Fowler Associates Labs

Court decision shows Rhino Linings is only truck bed liner
proven to actually decrease risk of explosion

District Court Judge Dismisses Rhino Linings From Class Action Lawsuit JACKSON, Miss.--Oct. 20, 1999--

A District Court judge ruled that Rhino Linings' product offers better protection against risk of explosion than the original manufacturer's automotive paint, and then dismissed the world's leading sprayed-on liner from a class action suit seeking damages from truck bed lining manufacturers based on allegations the liners caused fire dangers. The drop-in liner companies settled out of court, but Rhino Linings commissioned and submitted research that proved its product actually increases truck safety compared to the original equipment. ``Rhino Linings has demonstrated by uncontested scientific evidence that its bed liners do not share the same electrical and physical properties of its competitors' bed liners,'' stated U.S. District Court Judge Charles W. Pickering of the Southern District of Mississippi, Hattiesburg Division. ``In fact, Rhino Linings' bed liner material exhibits lower resistivity than the truck manufacturer's automotive paint. This means that a truck bed coated with Rhino Linings' bed liner material would be slightly less likely to pose a risk of ignition than a pick-up truck with no bed liner at all.'' The lawsuit (Jimmy Brown, et. al. versus Durakon Industries Inc. et. Al.) was filed in November of 1996 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, Hattiesburg Division, against all manufacturers of truck bed liners. The lawsuit alleges that a static charge can build up on the surface of plastic truck bed liners and, similar to a carpet in wintertime, discharge a spark and ignite flammable liquids being carried in the truck bed. Rhino Linings research however, showed that unlike traditional drop-in liners made of plastic (polyethylene or HDPE), a Rhino Lining's elastomeric polyurethane compound is sprayed on and dries into a tough, non-conductive, elastic shell. In tests conducted by Levi Isaac Berger, chief executive officer of the California Institute of Electronics and Material Sciences, Rhino Linings exhibited lower resistivity and better static charge dissipation characteristics. This finding means there is a decreased chance of static build-up. Any charge created would be dispersed across the entire truck bed surface, thus lowering the localized voltage level and risk of sparks. Following the ruling, Rhino Linings will be the only truck bed liner manufacturer not required to place a warning label on its product. ``Rhino Linings has always striven to ensure the highest standards of safety and quality,'' said Russell Lewis, Rhino Linings' president and founder. ``Anyone in the business knows that having a Rhino Lining is better than having no lining at all, but we are thrilled to have independent research and a federal judge supporting this claim!'' ABOUT RHINO LININGS Founded in 1988, Rhino Linings pioneered sprayed-on polyurethane truck bed linings. Over the past 12 years, Rhino Linings has been the market leader and now has more than 550 dealers in 45 countries, including over 400 in the United States. For more information and dealer locations, visit the company's Web site at

http:www.rhinolinings.com
or call 800/447-1471.

Contact: Rhino Linings Brian Marks, 619/450-0441, ext.
150 bmarks@rhinolinings.com or
The Gable Group
Ashley Wood and Michelle Tranchina, 619/234-1300 ashley@gablegroup.com - michelle@gablegroup.com