Trailer Manufacturing

In our modern drone world, where flying objects now deliver goods, it is hard to believe how far we have come in a rather short time span. When the 20th century began, horses and mules were still pulling wagons to deliver large hauls.

An Old-School Trailer: The Covered Wagon

In 1914, E.W. Bennett and H.C. Bennet innovated the first mechanical brake to be used on a trailer and it reshaped the way people hauled goods. As the Forum newspaper quote above highlights, these two men transformed an industry built around horse-drawn trucks to a speedier means of transporting goods. The new trailer allowed one person to pick up and transport materials.  In addition, much larger objects, that previous trailers could not accommodate, were able to be transported.

Today, we refer to the trailer industry as the motor vehicle body and trailer manufacturing industry.  Within the industry, companies manufacture any one of the following:

• Motor vehicle bodies and cabs
• Truck, automobile, and utility trailers
• Truck trailer chassis
• Detachable trailer bodies and trailer chassis

 

Before highlighting the safety hazards this industry faces, let's highlight the different sub-industries.

Products and Sub-Industries

Motor Vehicle Body Manufacturing

NAICS 336211

Companies within this trailer manufacturing sub-industry build truck bodies, bus bodies, cabs, and automobile bodies.

Examples of Trailers include:

• Ambulance Bodies
• School Buses
• Wreckers

 

Truck Trailer Manufacturing

NAICS 336212

Trucks and buses are made up of three core parts: the chassis, the body, and the engine.

Companies within this segment of the industry manufacture truck trailers, truck trailer chassis, cargo container chassis, and detachable trailer bodies.

IBISWorld reports that revenues for this industry will hit $11.9 billion in 2019. Two of the largest companies in this industry are the Wabash National Corporation and Utility Trailer Manufacturing.

Users require different hauling requirements, which means there are variations in the final product supplied.

Examples of Trailers include:

• Boat transport
• Dump trailers
• Flatbed trailers
• Logging trailers
• Refrigerated and tank trailers

 

Motor Home Manufacturing

NAICS 336213

IBISWorld reports that revenues from motor home manufacturing reached $51.1 billion in 2018.  Since Americans are taking more and more domestic trips, it is projected that this industry will continue to grow.  There are currently 54 companies operating in this sub-industry, which manufactures self-propelled recreational vehicles (RVs) that offer living accommodations and an engine built together.

Examples of Trailers include:

• Motor homes
• Van conversions

 

Travel Trailer and Camper Manufacturing

NAICS 336214

There are roughly 132 companies operating in this sub-industry.  They manufacture one of the following:

• travel trailers and campers designed to attach to motor vehicles
• pickup coaches and caps for mounting on pickup trucks
• automobile, utility, and light-truck trailers

 

Examples of Trailers include:

• Automobile transport trailers
• Camper units
• Caps for pick-ups
• Fifth wheel trailers
• Tent trailers

 

Economic Impact

Demand for new trailers is tied to different external factors and the success of other industries.  Within the truck trailer manufacturing industry, demand is often affected by agriculture, construction, manufacturing, and retail.  On the other hand, motor home manufacturing is directly tied to those consumers planning to hit the open road for vacation.

As with other automotive industries, trailer production has been on the rise since the economic downturn of 2008.  In the Federal Reserve’s image shown below, you can tell how trailer manufacturing is deeply impacted when downturns occur.  Less consumer goods shipping means less demand for trailers.

The good news is that market size has been growing during the last decade’s economic expansion.

Employment Numbers

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports there are around 147,850 employees working in the motor vehicle body and trailer manufacturing industry.  As is common across all motor vehicle manufacturing industries, assemblers maintain the dominant employment position, accounting for about 54,500 employees.  Here is a breakdown of employment found in the four main sub-industries.

Key Companies

Trailer manufacturing companies design and manufacture vehicles built to endure thousands of miles of hardship and rough travel.

Most specialize in building equipment with a specific purpose, as we highlighted above.  The six largest trailer manufacturing companies produce around 80% of the entire number of trailers.  In 2015, that total number was 340,000 units.

Major companies include Great Dane Limited, Hyundai Translead, Utility Trailer Manufacturing Company, and Wabash National.  The table below shows where some of the largest trailer companies call home.

Top Companies by Sub-Industry

State Employment

Indiana is one of the key states for employment in this industry, thanks in large part to Wabash.  California is the 3rd largest state for trailer manufacturing.  With that said, there are some states where you don’t find any trailer manufacturing.

