Issue 1, 2018

4 Oregon Trucking Associations, Inc. Oregon Truck Dispatch FROM THE PRESIDENT Jana Jarvis OTA President/CEO W e are off to a strong start in 2018! Projections for the US economy remain strong, demand for freight far outpaces supply, and economists predict this growth trend to continue well into the future. ELD’s became the standard in the middle of December and the impact of that change has affected the operations of small and large carriers alike across the country. ELD opponents continue to challenge this both legislatively and legally while supporters continue to remind regulators that the underlying hours-of- service standards are the problem—not the technology that records them. And all of this battle is fought on a field of growing freight demand and consumer expectations. The net result of this environment is a growing range of challenges for each of you. First, and foremost, is the increasing shortage of qualified driver applicants to fill the demand. Nationally, the industry has a shortage of over 50,000 drivers today. I hear from many of you that you have trucks parked in the yard due to this shortage. And overlaying this issue is the topic of increasingly fast-paced technological changes that create the challenge of where best to make investment. The talk about autonomous vehicles and platooning create an even larger challenge in attracting individuals into the trucking industry. The trucking industry is poised for change. More change possibly in the next ten years than we have seen in the past fifty or so years. The decisions you make today as a carrier owner, manager, safety expert, maintenance professional, human resource manager, or other aspects of our industry have the opportunity to greatly impact the future of your company. There is so much information available— more than you can easily keep up with—so how do you make sure you are ensuring a strong future? One way is to connect with the association that represents your industry. The Oregon Trucking Please visit www.ortrucking.org/dispatch-magazine for previous editions of the Dispatch ! OREGON TRUCK Issue 3 | 2017 ADVOCATING, EDUCATING, AND PROMOTING THE TRUCKING INDUSTRY INSIDE Interviewwith ChrisOuten TDCRecap HealthyTrucker Challenge OREGON TRUCK Issue 2 | 2017 ADVOCATING, EDUCATING, AND PROMOTING THE TRUCKING INDUSTRY Carson Advocacy | Portland CharlieEveryTruckingCompany, Inc. Image | CentralOregon McGinnBros.Trucking,LLC Education | EasternOregon FVMartinTrucking,Co. MemberBenefits | SouthernOregon RonBowers, Inc. Networking | WillametteValley Share thiswith: Transportation/ Operations Safety/Compliance Maintenance/Shop HumanResources Associations is here to help you navigate the future through training, networking, and advocacy efforts. I know that you have heard this before—and you may even think it’s a bit trite to make that statement. I have been with you for three years now (this month!), and I truly believe that investment in the association created to protect and advocate for your industry is one of the best investments you can make. It is more effective to lobby for an industry where you represent the majority of the members that comprise it. It is easier to create meaningful educational events when you know you will have a large number of participants. It is more possible to hire the talent you need to when you have spread the burden of that cost across the majority of those in your industry. We have slowly, but surely, been changing the way we do business at OTA in order to be more effective on your behalf. From outsourcing our needs where it is more cost effective, to revamping the products we offer, to bringing you programming and education of value; the ongoing challenge for me is what do I need to create that you will find valuable? We started this a couple of years ago when we developed the NW Fleet Safety Certification program and we are continuing to expand these offerings. We will be launching the NW Fleet Maintenance Certification program at our Maintenance Fair & SuperTech events in March and will follow that up with a revised New Carrier program mid-year. Class offerings from OTA will be expanded to offer training on topics in the human resource arena as well as management and leadership training opportunities. We will be contracting for some of this training, but all of the planning and development of these programs will be the responsibility of a new Director of Training & Development at OTA. I am also in the process of hiring a new Director of Government Affairs to oversee our advocacy efforts. Bob Russell has (frequently!) announced his retirement at the conclusion of the 2018 legislative session and these will be large shoes to fill. Bob is, and has been, an icon to the transportation industry in Oregon. Not only to you, our member, but to other organizations and policy makers at the local, state, and federal level. No one deserves the opportunity to (finally) retire more than Bob, and he has plans to enjoy this retirement to its fullest. He will, however, remain OREGON TRUCK Issue 4 | 2016 ADVOCATING, EDUCATING, AND PROMOTING THE TRUCKING INDUSTRY ALSO INSIDE 2016EventRecaps In theFightAgainst HumanTrafficking, WhyTruckers? Alphabet Soup OREGON TRUCK Issue 3, summer 2016 ADVOCATING, EDUCATING, AND PROMOTING THE TRUCKING INDUSTRY