×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

Looking for advice from existing truss design consultants.

Looking for advice from existing truss design consultants.

Looking for advice from existing truss design consultants.

(OP)
Hello everyone, I am a truss design tech and I am considering doing independent design work rather than being attached to a specific manufacturer. I am just starting to do some research to see if this is viable for me and I have a number of questions that I need to have answered before I can decide whether I am going to attempt this or not. Any advice from people who are independent consultants or from people who have worked with them would be sincerely appreciated.

-I did a thread search looking for methods of billing. The only thing I really found was a discussion on the possibility of billing by the board foot. Personally  I prefer the idea of billing by the hour but if it is an industry standard to do it the other way then I would consider it.

-What kind of liability is incurred when an independent designer makes an error and is there a certain type of insurance required? (links would be appreciated)

-Do independent designers typically negotiate a contract with manufacturers to do x number of jobs per week or is it usually just a matter of taking what work that is given to you?

Any advice at all would be sincerely appreciated.

Thanks

RE: Looking for advice from existing truss design consultants.

It is my understanding that the software licensing agreements for the major truss design software out there (MiTek, Alpine, etc., etc.) are intended for the exclusive use their truss manufacturing customers.  Do you intend to use one of these programs to do your design work?  If so, have you investigated how you would have access to the software while still working within the scope of their software licensing agreements?  

RE: Looking for advice from existing truss design consultants.

(OP)
Despite working with Mitek software for the past several years I was unaware of that and will have to do some research. I only recently decided to investigate contract truss design and it may well be that its nots going to be a reality. Thankyou for bringing that point to my attention.

RE: Looking for advice from existing truss design consultants.

I believe CLR1 is correct and as you know doing trusses by hand as we did 30 years ago is SLOW.  I helped write some of the first design software and it amazed people.

Also - you would need your PE, insurance, etc., etc.

RE: Looking for advice from existing truss design consultants.

1. Get info on loads and contractors. I am in a case as a consultant for a truss fabricator and designer. The owners decided on clay tile for the roof. The job fell apart and the GC had no builder's risk insurance. 2. Get liability insurance; owners are suing everyone, including truss manufacturer and employed engineers as individuals. The question is did the truss designers use adequate loads in the design and who was supposed to provide the load info. 3. Get the latest NDS for wood, and the ANSI/TPI1-2002 and ESR reports on pressed-in conn, plates. 4. Design software is available but in the $20 range. I used an analysis program and made an XL spreadsheet to check stresses, lots of work. 5. Get clients lined up now. 6. Can't help you with fees, seems to be a lot of downward pressure these days. Should be based on value of trusses and complexity of job. May be a good idea to see if you can provide some services such as structural bracing that no one really ever covers properly. Good luck.

Greg Robinson

RE: Looking for advice from existing truss design consultants.

Who is going to stamp/seal the design of your truss?  A state license for every state that you plan to sell your services is required.

RE: Looking for advice from existing truss design consultants.

I'd also ask what civilperson asked.  Who is the PE if you are doing commercial projects?  

For residential projects, a PE may not be required.

 

RE: Looking for advice from existing truss design consultants.

(OP)
Thankyou everyone for your input.

I live in Grande Prairie Alberta (Canada). Sealed drawings are not required for residential jobs here though they are in neighboring provinces. Anything that would need to be stamped would be stamped by whatever engineer the manutfacturer uses at their cost.

I have somewhat put this idea to the wayside for the time being as every truss plant I have spoken with is laying off design staff.

One thing I am looking at is potentially doing private truss installation inspections. In my entire career I have not been to one jobsite where the trusses where installed entirely correctly. My only purpose would be to make sure that the trusses were installed to the manufacturers specifications. The inspections would be enitrely residential and more piece of mind for the home owner (or educational for the builder) than anything else. At the end of the inspection I would prepare a report calling out deficiencies from which point the manufacturer would be come involved. I would be interested to hear what people think of that idea.

Thanks,

 

RE: Looking for advice from existing truss design consultants.

The general rule for consulting is to estimate the salary you expect, divide it into your expected working hours and then times it by 2.5 to 3. This covers expenses, off times, e.t.c.

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources