Rand McNally unveiled a new hardware design and upgrades for its mobile communication fleet management system, cutting the system's price to just less than $1,200 and significantly reducing the size of the mounted box.

The new box, measuring one-third the size of the prior generation, features the same computing power and Windows 7 operating system. The reduced size and high-sensitivity in-cab antenna design allows the unit to be installed in numerous locations in the front or back of the cab.

The TPC 7600 is the sixth major revision of the TruckPC platform. The product is a fully compliant electronic onboard recorder that tracks and manages hours of service, with back-end monitoring via a Web portal, two-way communication with the ability to send email attachments, onboard scanning and printing, in-cab video playback plus connectivity via cellular and Wi-Fi communications. The TPC7600 also supports satellite communications via an optional module.

"The goal was to create a less costly product for our customers, without losing the features," says Dave Muscatel, CEO of Rand McNally. "In the process, we were able to refine the design, reducing the size of the box, simplifying installation, and creating some valuable improvements."

"With durability in mind, we designed the TPC7600 to survive in a truck for years," says Mason Meadows, director, product development. "A truck is high vibration environment with temperate extremes ranging from -30 to +60 Celsius. We built this system to stand the test of time and provide a long-term ROI to our customers."

The TPC 7600, which comes with a three-year warranty, will be available for shipment in August.

For more information: www.randmcnally.com