Truck seat gets top honors for how it treats your bottom
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Truck Writers of North America (TWNA) have recognized the Bose Ride System as the top technical achievement for 2010.
The Technical Achievement Award winner was selected by a panel of truck writers from across North America that included Today’s Trucking magazine editor Peter Carter.
To be eligible for the Technical Achievement Award, a product or service has to clearly exhibit technical innovation, have a wide applicability in the trucking industry, offer significant benefits, and be widely available.
While complete vehicles are not eligible, components and systems are. The review process begins with candidates nominated by the press members of TWNA.
Using a point system based on each committee member’s ranking of the candidates, the four highest-scoring products are selected as finalists.
The "Top Four" finalists for 2010 were the HMP Thermal De-Icer from Heat Matt, Wheel Torque Solutions from Alcoa & Partners, the 14X Tandem Drive Axle from Meritor, and the Bose Ride System from Bose.
The Bose Ride System comes from the same people who make the terrific loudspeakers and headphones.
Essentially, the Bose system replaces a conventional air-ride truck seat with a unique suspension base and an integrated, custom designed seat top — providing over-the-road drivers with an unprecedented level of protection from road-induced shocks and vibration.
Similar to the manner in which the headphones cancel background noise, the Bose Ride System senses and counteracts road vibrations to smooth out the driver’s ride.
"The Bose Ride system was built for the professional driver who wants a better quality of life, and for fleet owners who want to capitalize on keeping their teams productive, happy and in the driver’s seat," said Bose Ride Team Chief Engineer Mike Rosen.
The very first Technical Achievement Award was presented in 1991 to Grote Industries for its red LED marker light.
Since receiving the inaugural award, Grote has sponsored the annual trophy.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Technical Achievement Award.
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