Thanks, I wasn't an actual contributor but definitely an early supporter. I believe we were the first Atlanta company to jump on board with the idea and were the first company to pass inspection and become a certified TRIP company. That wasn't so much a big accomplishment as it was the fact they just happened to schedule our inspection first but we gladly accept that title.
Wow, I could go on about these programs for hours. My overall opinion has changed recently but not for the reasons anyone would guess but we'll have to wait about three months to talk about that.
It's hard for me to speak towards this particular thread because our local program is heavy only and companies around here are about 98% carrier as far as their light duty fleet goes so everything is done with a carrier. I think the carrier issue came out of an old argument about manufacturers not rating their equipment for recoveries whatever that could actually mean. One camp claimed their equipment was. I heard this argument for years but can't say I ever saw proof either way. I never quite understood the argument since if you are working within limits than you aren't loading anything more than about 3500 lbs considering your winch line is most likely the weakest link. It's hard for me to picture any of the beds being damaged at that load. I'm sure it's been done more than once but I'm not sure it's worth the argument. The resistance on a passenger car upright is what, maybe 1800 lbs?