Welcome Message
T hank you for attending your trucking Association's 71st Annual Convention and Meeting. I know you will be glad you made the trip to Sandestin this year. The issues we will discuss and address will help us reach our many goals for the coming months. Truckers are faced with the most difficult conditions for operating a business since the early 1980s, maybe longer. But I'm confident that if any group can adapt to difficult economic times, it is truckers. We are a tenacious group, and we realize what our industry means to the nation's economy. We will do great things in the coming year to help things turn for the better. As always, ATA's convention is as much of a celebration of our industry as it is a meeting of our group. The next few months are going to be very important for our Association, and this week we will prepare to embark on the long road of success for trucking in Alabama. We have so much planned it's a mix of business and pleasure at one of the Gulf Coast's most beauti-ful resorts. Here's a brief rundown of the major events planned: On Thursday evening, we kick things off with a welcome reception, which includes a top-notch fireworks show over the beach. If you attended ATA's convention two year's ago, you realize this is not something you want to miss. Friday morning is our annual business meeting with keynote speaker former congressman and current FOX News pundit John Kasich. His appearance is made possible by Randall-Reilly Publishing. Prior to that, Commercial Carrier Journal editorial director Avery Vise will lead a discussion panel of transportation safety experts including officials from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Alabama Department of Public Safety and safety officials from this Association. The panel will discuss the recent passing of the state Steel Coil Bill, Comprehensive Safety Analysis (CSA) 2010 and the Ticketing Aggressive Cars & Trucks (TACT) program. Afterwards, we will break for the convention golf tourna-ment at The Links golf course this event is always a favorite for our group. Saturday morning, American Trucking Associations Chairman Shorty Whittington will address our group. Later that evening we will celebrate the leadership of current ATA Chairman of the Board T.J. Willings. T.J. has been a hands-on leader, representing our indus-try very well and with profound dedication to making our industry better, stronger and safer. Finally, I want to thank our many convention sponsors. Their generosity and commit-ment to trucking is strong, and they're the reason this Association can produce such a worthwhile event. In the meantime, I look forward to seeing you this weekend. If you have any suggestions on how we can improve our meeting, please let me know. Skip Williams 2009 Convention Chairman President, J-Lynn Transportation Skip Williams 2009 Convention Chairman President, J-Lynn Transportation Taking Charge of Change 2 A LABAMA T RUCKER 2009 C ONVENTION S PECIAL E DITION