Pat Thomas, current American Trucking Associations chairman and senior vice president for state government affairs at UPS, has been named the 17th recipient of the J.R. “Bob” Halladay Award.

The Halladay Award is presented by the ATA Trucking Association Executives Council and recognizes individuals who have contributed to the strength and success of ATA. Thomas began his career at UPS in 1985 as a delivery driver, rising through the ranks and joining the public affairs group in 1998, where his work developing state-level policy began.

"First as UPS' liaison to the states and now as ATA chairman, I can think of no one who has done more to advance our industry's interests at the state level than Pat,” said Barry Stang, TAEC chairman and executive vice president of the Motor Carriers of Montana.

Halladay was ATA’s senior vice president of federation relations and is considered the “Godfather of the Federation” by TAEC. Halladay passed away in 2012 and the Halladay Award honors his legacy of dedication to trucking and to ATA.

"I am honored to receive the Halladay Award because I know how much it means to the state trucking associations who present it and how much those associations mean to me," said Thomas. "The 'S' in American Trucking Associations is very important to me-- it demonstrates that we are a unified federation of organizations, all committed to advancing a pro-safety, pro-efficiency, pro-trucking agenda in statehouses and capitols across the country."