Up Front- True Crime: Trucking Episode
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- Created: 03.28.2024
Shannon Newton
President, ATA
Scam narratives are in the zeitgeist. We are drawn to the stories of people who could have been us, who were ripped off and taken advantage of. They are cautionary tales that keep us safe because they remind us to stay alert.
You can’t turn on a podcast or streaming network without finding a dozen accounts of the people who’ve been bamboozled by scam artists. The victims might lose a few hundred dollars in a pyramid scheme or their life savings to an online catfish. The irreplaceable loss for all of us is in our trust.
In the trucking community, we do our best to look out for each other, and when fraudsters prey on the men and women who move America’s freight, we don’t just watch it happen.
Last month, WBTV in North Carolina began reporting on a three-part investigation, “The Wild West of Towing in Charlotte,” about tow business owners facing multiple felony charges. With red yarn, a cork board and somber tones, the reporters presented their findings which included millions of dollars in stolen goods, car chases, kidnappings, drug trafficking and an incredible criminal ring of towing businesses in the area.
Closer to home, and only slightly less sensational, another towing scam has been operating in the Memphis metro area and preying on our members.
The Last Word
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- Created: 03.28.2024
Yearning for Normalcy
After eight years as Governor and a full year of campaigning for President of the United States, it is about time to shift gears. While I will continue to write and speak on the risks ahead for our country and the GOP, I do want to reflect on the historic opportunity I have had to lead this state and to campaign for the highest office in the land.
Of course, this column is about the last word. And, yes, the voters had the last word and said perhaps another time. While my campaign was not able to go the distance, we did make it to the Iowa Caucus which allowed me to forcefully make the case that we need effective leadership on border security, energy production and national security.
I pushed for a return to “normalcy” where leadership is bringing out the best of America and not governing by chaos-driven turmoil every day. People are worn out from the inability of Washington to work together and get things done.
My journey campaigning across the country also gave me an appreciation of the strength of America, our love of freedom and the willingness of Americans to sacrifice for our liberty and the common good. In Exeter, N.H., I spoke on the same stage that Abraham Lincoln made a speech in his campaign for President in 1860.
Up Front- Echo
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- Created: 01.25.2024
Shannon Newton
President, ATA
The first few weeks of a new year, we’re all speaking our resolutions into the universe. We name what we care about, what we’re working on, the word that summarizes our aspirations, the problems we want to solve and the kind of people we want to be.
A lot of those visions and nice ideas will be abandoned by February. But sometimes, we keep repeating them. Bravely shouting into the void, “This still matters,” until our voices are hoarse.
In trucking, we’ve been resolving to address the workforce shortage and lack of safe, accessible truck parking for years. We talk about it regularly at meetings and over coffee. We pull up to roundtables and panels to share our experiences in hopes of compelling action. We tell researchers who literally publish a list of our top concerns that local and national media report to our audiences. We call on legislators in Arkansas or we get on an airplane and visit those in D.C. to tell them what we need to do our jobs better and safer.
We keep vocalizing what we are striving for. We make noise, because in some spaces—the angles, the distance, the textures--that noise is reflected.
And we hear echoes.
When the sound waves reflect off surfaces, it bounces back, repeating our message. And each bounce adds to the echo, finding new surfaces.
This year, we have had the opportunity to hear our resolutions echoed back in spaces where real change happens.
The Last Word
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- Created: 01.25.2024
Freight, Fights and Federal Halls
By Michelle Hanby
On Nov. 14, 2023 I had the pleasure of joining Arkansas Trucking Association’s president, Shannon Newton, and ten others from the industry, for ATA’s Call on Washington. It was my first time attending, and it did not disappoint.
The Hill was alive with activity: the House had been without a speaker for weeks, voting was going on and the hallways were a flurry with staffers coming and going, tension between Israel and Hamas was escalating, and protests were popping up across the city. On the afternoon we landed, one senator even challenged the Teamsters’ president to a fist fight.
We walked what seemed like miles through the tunnels and hallways—between meetings with Arkansas’ delegation. I have never considered myself star-struck, but it’s hard not to be in awe seeing the faces and offices of those who make the laws for our country.
To be honest, though, I never considered myself political. I have voted in nearly every election I was eligible for, but if the candidate I voted for didn’t win then I certainly didn’t lose sleep over it. I’m terribly embarrassed to admit this, but, until the last several years, I believed it really didn’t matter that much.