Economist Gives TTMA Good News

SAN ANTONIO — Trailer makers can expect the vital economy to keep their businesses strong, but they will have to find creative ways to increase profits, an economist told participants at the annual meeting of the Truck Trailer Manufacturers Association.

Another analyst predicted a short downturn in trailer shipments before good times resume, while a legal expert warned manufacturers that they could face liability claims as lawsuits are increasingly aimed at companies involved in trucking.

The TTMA held its annual conference April 23 to 27, with more than 500 members and associates expected to attend. The event included several policy discussions held behind closed doors and educational sessions that touched on critical industry issues.

In the presentation that opened the conference’s general session, Lawrence Chimerine, managing director of the Economic Strategy Institute, predicted that the world economy and that of the United States would continue to grow as some countries recover from slumps.

The continued economic progress will keep demand for trucks and trailers high as businesses move the goods that consumers demand, Chimerine said. But he noted that trailer manufacturers will have to find new ways to increase income without having pricing power.

Profit, he said, must be sought with cost control.

“We are in the midst of a productivity revolution,” he said. “You have to go for more productivity if you can’t raise prices.”

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