ATA Convenes New Era
More than 4,250 industry executives and their spouses are expected to attend the 1998 ATA Management Conference & Exhibition and witness the beginning of a new era for the trucking federation.
A year-long strategic planning effort initiated by ATA Chairman Edward R. Trout is expected to culminate Wednesday in a vote by ATA’s board of directors to approve changes in bylaws. An affirmative vote would officially start the implementation of sweeping changes in the federation’s dues, structure and governance.
In many respects, the meeting will be one of the most momentous in the 65-year history of ATA.
Providing strategic oversight will be a five-member management committee, which comprises the immediate past chairman of ATA, the current chairman, the first vice-chairman, the secretary and the treasurer.
The board will review an implementation schedule for the ATA restructuring plan. One of the plan’s chief goals is to integrate the conferences and national independent associations affiliated with ATA.
“We anticipate making use of every day to implement this plan by 2001,” said Mr. McCormick. “It involves a major investment in information infrastructure and in people.”
One of the first priorities will be filling key staff vacancies at the national office.
Overall, ATA has budgeted about 250 staff positions at its Alexandria, Va., headquarters. Only 210 jobs are currently filled, compared with as many as 350 before the restructuring.
“We are in a building phase,” Mr. McCormick said. “I expect ATA to grow.”
The new organizational structure will be built around three areas of “influence” — advocacy, legal and business.
“This is a new structure, a 21st century structure, a network structure meant to give us the most effective approach to advocacy,” Mr. McCormick explained.
