Trucking Sets Priorities
By Neil Abt, News Editor
This story appears in the Oct. 13 print edition of Transport Topics.
NEW ORLEANS — Meeting here amid significant economic and political uncertainty, trucking leaders last week continued shaping the industry’s priorities ahead of 2009 federal highway reauthorization negotiations.
Next year’s highway bill is the “the single greatest challenge facing our industry today,” said Bill Graves, American Trucking Associations president.
At the conclusion of ATA’s 2008 Management Conference & Exhibition, the federation endorsed an 18-point safety plan focused on lowering highway speeds for all vehicles, minimizing driver distractions and stepping up traffic-law enforcement around large trucks (click here for related Premium Content story).
Ray Kuntz, outgoing ATA chairman, said it was “extremely uplifting” to see so many of his peers make such a serious commitment to safety.
The safety plan is one piece of ATA’s overall strategy to gain support for its agenda ahead of the highway bill debate in Congress.
ATA’s strategy includes possible support for raising the fuel tax to fund goods-movement projects.
While federation leaders focused on the highway bill, the more immediate issue of the economy was a central part of nearly all discussions during the conference.
“Things are not going well for our industry,” Graves said in opening remarks at the conference.
And ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello underscored that, saying, “We need to prepare for this cycle to get worse before it gets better.”
Other experts speaking on the economic panel with Costello said they believed a recession would last well into 2009, leading to a further deterioration of freight demand (click here for related Premium Content story).
In addition, the deepening credit crunch is expected to pose even more financial headaches for fleets.
Steve Williams, chairman and chief executive officer of Maverick USA, Little Rock, Ark., called the current situation the worst he has seen in his more than three decades in trucking.
With less than 15 months before new federal diesel engine emission standards take effect, executives of Daimler Trucks, Peterbilt Motors, Navistar Inc. and Volvo Trucks North America told conference attendees their new engine models would be tested and ready. However, they disagreed over what technology to meet the regulations would prove to be the best choice for fleets.
Also during the Oct. 4-7 meeting, political analyst Frank Luntz and industry lobbyists predicted that Sen. Barack Obama (D) was likely to win the presidential election and that the Democrats would strengthen their majority in the Senate.
Graves said he agreed with these forecasts, and that ATA was prepared for any Election Day outcome.
“ATA is positioning itself to be an effective voice,” he said.
Charles “Shorty” Whittington, who officially became the 64th chairman of ATA at the close of the meeting, stressed the importance of unity for success in this difficult operating climate.
“If there was ever a time to bind together . . . it’s right now,” said Whittington, CEO of Grammer Industries, Grammer, Ind. (click here for related Premium Content story).
In a post-conference press briefing, Graves talked about the resiliency of association members.
“These are all fleets that have every intention of weathering all of the storms and coming out on the other side into an environment where there’s demand for capacity that they have. They plan to be in it when the recovery shows up,” he said.
At ATA policy meetings and educational sessions, discussions centered on the many other challenges facing the trucking industry, ranging from fuel prices to health-care costs, tort reform and upcoming federal regulations.
In the exhibit hall, suppliers showed off a range of products aimed at speeding the billing process, boosting company efficiency and creating a safer and more productive workplace for drivers and other employees.
Despite the serious mood of the conference, there still were lighter moments. Race car driver Bobby Unser signed autographs in the exhibit hall in conjunction with ATA Business Solutions. Country star Lee Ann Womack entertained the crowd at the annual closing banquet. And New Orleans native Harry Connick Jr. performed at Daimler Trucks’ customer appreciation event.
Senior reporters Rip Watson and Sean McNally and Associate News Editor Jonathan S. Reiskin contributed to this story.
