Trucking Leaders Gather in Las Vegas as ATA Hosts Its Annual Convention

Trucking industry leaders will gather this week at American Trucking Associations’ Management Conference & Exhibition to discuss recent accomplishments and prepare for the challenges of the upcoming year.

Scheduled for Oct. 7-10 in Las Vegas, MCE this year promises to be the most well-attended annual conference since 2000, ATA said.

Bill Graves, president of the federation, said the event comes as the trucking industry faces a crossroads.

“With possible important regulatory changes afoot, with changes needed in how we fund and manage our highways and with possible changes in who makes those decisions coming this November, it is an important time for trucking,” Graves said (see Opinion, p. 13).

Leading ATA as chairman for the next year will be Mike Card, president of specialized and heavy-haul carrier Combined Transport Inc., Central Point, Ore. He is set to take over as chairman at the conclusion of the conference, succeeding Dan England, who is chairman of refrigerated truckload carrier C.R. England Inc.

Graves will review accomplishments — and outline challenges — facing the industry in a speech during the opening session of the conference Oct. 8. In an interview with Transport Topics last month, he said the passage of a new highway funding law this summer was a victory for the trucking industry because it included many provisions that will improve safety, such as an electronic logging mandate and a drug and alcohol clearinghouse.

However, the new two-year, $105 billion law, which will run until September 2014, “does not do enough for infrastructure investment, and there are no new revenue sources that are sustainable,” he said.

A shortfall of infrastructure funding is resulting in more states seeking to increase revenue by raising tolls, which Graves said is the wrong solution to the problem.

In particular, ATA is troubled by efforts by Virginia and North Carolina to implement new tolls on Interstate 95, the main north-south highway along the East Coast. The federation favors raising the federal fuel tax, rather than additional tolling.

At the same time, ATA is working to secure further changes to the government’s Compliance, Safety, Accountability program, and continuing to challenge aspects of the hours-of-service rule for commercial drivers.

All of this comes amid continued global economic sluggishness, as well as political uncertainty ahead of next month’s presidential election.

This year’s MCE agenda includes a focus on these and many other key issues.

The election will be the topic of the ATA’s advocacy and government affairs luncheon on Oct. 8. The featured speaker is Haley Barbour, the former governor of Mississippi and former chairman of the Republican National Committee.

On Oct. 9, the annual “All Eyes on the Economy” luncheon will feature ATA Senior Economist Bob Costello, as well as Gregory Daco of IHS Global Insight and Lawrence Yun of the National Association of Realtors. Stuart Varney of Fox Business News will oversee the discussion.

Earlier that day, a panel discussion of the driver shortage will bring together Kevin Burch, president of Jet Express Inc.; Derek Leathers, president and chief operating officer of Werner Enterprises Inc.; Mike O’Connell, executive director and counsel of the Commercial Vehicle Training Association; and Kenny Vieth, president of ACT Research Co. The session, sponsored by Freightliner Trucks, will be moderated by Howard Abramson, publisher and editorial director of Transport Topics Publishing Group and an ATA senior vice president.

On the final day of the conference, trucking’s role in the supply chain will bring together Max Fuller, chairman and CEO of U.S. Xpress Enterprises; Braxton Vick, a senior vice president at Southeastern Freight Lines; Tom Sanderson, CEO of Transplace; and Douglas Stotlar, CEO of Con-way Inc., who will serve as moderator.

Almost 200 companies will showcase their latest products and services in the exhibit hall, including many that will be there for the first time. Included are the latest items to more easily comply with government regulations and equipment aimed at boosting fuel efficiency and improving the bottom line.

In addition to ATA policy committee meetings, more than a dozen educational sessions offer attendees a chance to discuss issues, including health regulations and common financial and legal hurdles.

David Strickland, head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, is scheduled to address the ATA Executive Committee on Oct. 10. Other government officials, including Jack Van Steenburg, chief safety officer of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, are also expected to appear at events during MCE.

At the conclusion of the conference on Oct. 10, the Doobie Brothers will headline the annual banquet. The group, which has sold more than 40 million albums worldwide, is expected to perform a one-hour concert.

Also during MCE, Juliet Funt, a performer and entrepreneur, will address the ATA spouse business meeting on Oct. 10. She is the daughter of Candid Camera’s Allen Funt.