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Gearing up for the new year

Dec. 14, 2015

As 2015 comes to a close, PTEN continues its focus on providing tool and equipment product information.

It's a whirlwind every year as our team hustles the aisles of AAPEX and SEMA to scope out the newest products to market. This year was no exception.

As the pre-cursor to 2016 product launches, many manufacturers feature their new tools and equipment for the coming year during these shows. We saw a number of new and innovative products at the show, including a number of scan tools, tools that utilize wireless, tablet or smartphone technologies from companies like Bartec and Hunter Engineering, an efficient handheld vacuum to clean up shop spills from Flo-Dynamics and more.

Did you get a chance to make it out to Las Vegas in November for the AAPEX and SEMA Shows? If not, we brought some of the best products to you. Check out our AAPEX/SEMA Editor's Picks section, which features product information on some of the new products we saw at the show.

Not all of these products fit into this month's issue, you can find even more show product coverage online: VehicleServicePros.com/AAPEXSEMA2015.

While it's always nice to see the new products to market, there's something to be said about the tried and true tools in the shop. That's why again this year, we compiled a list of the top 100 products PTEN readers inquired about. In this issue, we feature the top 25. For access to information on all 100 products, head to VehicleServicePros.com/2015Top100.

If that weren't enough; as always, we still feature new products throughout the pages of PTEN in every single issue. Turn to page xx to find all of the new tool and equipment offerings available by product manufacturers.

While PTEN continues to evolve with helpful articles such as Tool Briefing or our reader-favorite Big-Time Boxes, we strive to continue showing you the latest tools and equipment to complete repairs and maintenance quickly and efficiently, ultimately helping you run a successful business.

I look forward to what next year brings.

About the Author

Erica Schueller | Editorial Director | Commercial Vehicle Group

Erica Schueller is the Editorial Director of the Endeavor Commercial Vehicle Group. The commercial vehicle group includes the following brands: American Trucker, Bulk Transporter, Fleet Maintenance, FleetOwner, Refrigerated Transporter, and Trailer/Body Builders brands.

An award-winning journalist, Schueller has reported and written about the vehicle maintenance and repair industry her entire career. She has received accolades for her reporting and editing in the commercial and automotive vehicle fields by the Truck Writers of North America (TWNA), the International Automotive Media Competition (IAMC), the Folio: Eddie & Ozzie Awards and the American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBPE) Azbee Awards.

Schueller has received recognition among her publishing industry peers as a recipient of the 2014 Folio Top Women in Media Rising Stars award, acknowledging her accomplishments of digital content management and assistance with improving the print and digital products in the Vehicle Repair Group. She was also named one Women in Trucking’s 2018 Top Women in Transportation to Watch.

She is an active member of a number of industry groups, including the American Trucking Associations' (ATA) Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC), the Auto Care Association's Young Auto Care Networking Group, GenNext, and Women in Trucking.

In December 2018, Schueller graduated at the top of her class from the Waukesha County Technical College's 10-week professional truck driving program, earning her Class A commercial driver's license (CDL).

She has worked in the vehicle repair and maintenance industry since 2008.