The North American Commercial Vehicle Show (NACV) that just concluded in Atlanta had plenty of glitz, but it also had plenty of substance. While electric trucks, fuel cell tractors, electrification and e-mobility played a large role, a number of companies introduced lower-profile products that are an important part of ensuring trucks stay on the road and trucking companies are profitable.
Below is a roundup of some of the noteworthy products introduced this week.
SkyBitz adds GPS tracking for light-, medium-duty vehicles
SkyBitz announced a new GPS tracking device for light- and medium-duty trucks. The SA2012 is equipped with 4G LTE with 3G fallback capability. The hardware can be installed using the SkyBitz Ops Center mobile device, either directly plugging it into the vehicle diagnostic port or covertly installing it behind the dashboard, depending on customer preference. Once installed, the device feeds into the Ops Center platform; users can manage this device alongside all others via a single interface. Customers will have coverage across North America.
The SkyBitz SA2012 comes with several pricing options, including the basic package, which features GPS location data and estimated odometer and engine hours. With several options leading up to the Pro package, SkyBitz offers a variety of location, engine and safety data that customers can select based on their operational goals and budget. Advanced alarms, notification schedules and over-the-air upgrades are available.
Freightliner adds FlowBelow locking wheel cover as option
The new FlowBelow locking aerodynamic wheel cover will be offered as an option on Freightliner Cascadia models beginning in the second quarter of 2020, the company announced. Currently, FlowBelow’s quick-release aerodynamic wheel covers are standard on Cascadia Aero and AeroX packages. The new locking function adds a key option, allowing fleets to ensure the wheel cover can’t be stolen off the tractor.
FlowBelow also announced that the International LT and RH series tractors will be available with a custom drive wheel fairing system. Gordon Virginski, vice president of OEM and dealer programs at FlowBelow, said the system was custom designed with Navistar engineers to ensure it was optimized for the tractors.
Virginiski said testing has shown the wheel covers provide a 0.7% fuel savings, while the entire tractor aero system offers a 2.23% savings. The company’s trailer Aero Slider product, which Mesilla Valley Transportation is installing on its trailers, adds fuel savings of 2.07%.
Orange EV moves to larger production facility
Orange EV, which makes electric terminal tractors, is expanding its manufacturing facility for the second time in four years. The new site will add five times the production capacity of the current location.
Orange EV said fleets running its tractors, which include fleets in 14 states, have seen savings of up to 90% on fuel, up to 75% on maintenance and repair, and 100% on emissions. Fleets with heavy-use trucks report annual hard dollar savings of up to $60,000-plus per truck in fuel, maintenance and emissions alone, it said.
Orange EV trucks come standard with onboard telematics, providing system status and operational data.
SafeLugNuts’ wheel nut system keeps wheels in place
SafeLugNuts has released Safetytrim, a precision-engineered wheel nut management system for commercial vehicles. The system features a visible identifier in the case of a loose wheel nut while holding that wheel nut in place until it can be repaired. Each Safetytrim is molded from high-performance automotive polymers that are highly resistant to heat and chemicals. The polymers were developed with DuPont. With a chemical “memory” that allows it to revert back to its original shape, Safetytrim fits tightly once pushed over the nuts on each of a vehicle’s wheels.
Erich Jaeger launches new brand of connectivity products
Erich Jaeger is launching a new aftermarket brand, Road Tough. Road Tough offers trailer connection products. These include WeatherLock 4-pin/12V SAE J1239 socket connector kit with 7.8-inch pigtail wiring harness; a WeatherLock 7-pin/12V ABS SAE J560 socket with 4-foot pigtail wiring harness; ExperTech 7-pin/12V ABS SAE J560 coiled cable, 15 foot, with 12-inch x 12-inch leads; ExperTech 7-pin/12V ABS SAE J560 coiled cable, 15 foot, with 12-inch x 48-inch leads; ExperTech 7-pin/12V ABS SAE J560 straight cable, 13 foot.
In addition, the Road Tough line will include these Jaeger Classic products: 7-pin/12V ABS SAE J560 zinc alloy plug connector and 7-pin/12V ABS SAE J560 zinc alloy socket kit with boot.
Aperia adds analytics to Halo tire inflation product
Four years after rolling out its Halo tire inflation product, Aperia Technologies is adding analytics capabilities to it with Halo Connect. Introduced earlier in 2019 and used in limited testing, the product will be fully available in November.
Halo Connect uses algorithms to monitor tire inflation pressure from the Halo system and reports that information in real time back to fleet managers, helping them prevent roadside tire incidents. While Halo Connect is reporting the problem, Halo proactively fills the tire with air until it can be rerouted to a service center.
The platform categorizes tire-related issues by severity and provides maintenance recommendations and real-time communication.
“We’ve seen fleets report a 90-plus percent reduction in tire-related emergency roadside service since implementing Halo Connect in their fleet,” said Josh Carter, CEO.
Maxion makes deal with ZF, shows concept wheel cover
Maxion Wheels introduced a new partnership with ZF as well as a new steel wheel and concept wheel cover.
The partnership with ZF has yielded the MaxSmart technology. MaxSmart is mounted directly to the wheel rim, using Bluetooth tags to track vehicle load, tire humidity, temperature, air pressure, speed and vibration. Information is collected in real time and transmitted to the vehicle’s telematics unit before being transferred to the ZF Cloud.
“The partnership with ZF is exactly what we need to finalize development and get to market,” said Donald Polk, president of the Americas. MaxSmart will launch in 2020.
The Tough and Light commercial steel wheel weighs 4 pounds less than its predecessor and offers a 7,400-pound wheel rating. It has a new circular hand hole shape, which reduces structural stresses by more than 10%, the company said.
Maxion also introduced the AeroWheel concept wheel cover. The cover is drag-reducing and designed for steer wheels. The product still needs to be developed and tested.
P.S.I. debuts tire lifecycle management tool
Pressure Systems International (PSI) introduced a new tire management tool, TireView LIVE. The interface is an analytics platform that tracks and analyzes the health of tires.
TireView LIVE collects and compiles pressure and temperature data for tires. It groups vehicles into categories, such as tractor and trailer, long-haul and P&D. Doing so helps fleets better understand the data they are seeing and comparing across like vehicles. Individual grid or email alerts as well as user-specified alerts add flexibility for managing the information.
P.S.I. said it is working with telematics providers to integrate the new platform so fleets can reduce hardware and related fees.
“TireView LIVE is far more than a simple low-pressure alert. It provides the entire story,” said Jim Sharkey, vice president for global sales and marketing. “The next opportunity for fleets to save money is to deliver real-time data to the office, where they can make faster and better-informed decisions and let the driver focus on driving.”
Continental Tire rounds out steer portfolio with new tire
A new regional steer tire from Continental rounds out its revamped steer portfolio. The Conti HSR 3 offers higher mileage than its predecessor with strong scrub resistance, the company said. It replaces the HSR2 in regional steer usage. The Conti HSR 3 is built on the Conti 3G casing for improved durability and retreadability.
An enhanced belt package withstands highly concentrated pressure and increases penetration resistance, Continental said. Built for increased stiffness, it reduces heat buildup for improved wear and longer mileage. This also extends the casing life for enhanced retreadability.
The Conti HSR 3 is undergoing field testing, including by a refrigerated food service fleet in Pennsylvania whose vehicles travel roughly 600 miles per day, stopping at multiple store locations.