Saturday 29 November 2014

Smart Lite: Commercial Trucking Safety: Transport Minister Imp...

Smart Lite: Commercial Trucking Safety: Transport Minister Imp...: Transport Minister Impressed By Smart Lite Design Back in the year 2005 Marty Vancerhoek, the inventor of the Smart Lite, had a prototyp...

Commercial Trucking Safety: Transport Minister Impressed By Smart Lite Design

Transport Minister Impressed By Smart Lite Design


Back in the year 2005 Marty Vancerhoek, the inventor of the Smart Lite, had a prototype of his design reviewed by [at the time], British Columbia Transport Minister Kevin Falcon. Mr. Falcon was impressed with the design, and as such, wrote a letter to Mr Vanderhoek stating he was "very impressed" with the product.

The letter appears below for the readers review and consideration.






About Smart Lite


60% of all truck accidents are directly contributed to the front end blind spot of commercial trucks. In North America alone over 5,000 deaths and 140,000 injuries occur annually. At Smart Lite we believe that those statistics are far too high.

What is Smart Lite? Smart Lite is designed to reduce crashes, to save lives and to reduce injuries. The system was designed by Marty Vanderhoek, a professional commercial truck driver with over 20 years experience in the industry. It is a simple, yet unique design that utilises simple mirror to mirror technology to completely expose the entire front end area of the truck to the driver from inside the cab. As a result. the device offers the driver a clear and unrestricted view of any vehicle, motorcycle, cyclist or pedestrian that could be in the front or blind spots or no zone area of the truck.

No high tech cameras, mirrors or unreliable beeper systems. With Smart Lite the driver instantly sees whatever is in the front and blind spot areas of the truck by a split second glance into the West Coast mirror. For more information on the Smart Lite system please visit our web page or contact us at info@xlite.ca  

About Marty Vanderhoek : Inventor of the Smart Lite 

Marty Vanderhoek is a life long trucker from Langley, B.C., Canada whose been at the wheel since 1975, from fish to fruit he’s pulled it all.

His 35 years experience behind the wheel has taught him the many dangers that truckers face on a daily basis. One area is that front end blind spot that plagues every truck driver. How on earth can you see that car or motorcycle that is running beside you and a little ahead of your door?. Essentially, you can't! Until Now....

Drawing upon his 35 years experience behind the wheel Marty invented the Smart Lite; A simple system which he says is “A breakthrough in commercial trucking that will save lives” According to Marty "The Smart Lite device is revolutionary in that it allows the operator to see what is occupying the space in that front end blind spot. Before Smart Lite there was no device or system that allowed the operator to make a 100% visual determination of what was beside him and a little ahead of his door. With Smart Lite that problem is now solved."

Indeed, this simple yet revolutionary safety device is already being hailed by commercial truckers for its simplicity and effectiveness. The device has already received an endorsement by the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC) as a safety feature that greatly improves trucker safety.


"A Breakthrough In Commercial Trucking That Will Save Lives!"








Smart Lite: Smart Lite: Mirror to Mirror Technology: Breakthro...

Smart Lite: Smart Lite: Mirror to Mirror Technology: Breakthro...: Smart Lite: Mirror To Mirror Technology: A Breakthrough In Commercial Trucking That Will Save Lives "Invented by a trucker for tr...

Smart Lite: Mirror to Mirror Technology: Breakthrough In Commercial Truck Safety

Smart Lite: Mirror To Mirror Technology: A Breakthrough In Commercial Trucking That Will Save Lives

"Invented by a trucker for truckers: Easy to Install"

Anyone related to the commercial trucking industry will agree that front end blind spots are the single most cause of heavy truck related accidents 

In fact every year across Canada and the United States thousands are injured or killed in accidents involving large commercial trucks. 

Professional drivers are plagued on a daily basis with never being 100% certain that a motor vehicle, motorcycle, cyclist or pedestrian may have entered in the front end blind spot in the few seconds, that the driver needed to be watching or checking somewhere else. 

At some point in their career most professional drivers will either have an accident caused by front end blind spots or countless times will be faced with the inevitable close call. read more...

At Smart Lite We Understand!

At Smart Lite, we understand the deadly consequences that await those who are caught in the 'dead zone'. We also understand the position of the operator and the difficulty that he or she has in determining if anyone or anything is in that zone. 

About Smart Lite


60% of all truck accidents are directly contributed to the front end blind spot of commercial trucks. In North America alone over 5,000 deaths and 140,000 injuries occur annually. At Smart Lite we believe that those statistics are far too high.

What is Smart Lite? Smart Lite is designed to reduce crashes, to save lives and to reduce injuries. The system was designed by Marty Vanderhoek, a professional commercial truck driver with over 20 years experience in the industry. It is a simple, yet unique design that utilises simple mirror to mirror technology to completely expose the entire front end area of the truck to the driver from inside the cab. As a result. the device offers the driver a clear and unrestricted view of any vehicle, motorcycle, cyclist or pedestrian that could be in the front or blind spots or no zone area of the truck.

