NTEA seeks participants for heavy-duty hitch structure testing project

The National Truck Equipment Association (NTEA) invites companies to participate in a cooperative project concerning the fabrication, installation and testing of heavy-duty custom hitches on commercial straight trucks with a gross vehicle weight rating of over 10,000 lbs. To date, there are no guidelines by which companies can determine if the heavy-duty hitch structure is strong enough to support loads that will be placed upon it. “Numerous queries regarding heavy-duty hitch structures indicates a standards deficit that the NTEA hopes to help alleviate,” said Louie Kleinstiver, NTEA Technical Services Director. “Participants will gain information and knowledge that is currently unavailable and the industry at large will benefit by gaining a useful tool in the resulting performance standard or recommended practice that will ultimately lead to the design and sale of safer, more reliable products.” The project involves two aspects: (1) developing a uniform performance standard against which companies could test hitch structures; and (2) developing a “least common denominator” generic hitch structure (i.e., a generic structure containing the minimum components needed to actually test, and representative of a reasonably broad cross-section of hitch structures) that would be tested against the standard, with the test data disseminated to participants.To learn more about this project or to participate, visit http://www.ntea.com/TechCenter/techtalk_detail_public.asp?doc_id=87. Companies interested in participating in the study may also request an NTEA Non-Divisional Cooperative Performance Standard and Testing Project for Heavy-Duty Hitch Structures form by Aug. 15. Call 1-800-441-NTEA or e-mail [email protected] to request a participation form. The NTEA reserves the right to limit participation to companies that manufacture, distribute, install and/or sell the type of product for which the standard will be developed.Participants will be required to fund the costs inherent in cooperative testing. The anticipated cost per participant is dependent upon the total number of companies taking part in the program. Estimated costs will be provided at an initial meeting at NTEA Headquarters in Farmington Hills, MI.