First LEAD ATA Class Meets

ORLANDO, Fla. — The inaugural 17-member class of American Trucking Associations’ LEAD ATA program met for the first time Oct. 19 during the group’s Management Conference & Exhibition, ATA said.

The yearlong program, which stands for “Leadership, Engagement, Advocacy and Development,” seeks to train young trucking executives to be future industry leaders. It was launched in May.

“As these extraordinary individuals begin the LEAD ATA program, we felt it was important to give them a deep introduction into what this association does, and can do, for their businesses and our industry,” Kevin Burch, ATA vice chairman and president of Jet Express, based in Dayton, Ohio, said in an Oct. 19 statement.

The first LEAD class includes men and women aged 23-49, ATA said. They come from 12 states and work at fleets with 28 to more than 30,000 trucks.

The class will meet next in January at ATA’s Arlington, Va., headquarters.