Trailer separations frequently occur in North America – at a rate of more than two and a half per day, according to Premier Manufacturing, which hopes the new Saf-T-Latch leads to fewer accidents. The Saf-T-Latch – part number 820ELA – is connected to a Premier air chamber. If a driver forgets to close the hitch manually, the coupling is designed to close when the emergency brake is released.

“This new product is intended to be a fail-safe in the event an operator forgets to close the latch on the hitch,” Premier Manufacturing President Paul Grycko said. “We have no doubt this product will reduce the number of disconnects occurring, which improves industry safety.”

Premier reminds fleets that it is always the responsibility of the person making the coupling connection to ensure the latch is closed and the driver’s responsibility to verify that the equipment is correctly connected before moving the vehicle. If the coupling is not properly closed, the 820ELA is there to help avoid a catastrophic failure.