TCA Members Vote Down Integration
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"This is not a vote against ATA. This is a vote against mandatory membership," said TCA Chairman Gary Baumhover in his final speech before his year-long tenure as chairman ended. "The hope is that this is not the end of a 63-year-old relationship with ATA. It means that we are going to date a little differently, as equals, not subservient."
To illustrate that it wants to retain its ties with ATA, TCA's board handily rejected a proposal to replace many of its officers that supported integration with carrier executives opposed to mandatory ATA membership.
"I hope everyone understands we are not opposed to ATA," said Bob Molinaro, who offered the alternative slate of officers. "I plan to remain in ATA and I hope to have a situation where we can support ATA both in the financial area and in lobbying."
New TCA Chairman Bob Hansen said he plans to begin meeting with ATA leaders to try to develop a plan that would allow the two groups to continue working together.
"We've got a lot of work ahead of us," Hansen said. "We're holding out our hands to ATA. We need ATA. Our goal is not to lose one member from either TCA or ATA.
In a speech after the vote was announced, ATA President Walter B. McCormick said Hansen has an enormous challenge to come up with a proposal that will be supported by both groups. McCormick reminded the group that truckload executive Ed Trout, president of Cornhusker Motor Lines, Omaha, Neb., initiated ATA's strategic plan in 1998 during his term as ATA chairman.
