What are Your Options to Address Member-to-Member Gaps? Glenn Traylor A recent phone call has prompted me to address the issue of fixing gaps. There are some misunderstandings about what qualifies as a member-to-member gap, and the options to fix them are not always clear either. ANSI/TPI 1 recommends that members in a truss to touch each other when possible.... Read More August 2025 Issue #17313 Page 33
What a Flight on Japan Airlines Taught Me About Visual Safety Culture Ben Hershey On a recent trip from Seattle to Vietnam via Tokyo, I flew on Japan Airlines and was struck by more than just the exceptional hospitality. What stood out most was their disciplined safety culture, specifically how their flight attendants conducted safety checks. As they walked the cabin before... Read More August 2025 Issue #17313 Page 52
How Will the Changes to ANSI/TPI 1 Impact Your Truss Builders and In-House Inspectors? Glenn Traylor As we migrate from ANSI/TPI 1-2014 to ANSI/TPI 1-2022, it is important to discuss and be aware of Chapter 3 updates. These changes impact QC inspections and should be understood by your in-house QC inspector and your truss builders. The changes are in two categories in Chapter 3 — a... Read More July 2025 Issue #17312 Page 31
The New Hiring-Zone: A Smart Way to Hire in a Tight Industry Let’s face it—finding the right people in the offsite construction industry isn’t getting easier. Whether you’re searching for a seasoned truss designer, a sharp estimator, or a dependable production manager, the usual massive job boards don’t cut it. That’s... Read More July 2025 Issue #17312 Page 82
Design Connections: Beating the Big Job Board Blues Geordie Secord When you’re job hunting or looking to hire, you’ve got choices. Lots of them. You can go with the big-name job boards that everyone knows about, or you can try something different—something more personal. The experience you get depends entirely on which path you choose, and the... Read More July 2025 Issue #17312 Page 88
MSR Workshop: Relax, Connect, Learn MSR Lumber Producers Council The MSR Workshop headed west to Idaho this spring to a resort destination that lived up to its reputation! The annual event hosted by the MSR Lumber Producers Council in late April welcomed 68 attendees, including five guests, to the Coeur d’Alene Resort for three days of networking,... Read More July 2025 Issue #17312 Page 96
The Cost of Convenience: How Offshore and Remote Design are Undermining the Future of the Truss Industry Over the past two decades, the truss industry has quietly engineered a crisis of its own making. In the pursuit of flexibility and cost efficiency, companies have embraced remote designers and offshore design firms. Although these shifts solve immediate staffing needs, they’re slowly... Read More June 2025 Issue #17311 Page 82
Why Designers Should Get Out of the Office (and Into the Field) Geordie Secord Last month’s article, “What You Learn on the Floor,” talks about the benefits of having design staff spend some time in the shop. There’s a lot to learn there—and gaining a real appreciation for what the production team does can be eye-opening for designers, whether... Read More June 2025 Issue #17311 Page 90
Is Plate Substitution the Most Common Error By Confused Truss Builders? Glenn Traylor Generally speaking, ANSI/TPI 1 makes common sense and is very logical. However, there are several items that can be a little confusing because they seem to defy logic. When we upgrade lumber per ANSI/TPI 1 Section 3.4.2, we know that lumber strength needs to be maintained in order to meet the... Read More May 2025 Issue #17310 Page 39
Forging the Future: Workforce Development in Offsite Manufacturing Ben Hershey The offsite manufacturing sector stands poised for transformative growth. Innovations in automation, lean manufacturing, and prefabrication are reshaping the way we build. Yet amidst all this change, one critical element demands urgent attention: Our workforce. Across the industry, leaders... Read More May 2025 Issue #17310 Page 52