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This pre-departure checklist is a great tool for your customers. Before towing a trailer, make sure the tow vehicle and trailer maintenance is current. This is very important because towing puts additional stress on the tow vehicle.
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 NATM will be offering a FREE webinar for NATM members and dealer affiliates!
DATE: Friday, December 6, 2019 TIME: 2:00 PM CST EMERGING TRENDS - TOPICS TO INCLUDE (but not limited to): U.S. DOT Safety Statistics Electric and Autonomous Vehicles Electricity Statistics 2020 Rivian Electric Pick-Up Truck Robots in Trailer Manufacturing Trailer GVWR Analysis Camera Systems on Trailers OEM Tow Vehicle Camera Systems Aftermarket Camera Systems Trailer Antilock Brake Systems (ABS) Tire Pressure & Heat Monitoring Systems Cargo Loading Software Cellular Connectivity PRESENTER: NATM Technical Director, Colin Holthaus REGISTER HERE Questions? Please contact NATM Membership & Events Director Kelli Maydew at (785) 272-4433 or Kelli.Maydew@natm.com.  Membership renewal forms were mailed and emailed to NATM members this November. In order to avoid a membership lapse, 2020 dues are to be paid by January 31, 2020. Per NATM Bylaws, all membership benefits will be suspended beginning Feb. 1 for any member with unpaid dues.
For Trade Show Exhibitors, it is important to note that NATM DUES MUST BE PAID BY DECEMBER 31st, 2019 to maintain the member rate for booths at the February 2020 Convention & Trade Show in Las Vegas, NV. Membership dues will again go unchanged in 2020. Rates are $795 for Associate (Supplier) members, $135 for Associate Branch members, $925 for Regular and International Regular (Trailer Manufacturer) members and $300 for Regular Branch members. If you joined between February and October of 2019, your 2020 dues are prorated accordingly. NATM greatly values your membership and 2020 promises to be another fantastic year to be a NATM member. You can pay by check, over the phone, or online. The NATM website has a “Members Only” section where members are able to sign in and pay dues at any time. If you have questions, including username and password information for the “Members Only” site, please contact NATM Member Services Coordinator Kathy Johnson at (785) 272-4433 or Kathy.Johnson@natm.com.  Members of NATM are cordially invited to attend the annual NATM Membership Meeting during the 2020 Convention & Trade Show on Tuesday, February 11, 2020 at 10:15-11:15 a.m. No ticket is required for entry.
During the membership meeting, NATM will report on the many exciting achievements that took place over 2019, will give an update on the status of the 2019-2021 Strategic Plan, and will communicate about anticipated changes to the Association in the future. The NATM Executive Committee will be in attendance to answer questions. NATM Board Members will be dispersed throughout the room for one-on-one discussions as well. In addition, we look to you as members for feedback and input on any topics and issues important to you that you would like to see NATM and its Board of Directors address. To submit comments regarding the Membership Meeting, please contact natmhq@natm.com. Those that are not NATM Members in good standing are unable to attend the event but may attend the Awards Luncheon with a ticket following the Membership Meeting. Last week, the Trump Administration met with China at the White House to continue negotiations on a trade deal. The meeting, spanning two days, has laid the groundwork for a Phase One deal. While specifics are still murky, optimism for next steps helped to de-escalate the rising tariffs, delaying the October 15th scheduled increase. At the same time, USTR announced that exclusions requests for List 4A could be filed beginning October 31.
President Trump met with Chine Vice Premier Liu late the week of October 13th at the White House. While speculations varied widely about the possible results, reports from both the Administration and most recently the Vice Premier indicate the groundwork for a Phase One deal is well underway. While the text of the deal is still being nailed down, according to Treasure Secretary Mnuchin the deal will include intellectual property, currency, and agriculture. While House economic advisory Larry Kudlow expanded on the agriculture component noting that China’s commitment to the purchase of $40-50 billion of agricultural products “would depend in part on private companies and market conditions.” Bloomberg reported that Chinese Vice Premier Liu confirmed a Phase One deal, commenting “China and the U.S. have made substantial progress in many aspects, and laid an important foundation for a phase one agreement,” though he did not confirm any specifics of the deal. Trump is optimistic that that the trade deal will be signed by mid-November. While the deal is not yet complete and is only a part of a larger, more comprehensive agreement, the talks did prevent the escalation of the Section 301 List 1-3 tariffs planned for October 15th. Meanwhile, the United States Trade Representative (USTR) announced on Friday October 18th that the Office would begin accepting tariff exclusion requests for important subject to 15% tariff on List 4A products that went into effect on September 1, 2019. Exclusion requests can be submitted beginning October 31, 2019 via the new exclusion portal.  A tire balancing machine. Is it necessary to balance trailer tires? Is it an unnecessary expense? Like many complicated issues, the answer is that it all depends. Since the primary duty of a trailer tire is supporting a vertical load, rather than gripping an automobile through turns, trailer tires do not have to be dynamically balanced like passenger car tires do. Steering and cornering are less of a concern on a trailer tire than they are on an automotive tire. Balanced passenger car tires prevent the passengers inside a vehicle from feeling the bumps and irregularities of the road at higher speeds. Although some trailer cargo requires the smoothest of rides, trailers transport cargo and equipment, rather than passengers, so the standard for ride quality is usually less of a concern. The Challenges Associated with Balancing Trailer Tires Trailer owners may struggle over the long haul to keep trailer tires balanced because their wheels tend to "throw weights." In other words, the tire balancing weights end up coming off of the trailer wheels during normal trailer usage, which can happen for a number of reasons. It is not uncommon for the weights to be thrown off when towing an unladen trailer because the trailer may bounce excessively without a load, especially through potholes and over rough terrain. Tandem or triple-axle trailers tend to throw weights when making tight turns as well. Another aspect that makes balancing trailer tires challenging is that most automotive service centers are not equipped with the proper wheel balancing machine to correctly balance most trailer tires. Most trailer wheels are a lug centric design which means the wheels are centered on the hub by the torque of the lug nuts. On the other hand, many automotive wheels are a hub centric design. Most automotive service centers use a computerized "cone" balancer which works great on automotive hub centric wheels, but does not work very well on lug centric trailer wheels. In order to correctly balance trailer wheels, an adapter must be used on the cone balancer. To save time and avoid a wasted trip, customers should check with their automotive service center beforehand to make sure the company has the adapter to properly balance trailer tires. Further complicating the issue is the fact that many trailer wheels are galvanized, and galvanized trailer wheels are usually not designed to be balanced. When the steel wheel is hot dipped galvanized, some of the liquid zinc often accumulates on one end. This can make galvanized wheels difficult to balance. However, the upside of galvanizing is the galvanized coating provides corrosion resistance to harsh environments such as salt water. If end-users are not sure whether or not their trailer wheels are galvanized, they should ask their trailer manufacturer or wheel manufacturer, and follow the wheel manufacturer’s specific instructions on whether or not they should balance their tires and if so, how best to do so.  Tire beads on the inside of a tire are used to easily balance tires. How does the Trailering Application Factor In? Customers purchase trailers for a wide variety of reasons, and the intended use of the trailer is a significant factor when deciding whether to balance the trailer tires. For example, recreational vehicle trailers and boat trailers are often stored outside in harsh environments. These trailers are typically only pulled on a handful of trips each year. Some customers will not balance tires on these trailer models because they feel the tire will wear out from dry rot long before the tire tread is actually worn or any substantial benefit would be derived from having the tires balanced. In addition, the size of the trailer and the type of cargo transported are other useful factors for determining if tire balancing is necessary for a specific trailer. Valuable, fragile cargo may be more protected and have a smoother ride with balanced tires. In addition, trailer cargo can have a rough ride if vibration and suspension components lend themselves to instability when the trailer is on rougher roads, or the trailer is improperly loaded. Another trend in recent years is installing custom wheels on trailers, including chrome and aluminum. These wheels have an attractive look and are typically acceptable for each trailer as long as the trailer manufacturer or end-user makes sure the wheels have the correct weight capacity for their trailer, as well as the correct wheel offset, which will assist in making sure the load is over the hub bearings.  An example of a tire weight used for tire balancing. How do Wheels Factor In?
