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A CHAT WITH THE CHAIRMAN
Dave Williams, who serves as senior vice president of equipment and government relations for Phoenix-based Knight-Swift Transportation, picked up the reins as chairman of the Truckload Carrier
Association during the group’s annual convention in March. Since that time he has stayed busy, working to provide valuable educational and governmental resources for members.
Congratulations on completing your first quarter
as chairman of the Truckload Carriers Association
(TCA). What goals do you have for TCA in the next
two to three months?
We have some really good things going on right now. We are
working toward getting the entire organization hyper-focused around
creating value for TCA members. We are focused on developing ways
to improve the driving job, to improve roadway safety, to improve motor
carrier financial sustainability, to shape the industry’s environmental
stewardship efforts, and to improve the industry’s image.
We are also developing several new value opportunities. Over the
next couple of weeks, we will be meeting with two new subject-based
benchmarking groups to see how we can help member fleets improve
in equipment maintenance and safety management. Many fleets have
expressed a high degree of interest in getting their safety and maintenance
personnel more connected so that they can learn from the experiences of
others. More to come!
In June, TCA hosted the 2023 Safety & Security
Division Meeting in San Antonio, Texas, and the 2023
Refrigerated Meeting is scheduled for July. How do
events like these benefit TCA members?
The Safety & Security and Refrigerated Meetings have both recently
experienced significant makeovers, so if you haven’t gone in a while,
I would encourage you to attend. As part of our focus on value, the
leadership teams from both of these groups have been challenged to
continue raising the bar in presenting the highest quality educational
content. These meetings provide an excellent opportunity to get educated
on the latest regulations, to catch up on the latest trends, to share best
practices, and to really get a chance to interact with some of the best
subject matter experts and suppliers in the industry. You won’t want to
miss out.
September is just around the corner. In addition to
the association’s Fall Business meetings, members
are encouraged to take part in the annual Call on
Washington, D.C. What issues do you see at the top of
the agenda?
The beauty of TCA’s Call on Washington is that TCA members can
discuss the issues that are top of THEIR agenda. There is no script.
These meetings provide a chance for TCA members to get in front of
policymakers and help members of Congress understand what keeps
them up at night. If you’re not comfortable sharing a concern specific
to your own business, there are plenty of general industry topics to talk
about — truck parking, abolishing the Federal Excise Tax, the realities
of zero-emissions tractors, lawsuit abuse, nuclear verdicts, predatory
towing, the attack on the independent contractor model … the list goes
on and on. There are some really important issues that impact our
businesses every day. Most members of Congress don’t fully understand
how important these issues are. The Call on Washington is one of the
best opportunities to step up and inform them.
In the May/June 2023 edition of Truckload Authority,
you mentioned that it’s vital that the trucking industry
look beyond “next week” and “next year,” and focus on
more long-term goals for the next few years and even
decades. Please share some of your long-term industry
goals.
Sponsored by Mcleod software / McLeodSoftware.com / 877.362.5363
28 Truckload Authority | www.Truckload.org TCA JULY/AUGUST 2023