Opinion: A Year of Changes and Challenges

By Charles L. “Shorty” Whittington

Chairman

American Trucking Associations

This Opinion piece appears in the Sept. 21 print edition of Transport Topics. Click here to subscribe today.

The old saying, “Time flies,” fits my year as chairman of American Trucking Associations. I remember my phone ringing with the first call from Fred Burns to say I was nominated to vice chairman. The later phone call from Steve Williams to say the nominating committee had selected me as chairman seems like only yesterday. I was honored to start serving as ATA chairman in October of 2008 at the excellent Management Conference & Exhibition in New Orleans.

The year seems so short when I look back; I often wonder how it passed by so quickly. There were so many meetings, so many contacts, so many challenges, so many changes. How could it happen so swiftly?

As I look at how rapidly the year flashed by for me and how my business at Grammer Industries changed over the past year, with all of the unexpected challenges that affected our operations, I know and understand firsthand the pain and bewilderment of so many ATA members. The economy and government actions have left many members, state associations and ATA staff saying, “I can’t believe this is happening to me!”

There is no doubt this past year has been a challenge. ATA and its members have taken on a wide range of issues, especially new legislation and government regulations, that affect us in our daily operations.

I’m proud we united in a grass-roots effort to tell Congress to oppose the so-called Employee Free Choice Act — better known as “card check” — that potentially would compromise workers’ rights by taking away their privacy in secret ballot unionization elections. Members from all sectors wrote letters to and visited their members of Congress. The response was overwhelming.

Another tricky issue was, and still is, cap-and-trade legislation. Implementing what is essentially another tax that would affect almost all products and goods while the economy is in shambles would hurt everyone. ATA has worked to make our government leaders aware of the costs for both the trucking industry and all American consumers, but we have a long way to go.

On top of those issues, health-care reforms that could affect all of us are slowly making their way through Congress. The financial consequences for our members, especially smaller companies, could be tremendous and force us to tighten belts that really cannot get tighter.

Perhaps the biggest challenge is highway reauthorization. We have made our voices heard on several of our goals. ATA and its members have opposed the privatization and tolling of roads that are vital to our industry. We’re also advocating for more productive vehicle combinations that will allow us to move goods more efficiently with less fuel.

However, we still have many reauthorization obstacles ahead of us — especially financing. ATA is committed to ensuring that financing and new infrastructure regulations and goals will make our industry more efficient and more effective than ever.

Despite those challenges, with good communication and by using the many tools from the ATA toolbox — stronger state association relationships, the ATA sustainability task force recommendations, the safety task force policies, new ATA member webinars, conference call updates and good, old-fashioned belt-tightening from everyone involved — we are starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel.

As we all know, the list of issues and challenges will go on and on, and the only way we will survive is to be involved in and committed to ATA and the industry.

At every meeting that my wife, Ro, and I have attended this year, someone has asked the question, “Are we there yet?”

When I was a kid, I asked that question a lot, but as I got a little older and somewhat wiser, I realized that many things affect “Are we there yet?” People today are very concerned about their future and existence. As I have had the opportunity to address many groups, I have tried to share with everyone the importance of involvement and communication to get to our destination and goal — survival in the trucking world of today and tomorrow. I tell people being a member of ATA will give them the lead step in surviving today.

I can tell you that my experience as ATA chairman is something that I will never forget. It has been an honor, and it has had lots of joy and some hours of pain. The satisfaction of working with states, members and staff is something I’ll cherish forever.

As I look to the future in trucking and my return to Grammer Industries, I know from my experiences that it is more important than ever to have one hand on the wheel — being a member of ATA — to direct the business and the other hand on the shift lever — being involved — to select the speed for me to survive and prosper in the future. Today and in the future, if you are not committed and involved, you won’t get to your destination.

Ro and I thank everyone for their help and for making this past year a great ride.

Charles L. “Shorty” Whittington is president of Grammer Industries Inc., Grammer, Ind., which provides transportation services for industrial, agricultural and retail suppliers.