No high tech cameras, mirrors or unreliable beeper systems. With Smart Lite the driver instantly sees whatever is in the front and blind spot areas of the truck by a split second glance into the West Coast mirror. For more information on the Smart Lite system please visit our web page or contact us at info@xlite.ca  

About Marty Vanderhoek : Inventor of the Smart Lite 

Marty Vanderhoek is a life long trucker from Langley, B.C., Canada whose been at the wheel since 1975, from fish to fruit he’s pulled it all.

His 35 years experience behind the wheel has taught him the many dangers that truckers face on a daily basis. One area is that front end blind spot that plagues every truck driver. How on earth can you see that car or motorcycle that is running beside you and a little ahead of your door?. Essentially, you can't! Until Now....

Drawing upon his 35 years experience behind the wheel Marty invented the Smart Lite; A simple system which he says is “A breakthrough in commercial trucking that will save lives” According to Marty "The Smart Lite device is revolutionary in that it allows the operator to see what is occupying the space in that front end blind spot. Before Smart Lite there was no device or system that allowed the operator to make a 100% visual determination of what was beside him and a little ahead of his door. With Smart Lite that problem is now solved."

Indeed, this simple yet revolutionary safety device is already being hailed by commercial truckers for its simplicity and effectiveness. The device has already received an endorsement by the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC) as a safety feature that greatly improves trucker safety.


"A Breakthrough In Commercial Trucking That Will Save Lives!"

Tuesday 25 November 2014

Smart Lite: A Big Rig's Worst Nightmare: The Passenger Door Bl...

Smart Lite: A Big Rig's Worst Nightmare: The Passenger Door Bl...: A Big Rigs Worst Nightmare: The Passenger Door Blind Spot The Death Zone: Cyclists, Motorcycles and Small Cars  The death zone, tha...

A Big Rig's Worst Nightmare: The Passenger Door Blind Spot

A Big Rigs Worst Nightmare: The Passenger Door Blind Spot

The Death Zone: Cyclists, Motorcycles and Small Cars 

The death zone, that's what truckers call it. It's that area located on the big rigs passenger side where motorcycles, small cars and cyclists are hidden from view from the operator. In these instances, It seems that it doesn't matter how the operator adjust the mirrors and works the angles; it's just the physical angle of the spot that makes it impossible to detect smaller objects in that space. 

On August 14, 2014 the Vancouver Province Newspaper published an article in their driving section titled "Where Are You? I Can't See You There". The article was written by a commercial truck driver who discussed his personal experiences in dealing with moving objects in the area which he called the "death zone."

According to the author of the article  "bicycles or motorcycles are so skinny, [that] my mirrors cannot see [them]. [Their] vehicles needs to be further back and almost on the painted lane markers before I can see them. But no. They are dead centre, behind me. Blind spot. The death zone." 

He continued, "cyclists and motorcycles like to get a free ride by tucking in close and letting the vortex from my trailer suck them down the road. One tap of the brakes on my six axles, and it's a messy time for that two wheeler."  




At Smart Lite We Understand!

At Smart Lite, we understand the deadly consequences that await those who are caught in the 'dead zone'. We also understand the position of the operator and the difficulty that he or she has in determining if anyone or anything is in that zone. 

About Smart Lite


60% of all truck accidents are directly contributed to the front end blind spot of commercial trucks. In North America alone over 5,000 deaths and 140,000 injuries occur annually. At Smart Lite we believe that those statistics are far too high.

What is Smart Lite? Smart Lite is designed to reduce crashes, to save lives and to reduce injuries. The system was designed by Marty Vanderhoek, a professional commercial truck driver with over 20 years experience in the industry. It is a simple, yet unique design that utilises simple mirror to mirror technology to completely expose the entire front end area of the truck to the driver from inside the cab. As a result. the device offers the driver a clear and unrestricted view of any vehicle, motorcycle, cyclist or pedestrian that could be in the front or blind spots or no zone area of the truck.

No high tech cameras, mirrors or unreliable beeper systems. With Smart Lite the driver instantly sees whatever is in the front and blind spot areas of the truck by a split second glance into the West Coast mirror. For more information on the Smart Lite system please visit our web page or contact us at info@xlite.ca  

About Marty Vanderhoek : Inventor of the Smart Lite 

Marty Vanderhoek is a life long trucker from Langley, B.C., Canada whose been at the wheel since 1975, from fish to fruit he’s pulled it all.

His 35 years experience behind the wheel has taught him the many dangers that truckers face on a daily basis. One area is that front end blind spot that plagues every truck driver. How on earth can you see that car or motorcycle that is running beside you and a little ahead of your door?. Essentially, you can't! Until Now....


Drawing upon his 35 years experience behind the wheel Marty invented the Smart Lite; A simple system which he says is “A breakthrough in commercial trucking that will save lives” According to Marty "The Smart Lite device is revolutionary in that it allows the operator to see what is occupying the space in that front end blind spot. Before Smart Lite there was no device or system that allowed the operator to make a 100% visual determination of what was beside him and a little ahead of his door. With Smart Lite that problem is now solved."

