For ATA Conferences and Councils, A Year of Decision

It was a year of decision for independent conferences and professional councils affiliated with American Trucking Associations.

Under a restructuring plan adopted in 1998, a deadline of Jan. 1, 2001 was set for these to formally merge with ATA.

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So far, members of the Agricultural Transporters Conference and the Distribution and LTL Carriers Association have agreed to terms with ATA.

On Feb. 5, the executive committee of the Truckload Carriers Association recommended integration. But the members later rejected the recommendation in a close vote against integration that was swayed by antipathy toward mandatory membership in ATA and a state trucking association.

TCA President Lana Batts resigned at the end of March and was replaced by attorney Robert A. Hirsch. Batts joined Transportal Network, an Atlanta-based Internet startup, as executive vice president and chief development officer. The company shut down after failing to secure a second round of venture capital financing.

A last ditch compromise in which TCA would pay ATA an annual fee for lobbying and institute a voluntary dues schedule for TCA members based on the number of trucks in the fleet was rejected by ATA’s Executive Committee.

An agreement between ATA and The Maintenance Council will allow TMC members to participate in the technical standards-setting group without paying full dues to ATA or a state trucking association. The deal was made because of TMC’s unique status and its ability to generate profits from an equipment trade show.

National Tank Truck Carriers voted down ATA affiliation in March. Other groups that chose to strike out on an independent course are American Moving and Storage Association, National Automobile Transporters Association, Specialized Carriers & Rigging Association and the Truck Renting and Leasing Association.

Two conferences — Munitions Carriers and Intermodal — were reconstituted as ATA policy committees. The Illinois Transportation Association staked a claim to representing intermodal carriers by changing the name of its affiliated Midwest Intermodal Trucking Association to the National Intermodal Trucking Association.

Two of ATA’s councils — Information Technology and Logistics, and Sales and Marketing — were either dissolved or combined with other councils.

A merger of the ATA Safety Management Council and Transportation Loss Prevention & Security Council created the ATA Safety & Loss Prevention Management Council.

ATA approved a $49.8 million budget that increased the group’s focus on advocacy and initiated a second round of dues cuts. The 2000 budget gave motor carrier members a 10% discount credited against 2001 dues.

William J. Canary Jr., vice president of intergovernmental affairs for ATA, added the duties of senior vice president for state and federation affairs following the departure in October of Paul T. Stalkneckt.