Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/894232
November 2017 | EquipmentWorld.com 42 Adding safety features, reducing size Miller and Burns say that crash mitigation features are gaining in popularity, such as lane departure warning. Two types of cruise control to avoid crashes are also gaining traction. Predictive cruise uses GPS to antici- pate gear and throttle positions, while active cruise with braking enhances safety in traffi c. DeLivron says there's been a size shift in cranes from large and small to medium sized. Of the me- chanics trucks produced each year, 8,000 to 9,000 are spec'ed with cranes, so it's a sizeable market. "Some owner-operators still want the biggest, best and fl ashiest, but the vocational market in general is moving to medium-sized trucks and cranes," says deLivron. High-tech electronics move to vocational trucks When the SAE J1939 was published in April 2000, it ushered in a standardized way for electronic control modules throughout a vehicle to communicate with one another. Every current electronic feature – every work mode, every return-to-dig function – has its roots in the original J1939 protocol. It spread from engines to transmissions to hydraulic systems and has now ar- rived in full force at the back of vocational trucks. The platform that carries all this electronic chatting is the controller area network, or CAN. machine matters | continued Abrasion tape is available on Western Star 4700 and 5700 truck models. The tape helps protect exterior harnesses in such applications as construction and road maintenance. Western Star 4700, 4800 and 4900 models have sealed frame rails to prevent the intrusion of liquids and minimize corrosion from environmental factors and road de-icing products. An aluminum diamond plate tool box is available on the 4700.