Peter Miller
Executive Vice President of Business Development & Sales
Pro-Tech Industries
(La Vergne, Tennessee)
This article was published in the May 2020 edition of NTEA News.
As we continue navigating these unprecedented times, I can’t help but reflect on the vital role of the commercial vehicle community. Our industry is essential in keeping North America forging ahead. Your hard work and dedication do not go unnoticed, and we thank you for all you do. It reinforces why I’m proud to be part of the work truck industry and NTEA.
The Association’s commitment to members is unwavering as NTEA works to ensure access to benefits such as data reports, workforce development tools and technical information by expediting account updates and activating login credentials. In addition, the latest news, OEM production changes and North American government regulations are available at ntea.com/covid-19.
Given the necessity to support your workforce in unprecedented ways, NTEA is adding to its offerings of web-based tools. You may find the following resources, accessible at ntea.com/onlineresources, to be particularly helpful, regardless of your work location.
NTEA’s online education is exceptional, and I recommend you and your team take advantage. Courses such as Truck Equipment 101 and 201 can serve as an extension of your company’s resources. TE101 is a foundational course covering all aspects of work trucks and the industry — it’s beneficial as an introductory offering or refresher for an industry veteran, like me. TE201 takes a deep dive into certain topics outlined in TE101 — providing greater insight into vehicle certification, powertrains, powertrain systems, and calibration, emissions and fuel economy.
Monthly webinars are another great source of information and free to NTEA members. Various subject matter experts discuss topics such as workforce development, market dynamics, safety standards, and more. Members can login to ntea.com/webinars to access on-demand recordings, making it easy to catch up on ones you’ve missed.
Members can get in-depth information on a variety of topics by taking advantage of free access to regularly published whitepapers. For instance, one of most recent articles, Understanding your commercial vehicle footprint — optimizing your energy use, gave phenomenal insight into how to reduce commercial vehicle energy usage.
NTEA’s Vehicle Center of Gravity and Axle Weight Calculator is a web-based, interactive tool providing vehicle specification and weight information. It’s only available to members and can be extremely helpful to companies upfitting or modifying vehicles. Another benefit is NTEA’s partnership with TruckScience, which gives members a discounted annual subscription to the cloud-based Axle Weight Calculator, a next-level solution for more complex project needs.
The Vehicle Life Cycle Cost Tool is another cloud-based resource available at no cost and only to members. It’s designed to be flexible and user-friendly, accommodating a variety of truck life cycle analysis needs and different fleet structures. Engineers, fleets and sales representatives can load differing depreciation methodologies, fuel types and regional fuel prices to fit the necessary truck or fleet analysis.
NTEA’s Vehicle Specification Process Guide was developed to improve the spec’ development process by applying leading techniques widely recognized by industry professionals. It identifies key factors for consideration when creating or revising vehicle spec’s. Members can access a free interactive version, and nonmembers can download a PDF.
Vehicle certification is another area of importance, and the Association offers resources to help industry companies get what they need for proper certification. Whether you need to print labels or are looking to purchase pre-printed ones, WorkTruckCert is an ideal option. Subscriptions are free to members, and subscribers receive discounts on products in Shop WorkTruckCert.
As part of NTEA’s mission to provide relevant and valuable industry statistics, the Association continually updates information and insights at ntea.com/marketdata. Members can login to view monthly reports on industry influencers, including housing starts, U.S. retail truck sales, steel and other metals prices, oil/diesel/gasoline prices, and North American truck chassis shipments and sales.
An additional resource is the technical support hotline. NTEA’s staff engineers have more than 90 years of combined industry experience to provide you with the insight you need for your business. Members have the benefit of calling or emailing as frequently as necessary.
I hope you find these tools as beneficial as I have. I’m thinking of you and your families during these tough times. We’re here for you — please reach out if you need support.
