Can truss software work well without being bundled with the purchase of truss plates? That is a 46-year-old question that many have asked over the years. While I haven’t evaluated the newest software-only offering, I did personally evaluate two prior offerings while I was working in a...

For most of the 20th century, engineers did not study nor would they normally specify wood trusses. Wood was thought to be suitable only for houses and barns, so steel was the material of choice – except when there wasn’t enough steel. That was the situation the Army Corps of...