Arkansas Trucking Association

The Arkansas Trucking Association (ATA) is pleased to announce a formal partnership with DriverReach, a mobile-enabled recruiting management system for hiring CDL drivers in order to address the driver shortage and promote innovative solutions to industry problems.

Recruiting, hiring and retaining qualified drivers is a critical problem for the trucking industry. The American Trucking Associations reports that there is a shortage of 50,000 truck drivers to meet the needs of the freight business. If the trend continues, it is estimated the shortage will reach 174,000 unfilled driver positions by 2026.

Arkansas Trucking Association held its second annual Safety Symposium at the Embassy Suites in Little Rock on October 2-3. This year's line-up offered attendees from 28 member companies six educational sessions.

The event was sponsored by Coolfire Solutions and DriverReach.

Tuesday morning was dedicated to Litigation Landmines in three sessions led by attorneys from Wright, Lindsey & Jennings LLP. First Kyle Wilson and Michael Thompson delivered direction about how to react in the critical moments after an accident in their presentation “First Response.” Then Neemah Esmaeilpour discussed drugs and how to ensure you have a drug-free workplace now that Arkansas has legalized medical marijuana. Esmaeilpour answered questions about what to do when your employees qualify for their medical marijuana card and how important it is to identify safety-sensitive positions.