Dear Editor:
Great editorial on the TSIC (Trailer Safety Industry Coalition). Rick Weber also did a good job on reporting the Recommended Practices.
I might mention, however, that you misstated the name of the RVIA (Recreation Vehicle Industry Association) and understated the role they have played. The RVIA is much larger (annual budget of some $12 million) than the NATM (National Association of Trailer Manufacturers). We just broke $1 million last year. The NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) fiasco with the “wheel-off” issue also stemmed from incidents with RV trailers (Fleetwood and Jayco). Two NATM members (Haulmark and Pace) were queried by the NHTSA via lengthy questionnaires, but we have not had any reported problems. In summary, this whole coalition would not have been formed were it not for the large fifthwheel RVs. So I think they deserve top billing.
Richard Klein
NATM Consulting Engineer
Member of TSIC and technical committee