Truckers' wish list

It's Media Day in Louisville. Shortly after Sandi Soendker and I wrapped up our morning run of press events for Bendix and Kenworth, we both came away with similar reactions. We couldn't help but think about how many truckers will soon be adding products and a new truck from the companies to their wish lists during the next few days.

Bendix touted their stationary object alert system to warn drivers of objects in the road 3 seconds ahead of time. There was also the pneumatic booster system to improve fuel economy while reducing engine emissions.

The wish list grew during the Kenworth press event with talk about the PACCAR MX engine and the NavPlus system. Man oh man! The NavPlus really perked up my ears. It includes Garmin truck-specific navigation, Internet access, satellite radio, Bluetooth, camera inputs, and diagnostics and virtual gauges. I don't think I left anything out.

But the BIG moment came a few minutes later on the show floor. There, ready for first-time viewing, were a couple of T700s. The folks at KW tout their newest model as being the highest-quality and most fuel-efficient truck on the road.

Well, the morning press tour has concluded and the truckers' wish list is already growing quite long.