OTA Dispatch Issue1, 2021

16 Oregon Trucking Associations, Inc. Oregon Truck Dispatch OTA as One, cont. So here’s a quick and easy refresher (this applies to both the state and federal levels of government): What is a Political Action Committee? Aside from the legal fund, which is earmarked for a specific purpose, how are OTA’s other advocacy efforts supported? In a word—TruckPAC. Because advocacy is a major member benefit, a portion of dues is directed at supporting OTA’s government affairs team; however, the primary funding mechanism comes through fundraising events for and contributions to the Oregon TruckPAC Fund. But, what exactly is the TruckPAC? Without going too far into the various nuances of a Political Action Committee (PAC), it essentially pools contributions from members and donates those funds to campaigns for or against candidates, ballot initiatives, or legislation. Contributions to the TruckPAC come in all sizes, from both companies and individuals. In its current form, the TruckPAC contributes to candidates as OTA. Individual members or member companies will never be affiliated with a candidate or party, which could be a concern for some in the day of doxing and online attacks. In special recognition of consistent top donors, OTA launched its TruckPAC Leadership Circle several years ago. These are the companies and individuals that are especially dedicated to ensuring that OTA has the tools and resources it needs to fight the fight; however, TruckPAC isn’t just for large companies or big donors. Individual contributions of $100 or more can push OTA efforts to the next level. Find out more about TruckPAC contributions at www.ortrucking.org/truck-pac. TruckPAC makes it possible—from courting and supporting candidates, to media outreach, and educating and engaging legislators and the public. This means that member support of TruckPAC is essential and every dollar counts. But, OTA isn’t looking for only monetary support… Growing the Grassroots Effort OTA members represent a snapshot of our diverse industry. Companies big and small. Logging to LTL to logistics and everything in between. As individuals, members may have different opinions on any number of issues, but they all understand the importance of Oregon’s trucking industry and value the opportunity to shape its future. The past few years, OTA has coordinated a trucking day at the Capitol and been involved with other industry rallies to bring attention to the issues and potential actions that would affect operations and bottom lines. While each individual may not garner the attention of legislators and decision makers, as a whole Oregon trucking gets noticed because our members show up. Your participation makes the difference. In the midst of a pandemic, with restrictions on gatherings and legislators going remote, OTA will need to call on members more than ever to keep our concerns front and center. While we’ll certainly call on all members to be part of “OTA in Action,” our advocacy team is now actively recruiting and training individuals interested in being an OTA “Key Contact.” Our goal is to have at least one key contact in every district to lead activities and outreach to their specific legislators, interface with various local agencies and feed any intelligence they gather back to OTA. Mark Gibson (Siskiyou Transportation) chairs the OTA in Action committee and will also lead this recruitment effort. For more details on the key contact program, be sure to read his article in this issue of the Dispatch . OTA and its members have been tasked to educate, promote, and influence on behalf of the trucking industry. Now more than ever we need a choir of individual voices to up the volume of the message our industry needs to convey. Whatever your comfort level, your interests, or the time you can spare, there are ways to get involved in OTA’s mission—a mission you took as your own when you became a member. Questions or suggestions? Send an email to [email protected] .