Hundreds of new products are introduced to the trucking industry each year. How do you know which ones are really important, the ones that are truly innovative and can help your bottom line?

Heavy Duty Trucking attempts to answer that question with a new annual feature honoring the Top 20 products and services introduced the previous year. Below is the list of our 50 semifinalists.

The 50 nominees were chosen by Heavy Duty Trucking Executive Editor Steve Sturgess, Senior Editor Tom Berg, Equipment Editor Jim Park, and Managing Editor Diana Britton. The criteria for selection were that the products and services be innovative and likely to contribute to the magazine readers' operational efficiencies, such as increased safety, improved truck fuel economy, better back office systems - anything that could contribute to the improved bottom line of a for-hire or private truck fleet. The announcements had to be new and featured during 2009 in the pages of HDT or at www.truckinginfo.com.

The Top 20 products are featured in the March 2010 issue of HDT.

Here are the 50 semifinalists, in alphabetical order by company:

Air-Weigh's Scale for Vocational Trucks
Air-Weigh introduced a new sensor and software configuration for its onboard scales that's designed for vocational vehicles equipped with the Mack Camelback drive suspension.

Allison Transmission Load-Based Shift Scheduling on Kenworths
In 2009, Allison Transmission made its Load-Based Shift Scheduling available as a standard feature on Kenworth Class 8 and medium-duty trucks. LBSS automatically selects between economy and performance shift schedules based on the vehicle's actual payload and the grade on which it is operating.

PlatinumShield brake shoes fight corrosion
ArvinMeritor's PlatinumShield coating for its remanufactured brake shoes protects against corrosion and rust-jacking using what the company calls breakthrough technology.

Bergstrom, Kohler Hybrid Idling-Reduction System
Responding to the increasing demands for idle-reduction options, Bergstrom and Kohler Power Systems joined forces to offer the trucking market a true hybrid power system combining the Bergstrom NITE Plus System with a Kohler DC power unit.

BulletProof Windshield Protectant
BulletProof Autosports is targeting the heavy-duty truck industry with the debut of its BulletProof Windshield Protectant, a spray-on micro-polymer that creates a covalent bond to the glass, leaving glass resistant to impact and water.

Colder Products Company's Disposable Dip-Tube System for DEF Delivery
The DrumQuik PRO chemical dispensing system from Colder Products Company provides safe, easy and economic delivery of urea-based Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) from drums, jerry cans and other bulk transfer containers while minimizing the risk of contamination.

Collective Data Moves Into Shop Management Software
Collective Data debuted its shop management software solution, collectiveShop, designed to improve efficiency throughout the shop floor, with views based on job description.

Continental's New Wide-Base Trailer Tire
Continental Tire North America's new wide-base trailer tire, HTL1, designed for weight and fuel savings, with 13/32-inch tread depth and six ribs to evenly distribute the weight and protect the tread pattern from irregular wear, among other features.

Dometic's Space-Saving Under-Bunk Refrigerators
For 2009, Dometic Automotive expanded its line of truck refrigerators and freezers with a new under-bunk refrigerator unit, the CD-30 refrigerator, with a convenient slide-out drawer designed to fit beneath the bunk or any other out-of-the-way location.

Eaton's UltraShift Plus Automated Transmission
Eaton launched its next generation of automated transmissions, the UltraShift Plus, featuring new automated clutch technology and intelligent shift selection software that uses grade sensing, weight computation, and driver throttle commands to make intelligent shift decisions for efficient, safe and profitable vehicle performance.

EBI's Xtreme Brake System
Express Brake International launched its Xtreme Brake System, which distributes heat and shear load over a larger surface area, achieving 100 percent initial surface contact, the company says.

Fontaine Expands Revolution Line
Fontaine Trailer launched two new versions of its Revolution flatbed trailer, including the Hybrid composite trailer weighing in at 9,000 pounds and handling a 55,000-pound load concentrated into 4 feet, and the aluminum trailer weighing 8,000 pounds and handling a 60,000-pound load concentrated in 4 feet.

Ford's 2010 Transit Connect
In 2009, Ford brought its new Transit Connect compact commercial van to the North American market, with hopes that the vehicle would catch on with small business owners, as the van is built for work, but has light capability.

Four Seasons Hose Fitting System
Four Seasons released a new hose fitting system for building A/C hoses in the field, made up of 71 fitting kits and four different hose sizes in 25-foot lengths.