Here are the top U.S. states for trailer manufacturing, as reported by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Occupations

As we’ve pointed out on our other automotive industry pages, the one occupation found across each sub-industry is assembly work.  So, as you would guess, assemblers make up the largest occupation in this industry.  There are some differences though.  There are more painters and welders in this industry as compared to motor vehicle manufacturing.  The top three occupations found in this industry are:

1. Assemblers and fabricators
2. Metalworkers
3. Welders

Here are all the occupations found in this industry:

• Assemblers and Fabricators 

  Assemble finished products and parts.  There are around 54,500 of these workers in Motor Vehicle Body and Trailer Manufacturing. You will find this worker assembling bolts, using many different types of tools, and moving heavy parts.  They construct finished products and the parts that go into them. These workers use a lot of tools, machines, and most importantly need their hands protected.  Common job titles for this occupation are Assembler and Fabricator.

• Metal and plastic workers 

  Operate machines designed to cut, shape and form metal.  There are roughly 29,000 employees found for this occupation.  You will find these workers fabricating metal products, lifting heavy materials and working with their hands.  Common job titles for this position are Sheet Metal Worker and Welder.

• Welding Cutters and Fitters 

  Use hand welding, flame cutting, hand soldering, and brazing equipment to weld/join metal components, fill holes, indentations, or seams of fabricated metal products.  There are around 20,000 of these workers are employed in the Motor Vehicle body and trailer manufacturing.  You will find these workers welding components in flat, vertical or overhead positions.  Common Job titles for this position are Maintenance Welder, Mig Welder, and Welder/Fabricator.

• Welding, Soldering and Brazing Machine Operators 

  Operate welding, soldering or brazing machines that weld, braze, or heat treat metal products.   There around 1,500 workers found in the Motor Vehicle Body and Trailer Manufacturing.  You will find these workers adding material to work pieces, joining metal components, and annealing finished work pieces. Common Job titles for this position are Fabricator, Mig Welder, Spot Welder, Fitter-Welder, and Braze Operators.

• Industrial Machinery Installation, Repair, and Maintenance Workers 

  Lubricates machines, changes parts, and performs machinery maintenance.  The Motor Vehicle Body and Trailer Manufacturing industry employs a little over 7,000 of these workers.  You will find these workers cleaning machine and machine parts.  Cleaning solvents, oil, and metalworking fluids are a definite concern for these workers.  Common Job titles for this position are Lubricator, Maintenance Man, and Oiler.

• Painting Workers 

  You will find these workers applying paint coatings, cleaning production equipment, and positioning work pieces.  They paint and coat surfaces.  There are around 5,600 of these workers in the Motor Vehicle and Body Manufacturing industry.  Workers are exposed to many contaminants.   Common job titles for this occupation is Painter and Spray Painter.

• Material Moving Workers 

  Around 5,600 of these workers help move material and vehicles in the Motor Vehicle Body and Trailer Manufacturing industry.  That is a large number of hands needing to be protected.   You will find these workers operating conveyors, transporting materials, and operating machines.  Common job titles are Laborer and Operator.

• Laborers and material movers by hand  

  Workers that move materials, objects and stock.  Around 4,200 of these workers are found in Motor Vehicle Body and Trailer manufacturing.  Machine feeders also fall into this worker group.  Common Job titles for this position are Line Tender, Laborer, and Materials Handler.  Due to the use of one’s hands, wearing gloves is a must.

• Transportation Equipment Painters 

  Polish work pieces, mix ingredients, and operate painting equipment.  There are around 4,000 of these workers in the motor vehicle body manufacturing industry.  They operate machines used to paint the surfaces of automobiles, buses, trucks, trains, boats, and airplanes.  These workers are exposed to many hazardous conditions and contaminants.  Common job titles for this occupation are Automotive Painter, Finish Painter, and Paint Technician.

• Machine Tool Cutting Setters and Operators 

  Operate cutting and forming machines.  There are roughly 3,100 of these workers in the motor vehicle body and trailer manufacturing industry.  The majority of these workers are employed in aluminum production.  You will find these workers changing cutting tools, aligning parts, and inspecting metalwork pieces. Common job titles for this position are CNC Machine Setter, CNC Machinist, and CNC Operator. Exposure to hazardous equipment is always a concern.

