coolest-gadgets.com

Any driver knows, it doesn’t take long to lose your concentration or even doze off at the wheel. So, those with CDL trucking jobs would be wise to have some sort of alert in place. The website Coolest-Gadgets.com highlighted a Anti-Sleep Alarm. It’s one that can be a valuable tool for those with CDL driver jobs.

This Anti-Sleep Alarm is a two-finger ring that will let you know you’re starting to nod off before you actually do. If it works as intended, it will let you know up to 5 minutes before you start to slip into slumber. It charges via micro USB cable, and while it says it has a long battery life, that doesn’t mean it’s going to live through a 10-hour drive of constant use. The method of alarm it uses is vibration, and it should buzz for about 2-3 seconds when it goes off so that it’s sure you don’t “miss” feeling it.

Costing $189, the alarm is made of an allergen-proof material and requires no special setup. It’s available for purchase on amazon.com.

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Men’s Health magazine wrote a great article on gadgets you should keep in your car. Well, we have news. Everything featured in the article is also perfect gear for CDL truck drivers to have on their trucks. The next time you’re in a roadside jam, CDL drivers, turn to one of these great tools to power you back on your way. As Men’s Health says, “keep this gear with you, and you’ll be prepared to tackle any problem that arises when you’re behind the wheel.”

Leatherman Rebar

This slick, 17-tool gadget will help you MacGyver your way out of any jam. Stick it in your glove compartment and bust out the needlenose pliers or serrated knife when you need to put your fix-it skills to use, fast.

Antigravity Battery

You never know when you’ll need to jumpstart your car—or someone else’s. This pocket-sized battery comes with jumper cables as well as several outlets for charging your laptop, cell phone, camera, or tablet while you’re on the go.

Autoxscape 3-in-1 Emergency Tool

Tool #1 is just a flashlight, but tools #2 and #3 will save your life. If you’re in an accident and need to escape your car fast, they will safely cut your seatbelt and smash your window.

Jaco Premium Digital Tire Inflator

Imagine just passing the last exit on the highway for 15 miles or being in the middle of nowhere when your low tire pressure light comes on. Total bummer—unless you stash this gadget in your trunk.

Pull over, whip it out, and fill up your tire. No gas station (or quarters) required.

A Snow Shovel

Keeping a snow shovel in your trunk is a no-brainer for anyone in the northern half of the country, but if you choose the wrong one, your back will be barking at you for days. Suncast’s SC39050 shovel has a nice ergonomic design and a steel strip that prevents wear.

Auto Expressions Glove Box Organizer

We know you’re a model driver—a perfect citizen of the road who’d never exceed our state highways’ perfectly reasonable speed limits.

But if you do get pulled over, you don’t want to be fumbling through your messy glove compartment to find your necessary paperwork. This keeps everything neatly in one place, so you won’t look like a schmuck.

3-Port USB Car Charger Adapter from FosPower

If you’re on a long trip, you’ll need to stay charged up—and so will your travel companions. This adapter lets you charge three phones or tablets at the same time.

Never grab fast food on a long road trip again. Pack your own meals and store them at the perfect temperature with this genius thermo-electric system.

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overdriveonline.comTruck parking is a little easier now with the launch of a new mobile app called Park My Truck. The new app connects people with CDL trucking jobs to free parking spots across the United States.

Overdrive magazine covered the new app in a news story, saying:

With the app, public and private truck parking providers, including truck stops, rest areas and more, update the number of available parking spaces at any time to help drivers determine if open spaces exist at a given location. The app resulted from an initiative between the National Association of Truck Stop Operators (NATSO), the NATSO Foundation, the American Trucking Associations and the American Transportation Research Institute.

The app includes the total number of parking spaces at more than 5,000 truck stops.

NATSO says independent and chain truck stops participate in reporting their available spaces. These represent more than 150,000 truck parking spaces.

When a driver opens the app, he/she searches for parking spaces. The search remains within a certain distance of their current location, up to 250 miles, Overdrive writes.

Drivers also search by state or along an interstate.

“We have ways to let drivers know where the spaces currently exist, which is why this app serves so valuable,” said ATA President and CEO Chris Spear. Directing drivers to safe parking spaces will give them the opportunity to get the rest they need and the off-duty time they are required to have.”

