By Chris Brandt Staff Reporter A merican Trucking Associations' affiliated conferences support the spirit of the trucking group's restructuring plan, but some have serious reservations about key provisions. That's the word from conference leaders, who have now had time to mull over the Wren Committee's recommendations. Developed by a 20-member team led by John Wren, chief executive officer of Lakeville Motor Express, Roseville, Minn., ATA's plan would cut dues, increase membership and integrate affiliated conferences into the national organization. The Munitions Carriers Conference fully endorses the Wren Committee plan. It needs to be done so we can go about our business.
Some conferences are less keen, however, on some of the plan's particulars.
They take issue with the requirement that all conference members join ATA and one state association. Currently, carriers can belong to a conference without joining the national organization or any state association. ATA believes this situation is hurting the national organization, since non-ATA members get access to all the research and policy support ATA provides to the conferences. TCA, for one, rejects the mandatory membership requirement. As a consolation, TCA's board said it would establish a task force to recruit TCA members who are not ATA members and carriers who don't belong to any part of the ATA federation.