Oregon Trucking Association, Inc. Oregon Truck Dispatch AS WE BEGIN a new year, we have witnessed a lot of change in the last few months and must ready ourselves for even more to come. We have seen a significant downturn in the market, rising inflation, continued workforce challenges, increasing trade tensions abroad, and a reduction in consumer demand leaving our industry with a surplus in capacity. The political winds of change are blowing as well. After a historic mid-term election, we are left with a divided Congress and a widening partisan divide that will likely result in gridlock until the next contentious presidential election. And that divide and increasing partisanship is often felt out in the states as well, where too little compromise is to be found, and too often the less glamorous work of oversight and governance is neglected in favor of political grandstanding. All of that can be enough to make the strongest optimist feel down at times. But as the old saying goes, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” And I don’t know of an industry tougher than trucking. We have seen more than our share of challenges before, and each time we have risen to the occasion. So, it seems time once again to show our mettle to meet the demands of the day. OTA stands at the ready to adapt to our changing environment, and help our industry face these headwinds straight on. You may have noticed our new logo. It is a symbol of the innovation and streamlining we seek to deliver at OTA to meet the coming challenges of the 21st Century. For example, our industry is undergoing a technological revolution as manufacturers bring online new alternative fuel vehicles and new advancements in automation; however, like any new technology, there will be some kinks to work out before it is ready for widespread adoption. But that hasn’t stopped regulators from mandating the adoption of these new vehicles without regard to potential near-term limitations in manufacturing or infrastructure upgrades required to support these emerging technologies. Therefore, OTA must be prepared to defend our industry from any such unworkable mandate. Or just take all of the critical infrastructure projects pending in the Portland area alone, where we are already facing funding shortages, uncertain project designs and cost responsibilities, and a widespread tolling mechanism that has yet to be determined. Indeed, a cursory review of just some of the top issues OTA is fighting on our behalf quickly reveals how important this time is in our industry. Government is poised to make critical decisions that affect our industry for decades to come. That is why I have called for the revitalization of our committee structure at OTA. In order for our association to respond effectively, we must have an active, informed committee membership that can provide detailed feedback in real time on how these proposals will affect our daily operations. The committees are the beating heart of our association, where the hard work and tough decisions are made in between board meetings. If you are not already involved in at least one, I encourage you to reach out to staff to see where you can get involved. I believe we have some of the best advocates out there working for us, but they can only be as good as the information and participation we provide them. We must also continue to build on our political programs. I am grateful for the progress we have made at TruckPAC in recent years, but we must not let up or get complacent—our opponents surely are not. If we are to succeed, we must keep our industry and our priorities in front of legislators, and this is a vital mechanism to do that. I am also reminded that due to COVID and renovations at the Capitol, it has been almost four years since we’ve been able to do our annual Trucking Day at the Capitol. It still remains to be seen if we are able to do one during the upcoming session due to potential ongoing restrictions. But if we are able to get one scheduled, I hope you will consider joining us. There are many new faces in Salem after the last 2 Evan Onteto OTA Chair OTA stands at the ready to adapt to our changing environment, and help our industry face these headwinds straight on. When the Going Gets Tough…
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