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trucking gear

CDL Life magazine wrote a fun article about the kind of tech professional truck drivers dream of. With technological creations advancing more each day, there’s no telling what cool gadgets truck drivers will have access to next.

Until then, CDL Life asked truck drivers to imagine new technologies and equipment that would make their CDL trucking jobs easier.

Here’s what truck drivers told the magazine in response.

RoadPro Pro Driver Council member Tom Kyrk said he would like to see a ramp to help dogs get in and out of truck cabs easily and a fitness tracker designed especially for drivers (regular ones are thrown off by the vibration of the truck).

Fred Weatherspoon doesn’t like to carry weights in his cab because they can become missiles in the event of a crash. He wants an in-cab exercise system that’s safe, easy to use and doesn’t take up too much space.

All the cords hanging under her dash have Maggie Stone wishing for some sort of universal harness into which she could plug her phone, GPS, dash cam and other electronics. The Iowa livestock hauler also would like to see a storage device for under her bunk, “kind of like a gun rack,” that would hold her cattle prod and paddle and 5th wheel puller.

Florida-based Allen Wilcher and partner Sierra Sugar said they would like to see a truck leveling system like the kind found in RVs — and room in the cab for an herb garden.

There’s no way to know if any of these devices will be invented, but given the history of the trucking industry, it would be surprising if none of them were.

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A new app for people with CDL trucking jobsHaulHound officially launched a new app that connects shippers to owner operators. They released it at the Great American Trucking Show in Dallas, Texas. The launch took place Aug. 26, when HaulHound released an app- and web-based platform that allows owner-operators to upload their truck and routing information and shippers to search for carriers that fit their load parameters. Overdrive wrote of the launch:

The service is free to both parties, as the system is advertiser supported.

Traditional loadboards feature shippers and brokers posting loads and truckers searching for them. However, HaulHound effectively flips the script. Owner-operators and carriers post details about their truck, their capacity, and desired lanes. Then, shippers and brokers search for capacity.

HaulHound says the system focuses on owner-operators who work the spot market.

In addition to listing their equipment type and specializations, owner-operators list price points. So, any calls they receive from brokers or shippers are legitimately priced, says HaulHound’s Andy Kim.

The company says it plans to release routing tools and automated freight-matching in coming iterations.

Read more about this product on Overdrive.com here.

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autonomous trucking

Uber Technologies has acquired autonomous trucking startup Otto for a reported $680 million and is announcing a deal with Volvo Car Group to build the technology into sedans and SUVs. Tech website dcvelocity.com wrote of the acquisition in an article by Ben Ames.

“Formed in 2016 by four veterans of Google’s self-driving car project, San Francisco-based Otto’s combination of hardware and software retrofits existing trucks with autonomous driving abilities by adding sensors to the roof,” the story stated.

Following the merger, Otto co-founder Anthony Levandowski, oversees Uber’s self-driving efforts for applications in personal transportation, delivery, and trucking. Uber CEO and co-founder Travis Kalanick shared this in a blog post.

In the deal, Uber paid approximately 1% of its estimated $68 billion valuation.

This makes the privately-held Otto worth $680 million, according to Reuters.

 “In order to provide digital services in the physical world, we must build sophisticated logistics, artificial intelligence, and robotics systems,” Kalanick stated.

The deal means Uber extends its digital ride-sharing platform into larger sectors.

Examples include deliveries and trucking. Also, Uber plans to leverage the Otto acquisition by applying the technology to passenger cars. But, truck drivers remain concerned about potential job losses. However, CDL driver jobs aren’t in jeopardy anytime soon from the deal.

Despite the combination of advanced technologies, regulatory challenges ensure that self-driving trucks won’t hit the roads until 2025. This is according to Wallace Lau, mobility team lead at consulting firm Frost & Sullivan.

“The technology to build an autonomous truck remains available today. We’ve seen this from Daimler and from Otto as well,” Lau said in an email. “However, the biggest hurdle is the regulatory environment and societal acceptance of autonomous driving on public roads. Extensive testing is under way to prove that autonomous driving can be successful in all weather and traffic conditions.”

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truckinginfo.comA new Accident Reporting App guides those with CDL trucking jobs through the accident reporting process and keeps administrators informed in real time.

Truckinginfo.com wrote about the app, touting its usefulness in the trucking industry.

