The ATA announced the panels and speakers for the 2014 Management Conference and Exhibition in San Diego, Calif., on Oct. 4-7.

“The program we’ve assembled for this year’s MC&E is one of the strongest we’ve ever had,” said Bill Graves, ATA President and CEO. “We’ll be tackling important issues like safety, the economy, driver recruiting and retention, congestion and the upcoming midterm elections.”

Some of this year’s highlights include:

• Advocacy and Government Affairs Luncheon Keynote: Speaker Sen. Roy Blunt will speak about the reauthorization for the highway bill, long-term solutions to the Highway Trust Fund, the new HOS restart rule and other important issues for the trucking industry.

• Pollster Neil Newhouse of Pubic Opinion Strategies: Newhouse will talk about the current political trends and the perception of the trucking industry.

• Top economists studying the energy, manufacturing and retail sectors: ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello will provide an economic update.

• A panel of industry experts: The group will look at the impact of congestion and deteriorating infrastructure on trucking.

The conference will feature eight educational sessions for fleet executives on topics like driver recruiting and retention, fuel efficiency, and future trucking technologies.

ATA will also be hosting a series of “Talk With the Expert” forums at the ATA Pavilion in the Exhibit Hall. The informal discussions are for conference attendees to meet and discuss important issues with many of ATA’s subject matter experts.

For more information on the event click here.