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EVENTS
Trucking Day at the Capitol
A
fter months of planning, OTA launched the very first Trucking Day at the Capitol in
Salem, OR—an event geared toward connecting our members with the legislature and
promoting the trucking industry as a vital part of our economy. The event drew
attention to all passersby with five trucks parked in front of the building. This included a log
truck brought by Pacific NW Truck Museum, a Team Transport/Sherman Brothers truck, a
Glory Bee truck brought by NW Natural with help from Truck N’ Travel, Daimler’s new
Cascadia truck, and even one of ATA’s Interstate One Image Trailers with four America’s Road
Team Captains! OTA set up six themed tables in the Galleria to showcase our organization’s
mission and its dedication to safety, careers, the economy, and Truckers Against Trafficking
with educational materials, videos, and banner displays. Attendees and guests were encouraged
to wear “Trucking Moves Oregon’s Economy” buttons to show their support for trucking and
our importance to the state.
After a brief introduction from Jana Jarvis, OTA President, Sen. Boquist and Sen. Johnson were
invited to speak about some of the topics important to the industry. Gary Oxley, President and
Evyan Andries, Vice President of Oxley & Associates, and Bob Russell, OTA Vice President/
Government Affairs, also presented to the group. Right before lunch, America’s Road team got
a chance to share their stories and successes.
Over 100 attendees were then broken out into groups to attend appointments with legislators
for the remainder of the day and discuss our main topics of interest. In between appointments,
everyone got a chance to view the trucks/trailers outside and connect with others within the
Capitol building.
The day concluded with a hosted evening reception at the Grand Hotel in Salem where
members mingled with legislators and other OTA members. “OTA Chairman, Bart Sherman
stated, “It can be intimidating for newcomers and seasoned legislative veterans to address our
legislators because of the ever-changing environment trucking has to drive within... I truly
believe the legislators were impacted by our visit.” Some of our members had never
participated in event like this, but despite their experience, all members learned something
new and found the experience valuable!
OTA would like to acknowledge Aaron Thomas of Thomas & Sons Distributors for helping
sponsor our Trucking Day at the Capitol! Thank everyone to who showed up to support
trucking—we definitely stood out, and we look forward to an event like this in the future.