'By retaining Gov. Graves, the members of ATA are sending a strong message: that despite the challenges we face in Washington, the professional staff of ATA is doing an exemplary job of advancing the goals and interests of the trucking industry,' ATA Chairman Dan England, chairman of C.R. England Inc., Salt Lake City, said. 'That starts at the top with Gov. Graves and we're pleased that he'll be continuing to serve as ATA's president and CEO for the foreseeable future.'
'One key part of effective leadership is consistency,' said Barbara Windsor, immediate past chairman of ATA and president and CEO of Hahn Transportation Inc., New Market, Md. 'With this multiyear commitment, ATA ensures that we will have, strong, consistent and effective representation in Washington and I couldn't be happier to get this done as one of my final acts as ATA chairman.'
After serving two terms as governor of Kansas, Graves start with ATA in 2003.
In his time with ATA, the association has been a leading voice on highway safety, including support for an 18-point safety agenda, electronic logging, the current hours-of-service rules and limits on the speed of commercial vehicles. Since 2003, ATA has also undertaken a campaign designed to promote the trucking's role in environmental stewardship by reducing the industry's fuel use and carbon footprint. In addition, ATA has been a leader under Graves on the issue of highway finance, sounding the alarm on the perils of increased tolling and public-private partnerships while encouraging policymakers to enhance more efficient, traditional funding sources.
'It has been a privilege to represent such a great industry and I'm honored that ATA's members are allowing me to continue serving them and their interests in Washington,' Graves said. 'As the economy continues to slowly recover and policymakers let loose with unprecedented assaults on trucking, there's never been a more critical time to advocate for the industry that delivers life's essentials more safely and efficiently than ever before.'
