AISBM works to ensure continuation of pickup box removal programs

This article was published in the July 2016 edition of NTEA News.

The American Institute of Service Body Manufacturers (AISBM) was founded in 1979 and is one of the oldest NTEA affiliate divisions. Primarily composed of utility, service, and crane body manufacturers, the group and works closely with OEMs on issues relating to utility/ service body installation on chassis. 

AISBM is focused on preserving the wide variety of chassis available for pickup box removal. As part of these efforts, its members provide insight and support to specific OEMs during their next-generation vehicle development process.

Testing programs cover wide areas of development, such as fuel fill requirements for Environmental Protection Agency and Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) compliance, FMVSS safety testing, electrical interface issues and body mounting techniques. Cooperation between body manufacturers and chassis OEMs enables the box removal programs to continue for a variety of pickups in the work truck market. Without OEM support, it would be too costly for a body manufacturer to perform all of the tests necessary to certify a vehicle to today’s safety and emissions requirements.

New chassis design guide
AISBM recently published Chassis Design Considerations for the Service Body Industry to help OEM product development and engineering teams understand service/utility body manufacturer needs when designing bodies for their new pickup and chassis-cab versions. This publication addresses key items the service body industry would like OEMs to consider during new vehicle design and development, along with periodic updates to their existing chassis.

Quarterly survey
The group also conducts a quarterly body shipments survey of its members, the results of which offer insight into the production and sale of service, utility and crane bodies.