This article was published in the October 2021 edition of NTEA News.
American Institute of Service Body Manufacturers (AISBM), founded in 1979, is one of the oldest NTEA affiliate divisions. Primarily composed of utility, service and crane body manufacturers, the group works closely with chassis OEMs on issues relating to utility/service body installation on chassis. AISBM communicates with OEMs to maintain and expand chassis available for pickup box removal. As part of these efforts, 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 box removal programs to continue for a variety of pickups in the work truck market. OEM support is imperative as their expertise in vehicle design and safety makes these programs possible. It would be cost-prohibitive for a body manufacturer to perform necessary tests to certify a vehicle to current safety and emissions requirements.
AISBM published and updates Chassis Design Considerations for the Service Body Industry to help OEM product development and engineering teams understand service/utility body manufacturer technical and product 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 both existing and future commercial vehicle chassis designs.
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.
How to join
Membership is open to NTEA member companies in good standing engaged in the manufacture of service, crane and utility bodies. For more information or to join, email Bob Raybuck at bob@ntea.com.