The American Trucking Associations board of directors elected Pat Thomas as its 71st chairman, the federation announced. Thomas is the senior vice president of state government affairs for UPS.

“It is an immense honor to be chosen by my fellow ATA members as their chairman for the next year,” Thomas said. “I want to thank them for this opportunity and say how privileged I feel to be leading this outstanding organization at such a critical time for our industry.”

ATA president and CEO Bill Graves extolled Thomas’s advocacy of the trucking industry, saying, “His passion for trucking will serve this federation and our industry well.”

Thomas replaces, Duane Long, chairman of Longistics, Raleigh, N.C. as ATA chairman.

“The past year has been a tremendous experience for me and my family,” Long said. “I’d like to thank the ATA staff, the state association executives and my fellow truckers for the chance to serve as your chairman.”