wanted to share...

[youngster]

Just got back from Phoenix via Salt Lake City this evening and wanted to share some insights on new gadgets. I work for a national freight company and got to drive one of the new rigs (a Kenworth) yesterday and today. It had two new gadgets in it and boy were they nice!!! I'd love to have both of them in my van. The first gadget is a modified cruise control. Really kinda freaked me out when it did what it does -- you're driving along with the CC set where you want it. a car pulls in front of you and eliminates some of your space cushion ( identified via a proximity sensor mounted in the bumper)---- a little bell goes off, the throttle is automatically backed out of by the computer and if necessary, the Jake brake is activated. When the appropriate space cushion(3-5 seconds following distance) is re-acquired, the CC speeds the truck back up to your set speed. It is so AWESOME in heavy traffic...makes driving into the Los Angeles basin a pleasure (well, almost)
The second gadget is something I think could be adapted to our vans very easily. It is a pneumatic steering stabilizer. It is used for long straight sections of road to keep the rig tracking straight regardless of wind or road grooves and boy does it work slick!!! You adjust the "trim" (air pressure supplied to the cylinder on the steering linkage) and then push the button to charge the cylinder. I have never pulled triples and had them track so straight!!!!! I'm sure this would work wonders for the guys pulling TT's. As I said, it is for straight sections of road. The feel is kinda vague -- more like slow to respond if steering input is needed. Pulling triples normally wipes me out both pyhsically and mentally these two gadgets made the drive a lot more enjoyable as well as safer!!! Havent found out who mfg's the stablizer yet. I know the cruise control unit is part of the ECU so it cannot be adapted to my van. Bummer!!!!