Commercial Auto Dealers

Your GPS is a neat device that tells you where to go and nearby services along the way. But you can customize your particular unit and make it your own to switch things up a little bit. Here are a couple things you can do that you may not have known about.

• Change you car’s icon. Most GPS units allow you to change your car’s icon from a normal sedan to a 4×4 to a bicycle and many things in between. If your unit does not come with the vehicle you want, you can find several websites online where you can download new icons to mesh with your personality.
• Change the voice. Are you tired of the same old voice telling you when to turn left? If so, change it to a different voice. Many units have a variety of voices to choose from, but you can find more online that you can download onto your device. One website with impersonated voices of celebrities is Pigtones.com.

• Find the best gas prices around. Some websites offer programs that you can install onto your GPS unit to compare area gas prices and help you find the best one. However, these programs often charge a monthly or annual fee.

GPS units are coming a long way since they were invented not long ago. Take advantage of the cool services by investing in a new car that already has one installed at your GMC dealer today!

We just completed a week long study of hearses, their history and their evolution. Today we are going to discuss the major manufacturer of today’s hearses and some other facts about how they are created.

• Accubuilt, Inc. is the largest manufacturer of hearses in the nation today. It is located in Lima, Ohio.
• Several hearse makers have merged with Accubuilt, including Superior Coach, Miller-Meteor, Eureka and Sayers and Scovill.
• Accubuilt manufactures about 60 percent of the hearses you see at American funeral homes.
• Accubuilt built the hearse used for Ronald Reagan’s funeral as well as all of the limousines that followed in his procession.
• Brand new hearses can cost as much as $60,000. However, collectors and others are happy with used hearses for a fraction of the cost.
• The Professional Car Society was created more than 30 years ago to remind people and show how beautiful these cars are. A great deal of craftsmanship goes into their creation and many people forget about that when they see them. Instead, we usually associate hearses with morbidity rather than the “wonderful pieces of automotive memorabilia these vehicles truly are.”

Hopefully you have gained a new appreciation of Cadillac hearses in these last few posts. Feel free to leave us any comments you have below.

You have probably noticed we are doing a series of posts focusing on GPS units and their benefits. Today we are going to focus on three reasons why a GPS unit makes you a safer driver.
1. You have a better idea about where to go. When you are lost or unsure about where you are going, you tend to drive faster and you are more distracted. Many drivers get into accidents in strange areas because they are not concentrating on the road but rather looking at maps. A GPS unit solves this problem and tells you exactly where to turn to get to your destination.

2. Last minute changes are less common. A decent GPS unit will tell you which lane you should be in for upcoming turns and exits so you do not need to make dangerous lane changes at the last minute anymore.
3. GPS units offer other safety features. In addition to telling you where to go, a GPS unit also tells you where the nearest emergency personnel is located and other facilities, including auto service stations and gas stations.

These are just a few ways a GPS unit can benefit you when you are on the road. Visit your GMC dealer and get a new vehicle with a GPS unit already installed so you can become a safer driver today!

With the “green” movement touching every aspect of our lives, why not affect our deaths, too?

More and more funeral homes are going “green” these days. The Callahan-DeBaun Funeral Home in Terre Haute, Indiana, is one of the facilities that is joining the trend. However, according to the funeral home’s marketing director Curtis DeBaun, green funerals are nothing new. In fact, funerals and burials are going back to the way they were until the late 19th century.

Green burials are more natural and eco-friendly in that they do not use embalming fluids, concrete vaults or metal caskets. Instead, they use wicker and other materials that are biodegradable to minimize the impact on the environment.

“Embalming fluids, the metal caskets, and the concrete vaults all have negative effects on the environment,” explained DeBraun. In addition to saving the environment, green burials are also easier on your wallet. An average metal casket can cost as much as five times the price of a wicker one.

The question that remains is this: Will Cadillac hearses still be a part of green burials? They have already come a long way in terms of fuel efficiency, but will the manufacturers try to make them more efficient than they are now? What are your thoughts?

It is no secret that many college students love to drink alcohol. Unfortunately, sometimes they drink too much and they end up in the back of a Cadillac hearse.

That’s exactly what happened with one freshman at Northwestern University last year. Matthew Sunshine, a 19-year-old from Cold Spring Harbor, New York, was found dead one year ago today. He died of excessive alcohol intoxication according to the autopsy report.

But something good is actually coming from his death. Students at the Stony Brook University, the school where his mother is a faculty member, got together and formed the Red Watch Band program. The program is designed to teach students that “it can be deadly to let a friend who’s had too much to drink sleep it off.”

Many students and faculty members at various Illinois colleges have requested the training materials for the Red Watch Band program. When a participant completes the program, they are given a red watch band to symbolize that they are looking out for their peers when they drink.

