TruckingMoves America — andItsOwn Image —Forward
Industry-wide campaign supports NTA’s education efforts
By Jennifer Barnett reed Contributing Writer
Public misperceptions about the trucking
industry and truck drivers have been a growing problem for the industry for decades. Now, for the first time, organizations from all segments of the industry — including the Nebraska Trucking Association — are coming together to do something about it. Te Trucking Moves America Forward
campaign officially kicked off in March at the Mid-America Trucking Show. It’s a cooperative effort involving American Trucking Associations, the Allied Committee for the Trucking Industry (ACT 1), the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA), the Owner Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA), a number of state trucking associations, carriers, and other national and local organizations related to the trucking industry. Te group has been working together for close to two years to develop a public relations push with the ultimate goal of educating the public and policy makers about the importance of the trucking industry to the economy and about how much progress the
industry has made in the areas of safety and environmental sustainability. “It truly is an industry-wide program,” said
Elisabeth Barna, ATA’s liaison to the Trucking Moves America Forward coordinating group. “We had a group of allied members, ACT 1, TCA and ATA involved in the development and foundation of the program, and then we’ve gotten a number of other segments of the industry involved, including tank trucks, auto dealers, individual drivers, individual companies and individual allied members. Tey’re supporting the effort financially or through in-kind donations, or just joining the movement and using the logo.” Te origins of the TMAF movement
go back to the fall of 2012, when ACT 1 approached Mike Card, then chairman of ATA. ATA hosted a meeting of initial stakeholders in January 2013 to kick off work on the idea, and in May 2013, the group used seed money provided by ACT 1 to hire a public affairs agency called Story Partners to implement the campaign. Te agency conducted focus groups and other research into ways the trucking industry could improve
its image, Mason said Different groups within the trucking
industry are usually cooperative, but the TMAF campaign takes that cooperation to a new level, said Jeff Mason, ATA’s executive vice president for communications and public affairs. “For the first time, OOIDA, the drivers
group, has been working very closely with industry groups like the ATA,” he said. “We shared a stage with them for the first time to announce the campaign. Tat really showed our unity. We’re trying to keep from branding the campaign as one group — anyone can use the campaign and add it to their signatures online, or attach their logo to it and use it for their website.” TMAF has three primary target audiences,
Barna said: policy makers such as legislators and government officials; the general public; and, just as importantly, the trucking industry itself. “How can we sell something if we don’t
believe in it?” Barna said. “You’ll hear a driver say ‘I’m just a truck driver,’ or a CEO will say
NEBRASKA TRUCKER — ISSUE 3, 2014 —
www.nebtrucking.com
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