American Trucking Associations has reached an agreement on a new three-year contract with association President and CEO Bill Graves.

The announcement was made last week at ATA's annual Management Conference and Exhibition.

"By retaining Gov. Graves, the members of ATA are sending a strong message that despite the challenges we face in Washington, the professional staff of ATA is doing an exemplary job of advancing the goals and interests of the trucking industry," said ATA Chairman Dan England, chairman of C.R. England Inc., Salt Lake City. "That starts at the top with Gov. Graves and we're pleased that he'll be continuing to serve as ATA's president and CEO for the foreseeable future."

After serving two terms as governor of Kansas, Graves started with ATA in 2003.

In his time with ATA, the association has been a leading voice on highway safety, including support for an 18-point safety agenda, electronic logging, the current hours-of-service rules and limits on the speed of commercial vehicles. Since 2003, ATA has also undertaken a campaign designed to promote the trucking's role in environmental stewardship by reducing the industry's fuel use and carbon footprint.

"It has been a privilege to represent such a great industry and I'm honored that ATA's members are allowing me to continue serving them and their interests in Washington," Graves said. "As the economy continues to slowly recover and policymakers let loose with unprecedented assaults on trucking, there's never been a more critical time to advocate for the industry that delivers life's essentials more safely and efficiently than ever before."