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Award-Winning Regional Journal of the Arkansas Trucking Association
Arkansas Trucking Report is owned by the arkansas trucking
association, inc. and is published bimonthly by matthews Publishing
group. for additional copies, to order reprints of individual articles or
to become a subscriber to ATR, contact kelly Crow at 501.372.3462.
publisher
JENNIFER mATTHEWS KIdd
matthews Publishing Group
jennifer@matthewspublishing.com
managing editor
KELLY CARGILL CROW
kellycrow@arkansastrucking.com IT TakES Two
executive editor
LANE KIdd My family always viewed politics quite differently. My father
contributing writers
art director was a diehard Republican whose favorite politician was Richard
STEVE BRAWNER JENNIFER BARNETT REEd
brawnersteve@mac.com jbreed13@gmail.com Nixon. My mom was a true blue Democrat whose favorite was
SAm EIFLING JOHN SCHULz
sameifling@gmail.com jdschulz@aol.com Bill Clinton.
ERIC FRANCIS TOdd TRAUB
eric.francis@yahoo.com toddtraub@centurytel.net
CALLIE HOYT Growing up in the 1960s, our house was a stone’s throw from my mom’s two
calliehoyt@truckingalliance.org
JON d. KENNEdY, brothers’ homes so there were lots of large Sunday dinners. You could count on two
The Freelance Co. LLC
freelanceco@comcast.net topics of discussion. The first were always spirited debates about politicians—the good,
production editor bad and the ugly—and whether Democrats or Republicans were better equipped to
SHANNON NEWTON
ad production lead the country. Nobody ever swayed to the other side. It was simply a family ritual –
dEAH CHISENHALL, dUSTY TOWNSENd
illustrator a lot of jabber, an exercise in hot political debate. And then everyone would eat.
BRENT BENNETT
brentdraw@cox.net The second topic was business. My dad, the Republican, and his two brothers-in-
photographers
JON d. KENNEdY, BOB OCKEN, KELLY CARGILL CROW
law, one a ferocious Democrat and the other somewhere in between, owned three
trucking companies, having cobbled together operating rights between them for a
variety of commodities and routes.
www.arkansastrucking.com Unlike their politics, they were almost always in agreement on business issues and the
president
LANE KIdd strategies for solving them. Then as now, the trucking industry was highly regulated
lanekidd@arkansastrucking.com
vice president and politicized. And my dad and uncles carried their messages to their politicians—
SHANNON SAmPLES NEWTON
shannonnewton@arkansastrucking.com Democratic and Republican.
director of operations
SARAH NEWmAN SHEETS Those three trucking executives, my only reference growing up, weren’t allegiant to
sarahsheets@arkansastrucking.com
communications director one political party when it came to their livelihood – they needed Democrats and
KELLY CARGILL CROW
kellycrow@arkansastrucking.com Republicans to support their businesses.
executive assistant
SARA AdAmS
saraadams@arkansastrucking.com Another election day has come and gone, always a great day for democracy. In
administrative assistant
STEPHANIE VERdELL Arkansas, Republicans will now hold majorities in the Arkansas General Assembly for
stephanieverdell@arkansastrucking.com
CHAIRmAN OF THE BOARd the first time since the years following the Civil War, but by the slimmest of margins
GARY SALISBURY
Fikes Truck Line in the 100-member House of Representatives.
President & CEO
BOARd OF dIRECTORS
mARR LYNN BEARdEN mARK mORRIS In Washington, the president was re-elected, the U.S. Senate will remain in the
marrlin Transit, Inc. morris Transportation, Inc.
President President control of the Democrats and the Republicans will continue to hold a majority in the
ALLEN BERRY dR. JOHN OzmENT
Central States manufacturing, Inc. U of A/Walton College of Business U.S. House.
Transportation director Chair of Transportation
GREG CARmAN PAT REEd
Carman, Inc. FedEx Freight Like 40 years ago, the trucking industry remains highly regulated and taxed. But we
President Executive Vice President & COO
dAN CUSHmAN G.E. “BUTCH” RICE III are also an industry that has become increasingly loyal to only one political party to
P.A.m. Transportation Services, Inc. Stallion Transportation Group
President & CEO President & CEO get us where we want to go.
CRAIG HARPER ROY SLAGLE
J.B. Hunt Transport, Inc. ABF Freight System, Inc.
Executive Vice President & COO President & CEO Our predecessors believed trucking was “apolitical” in that both Republicans and
AL HERINGER IV JEFF SmITH
Star Transportation, Inc. Utility Tri-State, Inc.
Vice President President Democrats recognized the value that our industry brings—delivering the nation’s
BLUE KEENE WAYNE SmITH
Tyson Foods, Inc. Wayne Smith Trucking, Inc. freight—the backbone of the U.S. economy. Those legislators liked the trucking
Transportation director President
SCOTT mANCHESTER VICKI JONES STEPHENS industry, regardless of the letter behind their name.
Truck Centers of Arkansas C.C. Jones, Inc.
Vice President, Truck Sales President
mIKE mCNUTT CHRIS SULTEmEIER Perhaps a lesson to be learned in today’s “split down the middle” political climate is
distribution Solutions, Inc. Walmart Transportation
CEO, Owner Senior Vice President that we in trucking could do a more effective job delivering our message. Some 40
ROdNEY mILLS STEVE WILLIAmS
USA Truck, Inc. maverick USA
Vice President & General Counsel Chairman & CEO years ago, my elders recognized the important roll both political parties played in
an affiliate of the american trucking achieving their objectives. They needed Republicans and Democrats to get the job
associations done. We still do—now more than ever.
Arkansas Trucking Association (ATA) is an Arkansas corporation of trucking
companies, private carrier fleets and businesses which serve or supply the
trucking industry. ATA serves these companies as a governmental affairs
representative before legislative, regulatory and executive branches of
government on issues that affect the trucking industry. The organization also
provides public relations services, workers’ compensation insurance, operational
services and serves as a forum for industry meetings and membership relations.
For information, contact ATA at:
1401 West Capitol, Suite 185 Lane Kidd
Post Office Box 3476 (72203) Drivers Legal Plan
Little Rock, Arkansas 72201 President, Arkansas Trucking Association
Phone 501.372.3462 Fax 501.376.1810
www.arkansastrucking.com lanekidd@arkansastrucking.com
Drivers Legal Plan
arkansas truCking rePort | issue 5 2012 7