The National Truck Equipment Association (NTEA) issued a statement this week to Congress in support of government assistance for Ford, General Motors and Chrysler. Lawmakers are currently deciding whether to provide billions of dollars in aid to keep the automakers afloat.
The complete NTEA position statement, which supports assistance that includes business accountability objectives and specifically defined taxpayer protections, is available on www.ntea.com.
In its statement, the Association argued that today's economic and liquidity crisis affects not only passenger car companies but also truck manufacturers and the subsequent supply chain that supports work trucks. Nearly 70% of all work trucks manufactured in the United States are built by NTEA members using truck chassis provided by Ford, GM and Chrysler. In many work-truck configurations, there are no current alternatives to the chassis produced by the Big Three.
"The truck equipment industry is vital to economic growth," said NTEA Executive Director Jim Carney. "We build the work trucks that move goods, improve work place efficiency and provide solutions for many critical tasks. But we can't do it without the trucks and chassis provided by the domestic truck producers."
The NTEA stressed that without government intervention and financial stimulus for these companies, the nation risks losing the capability to produce both passenger cars and work trucks. The Association stated that the potential demise of the automotive and work truck industries would have catastrophic effects on the economy, especially in communities and geographic regions with automotive-based economies.
Without access to the truck chassis produced by the Big Three, thousands of businesses that produce, sell and service work trucks will be in jeopardy. In addition, the nation's businesses, municipalities, utility companies and armed services will lose access to the trucks they need to do their jobs.
For more information on the NTEA's statement to Congress, call 1-800-441-NTEA (6832), or visit www.ntea.com.