Phillips Industries says its Sta-Dry Tracker is an innovation in electrical sockets "that will significantly upgrade and improve the connection between the tractor and trailer, saving fleets downtime and money."

As well, the company has also introduced corrosion-blocking Sta-Dry Weather-Tite connectors, seven-way male connector plugs with integrated seals that stop moisture from entering the electrical system.

Phillips explains the swivelling nosebox this way: when a truck/trailer combination has to move in tandem into a tight space, creating a severe angle between them, there’s a good chance of expensive and time-consuming damage to air and electrical cables, the nosebox, connectors, and gladhands. Simply increasing cable length to account for this not a good option – each added foot of cable adds cost, plus a sagging cable that will rub on the deck plate, causing damage and drawing attention with penalty points from CSA inspectors. The answer, says Phillips, is a swivelling electrical socket.

The Sta-Dry Tracker will allow the cable to simply follow the movement of the truck. It will accommodate a turn up to 80 degrees (40 degrees left or 40 degrees right) and will automatically disconnect if the turn exceeds that angle, which is unlikely. The common damages associated with a jackknife pullout are averted and you can simply reconnect the electrical cable. Phillips figures it will save fleets money with only a minor modification to their equipment, paying for itself "over and over again.” It comes with a three-year warranty.

When combined with swivel gladhands, all air and electrical lines are safe.

The first of the new Weather-Tite connectors is an unbreakable glass-filled nylon connector, and the second is a hybrid combination using unbreakable-glass-filled nylon and zinc die cast.  Each connector has added moisture protection by way of a 3-blade Nitrile wiper seal at the mating end. It’s field-replaceable.

The connector rear is sealed with a compression clamp and sleeve for further corrosion protection, while the cable guard is ratchet-locked to prevent vibration from loosening it.

The new connectors will be available in July 2012 on new equipment or for replacement.