Dealers Committed to Compliance

The compliance  verification program was established as a voluntary program to  assist members  in complying with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standers (FMVSS) and recommended industry practices. Since then it has grown from a handful of the original volunteers to a mandatory program – requiring all trailer manufacturers to verify compliance as a condition of membership. Members participating in the program may purchase the red, white and blue compliance decals to place on their trailers.

The Trailer Dealer committee has long realized that an integral component to promoting the compliance program is to promote the decal and program to trailer dealers and consumers.  The committee is pleased to introduce a new program for trailer dealers: Dealers Committed to Compliance (DCTC).

The DCTC program will recognize trailer dealers that only sell trailers manufactured by NATM compliant members.  Trailer dealers that participate in the DCTC program will receive a subscription to Tracks magazine, educational materials and The Trailer Handbook.  Additionally, all dealers will be required to participate in an educational webinar concerning the compliance program and the importance of selling trailers produced by manufacturers that have verified compliance with NATM Guidelines.

So, why should NATM members encourage their dealers to participate?  NATM is providing the education to your dealers regarding FMVSS and the meaning behind our red, white and blue compliance decals.  All dealers that participate in the program will be listed on our Web site, www.natm.com; a great resource for trailer consumers to find your dealers and your trailers.

Promotional packets are available for you to distribute to your dealer network by contacting Kendra Fritz (Kendra.Fritz@natm.com).  For additional information on the program, please do not hesitate to contact me.  I look forward to hearing from you and working with your dealer network.

Allison Malmstrom

Member Services Director

 

Thanks for making the 24th Annual Convention & Trade Show a Big Success!

The convention is over and we are back in Topeka. Everyone here is a little tired from the travel and long hours, but excited about the success of this year’s event. We had several new staff members and they all did a great job. They definitely learned a lot more about NATM and our members. We don’t have the final numbers totaled yet, but we broke records with the number of manufacturers in attendance – over 200 – and definitely the highest ratio of manufacturers to suppliers ever. Thank you to those of you who took time to fill out evaluations and for the kind emails you have been sending to staff members. We really want to hear from you and appreciate your comments and suggestions.

The mood at the convention this year was really upbeat and positive. As I have said before when business is good for our members, business is good at NATM. So here are just a few of the good things happening at NATM so far this year:

• Membership renewals for 2012 are over 80% and still coming in daily
• 25 new members since the first of the year
• The trade show in Fort Worth sold out and total registrations exceeded 900
• To date decal sales are up 30% (I hope this trend continues.)
• Almost all of the banner ads on the website are sold
• We already have several promises for new or increased sponsorships for the 2013 convention
• We are launching our Dealers Committed to Compliance Program

The workshops and speakers this year were all outstanding and are getting high marks on the evaluations we have reviewed. Jeff Tucker inspired members with his touching keynote presentation at the annual membership breakfast meeting. And a special thank you goes to Peter Zongora for traveling all the way from Canada to present two workshops and clear up some of the questions about Canadian Pre-clearance certification. We look forward to building a relationship with Transport Canada to address compliance issues that impact both Canadian and U.S. manufacturers.

So mark your calendar now and plan to join us in Charleston, SC, Feb. 20-22, 2013 for our 25h Anniversary Trade Show & Convention. We promise to work to make it even bigger and better!

Pam O’Toole

Executive Director

On our way to Fort Worth – eventually…

I am sitting at a Starbucks in Norman, OK. Clint and I are on our way to Fort Worth for the 24^th Annual Convention & Trade Show. We started off in Oklahoma City at the first Horse Trailer Showcase sponsored by NATM member Dave Mattern, HorseTrailerWorld.com. We spent two days visiting with dealers and as importantly our Regular members. Almost every manufacturer there was a member of NATM and in turn a compliant manufacturer. So our message about compliance was directed to dealers. Now that compliance is a requirement of membership for trailer manufacturers we need to focus on getting our message out to consumers. And what better way to do that than through dealers.

One of the interesting aspects of the show in Oklahoma City were group meetings where all of the dealers and manufacturers got together and discussed issues of importance to the industry. We listened and learned about dealer concerns and we had the opportunity to discuss some of NATM’s successes with our government affairs initiatives. It was a win-win for dealers and manufacturers, and we look forward to attending dealer shows in the future where we can have a forum to discuss the issues that face all of the stakeholders in our industry.

So you may be wondering why we are hanging out at a Starbucks in Norman when we should be on our way to Texas.  Murphy’s Law – anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. We headed out this morning, excited to get on the road and head towards the Fort Worth Convention Center for what promises to be one of our biggest and best shows in recent years. Thanks to tire pressure monitors, we were immediately alerted when our rear tire began losing air. I quickly slowed down and pulled over as the car began to shake as the tire went completely flat! And thankfully I opted for the road hazard insurance on the rental car this time. So we are safe, drinking coffee, checking email, blogging – a little frustrated, but our spirits are not dampened. In another hour we will be on our way to Fort Worth for what promises to be our best convention and trade show and a great week.

I hope to see you in Fort Worth!

