OTA Dispatch Issue 4 2019

Oregon Trucking Associations, Inc. 30 Oregon Truck Dispatch OTA News NEWS OTA Completes Successful Call on Washington In October, OTA members gathered in Washington, DC for the annual Call on Washington event with a purpose of sharing trucking industry concerns with key decision makers. Attendees got a chance to meet with every office of Oregon’s delegation to discuss infrastructure funding, the 18–20 year old apprenticeship program for interstate trucking, and United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), the new trade deal to replace NAFTA. OTA members also attended ATA’s reception on Wednesday evening with Congressman Walden and went to dinner as a group later that evening. It was a huge success, and for some, this was a brand new experience. Dave Hopkins with TP Trucking loved the experience, and said, “It was great being able to see how our government works and starting that relationship with our elected officials. I so hope to attend these events in the future, build on those relationships that we started, and learn so much more about how our government works and gets things done.” We look forward to having even more members participate next year! Michael Card, a long term Call on Washington attendee, continues to find benefit from the event: “This year’s trip to DC once again showed me how important this trip really is for our industry. We got to personally interact with 6 of our 7 members of congress making sure they understood those issues important to all of us. Maybe more importantly we shared critical information with all of their staff members. The interactions were candid and sometimes heated but we made sure they heard our concerns. This event is definitely necessary and should be attended by as many trucking executives as we can get.” Pictured: Ryan Hutchens with F. V. Martin Trucking Co., Evan Oneto with FedEx, Mark Gibson with Siskiyou Transportation, David Hopkins with TP Trucking, Nick Hewitt with PTSI , Representative Suzanne Bonamici, Todd Tracy with Freightliner Northwest, Nick Card with Combined Transport, Troy Hutchens with F.V. Martin Transport, Mark Christie with Freightliner Northwest, Michael Card with Combined Transport, and Jana Jarvis with OTA. Not pictured: John Barnes and Kurt Bowers with TEC Equipment.