Long Distance Design Produces a 260 Ton Coal Hauler

A high degree of technical competence is required to design off-highway equipment. Small companies with limited resources need to reduce their exposure to financial loss due to design errors. Larger companies may have reduced technical expertise due to down-sizing. The answer may lie with the increased use of contract technical experts. Historically certain industries and locals had used this method to fulfill their contracts primarily with the government. One problem with this approach is to bring together widely scattered commercial companies with the experts for hire. Affordable CADD and FEM systems and modern communication methods make long distance design a reality.