trip exposed him to new ways of thinking about the long-term and to consider where his own firm was headed. He became involved in the TXTA Foundation, the board of directors and the executive com- mittee. All of it gave him new insights into the motor carrier industry. “I started going to the annual confer-
ence because it was fun, and we had a great time,” he said. “The entertainment was neat. And then as time goes on, you get involved, and it’s like, you know, there’s a bigger picture here.” That involvement culminated last year
(August 2013 to August 2014) with Jurk’s leadership of TXTA. It was an eventful year despite the fact that there was no legislative session in Austin. The off-year offered an opportunity to rebrand the association as the Texas Trucking Association. Regional chapters in Dallas, Fort Worth, El Paso and San Antonio were formed. A special passion of his is the Emerging Leaders Council which trains young trucking executives in the industry, much as he was trained by Leadership 2001.
“It’s all about building membership,
providing services to the members so that they’re actively involved and they have member benefits,” he said. “That’s how you recruit people.” Meanwhile, the association’s finances
are strong. Under his leadership, TXTA worked on rebalancing its dues-paying structure so that carriers are paying the same amount based on fleet size, and allied members’ dues are consistent with other state associations. The association’s political involve-
ment is one of its most important duties. TXTA members are engaged with law enforcement and the Texas Department of Transportation in long-range transporta- tion planning. Meanwhile, the association is building relationships with lawmakers and strengthening its political action com- mittee, TruckPAC. “If you go to a rodeo, there’s some
guys sitting on the fence and they’re not doing anything,” he said. “There are a lot of trade associations like that, where they sit on the fence and they wait for the bull to
come out. But we’re involved in setting the rodeo up, if that makes sense. “We’re not just sitting there waiting
for a problem to pop up, and all of the sud- den we’re at the Capitol waving cardboard signs out front. That’s not the way we do things, and that’s why I like TXTA. I’m at a hearing in front of some legislators discuss- ing how the franchise tax in Texas affects me as an employer and company owner, and that’s what they want to hear. I never would have that opportunity if it wasn’t for TXTA.” John D. Esparza, TXTA president and
CEO, said Jurk is “one of the more dynamic chairmen that we’ve had. He’s well-spoken, he’s stoic; people pay attention to Russell. He’s an honest man so when he has an opinion, people really do listen because people know where Russell comes from. We’re lucky to have him.” Esparza said Jurk “passionately gives
his time and shares his leadership.” He said Jurk has challenged the organization to consider its current location – an older Continues
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