Arkansas Trucking Association

Up Front- Eager to Serve

Shannon Newton
President, ATA

My career in the trucking industry began with a successful flatbed carrier based in North Little Rock. I was 23, a recent UCA graduate and this was my first “real job.” I was, to say the least, eager; eager to prove valuable, to contribute to something greater, to be treated (finally) like an adult and to wear my new, grown-up clothes. On arrival I was issued a regulation cubicle and a photo ID. I had arrived.

A few months later a memo informed all employees that we would have “special guests” the following day. We were reminded to have our workspace neat and to adhere to the professional dress code. I had no idea who these visitors were, but I got the message loud and clear; they were valued by my employer.

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The Last Word

Not Backing Down: The Fight for Highway Funding

By Philip Byrd, Guest Writer

Congestion and gridlock are, unfortunately, a way of life for us in the trucking industry. Traffic delays add costs, waste fuel and time and generally make the job of delivering America’s goods challenging.

Gridlock and congestion have also seized up our government in Washington – delaying critical actions that could make the job of delivering America’s good easier.

First, in June the Senate appeared poised to make our highways safer by easing the restrictions on the use of the hours-of-service restart. The Senate Appropriations Committee – by a bipartisan 21-9 vote – adopted language proposed by Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) that would have lifted the restriction on using the restart more than once a week and the requirement that the restart include two periods between 1 and 5 a.m. for a year while the impact on safety were studied.

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Arkansas Trucking Association Announces New President

Shannon Newton, Selected to Lead Industry Group

The Board of Directors of the Arkansas Trucking Association (ATA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Shannon Newton as President.

Shannon has been with the ATA since 2003 and has served as vice president since 2008.  She succeeds Lane Kidd who resigned earlier this year. Newton will assume her duties immediately.

 "When we began our search for a new president, we knew that an experienced leader with deep industry knowledge and a broad skill set was exactly what we needed," stated Craig Harper, ATA Chairman of the Board and EVP/COO of J.B. Hunt Transport, Inc. “Shannon is a dynamic leader and extremely knowledgeable on the complex issues faced by our members. The board was unanimous in this appointment. She became the clear choice to lead the Arkansas Trucking Association forward.”

 “I am honored and humbled to have been chosen to lead the ATA,” said Ms. Newton. “The Arkansas trucking industry is a recognized national leader. My years with the association, working on behalf of this great industry, the member companies and the thousands of dedicated, professional men and women, in the cab and out, have been so rewarding. I welcome the opportunity as president to continue to work with the ATA’s extraordinary and dedicated staff and with these extraordinary members to help drive our industry’s growth.” 

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Up Front - The Year of the Driver

Gary Salisbury
Chairman & CEO, Fikes Truck Line
Chairman, Arkansas Trucking Association

Over the past several years it seems like all we have talked about, looked at, pointed at and cussed about has been regulations and the re-regulation of our industry.  From CSA and electronic logos to EPA standards and the California Air Resource Board, just to name the big ones.  If only we didn't have all o these rules and regulations we could make some money. Oh, and don't forget those high fuel prices.

But guess what? We have taken our eye off of the real solution to our problems.  It all goes back to the Golden Rule of trucking, at least according to my uncle who drove and retired from Yellow Freight: "The driver, he will either make ya or break ya."

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