MC&E: Canary Offers No Apologies for Industry
In his comments, Canary painted trucking as an unheralded, but vital industry.
“Think about the vitality of this industry. Bringing the Halloween candy that fills the grocery store aisles, the costumes, in the end bringing most of what our families consume,” Canary said. “And yet, again, when you think about it, all of this is done without the fanfare that it deserves. It's almost magic -- it just happens as if there isn't a father or a mother, a brother or sister, out on the roads doing their job so that we can do ours.”
In highlighting ATA’s achievements in the past year, Canary talked about his mission to strengthen the bond between state associations and their members and ATA.
Touting trucking’s contributions to the economy, Canary emphasized that the industry has nothing to apologize for.
“The truth is that more people should be thanking us, because without trucking America stops and that is something that we will never allow to happen on our watch,” Canary said.
Canary also pointed to trucking’s contribution to the war on terrorism in the 13 months since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
“Never has ‘On Duty for America’ been more appropriate than this very week. Last year, I stood here and told you how we witnessed a tragedy, a senseless taking of life that affected each of us. This year, while not of the same magnitude for many, I also stand before you following a senseless tragedy,” Canary said. “Using our Highway Watch program, which trains drivers to be vigilant on the roads that they drive, we issued bulletins from the police that they felt would be helpful in apprehending the villains responsible for the killings.”
Canary’s address was the highlight of Monday’s general session of the Management Conference and Exhibition in Orlando, Fla.
(Click here for the full text of Canary’s comments.)
