Rand McNally announced a new hardware design and upgrades for its top-end mobile communication fleet management system, TruckPC.

The new system, the TPC 7600, has a mounted box that measures one-third the size of the prior generation device and packs the same computing power and Windows 7 operating system. The reduced size with a high-sensitivity in-cab antenna design allows the unit to be installed in numerous locations in the front or back of the cab, the company says.

“The goal was to create a less costly product for our customers, without losing the features,” said Dave Muscatel, chief executive 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.”

The TPC 7600 is the sixth major revision of the TruckPC platform. The product is a fully compliant electronic on-board 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, on-board 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.

“With durability in mind, we designed the TPC7600 to survive in a truck for years. 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,” said Mason Meadows, director of product development.

The new TPC 7600 sells for just under $1,200 with the antennas, cable and display mount components included. Rand McNally says the TPC 7600 comes with a three-year warranty and will be available for shipment in August.