Arkansas Trucking Association

Up Front- Won - Not Done

 Shannon Newton
 President, ATA

Grown men huddled around water-coolers talking Cinderella, bracket busting, buzzer beaters, jubilant celebrations and teary-eyed defeats are all part of the hoopla and frenzy that is March Madness. This single-elimination tournament between 68 teams determines the national champion in college basketball. The phrase March Madness references the excitement, passion, unpredictability and craziness surrounding the tournament.

While the country celebrates this annual rite, a debate has emerged over the “one and done” rule by which the NBA requires players be one year removed from high school, before entering the draft or signing to play professionally. One and done describes a player who attends college for one, obligatory year before bolting for the prosperity of the NBA.

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The Last Word

Nostalgic Investment

By Steve Williams, Chairman & CEO of Maverick USA

Nostalgic? Perhaps. I remember my Dad and grandfather's 160 horsepower KB 6 Internationals roaring across Missouri on US 40. I remember when the Interstate System didn't exist, watched it get built and used up during my lifetime. I remember the time when we dreamed big dreams and then made them a reality. We built things. In 1955, in President Eisenhower's State of the Union address he said, "A modern, efficient highway system is essential to meet the needs of our growing population, our expanding economy and our national security." He was also told that if he went through with this idea that he would not be re-elected. He was, by the way.

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Up Front- Seizing Opportunities

Craig Harper
J. B. Hunt Transport
Chairman of the Board, ATA

Depending on your outlook, the trucking industry has many daunting challenges to address or critical opportunities to seize in 2015 and beyond. Of course perspective matters, but this is not just a clever case of semantics. It’s about mindset.

Research suggests a powerful link between how we impact issues and the frame of reference we bring to bear upon them. Management consultants tell us the same is true of organizations: the difference between achieving a wildly successful outcome and experiencing a dismal failure is sometimes only a slight shift in perception. How important is our perspective, and how much difference can you create with a subtle shift in mindset? Just as important, how influential is our environment upon our current outlook?

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The Last Word

Change Marketing, Driver Roles to Recruit Young Drivers

By Steve Brawner, Contributing Writer

The ideal truck driver is a 20-year veteran who is physically fit, has worked only for one carrier, has never had an accident and has already been named Driver of the Year.

Unfortunately, there aren’t many drivers like that available. In fact, the reality is just the opposite. According to the American Trucking Associations, the industry already faces a driver shortage of 35,000, and that number could grow to 240,000 by 2020. Given that reality, carriers can look for drivers among the usual sources – other carriers, second careerists, etc. Or they can widen the pool by looking at one other often-ignored source.

Young people.

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