Opinion: A Motivation Based on Our Missions
I>President
merican Trucking Associations
In life we have goals and missions because there is never enough time to accomplish everything that we would like to. Some might think that a goal and a mission are very much the same thing, but I would argue differently. A mission is a calling of a higher magnitude — an ongoing effort that requires a firm commitment to principles and values that you hold dear.
Our industry cannot survive by looking down the road and planning long-term strategies that require us to weather present-day crises. Those crises require solutions now. President Bush recently said we had found our mission and our moment. ATA has also found its mission and its moment, and ours is a motivation based on our missions — a new paradigm in leveraging all of our assets with a passion towards unconditional victory.
We have a mission to unify our federation. This mission was best symbolized by our dedication of Federation Hall during the Winter Leadership Meeting. I wish that everyone could have seen this tremendous gathering. While we will disagree occasionally, that’s all right, because discord based on principle is acceptable. But that night we saw our federation as a strong federation that will continue to grow in strength and in stature. That is our mission.
The legacy that we will engrave in Federation Hall is a simple message — a message of respect. Respect for our history, respect for our members and respect for the spirit that lives within the borders of our federation.
We have a mission to significantly increase our membership over the coming year. Not just increase our membership, but to double it. Membership is what ATA is all about. By doubling our membership we strengthen our unified voice; it allows us to stand on Capitol Hill, at the White House, wherever our advocacy battles carry us, and state unequivocally that we represent the American trucking industry.
We have a mission to fight the insurance crisis that grips our industry. Simply put, we move the American economy. If increased insurance rates put us out of business, America stops. This is a battle that ATA will wage on behalf of its members in partnership with our state executives and their associations.
We have a mission to fight tolls on our nation’s Interstate System. Currently there are efforts underway in several states to toll the interstates. The National Conference of State Legislatures recently reported that revenues in 45 states failed to meet budgeted levels. Without a strong voice, the efforts to toll our roads will only increase as states struggle to find funding. We will fight this fight as we fought it in Arkansas. We were successful there and we will be successful again. We will not surrender the position.
Our most important mission for America is to ensure that no truck is ever used as a weapon of mass destruction — zero tolerance. ATA continues to take a leadership position on this issue. We’ve published our views, most notably in the Feb. 6 Wall Street Journal. In January, we gathered the various trucking interests to examine security from an overall industry perspective and reach a consensus that we needed to develop a security plan that can easily be adopted across the board. We continue to work with the Bush administration to assure the nation that nobody takes security more seriously than we do. America’s Trucking Army can do no less. I’ve discussed this with both the president and the attorney general of the United States and will continue to do so.
Today, I am proud of ATA and its federation. Our spirit has never been higher and we have never stood closer together than we do at this moment.
This article appeared in the Feb. 25 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.
