17X axle sold in Europe...

* Dana unveils new tandem axles, driveshafts & hub system

Louisville,KY,USA -Today's Trucking (CAN) -1 April 2011: -- Dana introduced a new family of heavy-duty 40,000-pound tandem drive axles -- the new Spicer Pro-40 axle – as well as new, light aluminum driveshafts and a "low maintenance" hub system... The Spicer Pro-40, unveiled at the Mid America Trucking Show, offers improved power density and a 120-pound weight reduction for its next lightest competitor... Planned availability with a popular range of ratios from (3.25- 3.90), the Spicer Pro-40 axle represents the ideal specification for commercial trucks with 9-, 10-, 12-, or 13-speed overdrive transmissions; diesel engines rated up to 475-horsepower and 1750 lb-ft. of torque; and Gross Combination Weight Ratings up to 80,000 pounds...  (Photo from en.wikipedia.org: Dana 60 Dodge 4.10 gears)

TRUCKS PRODUCTS * Czech Republic - Map & Guide Professional Version 2011

Praga,Czech Republic -Fleet Europe, by Michel Buckinx -23 Feb 2011: -- The map&guide professional 2011 (PTV group) is now available with a new toll calculation function. This is all the more interesting as tolls are going to be adapted in Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic, not forgetting that a tax on HGV’s is to be introduced on national roads in Alsace before being extended to the whole of France. The map&guide toll payment calculator takes account of future evolutions...

SAFETY * UK - SmartDrive in-cab video launch

Reynolds has benefited from a 61% decrease in the number of collisions, and weekly minor damage costs have decreased by 50%

London,UK -HGV UK -January 27, 2011: -- SmartDrive – a company that provides in-cab cameras for commercial vehicles – will be launching its in-cab video safety system at the annual Fleet Safety Forum conference... Visitors to the SmartDrive stand will learn how in-cab video safety systems are proving essential to driver and vehicle safety on the UK’s busy roads. The system makes it easy for companies to improve driving behaviour and eliminate noncompliance and risks such as smoking, eating, using handheld mobile phones and non-use of seatbelts. For example, Reynolds, the company that delivers fresh food to Pret A Manger and Pizza Express, wanted to reduce the collision rate among its 235 drivers. It uses the SmartDrive system cameras to record exactly what happened during the 15 seconds before and after an incident – giving fleet managers a detailed view of what led up to an event, and how to avoid it happening again... Since installing the system, Reynolds has benefited from a 61% decrease in the number of collisions, and weekly minor damage costs have decreased by 50%. The company has also reduced their annual insurance costs by over £250,000 and these costs continue to decrease... More than 34 million incidents have been recorded on in-vehicle video cameras by the SmartDrive Safety programme in the UK and USA...