The trucking industry is going through a "transformational moment" as big as the ones triggered by the building of the Interstate Highway System and 1980's deregulation, said Bill Graves, president and CEO of the American Trucking Associations,
giving the keynote address this week at ATA's annual Management Conference and Exhibition in Las Vegas.

There are two main areas driving that transformation, Graves said: the political climate and increasing globalization.

Graves alluded to the political climate in his opening remarks, noting that planners of the event chose Las Vegas because "we wanted to get as far away from Washington as we could … without actually being in California." Although the joke drew plenty of chuckles, it reflects a serious concern about the unprecedented amounts of regulation the trucking industry is facing.

"Whether you like the results of the last election or not, government regulations will reach more into your business than ever before." With agencies such as DOT, EEOC, HHS, NHTSA, OSHA, CARB and more getting their fingers into the pie, Graves said, "the list of government agencies that now have a role in regulating your businesses now read like alphabet soup."

"The question is how you're able to deal with this myriad of government mandates and still find some enjoyment in running your business, provide service to your customers, and heaven forbid, make enough money to realize a profit."

The other area pushing this transformation change is increasing globalization, Graves explained, with a worldwide increase in access to education via information technology, and a fast-growing recognition that every person should have the right to improve their situation in life. "The global migration of jobs has become an accepted element of business success." Graves said.

"No matter how you look at it, these are unsettling and changing times," Graves said. "And the trucking industry is confronted with its own set of issues. How do we continue to move 83 percent of freight as measured by revenue and 70 percent as measured by tonnage, while lessening our impact on the environment? How do we travel more congested freeways while being safe? How do we move to new cleaner fuels? What will it take to attract a new generation of drivers who will be subjected to more scrutiny than ever? And how do we become more efficient in our utilization of equipment and drivers while providing better service to our customers while facing increasing restrictions?"

The trucking industry will be expected to solve these challenging questions, Graves said. "If we don't proactively develop solutions, someone else surely will," and that someone will be someone less knowledgeable about trucking and more likely to come up with a bad solution.

While Graves said his speech may sound critical of the Obama administration and the Democratic party, "I am equally critical of a Republican party that has nothing to offer but 'just say no' as a response."

ATA, he said, has moved beyond the days of "just say no" and become a proactive voice for the trucking industry, coming up with proactive solutions to the many issues faced by the industry. The members of ATA, he said, have developed a policy that supports the diverse agendas associated with sound environment, safety and national security, while protecting the vitality of the trucking industry and the economy.
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