Trucking Sets New Agenda at ATA’s Annual Meeting

This story appears in the Oct. 15 print edition of Transport Topics.

LAS VEGAS — The leaders of the nation’s trucking industry meeting here set their agenda for the next year, led by a drive to continue their efforts to push the federal government to make more changes to the Compliance, Accountability, Safety program.

The leadership of American Trucking Associations also agreed to create a task force to study options for highway infrastructure funding that could gain political traction and to attempt to proactively persuade the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to undergo a formal rulemaking process before making any decisions on sleep disorder screenings.

A record number of more than 2,500 attendees at ATA’s Management Conference & Exhibition also heard details on the economic and operational challenges they are likely to face in coming years, and they saw a wide range of products on display in the exhibit hall.

At the conclusion of the Oct. 7-10 conference, Michael Card was elected the new chairman of ATA. Card, the president of Combined Transport Inc. in Central Point, Ore., succeeds Dan England, chairman of C.R. England Inc.

“The long-term macro outlook for trucking has never been better, but the near-term micro view continues to be very challenging,” ATA President Bill Graves said.

Throughout the conference, the top challenge was ensuring that CSA data were accurate and properly portray carriers’ safety.

Card outlined the many separate venues where the CSA program, which is administered by FMCSA, was discussed.

“The [ATA] executive committee talked about it, and every policy committee discussed items that were affected by CSA. Among our members, there is a lot of concern about CSA still,” he said.

The uncertainty surrounding some aspects of CSA was also evident from the packed crowds at several educational sessions that focused exclusively on the rule and brought together federal regulators, legal experts and industry representatives (see story, p. 1).

CSA also topped the list of current industry concerns, according to the annual rankings survey conducted by the American Transportation Research Institute (see story, p. 4).

While maintaining its opposition to more tolling, ATA’s new task force will try to find several possible ways to bring more revenue to the Highway Trust Fund. It also will reach out to other transportation groups that also are advocating for increased funding in an attempt to form a coalition (see story, p. 5).

“ATA has worked very hard to be proactive in what they are prepared to be for and to support,” Graves said. “So, as the debate develops in Washington, we want to make sure where our members are on the array of funding options for infrastructure.”

Also at the meeting, ATA’s board agreed that the federal government should base decisions regarding sleep disorder screenings for commercial drivers on science and avoid issuing guidance that could take effect immediately without industry input (see story, p. 5). ATA urged FMCSA to follow the formal rulemaking procedure, which would allow full industry participation.

“Fatigue and driver health are two serious issues facing the trucking industry,” Graves said. “However, as important as it is to address those issues, it is equally important for the federal government to use the regulatory process — with its emphasis on science-based outcomes and cost-benefit analyses.”

Other challenges tackled head-on during MCE were steps that fleets need to take themselves to reverse the shortage of qualified truck drivers (see story, p. 1).

While federal regulations have thinned the pool, executives said fleets must find ways to reach out to the younger generation.

The shortage is projected to worsen as the economy picks up steam. A panel of economists predicted very modest growth next year, assuming that Congress and the next president reach an agreement to avoid the “fiscal cliff” (see story, p. 4).

The exhibit hall at the conference included nearly 180 exhibitors, including about 25 first-timers (see story, p. 4).

One truck manufacturer representative said there was a noticeable increase in attendees’ interest, estimating that 20 or more people were climbing into his trucks, compared with only a couple the entire show a few years earlier.

MCE took place with the presidential election looming only one month on the horizon. The industry was nearly united in the belief that a victory by Republican nominee Mitt Romney would provide a better business climate for the next four years.

Card, the new ATA chairman, agreed with that assessment but offered a word of caution.

“Regardless of who is elected, we are going to have a lot of fights on our hands the next year. There are a lot of rulemakings coming down the pike,” Card said.

He also said that, as chairman, he would be determined to find ways to further improve the industry’s image with the public.

“That will help us influence our political leaders better than anything we can do,” Card said.