Pam O’Toole

Executive Director

Trade Show

It has been awhile since I have posted. We have been extra busy preparing for the 24^th Annual Convention & Trade Show in Fort Worth next week. The convention begins with workshops on Wednesday, Feb. 8 followed by the trade show and more workshops on Feb. 9-10. Based on pre-registrations this is going to be our biggest show in several years. The trade show sold out and so far we have over 200 trailer manufacturers registered.

This year we are anticipating a large number of on-site registrations. Brochures were mailed to several thousand manufacturers within driving distance of Fort Worth. Hopefully, this will attract some new customers for our exhibitors, as well as some potential new members for the association.

I am really excited about the outlook for 2012. Usually when business is good for NATM it is because business is good for our members. We have a record number of membership renewals this year. By January 31^st over 80% of our members had paid their dues – usually we still have quite a few delinquent members – and the checks are still coming in. And the number of new member applications has been up for several months now. Convention registrations are up this year and hopefully that number will continue to increase with a record number of walk-ins. Decal sales were up for January – approximately 50% higher than last January. All in all, we are off to a great start for the year.

It’s not too late to join us in Fort Worth. We would love to double our number of manufacturers walking our trade show, and we have some excellent educational workshops scheduled. On-site registration for the trade show only is $75. Where else can you go to talk to all of your vendors in one place? So pack your bags, head to Fort Worth and join us for what promises to be one of our best trade shows!

Lots of Prizes Different Ways to Win at NATM Convention and Trade Show

This year, NATM trade show exhibitors are giving away many different prizes while the trade show is running. Make sure to stop by the different booths to register to win items like solar panels, binoculars, gift cards, iPads and Kindle Fires. NATM is also giving away two cash prizes of $500.00 each, sponsored by Unique Functional Products, so make sure to stop by the UFP (#127,226) or NATM booths to register.

NATM is also offering another great way to win an iPod Nano during the convention this year. Evaluations are a very important part of continually improving the convention and trade show. This year, NATM is making the process of filling out evaluations for the workshops and convention even easier by using QR codes located inside the convention program. By scanning these codes with a QR reader on a smart phone or other mobile device, attendees will be given an opportunity to fill out an online evaluation and register to win an 8gb iPod Nano. Each event has a different QR code, so increase your chances of winning by filling out an evaluation for each event/session. Please only one evaluation per event/session per attendee.

NATM hopes to see everyone out in full force for the 2012 NATM Convention and Trade Show. The staff and NATM Board can’t wait to see you!

 

Tim Hrabe
Marketing Assistant
NATM

Convention Workshops

Are you still considering whether or not to attend the 2012 NATM Convention & Trade Show? In addition to over 160 exhibitors at the Trade Show, we have excellent educational workshops planned. And there’s still time to pre-register. The deadline for pre-registration is this Friday, January 13^th. After Friday, all registrations will be considered on-site. We will cut-off pre-registering and begin preparing packets to ship to Fort Worth. By pre-registering you will save the $25 on-site fee, and the time standing in line to register at the convention.

To further entice you, I thought I would outline a couple of the workshops that have been recently added.

Galvanic Corrosion – A Low Energy Current that can Cause High Dollar Problems

Corrosion is an issue for all manufacturers of metal equipment, especially equipment in service in the natural elements.  One aspect of corrosion that can be controlled, from CAD drawing to the customer, is galvanic corrosion or corrosion caused by dissimilar metals.  Causes, prevention and design testing will be discussed. Presenters of this workshop are:  Daniel Szczepanik, technical manager, fleet and manufacturing markets, for Sherwin William Automotive Finishes, and Joe Krebs, product manager, fleet and manufacturing markets, for Sherwin William Automotive Finishes.

Advanced Strategies for Workers’ Compensation: A Proactive Guide for Controlling Costs

Of the many lines of insurance coverage a manufacturer purchases, few are as concerning to businesses as workers’ compensation. A major part of the concern centers on the costs associated with workers’ compensation. A single accident can inflate your experience modifier and result in years of increased premiums. Businesses understand that, of all the lines of coverage they possess, few, if any, can be or need to be managed with as much attention as their workers’ compensation program. In this workshop, we will explore the newest and most impactful strategies businesses can employ to control their workers’ compensation program and costs. The presenter for this workshop is John Kerr, CIC, Certified Insurance Counselor with Haake Companies.

Other topics include:

• Ÿ  Canadian Transport & Pre-Clearance
• Ÿ  Structural Adhesive Solutions for Trailer Fabrication
• Ÿ  Lean Isn’t Just for Repetitive Manufacturing
• Ÿ  The Art of Execution
• Ÿ  Back to Basics: NATM Compliance
• Ÿ  Business to Business Negotiating Skills
• Ÿ  Transportation Logistics
• Ÿ  Advanced Strategies for Workers’ Compensation
• Ÿ  Galvanic Corrosion
• Ÿ  What Your Trainers Aren’t Teaching You About Press Brakes

Hopefully, there are several workshops that interest you. And you may want to bring several people from your company since several of these workshops run concurrently – and there are lots of suppliers to see.

I hope to see you in Fort Worth!

