Mary Phillips Steps Down from ATA Legislative Post

Mary Phillips, senior vice president for legislative affairs at American Trucking Associations for the past three years, is stepping down from her post.

Phillips, who was in charge of the ATA lobbying office during passage of the 2012 highway bill, MAP-21, said in a release that she plans to reestablish her consulting business, Phillips Strategic Services.

The moves comes as Congress gears up for the next highway bill, a crucial test for trucking interests on Capitol Hill.

“[ATA] will have a further announcement in the coming days,” said spokesman Sean McNally in an email.

Phillips said in a statement that she is extremely proud of ATA’s successes on Capitol Hill. She listed the freight provisions in MAP-21, the electronic recorder mandate and the requirement for a field study of the hours of service restart rule, as well as legislation on sleep apnea regulation.

She said she will provide consulting services to ATA on the upcoming highway bill, tax reform and other priorities.

“I look forward to continuing to work on ATA’s behalf in a consulting capacity,” she said in her statement. “The coming Congressional debates on policy and funding issues will be pivotal to the future of the trucking industry.”

“We’re going to miss Mary, but we are thrilled that she will still be part of our team in a consulting role,” said ATA President and CEO Bill Graves in the statement.

Phillips came to ATA from professional staff positions on the Hill, where she served on the Senate Commerce Committee, and at the Department of Transportation, where she worked at the Federal Highway Administration.