Over the past 75 years, American Trucking Associations has weathered countless challenges — from the early years of debating the fundamentals of the Code of Fair Competition to the eventual deregulation of the industry to the high fuel prices of today — these challenges have helped shape us as an Association and they’ve served to underline the importance of speaking with a unified voice — something our first president, Ted V. Rodgers, understood long before we were known as ATA.
Even as we celebrate the milestone of our 75th anniversary, the intentions of our founders ring clear: “The particular business and objects of this corporation shall be the education of those engaged in the industry of transporting property … the purpose shall further be the mutual improvement and advancement of the interests of those…” I am proud of all we’ve been able to accomplish and will continue to accomplish with this mission in mind. We have certainly come a long way from our days in the Transportation Building at Seventeenth and H Streets.
It would have been impossible in 1933 to imagine the industry and the Association as it is today — just as it is impossible for us to imagine now where we will be in another 75 years. But there is one thing we do know: we are at a defining moment in our history. The issues we face today — from high fuel prices to infrastructure funding with environmental and safety regulations, card check, cap and trade and a countless number of other issues peppered in between — will greatly impact our future.
If you’ve heard me say it once, you’ve heard me say it a million times: “This Association is only as strong as our members empower us to be.” Your involvement defines our success today, will be the predictor of our success tomorrow and is responsible for our success over the past 75 years.
