Text by Dino Ray V. Directo III
With D-Day just hours away, the question that most truck operators/drivers are asking, what is the best gift a truck driver can receive this Christmas? Maybe for starters we can tick off with the improvement of the bus lanes along EDSA and the truck lane along C5 — a nightmare for bus and truck drivers. Maybe we can throw in self discipline and getting rid of erring local law enforcers who do nothing but collect grease money from truck operators.
Seriously, the most practical gadget as far as truckers are concerned appears to be a speed limiter device. Despite the law, R.A. No. 10916, otherwise known as the Road Speed Limiter Act of 2016”, the MMDA says that 10 bus related accidents occur on a daily basis.
Speed Limiting device
Pioneer Truck Parts and Equipment Corporation, local distributors of Speed Limiter of UK, is a company on a mission of public safety. Developed in 1980, Speed Limiter is an electronic control device that limits and controls a vehicle’s top speed. Aside from improving driver behavior and vehicle preservation, this device also improves fuel consumption, emissions and is guaranteed to cut maintenance costs of fleet owners. “The ECU is connected to a speed signal (electronic speedometer, ABS or mechanical sensor) and receives frequency signals while the vehicle is moving. At a pre set frequency, say 80kph, the ECU transmits a signal to the engine management system which then holds the vehicle’s speed. The operator/owner can pre set the maximum speed of the truck or van as he wishes,” explains Aaron Go of Pioneer Corporation. The system operates by way of drive by wire or a romatic speed limiter for vehicles without an ECU.
Speed Limiter is a Romatic Speed Control System designed and developed since 1980 and currently used in Europe, Middle East and Asia as a standard equipment for truck, bus and commercial vehicle fleet operations. The system have received numerous approvals from truck manufacturing such as Toyota, Mitsubishi, Mercedes Benz, Isuzu, Leyland, DAF, GM General Motors, Peugeot, Renault, FUSO, Land Rover, ERF, and approval from the British Ministry of Defence for Land Rover and Pinzgauer Vehicles.
PIAA LED
Designed as aftermarket replacement driving lamps for 12v system of trucks, PIAA LED lamps feature innovative computer-controlled Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) technology that provides optimal thermal protection for longer life and greater performance. The in-lamp monitor modulates the length of the pulse up to 250 pulses per second, based on power and temperature situations.
“With the introduction of PIAA LED driving lamps, we’re now offering vehicle owners the convenient choice of outfitting their vehicles with high-quality LED lamps, because the LED lamps fit into the exact same mounting locations,” says Johann Tiu of PIAA Ph.
Every PIAA customer enjoys the benefits of The PIAA Advantage, which features advanced technology from the best minds worldwide, lamps and bulbs for virtually every type of vehicle, and race-proven quality and durability supported by a One-year Warranty on its products.
Polaroid dash camera
Dash cameras or dash cams are now regarded as vital tools for the everyday driver. We have all seen Youtube videos of dash cams capturing on video acts of road rage and fender benders whose footage can be used for insurance claims or crucial evidence that can used by law enforcement to prosecute or file charges against an offending party.
Exclusively distributed locally by Blade Autocenter, Poloroid dash cams are in-cab camera compact units that come with everything you need to record everyday activities or out of town deliveries. Poloroid’s C200 to 270T line comes with a USB cable which can be used for charging, and is long enough to allow the user to mount the dash camera somewhere else other than the front windshield. The mount feels very secure and the cradle has been designed for quick removal which makes it perfect if you wish to hide it from “basag kotse” elements when taking a break or parking the truck overnight.
Like the rest of the Poloroid family of dash cams, the little screen in every unit is very useful in setting up the dash camera, ensuring you’ve gotten the best view possible. There are only a few buttons on these units so it should be easy to use, but actually the multi-functionality of the buttons can prove to be a bit fiddly, it’s not always obvious what you’re meant to press to do what you want. There are a good range of options, and the Poloroid C200 to C270T are easy to use out of the box.
