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TCA Chairman Dennis Dellinger
calls on members to be involved
By Lyndon Finney
If you were to ask the Truckload Carriers Association’s
2020-21 Chairman Dennis Dellinger to share the platform for
his 2020-21 chairmanship, it would not take him long to tell
you what it is: Involvement.
“Any member of an association, and especially its incoming
chairman, should want the collective group to be involved,” he
said during his acceptance speech at Truckload 2020: Orlando in
March. “You want members to pride themselves in being a part
of something bigger and better, and you recognize that a lack of
involvement most likely leads to a general lack of awareness. I
echo the platforms of past TCA leadership in that we must get
more people involved in the efforts of this Association to be able
to effectively demonstrate the real size and scope that is the
truckload segment of our industry.”
In his speech, Dellinger, who is president and CEO of Cargo
Transporters in Claremont, North Carolina, shared that he is a
product of deregulation, having joined the company in 1986 as
a driver supervisor. He credits getting involved in TCA as a catalyst
to his professional achievements.
“I had two excellent mentors who believed in me, giving me
the confidence to explore, learn, and grow,” he said. “I used
that confidence to build upon and further my experience at the
company where I have filled a number of positions, providing
me with tremendous in-depth knowledge of the working mechanics
within Cargo Transporters. And from my growing network
of peers and contacts with whom I have interacted over
the years, I have come to gain outside fleet-management viewpoints
that have been applicable to our company as well. Today
I refer to those peers graciously as friends.”
During his trucking career, Dellinger said he has been involved
in and exposed to every kind of information-gathering
opportunity available to him.
He currently represents the North Carolina Trucking Association,
where he serves on the board of directors and is a past chairman.
He also serves on the board of directors and is the chair of the
Safety Policy Committee at the American Trucking Associations and
serves on the Advisory Committee for The Trucking Alliance.
“In other words, when it comes to this industry, my one key
piece of advice I give each of you is to get involved and get others
involved. I know there are some here today that are tired of
hearing me say ‘You can’t affect change if you don’t have a seat
at the table.’”
Looking back, Dellinger said that for many years he attended
the annual convention but was never was engaged.
He finally got involved with TCA because of the Association’s
image programs.
“I stand before you now knowing that my involvement at
TCA has grown from simply an image-centric platform to one in
which my entire company has benefitted just for being a part of
an Association whose sole purpose is to provide our truckload
segment an opportunity to thrive in this vast trucking industry,”
he said.
“You want members to pride themselves in being a part of
something bigger and better, and you recognize that a lack of
involvement most likely leads to a general lack of awareness,”
he told delegates. “I echo the platforms of past TCA leadership
in that we must get more people involved in the efforts of this
Truckload Carriers Association’s 2020-21 Chairman Dennis Dellinger is a product of
deregulation, having joined his company in 1986 as a driver supervisor. He credits getting
involved in TCA as a catalyst to his professional achievements.
Association to be able to effectively demonstrate the real size
and scope that is the truckload segment of our industry.”
Dellinger implored TCA members to stand behind the Association’s
shield and focus on the opportunities for growth that
the organization can provide.
He urged members to stay in touch with the TCA staff, which
he said would always focus on the needs of the membership.
“We are putting education at the center of our premise, helping
to create a carrier more in tune with solutions to real-time
problems,” he said. “Effective advocacy must be based on the
foundation that our membership is educated and aligned with the
realities that transpire on the roadways and in our operations. I
have experienced it firsthand, comparing what I learned through
TCA years ago to what is available now. The webinars and certificate
programs are light-years from where they once were and
now provide carriers an educational opportunity to focus on business
improvements. This reflects the imperative that if you have
not kept up with the times, then you are falling behind.”
If they had been keeping count, Dellinger said, the delegates
would have noticed he mentioned involvement 14 times during
his address.
“Associations thrive through membership involvement, they
excel by providing the setting for members to learn from one
another, and they succeed by speaking in a unified voice,” he
said. “I have been involved, I have participated, and I have
embraced the programs which have made our industry safer,
helped our businesses grow, and allowed our voices to be heard.
The endgame is real, the drive is purposeful, and I encourage
each and every person in this room to not only get more involved,
but also to insist that others do the same.
“Get involved in advocacy, education, and/or image. You
don’t have to drink from a fire hose, but chose something that
appeals to you or your company.”
TCA 2020 www.Truckload.org | Truckload Authority 27