Council Corner: Towed Implement

The Towed Implement Product Council, like all Association product councils, serves as a resource for standards and safety information and provides a forum for executives to discuss shared challenges in the industry.

The council’s profile has been elevated recently as it has tackled federal regulation, specifically a rule governing lighting and marking on towed implements and a braking standard.

The lighting and marking standard became a mandate in 2016; the braking standard remains an active issue.

Jim Hellbusch, who is chairman of the Towed Implement Product Council, said that although the American Society of Agricultural & Biological Engineers concluded through its balloting process in April that the measure lacked broad support, the task force that wants the braking standard continues to seek ways to move it forward.

In general, the task force seeks a braking standard more closely aligned with international standards on braking systems on towed implements.

Hellbusch and the Towed Implement Council have worked closely with John Fisher and the Standards Awareness Council as this braking issue has progressed.

The Towed Implement Council meets annually at the Marketing & Distribution Convention, which is October 30 to November 2 in Minneapolis. The issues the council addresses often intensify during the drafting of the every-five-years Highway Funding Bill, which is due for renewal in 2019.

The council is featured this month as part of an occasional Shortliner series highlighting Association committees and councils.