OTA Dispatch Issue 2 2018

4 Oregon Trucking Associations, Inc. Oregon Truck Dispatch FROM THE PRESIDENT Jana Jarvis OTA President/CEO A s you explore this issue of the OTA Dispatch , you’ll see that it focuses on membership, which, as a membership- driven organization, is the core of OTA. All of the activities, outreach, education, events, and advocacy that we undertake as a staff and an organization is with our membership in mind. As we all know, there are several areas of interest and a diverse set of challenges that our industry faces and, as a result, our association must address. OTA is the hub for coordinating and meeting the needs of Oregon’s trucking industry, and our members are who make it all happen. We may all have different duties, job roles, or responsibilities within the industry, but at the end of the day we want the same thing—a thriving trucking industry in Oregon. “To say nothing is saying something. You must denounce things you are against or one might believe that you support things you really do not.” – Germany Kent Advocacy is a large portion of what OTA dedicates our time to. I know we’ve said it before, but it never hurts to repeat—having a concentrated, cohesive voice on the public stage gives the Oregon trucking industry a stronger presence when fighting against issues that are detrimental to how trucking companies operate, or supporting candidates and policies that can improve it. Rather than cacophony of disparate voices that only serve as a distraction, OTA is the conduit for a focused, synchronized chorus of our combined voices. Of course, this isn’t a solo effort. The more voices we have, the more our message resonates. While you may not be ready to stand alone in front of a microphone, being an active, engaged OTA member means you don’t have to. Your voice can still be heard. “The only thing worse than training your employees and having them leave is not training them and having them stay.” – Henry Ford, Founder, Ford Motor Company The trucking industry, more so than others, is guided by rules and regulations. Employees in every department have to be aware of the federal, state, and local mandates. It’s a lot of information to absorb and requires ongoing training and updates. While OTA remains dedicated to being a key resource for keeping companies and employees informed, our education goals reach beyond that. We not only want to simply disseminate information, we want to help you understand how that knowledge can work for you. With the OTA University initiative, we’ve expanded beyond FMCSA-required training and OSHA updates and have developed complete certification programs with role-based curriculum, the first of which was the NW Fleet Safety Certification program. The second graduating class was recently recognized at the Spring Safety Conference. We are now in the midst of launching the NW Fleet Maintenance Certification program, with classes beginning in June. These programs feature classes over the course of a year that not only provide information needed to comply with rules and regulations, they also explore how attendees can be more effective leaders and how they can apply what they learn with their own teams. Whether just starting out in their careers, or long-time employees who are looking for a refresher, these programs are designed to produce well-rounded, focused graduates. The small class sizes mean attendees receive individual attention and have the chance to collaborate and learn from those around them. OTA University also has plans to launch additional programs in the areas of human resources, management, and leadership. With the unique curriculum these programs offer, members have the chance to get the training and development tools they need in one centralized location. “It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things.” – Leonardo da Vinci The Value of Advocacy— The Importance of Membership