The American Trucking Associations has picked a state trucking association leader as its next president and CEO, naming Mark Colson to take over on December 1.

Colson has led the Alabama Trucking Association since 2019. He succeeds Chris Spear, whose abrupt departure on August 21 left the national association searching for a new leader.

The appointment puts someone who has spent the past seven years working directly with trucking businesses at the head of the industry’s largest national trade association.

ATA’s introduction of Colson offers some clues about the priorities he will bring to the job: earning members’ trust, strengthening the federation, and addressing the issues carriers face in their businesses.

“This is a unique moment for ATA to make a renewed commitment to the trucking industry and the professionals who call our industry home,” Colson said in the October 15 announcement.

“It’s a commitment built first on earned trust, a sense of family and purpose, and an unrelenting passion to fight for the issues that matter most to trucking.”

A Different Path to Washington

Colson’s connection to trucking started in his family’s tire shop, Blow-Out Tire Company.

His professional background is in business advocacy. Before joining Alabama Trucking, he held several leadership positions at the Business Council of Alabama, including interim president, senior vice president of governmental affairs, and chief of staff.

ATA Chairman Greg Hodgen, CEO of Groendyke Transport, emphasized that state-level perspective in an email to members.

“His connection to trucking began in his family’s second-generation tire shop, where changing truck tires taught him the value of hard work and grit, Hodgen wrote.

"Since 2019, he has led the Alabama Trucking Association, representing motor carriers and industry allies in the statehouse and in Washington, D.C. His belief in trucking is not something he picked up along the way. It is rooted in where he comes from and the people he has worked alongside.

“Mark brings a perspective grounded outside the Beltway, close to the carriers and professionals who keep America moving,” Hodgen wrote. “As an operator, I know how much that connection matters.”

ATA’s advocacy, he said, must reflect what it takes to operate safely, serve customers, invest in equipment, and keep a business running.

Colson’s emphasis on relationships predates this announcement. A 2019 profile, published shortly after he joined Alabama Trucking, reported that he planned to personally visit all 55 association board members during his first year. He also stressed the importance of telling the stories of the people who drive, maintain, sell, and manage trucks.

Following a Forceful Advocate

Colson’s route to ATA’s top job differs from that of Spear, who arrived with a résumé spanning Capitol Hill, federal agencies, and corporate government affairs.

When Spear succeeded Bill Graves in 2016, the transition brought immediate changes. ATA announced the departures of three senior executives just before Spear officially took over, describing the move as a first step toward a new direction.

Spear also quickly established a combative public style. In his first address to ATA members, he promised an aggressive pursuit of results and warned trucking’s opponents that ATA would fight back.

Graves could be pointed, too. But his speeches often reflected a pragmatic willingness to criticize both parties and acknowledge merit across the aisle. In a 2010 address, he faulted both parties for avoiding difficult infrastructure funding decisions while recognizing value in President Obama’s infrastructure proposal.

Spear worked closely with the Trump administration on priorities such as rolling back emissions regulations, while also criticizing its approach to tariffs, trade, and the Iran war.

His departure came well before the end of his contract. ATA’s board had unanimously approved an extension in May 2024 that would have kept him in the job through 2029.

How Colson will sound from ATA’s national stage remains to be seen. His record in Alabama, however, offers more than a change in tone.

Turning Relationships Into Action

Colson already has helped shape a national trucking initiative. He chaired the Trucking Association Executives Council task force that developed the seven-point Trucking Resurgence action plan, released in December 2025 to address regulatory gaps exploited by noncompliant carriers and unqualified drivers.

His fellow state association executives elected him the council’s vice chairman in July. He also has served on ATA’s Strategic Priorities Committee and Truck PAC Board of Directors, as well as the American Transportation Research Institute’s Research Advisory Committee.

In Alabama, he has pushed for lawsuit reform while working with a broader business coalition. In 2024, he told Alabama Daily News that the discussion did not have to pit business against trial lawyers—a glimpse of how he has approached a contentious issue.

Alabama Trucking Chairman Scott Smith, co-founder and CEO of PS Logistics, credited Colson with growing membership, setting revenue records, and strengthening the association’s political action committee.

“From cleaning out the bad actors to fighting for lawsuit abuse reform, he took on every major battle that motor carriers are concerned about,” Smith said.

Colson will become ATA’s 10th president and CEO since its founding in 1933. He takes over as trucking companies continue to work their way through a prolonged freight downturn.

“We must meet them where they are, listen to their concerns, and do everything we can to help them and their people be successful,” he said.