Understanding construction loading is important as it relates to the acceptable practices in terms of staging and storing construction materials prior to installation. What does “construction loading” mean? This term describes materials and people that are present during the course...

It’s been said that the World Wide Web is the wave of the future. Okay, maybe this is slightly outdated news, as it’s been 25 years since Bill Gates penned his internet tidal-wave memorandum, but it’s a good lead-in to this topic – web apps. More specifically, those apps...

ANSI/TPI 1, Chapter 2 As a truss technician or component manufacturer, have you ever been asked to perform duties that fall outside of ANSI/TPI 1, Chapter 2 guidelines? We know in our previous roles as truss technicians and component manufacturers, we were often requested to perform a task...

Why do some still insist on placing flat bottom chord gable end frames adjacent to vaulted or scissor trusses when the codes clearly do not allow such framing without special engineering requirements? Can you point me to the code sections that say “No, thank you!”? This is a...

Dear Anna: A recent long span truss collapse during installation reminded me of the new 2009 (and later) IBC bracing requirements for the Owner of a project with metal plate connected (MPC) wood trusses spanning 60 ft. and greater (churches, schools, commercial, retail, and so on)....

Why are we seeing all the code change proposals regarding wood trusses in the current ICC code change/update process? It is true that there were several proposals submitted pertaining to wood truss restraint and bracing and another requiring special inspection of the installed truss...

Overview Progressive roof collapse is a roof collapse in which the failure of a single structural component triggers a chain reaction of failures that result in a large portion of a roof collapsing onto the contents below. The shifting of continuous lateral restraint is well known as a...

What can be done to help eliminate hanger gaps when attaching end jacks, or common trusses, at 90 degrees to the girder truss? This month’s installment is a good question with a really easy solution. I was on another jobsite recently when I noticed a series of small (about 8’...

Can organizational self-assessment and critical reflection help my business? Following-up on last month’s article, which garnered more comments than usual, I think that we should take a bit deeper dive into metal plate connected wood truss permanent bracing from “the...

For Component Manufacturers (CMs), it is generally well known that the Registered Design Professional (RDP) is responsible per ANSI/TPI 1 for the design of the permanent bracing system for the wood truss system. However, the issue of responsibility is only the first part of the actual design and...