Grote's Trilliant Mini Flush-Mount LED WhiteLight Work Lamp
Grote Industries' new Trilliant Mini Flush-Mount LED WhiteLight Work Lamp, unlike standard work lamps, has a flush-mount design to reduce the risk of lamp damage due to object collisions, providing a cost-saving advantage to vehicle and fleet owners.

Haldex Gold Seal and Life Seal Spring Brakes
Haldex Commercial Vehicle Systems started offering Gold Seal and Life Seal double diaphragm spring brakes for vocational applications including: refuse haulers, cement mixers and dump trucks.

Hammar Lift's Sidelifter System For Transporting Containers
Hammar Lift, Laguna Niguel, Calif., introduced its new Sidelifter system, a driver-operated tool for loading, transporting, off-loading and transferring ISO standard intermodal containers and flats.

Horton Arctis Two-Speed Fan Drives
Horton launched its Arctis Two-Speed Fan Drives, which it says offer better, more efficient engine cooling for medium-duty trucks, buses, severe-service vehicles, rear-engine cement mixers and other on- and off-highway equipment with little to no ram air.

iBank's Web-based SmartWay Finance Center
iBank.com's SmartWay Finance Center is an online resource to connect truckers with SmartWay-certified products and match them with a nationwide network of financing sources.

IntelliStick Communications Pack for Maintenance Supervisors
The IntelliStick Fleet Communications Pack automatically detects individual IntelliStick oil condition monitors when fleet vehicles "return-to-barn," sending updated data to the maintenance supervisor.

New Kenworth AG130 Front Air Suspension
Kenworth's AG130 front air suspension for Class 8 vehicles is the next generation, proprietary front air suspension that utilizes an innovative design, advanced technology and high-performance components.

Lite-Check's Light Tester For Trailers and Air Brakes
Lite-Check's precision tester for trailer lights and air brake systems, Detector 902, finds electrical faults by displaying the conditions on a digital display and sounding an alarm, one for each type of fault.

McLeod's Driver Scorecard Module
McLeod Software added a Driver Scorecard module to its LoadMaster IX Version 9.2, a new tool to allow safety and driver managers to evaluate drivers based on key performance indicators over specified time periods.

Michelin X One Retread for Refuse, Urban Applications
Michelin Retread Technologies expanded its retread offering in 2009 for its X One wide single truck tires by introducing the Michelin X One XZU S Pre-Mold Retread, would should enable refuse fleets and other urban, high-scrub or regional application vehicles to realize the benefits of both a retread and a wide single tire.

Mitchell 1's Online Service for Medium-Duty Repair
Mitchell 1, a Snap-on Company, launched a new online service information portal, covering Class 4 through 7 medium-duty trucks 1990 and newer. Medium-Truck.net provides Web-based service and repair information for medium-duty trucks.

New Pig's Form-A-Funnel
New Pig introduced the Form-A-Funnel, a flexible tool that bends, molds and holds its shape to fit virtually any application where liquids, leaks or drips need to be drained, diverted or transferred.

New Family of Adapters from JPro
The JPro Fleet Products division of Noregon Systems announced a new family of heavy-duty vehicle-to-PC communication adapters.

NormNet Predictive/Condition-Based Maintenance
NormNet is a data-derived technology that models normal system operations and predicts problems without requiring physical models or lists of failure modes. It's based on patented Pattern Recognition of Health (PRoH) and technology developed by military supplier FTI.

OSAS' Sleep Apnea Software
Occupational Sleep Apnea Solutions introduced a new web-based software to help companies manage the diagnosis and treatment of sleep apnea for its employees.

Hybrid Drive System for Class 8 Refuse Trucks
Parker Hannifin's new version of its RunWise Advanced Series Hybrid Drive System, designed for Class 8 refuse vehicles, combines hybrid drive and brake energy capabilities to reduce fuel consumption while operating on collection routes.

PeopleNet, Iteris Offer Driver Performance Reporting
In mid-2009, PeopleNet and Iteris announced a partnership to allow driver performance information captured by Iteris' Lane Departure Warning system to be sent to fleet operators in real time.

Peterson Adds 10-diode Model to Line of Smart Lamps
Missouri-based Peterson Manufacturing added a 10-diode multi-function model to its line of Piranha LED Smart Lamps, the company's advanced warning light technology that combines strobing LEDs and automatic turn signal override functions.

