Four specialized motor vehicle manufacturing trade associations joined forces to meet with legislators and regulators recently in Washington, D.C.
The event was organized by the National Truck Equipment Association (NTEA) and was aimed at educating federal government officials about the motor vehicle manufacturing industry beyond passenger cars. Joining the NTEA were representatives of the Truck Trailer Manufacturers Association (TTMA), the National Association of Trailer Manufacturers (NATM) and the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA).
Leadership Conference attendees first met with Jackie Glassman, the Acting National Highway Traffic Safety Administrator, and Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta. A White House meeting with Special Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy Jess Sharp followed. The group also met with House Small Business Committee Chairman Dan Manzullo and members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee staff.
The Leadership Conference provided representatives of participating associations an opportunity to discuss the specific concerns of their industry segments at the highest levels of the federal government. The Conference was also designed to strengthen the relationships these associations have established in the past with one another and with the government.
One of the goals of the Leadership Conference was to broaden the typical view many federal officials hold of motor vehicle manufacturers -- that of a large multi-national corporation mass-producing passenger cars. In fact, there are thousands of businesses, many of them small, building specialized work trucks, recreation vehicles, truck trailers, and cargo and utility trailers. They are regulated often without recognizing or considering the unique attributes of each specialized vehicle type and the circumstances of its manufacture.