Thank You Letter
T he past year has been a challenge for Alabama's trucking industry. But in spite of that, your Association and its collective membership have demonstrated an incredible level of hardiness and resilience. We've accomplished so much this year and I want to recognize those who made my term as chairman successful. First, I thank Harry Clark for his leadership of last fall's ATA Golf Classic, which raised more than $100,000 (a record amount) for our political action committees, ALA-TON & TRUK-PAC. We are building a war chest to support candidates and political parties that support us. The elections of Greg Shaw to the State Supreme Court and Bill Thompson to the Court of Civil Appeals were huge victories for the state's business community. Harry's efforts and the membership's participation in the Golf Classic helped facilitate these key political races. Recently, Gov. Bob Riley signed into law Alabama's Steel Coil Bill (SB 316), which signifi-cantly increased penalties for those who drop coils and established training guidelines for drivers who haul them. Our Association made a choice early in the process, to be proactive rather than reactive when it came to the enforcement of Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration rules regulating the securement and transport of steel coils in the state. After a review of accidents between 2005 and 2006, this association, assisted by state and fed-eral transportation safety agencies and key state policymakers, determined that the causes of those accidents were not the regulations themselves but that some drivers were not following load securement guidelines. We also determined that some companies were not properly training drivers and employees. ATA led the effort to frame language that became the foundation of the legislation supported by Paul DeMarco, Jabo Waggoner and Seth Hammett. The bottom line is our industry will become more responsible and operate safer. Speaking of safety, I was privileged recently to present awards to the state's safest fleets and trucking employees at the 2008 SMMC Fleet Safety Awards. I was amazed at the number of member firms that achieved a zero percent accident rating during the previous five years. That's right, zero percent! We also presented awards to the safety professional of the year, maintenance professional, and the state's top three drivers. Our efforts are resulting in reduced accidents and fewer incidents. Skip Williams is our 2009 Convention Chairman. He, Fenn Church and a dedicated team eclipsed last year's record sponsorship levels just look at the agenda they've cooked up for this year's convention! I also thank convention sponsors and attendees for their interest, contribu-tions and attendance. Please make sure to thank Skip and Fenn for all their hard work. As I prepare to close my tenure as Chairman for FY 2008-09, I acknowledge that the last year has been difficult for our industry, but with the support and dedication of the Association's board of directors, membership, and staff, I believe we've accomplished great things. We are not only surviving but setting new records and raising the bar for transportation safety in Alabama. That's what I call hardiness and resilience. And for that, I thank each and every one of you! T.J. Willings 2008-'09 Chairman of the Board Alabama Trucking Association T.J. Willings 2008-'09 Chairman of the Board `We are not only surviving, but setting records and raising the bar for transportation safety in Alabama. That's what I call hardiness and resilience. And for that, I thank each and every one of you!'