Ervin Equipment Inc., a dealer of Wabash National trailers and a supplier of new and pre-owned transportation equipment has begun donating a portion of its Wabash DuraPlate sales to the Wounded Warrior Project.

The Wounded Warrior Project is a non-profit organization that benefits military service members who incurred service-connected injuries or illnesses on or after Sept. 11, 2001. The charity works to raise awareness and encourage the public to contribute to helping them by providing direct programs and services. It also assists those service members’ families.

Supporting the project extends Ervin’s long-standing dedication to American jobs and workers, according to vice president of sales and marketing Jeff Weber.

“These warriors have served and paid a price to protect what we at Ervin believe in strongly,” said Weber. “The Wounded Warrior Project is close to our heart, to the core of what we’re trying to promote, which is an industry with strong ties to the USA, to the U.S. worker and to American-made products.”

Weber added that many of Ervin’s customers and trucking executives have come from a service or military background or have sons or daughters who are currently serving.

According to Weber, offering part of Ervin’s proceeds to this program is a good fit for the market because many Ervin customers have been seeking an American-made alternative. The Wabash DuraPlate is an excellent American-made trailer and about 70 percent of Ervin’s dry van sales are from the DuraPlate, he said. “The Wabash DuraPlate is one of the best-selling van trailers on the market, and we’re proud to donate a portion of our sales of these trailers to benefit the Wounded Warrior Project,” said Weber.

Wabash National was the first company to engineer a composite panel trailer. Initially manufactured in 1996, DuraPlate trailers are designed for low cost of ownership, maximum space and equipment longevity.

Due to its one-piece, solid design, the interior of the DuraPlate trailer limits the need for maintenance and delivers a longer trailer life, according to the manufacturer.

Composite van trailers make up more than 50 percent of the dry van market today. Wabash National continues to produce and assemble its American-made composite panel in Lafayette, Ind. The company has manufactured more than 300,000 DuraPlate dry van trailers in Lafayette, where it employs 2,500 people.

For more information, visit www.ervinusa.com