Customers can have their trailer tires balanced if they wish, but it is not essential to the proper operation of most trailers. As was previously mentioned, there are two distinct types of wheels found on today’s cars and light trucks. Hub centric wheels are centered by the center bore of the wheel and hub flange. Most trailer wheels are lug centric and are centered by the torque of the lug bolts, rather than the center bore of the wheel and hub flange. The most common automotive wheels are hub centric in design. The center hole of these wheels are the actual center bore of the wheel. If new tires are purchased for a set of stock wheels, the customer can have them balanced if they choose. If the customer balances the tires, they must take into account that many trailer wheels are lug centric. To get the best tire balance for lug-centric wheels, the tires should be balanced by a shop that uses a pin plate adapter. This mimics the way a lug-centric wheel is mounted to a hub and will result in the best overall outcome. Many tire and wheel manufacturers balance tires by mounting their tire and wheel assemblies so the high, heavy spot on the tire is aligned with the low, light spot on the wheel. This provides adequate balancing for many trailer tires. Many trailer manufacturers purchase their tire and wheel assemblies mounted and inflated to PSI specifications from the factory. However, some do not, and it depends on the terms of the trailer manufacturer’s agreement with their tire and wheel supplier. Some end-users insist their trailer tires be balanced, but the majority of trailer customers are probably not concerned with whether or not the tires are balanced. Most end-users simply want their trailer to adequately perform its function. However, in some applications the end-user may not be aware that adequate performance for their particular trailer requires that the trailer tires be balanced or balancing the tires would greatly improve the ride quality of the trailer.  In the trailer manufacturing industry, a successful business is dependent upon an educated, highly skilled workforce. Does your company have the necessary tools to keep up with the demanding job market? The answer lies in workforce development – a necessity for both employees and businesses to remain competitive, particularly in today’s economy.
Questions? Contact Membership & Events Director Kelli Maydew. The educational workshops and technical forums for 2020 were carefully selected for both trailer manufacturers and suppliers alike. This year the convention will offer educational workshops and technical forums on February 11-12. Schedule as follows: Tuesday, February 11: Workshop 1 - Warranty Management System Presenters: Supply Technologies 8:30am – 10:00am Technical Forum 1 – Trailer Safety Chain Application Presenters: Laclede Chain Mfg., Co. 8:30am – 10:00am Workshop 2 - Government Affairs Update Presenter: Department of Commerce (tentative) 1:30pm – 3:00 pm Technical Forum 2 - Lighting – Don’t Gamble with It! Presenters: Optronics International 1:30pm – 3:00 pm Wednesday, February 12: Workshop 3 – Hiring and Onboarding , Employee Engagement, Empowering New Leaders Presenters: HR Partners, LLC 8:00am – 11:00am Technical Forum 3 – Common Trailer Failures, Tech Talk Presenters: Rimkus Consulting Group, NATM Compliance Team 8:00am – 11:00am *As of 10/8/2019 – Topics/presenters are subject to change
In an effort to showcase the full spectrum of what it means to be a manufacturer, NATM has debuted its #WomanCrushWednesday series. Each month, a woman from the manufacturing floor to the C-Suite in the trailer industry who has demonstrated excellence in their role will be featured on NATM’s Facebook & Instagram.
Know someone at your company who should be NATM's next #WomanCrushWednesday? Simply send the following information to Marketing Coordinator Savana Morrison to be included in this social media series:
Examples:Do You Have What It Takes To Be A REFERRAL ROCKSTAR?  Gold: 1- 2 Trailer Manufacturing Companies Referred
Platinum: 3-5 Trailer Manufacturing Companies Referred
Diamond: 6 or more Trailer Manufacturing Companies Referred
Companies must inform NATM of their referral at the time of registration in the space provided on the form for a referral to be counted. For more information, contact NATM Membership & Events Director Kelli Maydew at Kelli.Maydew@natm.com. *Please note, all incentives are available for 12 months following the convention or the following year’s convention. Any incentives not used will expire.  |
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