6 Oregon Trucking Associations, Inc. Oregon Truck Dispatch Mark Gibson, Chair OTA in Action Committee/ President, Siskiyou Transportation THE ELECTION HAS concluded, most of the results are either confirmed or likely decided. Many of us didn’t get exactly what we wanted; however, we at least have an idea of where we are, who we must deal with and where we need to go. Now we need to sit down and evaluate our strong points as well as our week points and how we can utilize them both to their fullest. Weak points ` We still are not operating in a necessarily business-friendly political climate ` We will likely have even more climate mandates imposed on our industry ` We are more than likely headed into a recessionary period sometime next year Strong points ` We have developed coalitions with other groups that feel squeezed by the same political agendas ` OTA, through our Government Affairs program, has built strong relationships with those lawmakers we find on our side of the issues, as well as a strong presence in transportation mobility ` Most importantly, and the thing we can capitalize on the most, is the greater change in the positive image of trucking since the pandemic We in the industry know what trucking does for this country. We know what it did for this country before the Covid pandemic. One of the biggest strengths we gained from making it through the past few years was the fact that the general public began to realize the important role trucking plays in each of our daily lives. Many people found out that nearly everything in their lives was touched by trucking. This is a strength we need to capitalize on today and continue to grow moving forward into the future. How can we capitalize on that positive image today? We capitalize by continuing to educate the public, lawmakers, and regulators on the demands on trucking companies and their drivers to deliver goods and services to all members of society. With that, most members of society vote, lawmakers know that and listen to their constituents. We as an industry need to utilize our regained positive impression and value to help educate lawmakers and regulators to effect change, as well as to help form a realistic approach as to how we can care for our environment. One of the most productive ways we can do this is through our grassroots efforts. Now that the elections are mostly decided, we can begin to move forward with a plan to educate, build and strengthen relationships. I encourage every one of you to know your state representative and your state senator, as well as being at least informed of what is going on around you locally. OTA will again be reaching out to key contacts and the membership for help with this networking and relationship building. Our goal is to reinstitute our Annual Day at the Capitol during this next full legislative session. With another four years of what appears to be a very similar gubernatorial administration, yet a slightly positive change with a few more business friendly legislators, we know our work is cut out for us…again. This year’s Day at the Capitol will still look different. The Capitol will be closed, to a certain extent, with a continued construction project. But our intent is to still rally and make our presence known to lawmakers. Please, start thinking about what 2023 will look like. The upcoming year is a full legislative session and will likely be another challenging endeavor. Think about the upcoming year. We can no longer lament on who did or did not win the elections, we simply need to roll up our sleeves and move forward the best we can, with all the resources we can muster. Be ready to get involved in 2023!! The Great Trucking Reset Leveraging Trucking’s New Positive Impression to Educate and Influence One of the biggest strengths we gained from making it through the past few years was the fact that the general public began to realize the important role trucking plays in each of our daily lives.
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