Up Front - Alternative Route
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- Created: 03.15.2023
Shannon Newton
President, ATA
In a regulated industry like trucking, solving industry problems often seems to require an act of Congress. I don’t mean that figuratively. The IIJA that provides federal dollars to our crumbling infrastructure was a bipartisan victory that passed only after years of lobbying and negotiation. The creation of FMCSA’s Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse to keep drug abusers out of commercial trucks was also a literal act of Congress, thanks to Rep. Rick Crawford (R-Ark.) partnering with ATA to persuade his colleagues that carriers needed a way to flag drivers with positive drug tests when they apply for the next driving job.
In Arkansas, we often ask our Legislature to understand our business and to pass laws that help us do our jobs better with fewer complications.
But not every challenge we face requires navigating the halls of the Capitol. Over the last year, ATA has been working through a specific challenge without waiting for elected officials to take a single vote or pass any new laws. Some months ago, we learned that the path from interest to employment for a new CDL driver is especially cumbersome.
The Last Word
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- Created: 03.15.2023
Happy Birthday to the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse!
By Marilyn Surber
On Jan. 6, 2020, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration launched the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse that would allow employers to have quick access to the drug testing violation history. For the last three years, every employer has been required to add drug testing information for its current drivers and to check (query) the drug testing history for new hires.
At three-years-old, the Clearinghouse should officially have enough data to give a clearer picture of drug testing in the industry. It’s hard to believe we are here already. What have we learned over the past three years and what does this milestone mean for carriers trying to qualify and hire professional truck drivers?
Up Front - 'Tis the Season
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- Created: 01.18.2023
Shannon Newton
President, ATA
It probably feels a little late to send season’s greetings. You’ve eaten your black-eyed peas and cornbread and probably pulled the Christmas tree to the curb or boxed it back up in the attic, but this, too, is a season I am ready to greet.
Arkansas has a new gubernatorial administration for the first time in eight years. There are new cabinet secretaries, new commissioners, new legislative liaisons and policy advisors. As the 94th General Assembly of the Arkansas Legislature begins, there are even more new faces around the Capitol with 31 individuals serving for the very first time. (see page X for our election recap).
All that newness can be exciting, but the unknown can also be intimidating.
Our elected officials, returning or fresh-faced, are also deciding what to do with this season. As leadership changes, so do agendas and priorities.
The Last Word
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- Created: 01.18.2023
Popularity Contest: People Like Truckers
By Trucking Moves America Forward
In September, Trucking Moves America Forward commissioned a survey to measure the impact of awareness and image campaigns. The TMAF campaign was launched in March 2014 at the Mid-America Trucking Show to improve the image of the trucking industry and educate the public on the impact of the industry and its relevance to the American way of life.
When the survey was last conducted pre-pandemic in 2019, 67% of respondents had a favorable impression of the trucking industry.
Since then, the public’s perception of trucking has only improved. In fact, the image of trucking is stronger than ever.
The public perception of the trucking is at an all-time high with the poll finding that the majority of Americans – 87% of voters – have a favorable impression of trucking, which is the highest public opinion has been since TMAF began tracking industry views almost a decade ago. More and more Americans continue to realize the essential role that trucking plays in the nation’s economy and in all of our lives, thanks to industry-wide education efforts.
