Trailer Warning Labels: Guidelines Omission Error

NATM successfully published its Guidelines for Recommended Manufacturing Practices for Light- and Medium-Duty Trailers in October. A great deal of time and effort goes into updating the Guidelines to provide members with the most current information derived from the Code of Federal Regulations, state and federal statutes, industry standards, and best practices. In an effort to provide the Guidelines to members more quickly, a link to download the Guidelines and other associated materials has been emailed to NATM Members in lieu of mailed CDs.

Unfortunately, NATM accidentally omitted an NATM Licensed Warning Label Provider in Section B9 of the 2018 Guidelines. Tech Products, Inc. - Signs, Tags and Markers was not included in the originally emailed resources and NATM would like to issue an apology for this oversight. For more information about Tech Products, visit www.technproducts.com. All printed copies of the Guidelines, CDs, and the digital copy available on the Members Only Side of www.NATM.com have been updated.

Trailer warning labels are critical as they provide the final opportunity for the trailer manufacturer to communicate with the end-user about the potential hazards associated with operating the trailer in an effort to avoid a preventable accident resulting in serious injury and/or property damage. Warning labels concede that certain risks of injury or damage may be associated with the operation of trailers, as well as their use and foreseeable misuse.

Warning labels can be purchased from many different label manufacturers. However, the NATM ANSI approved warning labels have undergone testing under the direction and guidance of Weinstein Associates, with a cross-section of the general public for clarity and comprehension in accordance with established procedures of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). The labels were certified as adequate and in conformity with the ANSI testing requirements.
NATM ANSI approved trailer warning labels can be purchased from licensed NATM Associate members. The NATM warning label series consists of seventeen generic warning labels for light- and medium-duty trailers. NATM has copyrighted these labels but has agreed to allow licensed supplier members of NATM to reproduce the labels and sell them to any trailer manufacturer. The labels meet all ANSI design standards, are weatherproof, durable and well designed for trailer applications.

To maximize the effectiveness of the NATM warning labels and minimize the trailer manufacturer's exposure to product liability, the NATM warning labels should be placed on the trailer in locations in close proximity to the dangers and risks associated with the label’s content.
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 NATM encourages all members to revisit their warning label needs and to support the Association by using NATM licensed labels whenever appropriate on their trailers. 

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NATM Licensed Warning Label Providers

Dec-O-Art, Inc.
(574) 294-6451
www.dec-o-art.com

Kenny & Gyl Company
(515) 225-3378
www.kennygyl.com
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Tech Products, Inc. - Signs, Tags and Markers
(718) 442-4900
​www.techproducts.com