Meet your replacement

Truck manufacturers at MATS are confident they hold the keys to your next truck purchase. The competition is fierce, and that could work in your favor if you're going to need a new truck soon.

Each of the OEMs we've heard from during the press conferences -- Mack, Volvo, Freightliner, Peterbilt, Kenworth, Navistar and Western Star -- predict that 2013 will be quite similar to 2012 in terms of Class 8 sales. Many told us that 2014 has the potential to be a boom year for moving new trucks.

The makers hinge those predictions on a strengthening economy coupled with an aging vehicle population. They each say they're poised for when fleets and small-business owners are ready to invest in new equipment.

To be frank, I think a fair number of would-be truck buyers have held out on new purchases the past few years because of lingering doubts about the economy, tight bottom lines, and a bit of regulatory fatigue thrown in for good measure. It will be interesting to see where that goes.

Fuel cost is going to be a consideration. Many manufacturers have mentioned natural gas options, mainly for dedicated short runs or regional hauls. Long-haul options for natural gas could still be a ways out, but the infrastructure gap is starting to fill in.

Options and competition are good things.

Welcome to the gun show

Finding unique products at the Mid-America Trucking Show is never a tough challenge. There are products that range from the "isn't that cool" to the "what were you thinking?"

This year during media day on Wednesday, Daimler Trucks North America and Freightliner introduced a new product that really impressed me.

There's a real movement in the trucking industry toward healthy lifestyles. The pressure on truckers to improve their health is being fueled by a lot of inaccurate and presumptive actions by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. 

Regardless, no one can argue that living a healthy lifestyle is beneficial. One aspect of that is increasing physical activity.

Bob Perry works out with the FIT System. Photo courtesy

  Freightliner Trucks.

For truckers whose jobs are sedentary by nature and transient by purpose, finding a place to work out is routinely challenging.

Freightliner, in conjunction with Bob Perry and Rolling Strong, developed the Freightliner In-Cab Training System, or FIT System. It provides drivers with full body strength and conditioning workouts in their own cabs.

The FIT system features a triple-grip handle, which enables users to interchange three bands to change resistance levels. The system uses existing seat tether and bunk restraint mounting points for installing a custom bracket.

You can get it factory installed on the Coronado and Cascadia models, and it can be retrofitted into the Century Class and the Columbia models.

Imagine working out with that for a year. We'd see a bunch of buff truckers next year at MATS.