Chairman Wren Calls For 'Strong, Unified' ATA
he theme of the meeting — strength in unity, strength in numbers — was intended to show the value of belonging to the nation’s largest trucking trade group and to promote membership.
“The most important challenge facing us is building ATA membership,” said ATA Chairman John Wren. “We are focused on membership because we want to create an ATA that is a major player in Washington, one strong, unified force that legislators will respect and fear, one that they will open their doors to and listen to.”
The more members it has, ATA believes, the more clout it will have. A Fortune magazine poll of Washington insiders last fall concluded that many interest groups derive their clout from the size and commitment of their members.
xamples of ATA’s advocacy efforts were in ample evidence during the first half of the meeting,
eld June 16 to 18 at the Ritz Carlton Hotel. Poster-sized copies of positive news stories on trucking festooned the walls and hallways of the hotel, and the more than 300 trucking company executives and industry suppliers who attended heard a panel of national print and broadcast reporters give their views on trucking at a June 16 lunch. Members of ATA’s political action committee paid $500 a person to attend a dinner featuring Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Mont.). Rep. Mac Collins (R-Ga.) urged trucking executives to lobby for passage of his legislation speeding up the restoration of the 80% tax deduction for truck drivers’ meals at a June 17 breakfast.
Senate Minority Leader Thomas Daschle (D-S.D.), was expected to speak. Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater, Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.) and House Speaker Denny Hastert (R-Ill.)also planned to address the meeting.
In the panel discussion, reporters outlined their views on the trucking industry.
SA Today reporter Jayne O’Donnell said trucking needs to improve its image and try to better articulate its views on issues.
“We don’t set out every morning to make or break the trucking industry,” said Metro Traffic reporter Jim Russ. Trucking needs to get its message out to the media to counteract negative images portrayed in the media,” he said.
Wall Street Journal reporter Anna Mathews agreed. If trucking doesn’t respond promptly when truck accidents or other news affecting the industry occurs, “reporters still have to write the story, and people on the other side are always willing to talk about it.”
“ATA has the tools it needs in terms of image and safety, but you’re not going to get anything done until you can say trucking is safe, kind and helpful,” said Traffic World reporter Frank Wilner. The Department of Transportation is not taking a leadership role on highway safety, leaving the issue open for trucking critics to define trucking as unsafe, Wilner said. “This is a void that ATA should be filling. The challenge is image, image, image. Safety, safety, safety. Until you accomplish that, the rest of your agenda will be stuck.”