Pam O’Toole

Executive Director

One Booth Left!

Today is an important day. For me it’s a big day because my new granddaughter is coming home from the hospital. But it’s also an important day at NATM headquarters, because I am predicting that our trade show (Feb. 8-10 in Fort Worth) is going to sell out by close of business today. I just checked in at the office and Monica tells me that there is only one booth left. So if you are an Associate member, or potential Associate member, and you are interested in exhibiting at our trade show, I strongly encourage you to call Monica today (785-272-4433) to get that last booth space.

Today is also the cut-off date for room reservations at the conference hotels. If you haven’t reserved a room at the Sheraton or Hilton, you need to get your reservation in today to ensure the NATM room rates. There is still one more week to get your pre-registration in and avoid the $25 on-site fee. The sooner you get it in the better – we can get your registration invoiced and your name badge printed to expedite your check-in when you get to Fort Worth.

On a side note – I just completed my year-end report for decal sales. We were just 148 decals short of selling a half million decals. That tells me two things – participation in the compliance program is picking up and more compliant manufacturers are purchasing decals and manufacturing is picking up and our members are building more trailers. I am hopeful that the trend will continue through 2012 and beyond.

We are already at the end of our first week in 2012 and the convention is just a few weeks away. I hope you are planning to attend. I am looking forward to seeing many old friends and hopefully lots of new faces, too. See you in Fort Worth!

Pam O’Toole

Executive Director

Compliance Verification Program

As of this week, the bylaws change goes into effect requiring participation in the compliance verification program. That means all Regular members (trailer manufacturers) must participate in the program to be eligible for membership. Members who have not yet completed the consultation will become probationary members until the consultation has been conducted and any necessary corrections have been made.

This is a positive step for the organization and for the trailer industry as a whole. The items on the consultation checklist are Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) that are required by law. These are items that are already required of ALL trailer manufacturers. Now we will be able to say that all NATM member trailer manufacturers have verified compliance with the regulations. I commend the members for voting for this change. It is a true indication of your commitment to safety.

There will be a compliance workshop at the upcoming convention in Fort Worth, Feb. 8-10. We have assembled a panel of key individuals in our industry to address your trailer compliance questions and issues. The panel includes Don Vishy, LaClede Chain (safety chains), Nathan Taylor, Peterson Manufacturing (lighting), Randy McMann, Titan International (wheels, tires and brakes), Von Lindsey, Lindsey Research (VIN and certification label) and Greg Soden, NATM compliance consultant. They will discuss current compliancy issues, answer questions and help provide possible solutions for your specific problems. So, whether you have issues you need help with, are toying with ideas or want to be prepared for future designs, this is the workshop to attend to get the right answers.

And don’t forget the room reservation cut-off for the convention is in two days. So make your reservations today!

From the Member Services Director

Happy New Year!

I wanted to send a friendly reminder that the NATM Convention is just a few weeks away- February 8-10, in Fort Worth, Texas.

*Please make your room reservations by this Friday, January 6th to ensure that you can get into the NATM block.  Queen rooms are still available at the Sheraton Fort Worth or you can also reserve at the Fort Worth Hilton.  To make your reservation, please click here.

*Submit your convention registration by January 13th so that you aren’t charged a $25 “on-site” fee.  Our computer system is automatically set up to assess this fee after the 13^th, so please fax or e-mail in your registration forms before that deadline.  The registration forms can be found here.  If you have any questions about your registration, please contact Monica Johnson (Monica.Johnson@natm.com).

*I am excited to announce the entertainment for our Friday Night Gala at Billy Bob’s Texas- Cody Canada and the Departed! (www.thedepartedmusic.com)  Kick up your boots and join NATM for a night of fun and music! The Gala is perfect way to make some final contacts industry peers and wrap up the convention week.

I look forward to seeing you in Fort Worth.  I wish you a very prosperous and healthy New Year!

Warm regards,

Allison Malmstrom

Member Services Director

Happy New Year!

It’s time to kick off events for 2012. We are hopeful that the upcoming year is going to be a good one for the trailer industry and for the economy as well.

We are busy getting ready for the 2012 NATM Convention & Trade Show, Feb. 8-10 in Fort Worth, TX. Since the Convention is at the beginning of February this year, that means all of our deadlines are a little earlier. In fact, the cut-off for room reservations is this Friday, Jan. 6. So if you are (I hope) planning to attend the Convention, you need to make your room reservations this week. There are still queen rooms available at the Sheraton, as well as, a block of rooms at the Hilton.

The deadline for pre-registration for the Convention is next week, Jan. 13. Our system is set up to charge the on-site registration fee of $25 after that date. So save yourself the $25 and help us get you registered and your name tag ready to go by emailing or faxing your registration before the Jan. 13^th cut-off.

There are still eight exhibit spaces left, but they are going fast. If you are interested in exhibiting, contact Monica Johnson right away to reserve your space.

And if you are a country fan, you will want to be sure to stay for the Friday Night Gala at Billy Bob’s. The entertainment that night will be Cody Canada and the Departed. And maybe we will even get Allison on the mechanical bull.