• Construction Laborers and Extraction Occupations 

  Perform tasks involving physical labor.   There are roughly around 3,000 of these workers found in trailer manufacturing.  You will find these workers using hand tools, repairing drilling equipment, and transporting materials.  Common job titles for this occupation are Helper, Laborer, Post Framer, and Construction Worker.

• Construction Trades Workers 

  Perform tasks involving physical labor.  There are around 2,900 of these workers in Motor Vehicle Body and Trailer Manufacturing.  They operate hand and power tools of all types.  You will find these workers preparing sites, digging trenches, erect scaffolding, applying paint to surfaces, sealants and assembling structures.   Common job titles for this occupation are Helper, Laborer, Skill Laborer.

• Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters 

  Operate cutting and grinding equipment.  Roughly 2,400 of these workers are found in the motor vehicle body and trailer manufacturing industry.  They fabricate position and fit parts of structural metal products.  Due to handling sharp metal, cut-resistant gloves are must-have safety gear.  Common job titles for this occupation are Fitter, Layout Main, and Tack Welder.

• Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanic  

  Repair or overhaul mobile equipment.  There are roughly 8,000 of these workers found in Trailer Manufacturing.  You will find these workers replacing worn parts and reassembling equipment using hand tools.  Common job titles for this position are Heavy Equipment Technician, Field Mechanic, and Equipment Mechanic.

• Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters 

  Operate machines that saw, cut, shear, slit, punch, crimp, notch, bend, or straighten metal.  There are around 2,100 members of this occupation in motor vehicle body and trailer manufacturing.  You will find these workers aligning metal parts and grinding out burrs or sharp edges.  This makes cut-resistant gloves a high priority for this worker.  Common job titles for this position are Die Setter, Press Operator, Machine Setter and Operator, and Press Punch Operator.

• Maintenance and Repair Workers 

  keep machines, mechanical equipment, or the structure of an establishment in repair.  There are around 1,800 of this occupation working in Motor Vehicle Body and Trailer Manufacturing.  You will find these workers pipe fitting, repairing equipment, and repairing buildings.   Job titles for this position are Maintenance Worker, Maintenance Mechanic, and Facilities Manager.

• Coating, Painting, and Spraying Operators 

  Operate machines to coat or paint a wide variety of products.  Examples include cloth, glassware, cloth, copper, ceramics, metal, plastic, paper, wood, silver, and rubber.  There are around 1,400 of these workers in body and trailer manufacturing.  You will find these workers mixing ingredients and cleaning production equipment.  Noise levels are a concern for these workers.  Common job titles for this occupation are Coater Operator, Paint Technician, Silk Screen Operator, and Spray Painter.

Work Activities

Commercial transportation equipment, such as trailers and truck bodies, use a lot of steel and aluminum in their production. Where there is steel, you can bet welding is taking place.

As we point out on our Welding Protection page, trailer manufacturing employs some of the highest numbers of welders in any industry. This definitely impacts the type of work performed in this industry.

Here are just a handful of the hundreds of activities performed each day across this industry:

Assembly

• Assembling finished products
• Assembling parts
• Using a wide range of tools
• Feeling fine parts

Machine Tool Setters and CNC

• Aligning parts

Material Moving

• Transporting materials

Metalworkers

• Cutting, shaping, and forming metal
• Fabricating metal parts
• Lifting heavy materials

Structural Metal Fitters

• Fitting and positioning metal
• Operating cutting and grinding equipment

Painting

• Touching up
• Cleaning production vehicles for coating
• Coating surfaces
• Positioning work pieces

Welders and Brazing

• Adding material to metal workpieces
• Filling holes and seams of fabricated metal products
• Heat treating metal products

Safety

One thing is crystal clear: work performed in this industry is dangerous.  Out of all automotive industries, this is the most dangerous one.  Take a look at the table below; it shows BLS industry incident rates for this industry.

Welding in itself is one of the most hazardous processes found in any industry.  Combine that with a lot of metal that easily lacerates a worker’s hands, chemicals that burn, accumulations of potentially hazardous dust, and unpredictable flying projectiles, and you can understand why injury rates are high.

Things are changing rapidly within this industry.  We live during a point in time where semi-trailers will soon be driving themselves, without an operator, delivering goods from point A to point B.  As technology transforms this industry, safety and PPE will also have to adapt.

At MCR Safety, we are continuously adapting our line of PPE to match workers’ needs.  So, regardless of where technology takes this industry, we will be there protecting workers.  We protect people!

Let MCR Safety keep you safe when manufacturing trailers.