Truckload Authority - April/May 2019

MAY/JUNE | TCA 2019
Talking TCA
Dan Doran and Josh Kaburick
explain why continuity is the key to
keeping TCA moving forward
By Klint Lowry
Every time the United States swears in a new president,
it is inevitable that somewhere during the coverage someone
will, in very formal, profound-sounding tones, praise the
“peaceful transition of power” being witnessed.
Compare that to the scene every year at the close of the
Truckload Carriers Association Annual Convention, when the
sitting TCA chairman passes the torch to his successor. It is
also a smooth transition, but with less gravitas, less pomp.
It’s downright collegial, more like a gathering of familiar
friends. There’s good reason for that.
At the TCA’s 81st Annual Convention, it was Dan Doran
in the role of outgoing chairman and Josh Kaburick as the
incoming chair. With about 36 hours to go before the official
handoff, they sat down together to talk about the chairmanship.
The conversation began with them laughing at the suggestion
that maybe the moment of transition should include
more trappings, something like they have for Miss America,
with a crown and a sash.
They laughed not just at the thought of either of them
waving as they walked along a runway cradling a bouquet,
but because of their perspective of what the chairmanship is
all about.
“To play devil’s advocate, there’s maybe a little too much
emphasis put on the chairman’s year,” Doran said. It’s an impressive
title, he continued, and it’s a privilege to hold that
title, but “it’s not really like a presidential election where’s
he’s stepping in.”
What may not be apparent to an outsider or even to casual
TCA members is that the yearly changing of the guard
in the chairman position isn’t a transition of power at all.
Rather, it represents the continuity that is one of the organization’s
great strengths. Ascendancy to the chairmanship
is not achieved through backroom politicking or aggressive
campaigning, but rather by long-term commitment and
teamwork.
“We’ve worked side-by-side for, what is it, eight years?”
Doran asked Kaburick. “We’ve been in the same rooms, discussing
the same things.”
A TCA chairmanship lasts roughly a year, from one convention
to the next, but for the person assuming the title,
that year comes after serving several years as a member of
the TCA Officers group.
At any given time, there are eight to 10 members in the
Officer’s group. When a new officer joins the group, they are
appointed an at-large officer, Doran explained, “just getting
in the group and getting your feet wet.”
Throughout one’s time in the Officers group, you are
working with your fellow officers, communicating throughout
the year, he said. The group comes together at the annual
convention and at an annual retreat and then again at TCA’s
Fall Business Meetings. Continuity within the group and the
familiarity that comes with it is an asset that allows the
group to chart and navigate TCA’s long-term course.
After a few years, an at-large officer will take on a designated
role, such as vice chair to the American Trucking Associations,
or secretary or treasurer. These roles carry a lot of
responsibility and can be rather time-consuming, Doran said.
For the sake of efficiency, someone might hold one of those
positions for a few years, before eventually being named
second vice chair, then vice chairman, then chairman.
Once in one of the vice chair positions, involvement in the
organization ramps up even more, as one works more closely
with the chairman and the immediate past chairman. In recent
years, it’s become a custom for the current and incoming
chairmen to pay a visit together to TCA headquarters in Alexandria,
Virginia, to get better acquainted with the staff.
You know a couple of years ahead of time when your year
in the chairman’s seat is going to be, Doran said. And by the
time your year comes, you’ve been working with your predecessors
so closely, you’re fully prepared.
The phrase “passing of the torch” is an apt metaphor
when it comes to the TCA chairmanship. It is like the running
of the Olympic torch, with each torchbearer taking a
segment of a single route.
“And for me, it’s, ‘man, don’t get in there and screw it up,’”
Kaburick said. “I mean, it can be easy as the chairman, because
you get to have a little bit of an influence in what are
some of the main points we want to spread some light on.”
20 Truckload Authority | www.Truckload.org TCA 2019