Indeed, this simple yet revolutionary safety device is already being hailed by commercial truckers for its simplicity and effectiveness. The device has already received an endorsement by the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC) as a safety feature that greatly improves trucker safety.


"A Breakthrough In Commercial Trucking That Will Save Lives!"

Friday 21 November 2014

Thursday 20 November 2014

Diesel Prices: U.S. Trucker's Getting A Break At The Pump

Diesel Prices: U.S. Trucker's Getting A Break At The Pump




According to the latest statistics released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration [EIA] the price of diesel, per gallon, has fallen over the past year in all 10 reporting districts. For the country as a whole, the price of diesel has fallen .161 cents per gallon.
Region by region the price drop has shown substantial fluctuations. For example, the greatest decrease was in the Central Atlantic region where diesel prices fell .348 cents per gallon. This was in sharp contract to the Midwest where prices only fell .008 cents per gallon.
For a complete region by region summary please refer to the Chart A below 
Chart A
U.S. On-Highway Diesel Fuel Prices*  (dollars per gallon)

Change from
11/03/1411/10/1411/17/14week agoyear ago
U.S.3.6233.6773.661values are down -0.016values are down -0.161
East Coast (PADD1)3.5973.5683.542values are down -0.026values are down -0.299
  New England (PADD1A)3.6873.6593.633values are down -0.026values are down -0.348
  Central Atlantic (PADD1B)3.6553.6343.612values are down -0.022values are down -0.278
  Lower Atlantic (PADD1C)3.5333.4973.469values are down -0.028values are down -0.310
Midwest (PADD2)3.6243.7883.786values are down -0.002values are down -0.008
Gulf Coast (PADD3)3.5323.5623.542values are down -0.020values are down -0.203
Rocky Mountain (PADD4)3.7133.7963.767values are down -0.029values are down -0.069
West Coast (PADD5)3.7893.7823.762values are down -0.020values are down -0.192
  West Coast less California3.7043.7123.720values are up 0.008values are down -0.152
  California3.8613.8413.797values are down -0.044values are down -0.225




Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration [2014]


Breaking The Diesel Price Down
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration [EIA] the price that truckers pay at the pump for their diesel is the result of costs associated with 4 different pricing mechanisms: cost of crude oil; cost of refining; cost of distribution and marketing; and government taxes.

The latest figures based on September 2014 data with a retail price of $3.79 per gallon showed that 58% of that price was attributed to crude oil cost; 12% for refining costs; 17% for distribution and marketing costs; and 13% for government taxes (see diagram 1) .

Diagram 1

*prices include all taxes

What We Pay For In A Gallon Of Diesel (September 2014) Retail Price: $3.79/gallon


Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration [2014]


About Smart Lite


60% of all truck accidents are directly contributed to the front end blind spot of commercial trucks. In North America alone over 5,000 deaths and 140,000 injuries occur annually. At Smart Lite we believe that those statistics are far too high.

What is Smart Lite? Smart Lite is designed to reduce crashes, to save lives and to reduce injuries. The system was designed by Xlite Enterprises Inc. of Vancouver, Canada by Marty Vanderhoek, a professional commercial truck driver with over 20 years experience in the industry. It is a simple, yet unique design that utilises simple mirror to mirror technology to completely expose the entire front end area of the truck to the driver from inside the cab. As a result. the device offers the driver a clear and unrestricted view of any vehicle, motorcycle, cyclist or pedestrian that could be in the front or blind spots or no zone area of the truck.

No high tech cameras, mirrors or unreliable beeper systems. With Smart Lite the driver instantly sees whatever is in the front and blind spot areas of the truck by a split second glance into the West Coast mirror. For more information on the Smart Lite system please visit our web page or contact us at info@xlite.ca



About Marty Vanderhoek : Inventor of the Smart Lite


Marty Vanderhoek is a life long trucker from Langley, B.C., Canada whose been at the wheel since 1975, from fish to fruit he’s pulled it all.


His 35 years experience behind the wheel has taught him the many dangers that truckers face on a daily basis. One area is that front end blind spot that plagues every truck driver. How on earth can you see that car or motorcycle that is running beside you and a little ahead of your door?. Essentially, you can't! Until Now....

Drawing upon his 35 years experience behind the wheel Marty invented the Smart Lite; A simple system which he says is “A breakthrough in commercial trucking that will save lives” According to Marty "The Smart Lite device is revolutionary in that it allows the operator to see what is occupying the space in that front end blind spot. Before Smart Lite there was no device or system that allowed the operator to make a 100% visual determination of what was beside him and a little ahead of his door. With Smart Lite that problem is now solved."

Indeed, this simple yet revolutionary safety device is already being hailed by commercial truckers for its simplicity and effectiveness. The device has already received an endorsement by the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC) as a safety feature that greatly improves trucker safety.


"A Breakthrough In Commercial Trucking That Will Save Lives!"



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