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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
communications director & managing editor MakE EvEryoNE SIT DowN
KELLY CARGILL CROW
kelly@matthewspublishing.com President Thomas Jefferson was once asked how he could make war
executive editor
LANE KIDD with his political enemies during the day and cordially dine with them
contributing writers
STEVE BRAWNER TODD TRAUB at night. He replied, “I never considered a difference of opinion in
brawnersteve@mac.com toddtraub@centurtel.net
SAm EIFLING JIm hARRIS politics, in religion, in philosophy, as cause for withdrawing from a
sameifling@gmail.com jimharris9692@sbcglobal.net
J.K. JONES ERIC FRANCIS friend.”
jkjeditor@yahoo.com JENNIFER BARNETT REED
JOhN SChULz
jdschulz@aol.com It used to be that a spirited political debate was the cornerstone of American politics. But it
art director was simply a precursor—a time to mark your ground before the real negotiating began.
JON D. KENNEDY, The Freelance Co. LLC
freelanceco@comcast.net
production editor Today, politicians, especially those in Congress, like to profess their ideology. Then they
ShANNON NEWTON
stroll off the floors of the Senate and House of Representatives so they can hold a cable
ad production
DEAh ChISENhALL, DUSTY TOWNSEND news conference and repeat those ideologies. That’s it. There’s no process for actually
illustrator
BRENT BENNETT moving forward.
brentdraw@cox.net
photographers
JON D. KENNEDY, BOB OCKEN, KELLY CARGILL CROW Some would jokingly say that is a good thing. But most agree that government has a role,
however limited, to benefit the lives of its citizens and American business.
Government and trucking are forever linked in this way. We are one of the few industries
www.arkansastrucking.com that work alongside, literally within feet, of millions of motorists each day. And the
president
LANE KIDD entire U.S. economy depends on trucking to deliver more than 80 percent of the nation’s
lanekidd@arkansastrucking.com
vice president manufactured goods. Those realities are too important to leave to chance.
ShANNON SAmPLES NEWTON
shannonnewton@arkansastrucking.com
director of operations So, government has the public’s interest in mind when it tries to wring unsafe trucking
SARAh NEWmAN ShEETS
sarahsheets@arkansastrucking.com operators off the highways; in having highway emergency response systems in place; in
communications director & managing editor keeping shippers from unloading their liability onto trucking companies; in making sure
KELLY CARGILL CROW
kellycrow@arkansastrucking.com
administrative assistant trucks are well-maintained; in keeping drug abusers out of trucks and off our highways; in
STEPhANIE VERDELL
stephanieverdell@arkansastrucking.com making sure drivers don’t exceed their hours operating a tractor trailer, and so on.
ChAIRmAN OF ThE BOARD
mARR LYNN BEARDEN But when it comes to how government spends trucking’s tax dollars on infrastructure, the
President
marrlin Transit, Inc.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS railroads have us beat. They don’t need government for that. Railroads own their tracks.
mIChAEL BARR PATRICK L. REED And when the rail folks decide to spend more money, they simply spend it—about $1 billion
President Executive Vice President & COO
Transco Lines, Inc. FedEx Freight
ALLEN BERRY G.E. “BUTCh” RICE III more this year than last, by the way—about $5 billion total.
Transportation Director President & CEO
Central States manufacturing, Inc. Stallion Transportation Group
GREG CARmAN GARY SALISBURY Trucking must get government’s approval. But Congress isn’t listening. An industry that
President President & CEO
Carman, Inc. Fikes Truck Line has offered to invest more money on the nation’s infrastructure is simply ignored. That
DAN CUShmAN JEFF SmITh
President & CEO President
P.A.m. Transportation Services, Inc. Utility Tri-State, Inc. offer doesn’t fit the agenda right now. So for ideology, nothing may happen, and what was
CRAIG hARPER WAYNE SmITh
Executive Vice President & COO President once the world’s most efficient distribution network of highways and bridges is slipping
J.B. hunt Transport, Inc. Wayne Smith Trucking, Inc.
AL hERINGER IV VICKI JONES STEPhENS behind its global competition.
Vice President President
Star Transportation, Inc. C.C. Jones, Inc.
BLUE KEENE ChRIS SULTEmEIER
Transportation Director Senior Vice President After eight years of waiting, Congress is finally debating trucking’s highway funding and
Tyson Foods, Inc. Walmart Transportation LLC
RODNEY mILLS RIChARD SWEEBE safety legislation. Most observers predict ideology will win—the political right concluding
Vice President & General Counsel President & CEO
USA Truck, Inc. Diamond Companies, Inc. the bill spends too much and the political left concluding it spends too little, and safety
mARK mORRIS STEVE WILLIAmS
President Chairman & CEO
morris Transportation, Inc. maverick USA initiatives will be lost in the shuffle. Nothing changes, except if you’re standing still, you’re
DR. JOhN OzmENT ROBERT A. YOUNG III
Chair of Transportation Chairman of the Board going backward.
U of A/Walton College of Business Arkansas Best Corporation
an affiliate of the american trucking Congress should heed Thomas Jefferson’s advice.
associations
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: Lane Kidd
1401 West Capitol, Suite 185
Post Office Box 3476 (72203) Drivers Legal Plan President, Arkansas Trucking Association
Little Rock, Arkansas 72201
Phone 501.372.3462 Fax 501.376.1810 lanekidd@arkansastrucking.com
www.arkansastrucking.com
Drivers Legal Plan
arkansas truCking rePort | issue 1 2012 7