New Titan II LF
The new Titan II LF Low-Floor bus is built on the Chevy G4500 with a "Purpose-Built" floor structure designed by Spartan Chassis. The Titan II LF features 4-corner, self-leveling air-ride suspension with kneeling capability, 1:6 entry ramp slope with random access up to 5 wheelchair positions on a level floor surface. For more information, email Jack Santa.



Modular Seating
Freedman Seating introduces their new modular seat series, which have been engineered for flexibility to accommodate a passenger's growing needs. Options are modular and can be installed at your facility, keeping your fleet on the road.

Mitt Protects Hands from Fuel Grime, Odor
Concept Communications Co.'s Gas/Diesel Mitt protects drivers' hands from the grime and odors associated with fueling their buses. Drivers can use the mitts for fueling and then dispose after use. All the grime and residual fuel gets thrown away with the mitt, keeping the driver's hands clean. The mitts come in cartons of 1,000 or an optional introductory kit for outdoor use that includes one carton of mitts, an outdoor metal dispenser, a metal sign and stainless steel mounting bands. For more information, click here.










Say GOODBYE to Tire
Gauges and Pumps
Cleveland, OH - If a new technology under development at Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. works, tires will inflate themselves in the future. Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Energy gave Goodyear a $1.5 million grant to develop the self-inflating tire for commercial trucks. The development work is taking place in Akron, Ohio. Goodyear is working on a similar system for consumer tires at research facilities in Europe. Goodyear is keeping the details secret for competitive reasons, but patent applications filed by Goodyear engineers point to ways that self-inflating tires could be made. According to company officials, a self-inflating tire could save its fleet customers significant amounts of money in maintenance and fuel usage.

One application envisions a hollow rubber tube that would run along the inside of the tire. An inlet port would pull outside air into that tube. As the tire rolls, the bottom of the tube would squeeze shut, forcing air forward much in the same way twisting the middle of a long balloon creates a big bubble on one end. That air bubble would travel along the inside of the tire to a valve. If the air pressure inside the tire was low, the valve would open, allowing the bubble to flow inside. If the pressure was good, the bubble would continue to travel through the tube until it went back out of the inlet port. Under that system, every time your wheel turned, the tire could be inflating itself. Goodyear estimates that keeping truck tires fully inflated at all times could boost fuel economy by as much as 3.3 percent a year.