Gary Potter, NATM president, and Ron Yarnell, PPG, present Lynn Beal of Big Tex Trailers with a check representing the Big Tex’s receipt of the NATM Green Manufacturing Award. The award, sponsored by PPG, will go to Big Tex’s charity of choice.
Gary Potter, NATM president, and Ron Yarnell, PPG, present Lynn Beal of Big Tex Trailers with a check representing the Big Tex’s receipt of the NATM Green Manufacturing Award. The award, sponsored by PPG, will go to Big Tex’s charity of choice.
Gary Potter, NATM president, and Ron Yarnell, PPG, present Lynn Beal of Big Tex Trailers with a check representing the Big Tex’s receipt of the NATM Green Manufacturing Award. The award, sponsored by PPG, will go to Big Tex’s charity of choice.
Gary Potter, NATM president, and Ron Yarnell, PPG, present Lynn Beal of Big Tex Trailers with a check representing the Big Tex’s receipt of the NATM Green Manufacturing Award. The award, sponsored by PPG, will go to Big Tex’s charity of choice.
Gary Potter, NATM president, and Ron Yarnell, PPG, present Lynn Beal of Big Tex Trailers with a check representing the Big Tex’s receipt of the NATM Green Manufacturing Award. The award, sponsored by PPG, will go to Big Tex’s charity of choice.

NATM addresses industry concerns at convention in Fort Worth

May 1, 2012
The National Association of Trailer Manufacturers may have held its annual convention in a city nicknamed Cow Town

The National Association of Trailer Manufacturers may have held its annual convention in a city nicknamed Cow Town and closed out the convention with a trip to Billy Bob's honky-tonk.

But in spite of the local trappings, the convention program was national — even international — in scope.

For example, the association brought in the head of Canada's recently implemented program that speeds up the process of sending trailers into Canada. And while Texas is hardly the epicenter of corrosion caused by snow and ice controlled chemicals, the program featured a detailed presentation on ways trailer manufacturers can make their products more resistance to the deadly road salts that send aluminum and steel to an early grave.

As usual, the association honored industry leaders and industry servants. Among them, Mike Skoglund, winner of the NATM Outstanding Member Award; Aluminum Line Products, winner of NATM's Outstanding Associate Member of the Year Award; and Big Tex Trailers, recipient of the Green Manufacturing Award.

Plans are already underway for the next one — February 20-22 in Charleston, South Carolina.

About the Author

Bruce Sauer | Editor

Bruce Sauer has been writing about the truck trailer, truck body and truck equipment industries since joining Trailer/Body Builders as an associate editor in 1974. During his career at Trailer/Body Builders, he has served as the magazine's managing editor and executive editor before being named editor of the magazine in 1999. He holds a Bachelor of Journalism degree from the University of Texas at Austin.