A Change in Strategy
A change in presidential administrations — indeed, a broad shift in Washington’s political atmosphere — has provoked a change in how trucking presents its messages to federal politicians and staffers.
Top executives flock to American Trucking Associations’ Winter Leadership Meeting every February to take the pulse of the industry and organize association positions on the chief issues affecting the movement of freight.
Over the years, the truckers have invited congressional and administration officials to appear, rub elbows and, most important, discuss their intentions about legislative bills and government policy. That happened again this year, when new Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood addressed the assembly of ATA leaders on the critical need to infuse new money into the national infrastructure building and repair program.
Mr. LaHood already had publicly run an idea up the flagpole — a federal tax on vehicle miles traveled — which drew more fire than Old Glory above Fort McHenry. He had no need to unfurl that idea again, so he spoke to the truckers on the theme of thinking “outside the box” and considering all options for highway financing.
In turn, ATA members were able to reinforce in the mind of a key administration official their willingness to pay a higher fuel tax, provided the money is actually spent on roads and bridges.
All in all, it was an informative exchange, and it was conducted, as usual, on the truckers’ turf of choice.
Where the executives departed from leadership meeting tradition was to follow up Mr. LaHood’s remarks with visits to the offices of their congressional representatives on Capitol Hill.
Borrowing from a playbook well used by state trucking associations that regularly send groups of members to Washington, the ATA leaders formed a grassroots phalanx, fanning out to knock on doors, bringing trucking’s message directly to the lawmakers.
“We’re now taking the offensive route instead of the defensive,” ATA’s ebullient chairman, Charles “Shorty” Whittington, declared. He described the maneuver as a change in strategy for ATA.
It’s a strategy inspired by a changing environment. In this case, a sudden melting of global, national and individual fortunes and a profound shift in politics has brought out an innovative approach to delivering trucking’s message.
Speaking of which route to take, if anybody knows what to do at a crossroads, it should be a trucker.