Phillips Industries' Permalogic Selector System
Phillips Industries' Permalogic Selector System is a device for maximizing liftgate power and works to recharge batteries quickly, so liftgates don't stop operating in between deliveries.

Qualcomm's New Services on Mobile Computing Platform
Qualcomm added two new services to its Mobile Computing Platform, including Premium Wi-Fi Service and Circle of Service Workflow, a tool designed to improve management of load assignments, automate event triggers and pre-fill work process forms.

Rand McNally Truck Navigation Device
Rand McNally's IntelliRoute TND 500, a truck navigation device designed specifically to help truck drivers navigate the roads, includes 35 percent more truck-attributed roads and nearly 13,000 truck-related points of interest.

RealWheels Adds to Line of Aerodynamic Wheel Covers
RealWheels Corp., Chicago, expanded its line of Aero wheel covers, offering four new models that provide both appearance and aerodynamic fuel efficiency benefits.

Safe Step's Portable Step Ladder For Trucking Industry
Built from structural 6061 aluminum, Safe Step's portable truck step utility ladder was designed for heavy-duty flatbeds or truck deck carriers.

SAF-Holland CBX40 Air Suspension System
SAF-Holland's SAF CBX40 air suspension system for trailers is a suspension, axle and braking system that integrates key technologies from the former SAF and Holland organizations to provide an advanced solution for the North American van and reefer markets.

SKF Develops Wheel End Monitor
SKF's new Wheel End Monitor was designed to detect early stage wheel bearing damage in heavy-duty trucks, trailers, buses and other commercial vehicles.

Snap-on's Digital Borescope For Reaching Hard Places
Snap-on Tools developed a new Digital Image Capturing Borescope, designed to inspect in hard to reach places and diagnose problems more accurately and quickly.

Sonnax Power Train Savers
Sonnax Industries introduced new Power Train Savers, devices that protect the drivetrain against over-torque damage that can ruin differentials, gears, axles and driveshafts.

SPX Filtran DoubleDuty Can Extend Oil Change Intervals
According to SPX Filtran, its DoubleDuty diesel engine spin-on oil filters were designed to at least double current oil change intervals and provide financial and environmental savings.

Stemco Duroline's Shoe, Brake Hardware Kits
Stemco Duroline rolled out its new shoe kits and brake hardware kits in 2009, available with the company's high performance friction material with "Wave Process" technology, which provides better stopping, longer life, reduced noise and reduced drum wear, Stemco says.

Tenstreet's Free Recruiting Software
Tenstreet released a new small business edition of its patented software for free. The Basic Version provides fleets with up to approximately 200 trucks with the basic functions needed to improve the recruiting of company drivers.

Tenstreet's Communication Engine For CSA 2010 Prep
Oklahoma-based Tenstreet created its Communication Engine, a new service to automate and streamline the driver management process and help fleets prepare for the upcoming CSA 2010 program.

TruckProtect Anti-Siphon Device
TruckProtect North America, Frisco, Texas, announced that their Neck-It! anti-siphon device is available to fit all makes of Class 7 and 8 vehicles sold within North America. The device can be fitted in minutes and requires no drilling or gluing.

Valvoline, Tiwi Fuel Proof Guarantee Program
Valvoline and tiwi launched a joint initiative to provide customers with a Fuel Proof Guarantee to test fuel economy improvements. Under the program, fleet operators with a minimum of 30 trucks will have 120 days to test Valvoline's Premium Blue Extreme engine oil and Syn Gard FE gear oil, while the tiwi onboard system will be used to establish baseline data.

ECK Anti-Corrosion Compound
Van Nay introduced Electrolysis Corrosion Kontrol, or ECK, an anti-corrosion compound for metals designed for use in a broad range of body building and manufacturing applications where different metals may come in contact. The compound is distributed by PPG Commercial Coatings.

Vigillo's CSA 2010 Scorecard
Oregon-based Vigillo released its CSA 2010 Preview Scorecard, a tool to provide trucking companies with an advance look at their fleet safety data that will be included in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's new Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010 initiative.

Vortex Reveals Aerodynamic Splash Guards
Vortex Splash Guards Technologies introduced a new aerodynamic air flow mud flap, which performs like an air routing system that also helps facilitate cooler running brakes and tires.