Having a “few beers” as a college student is normal. But letting your friends drink until they pass out is not a good thing. You never know if they are overdoing it and if the night will end up with a hearse taking them away. Be a responsible friend and stop them when they have had enough. It’s the right thing to do.

If you are like millions of other drivers in the United States, you probably have a GPS device in your car or you want to get one. With recent advancements, these handy devices have become inexpensive and more available. But have you ever wondered how the technology actually works? Here is a brief breakdown of some of the things going on when you use your GPS device and other facts about the technology.
• The current Global Positioning System uses 24 satellites that are situated 10,900 nautical miles above the planet. They are spaced in such a way that at any given time, six satellites are visible from anywhere in the world.
• GPS units receive data from the nearest satellites which triangulate the data to find the unit’s location. The satellites also determine how fast the unit is moving, the elevation and the exact time.
• Selective availability made the public’s GPS less accurate than the system used by the U.S. military. However, that was turned off on May 1, 2000 and the units you find at your nearest department store are just as accurate as the ones the military uses today.
• The United States taxpayers have paid to create and provide GPS technology to the entire world.

Your GMC dealer has a number of new models equipped with the latest GPS units. Check one out today and never be lost again!

Over the weekend, I invested in a GPS device. I always thought they were just an unnecessary luxury, but my wife and I are going on a cross-country road trip and I thought a GPS device would be handy to have. First of all, let me tell you what a blessing it has been in just a few days. But while playing with it, I started wondering about the history of this technology and how it reached the hands of the general public. Here is a brief history of GPS technology and how it came to be so available like it is today.

• GPS stands for Global Positioning System. It was created by Ivan Getting exclusively for the United States Department of Defense.
• The cost to create the GPS technology was upwards of $12 billion.
• The original GPS included 18 satellites and ground stations.
• This technology has been used to locate ships and submarines on the ocean as well as to measure the height of Mount Everest.

These are just a few facts your new truck dealers thought you may find interesting about the history of GPS technology. Visit your Philadelphia area GMC dealer and find a new model that has a built-in GPS. After a few days with it, you will wonder how you ever lived without it!

It’s always nice to read stories about teens doing something good. This is one of those stories.

On Friday, June 5, three students from Ed White High School in Jacksonville, Florida were killed in a car accident on Interstate 295. Kimberly Krebbs, Dennis Stout and John Kiely were driving down the road when their vehicle was struck by an SUV. That SUV’s tire blew, causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle. Four other area teenagers who were in the SUV are also in critical condition.

Now, some NJROTC members at the high school are going around the community to collect donations to raise funds for the funerals. They started by carrying cans featuring pictures of their deceased friends to flea markets and other places around Jacksonville. Many of the people they approached were more than happy to donate money even though they had never met any of the students before. They are hoping the funds they raise will be enough to pay for the funeral, the Cadillac hearse and the burial of the students.

“A lot of these people have children also,” said Katerina Ebersole, one of the students involved in collecting donations. “I guess they put themselves in their place and feel the same grief they do.”

You can read more about the story and the students here. Although the funerals have already taken place, the families and fellow students could still use your prayers.

Your GMC dealer knows this is the perfect season to go camping. We also know that there are few things as exciting as going camping with your new GMC truck. Following are some accessories you should consider taking with you on your next camping trip so you can enjoy maximum comfort and efficiency with your GMC truck.

Cargo Carriers
These accessories are ideal for taking everything with you on your trip. Sometimes the bed of the truck simply does not have enough room for tents, sleeping bags, food, coolers and more. Many cargo carriers simply hook on to the trailer hitch for added carrying space.

Pet Blankets
Keep your truck’s backseat clear of pet hair and dirt with a comfortable pet blanket. These blankets also provide extra comfort for your favorite dog when you bring it along for the trip.

Portable Campfires
Instead of building a fire in the woods, portable campfires are premade contraptions in which you can cook your meals. Some of these come complete with charcoal for easier use.

Insect Repellents
You cannot really enjoy a camping trip of the mosquitoes and other bugs are always biting at you. Bring along some insect repellents so you are not constantly smacking yourself to rid your body of bugs.

If you woke up and found a Cadillac hearse parked outside your home with two caskets on the inside, would you be a little scared? That’s exactly what happened to this Scottish family this week.

The owner of the hearse – Paul Kernachen – made a 1900-mile round trip to Wales to buy the hearse and two caskets to get back at the family with which he is feuding. He then parked the hearse outside the Hutchison Place address with floral arrangements bearing the names of the people who lived there. Ironically, he did not consider the act a threat.

“Maybe they (the other family) will think it is a threat and I will not lose any sleep over that, but if anyone else is upset, then I do apologize.” He went on to say that he is “not trying to disrespect people’s final journey.” Kernachan also explained that the police had taken away the vehicle although it was parked legally on the road and “it’s a good car to go to the shops with.”

The investigation revealed that the caskets did not contain any bodies and the vehicle has since been returned to Kerchanan.