TMC Debates New Role Within ATA

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The president of American Trucking Associations was trying to sell his vision for integration with The Maintenance Council at its annual conference last week, but some members of the council weren’t ready to buy.

The proposal to fold TMC into ATA was a major topic of conversation among the 2,300 attendees

t the meeting in the Opryland Hotel. Perhaps the biggest concern expressed was the plan for mandatory membership in ATA as a prerequisite for TMC membership.

Employers of the maintenance directors and engineers who make up TMC’s membership are not required to belong to ATA. That would change, however, if TMC votes to integrate with ATA after Jan. 1, 2001, the deadline for ATA’s six affiliated councils to accept its strategic plan.

In that case, should a fleet decide not to join ATA, its people would no longer be able to hold membership in TMC.

In his March 17 speech to TMC, ATA President Walter B. McCormick Jr. said the industry would suffer were the council and the association to part ways.

“To fragment the work of TMC and separate it from ATA would diminish both our organizations,” McCormick said.

A transition committee of eight TMC members has been meeting with ATA to work on structuring the proposed alignment.

“Clearly, your group is one of the crown jewels of this important industry,” McCormick said. “We want TMC to prosper and continue. We want the support you have given the trucking industry to continue unabated.”

Carl Kirk, the executive director of TMC, described the stakes for his members.

“It’s an emotional issue for TMC members,” he said. “Their concern is that if the TMC-ATA alignment proceeds and their fleets are required to join ATA first, some fleets won’t join.”

For the full story, see the March 22 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.