The app leads the driver step by step through the process and documents every vital aspect of the event. It assembles it into a comprehensive accident report. Also, the app features an animated, seven-chapter training video that teaches drivers in advance about proper accident protocol and crash scene conduct.

“The motor carrier has long held the disadvantage when it comes to crash defense,” said Brendan Dawson, founder and CEO of Accident Plan. “That’s due, at least in part, to the driver not having proper tools and training with which to adequately handle a stressful crash scene event.”

Accident Plan was built from scratch

It helps drivers focus on the task at hand and for motor carriers who need to proactively manage their claims. An annual subscription to Accident Plan costs $25 per driver. The app is available on the Apple App Store and Google Play store.

Read more about the Accident Reporting App here.

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overdriveonline.com

Rand McNally enters the dashcam business with the launch of a new line of devices.

According to an article in Overdrive magazine, the Rand McNally Dash Cam 100, 200 and 300 models assist with accident and safety documentation, as well as capture photos and video from the road.

“Everyday and professional drivers both have told us that they want to capture and share their experiences on the road and be able to save a high-quality video record should they be involved in an accident,” said Stephen Fletcher, CEO of Rand McNally. “In these new dash cameras, we have included features like time-lapse photography so that drivers can record a beautiful sunset as well as a sudden (or some other qualifier) traffic incident.”

The camera’s sensor detects sudden or significant movement, such as a collision, and saves the video file.

All videos and photos taken with the devices include a time and date stamp. The 200 and 300 models also include a location stamp. The 300 model includes lane-departure and collision warnings and can record in full high definition, according to the company.

The Dash Cam 300 has a 2-inch screen and comes with a 16 GB SD card. The 200 model has a 1.5-inch screen with an 8 GB SD card, and the 100 model has a 1-inch screen with 4 GB SD card.

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fleetowner.com

For Tech Tuesday this week, Drive My Way is highlighting a new Kenworth truck. Kenworth’s T680 76-in. sleeper now includes an in-cab satellite TV pre-wire to support EpicVue services.

Fleet Owner magazine wrote about the new truck and highlighted its technology.

New Kenworth T680 76-inch sleepers are now available with a Kenworth factory-installed, in-cab satellite TV pre-wire option. Overall, this supports the EpicVue satellite television subscription service.

EpicVue provides premium in-cab satellite TV packaged for the trucking industry and available for fleets with 20 or more vehicles.

The service provides over-the road and regional fleets a special benefit

Moreover, it may help promote driver retention and recruitment. “We’re making the Kenworth T680 even better by providing the options that drivers really want. And, we’re also helping fleets offer amenities to attract and retain top drivers. For instance, EpicVue is an example of a Kenworth option that enhances the daily experience of drivers. It brings all the comfort of home to them in their Kenworth T680 76-inch sleeper,” said Kurt Swihart, Kenworth marketing director.

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kptv.comAfter directly affected by distracted driving, one Mississippi man created something constructive from the experience. He developed a great tool to curb distracted driving.

It’s called Drive Smart

And though the product still is in its experimental stage, Drive Smart has the potential to make roads a lot safer for those with CDL driver jobs.

Ross Muller designed the prototype after dealing with a serious accident, he told Mississippi website WLOX.com

“The gentleman that hit me was a young driver who I believe was distracted by his phone, so it sparked my interest,” said Muller, who then decided to find a way to curb distracted driving among young drivers.

After two years of tinkering with his prototype, Muller thought of an idea that utilizes something in almost every vehicle.

The cigarette lighter

“It’s just a 12-point inverter. They’re very common when you use cell phone chargers or radio detectors,” Muller said. “It’s pretty much that right there, but it emits a Bluetooth signal.”

Once fully operational, Drive Smart makes it so that once a driver turns on the ignition, their smartphone loses much of its functionality.

“Once the drive smart device powers on, it’ll lock the cell phone. The only two things you can do on the cell phone is make an emergency phone call, or call the home phone,” Muller said.

Local law enforcement officials say Muller’s idea reduces distracted driving

“It’s a step in the right direction anytime you get a device to help with the young people to avoid having wrecks and fatalities. It’s a plus for us,” said Lt. Calvin Hutchins of the Pascagoula Police Department.

Currently, Drive Smart remains in the patent process. Muller plans to exhibit the invention to potential distributors at a conference this month.

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