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TRUCKING MOVES AMERICA FORWARD Restoring our image
TXTA member Empire Truck Lines bid high and won this truck wrap at the TXTA Foundation Live Auction.
Photo: Chester Loth
BY RENEE MILLER Contributing Writer
Who doesn’t recognize the check
mark logo on the side of a pair of Nike ath- letic shoes? Or, the bitten Apple on an iPhone or Mac computer? Who in the trucking world is unfamiliar with the Kenworth shield, or the distinctive crossbar on a Volvo tractor? Branding has become a critical component of all successful indus- tries. Branding is more than creating and using a graphic that is easily recognizable. It is about creating and sustaining an image – a footprint. It communicates core values, competencies and context. Perhaps, most importantly, it produces an emotional response that fosters a relationship between the members of an organization and the organization itself. Image is everything these days. The trucking industry has floundered in its image. Elisabeth Barna, COO of the
American Trucking Associations, EVP of Industry Affairs and executive committee member of Trucking Moves America Forward (TMAF), remarked, “The trucking industry used to be known as the ‘Knights of the Road’ – but, we’ve lost that respect.” TMAF is out to change that. TMAF is an industry-wide movement to create a positive image for trucking across the country and Texas Trucking Association is fully onboard with that mission. At the Mid-America Trucking Show
in Louisville, KY, Kevin Burch, president of Jet Express, Inc. and chairman of American Trucking Associations, recounted many of the successes of TMAF over the past year – moving billboard trailer wraps, increased donors and subscribers, impressive YouTube and Facebook viewership – all meant to increase education, awareness, and esteem for the industry. “Three years ago some on the Executive Committee were skeptical about our ideas and didn’t think
we’d reach our million dollar goal. We were just getting going, and already people wanted to abandon the project. That just gave me more inspiration and passion to move it forward,” Burch quipped. Seems that’s exactly what happened. A million dollars came in that year. Then a goal was set for 100 trailer wraps, and 100 trailer wraps installed. TMAF sets goals and reaches them and Burch is obviously a man who has a passion for the possibilities TMAF holds for the industry. Take the trailer wraps, for example.
An exciting and inventive possibility recently emerged for the development of 3D trailer wraps. Community leaders in Dayton came to Burch and wanted to part- ner up. “If we buy the wraps focusing on the Dayton story, will you offer a couple of your trailers for the wraps?” they asked. Burch and his team were happy to respond
Continues Issue 3, Fall 2016 17
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