The Trucking Industry Defense Association will award its inaugural Endowment Fund Grant in the amount of $8,000 to the Virginia-based American Transportation Research Institute.
ATRI will be recognized at an Oct. 2 ceremony during TIDA's 2008 Annual Conference in San Diego.

TIDA was founded in 1993 as a national organization committed to actions and activities that promote safety and reduce costs to the trucking industry. Members include motor carriers, transportation logistics companies, insurers of motor carriers; third party claims administrators and defense counsel.

"We conducted an exhaustive search in an effort to find an organization that shares TIDA's vision. We firmly believe ATRI plays a critical role in improving safety related to the trucking industry," said Paul Berne, TIDA Endowment Committee chair and previous TIDA president.

ATRI, part of the American Trucking Associations Federation, is a 501(c)3 charitable institute whose primary mission is to conduct research in the field of transportation, with an emphasis on the trucking industry's essential role in safe, efficient, and viable transportation systems.

"The grant will allow ATRI to move forward with several studies which industry stakeholders have identified as priorities," said Rebecca Brewster, president and chief operating officer of ATRI.