Trucking associations can be valuable sources of support and information for owner-operators who want to be more politically involved or who need help with specific problems.
“We tell our members what the issue is, what the politics are and what their letter should say,” says Todd Spencer, executive vice president of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association. OOIDA represents members by filing lawsuits, lobbying for legislation and participating in meetings and forums.
While OOIDA is the primary owner-operator trade association, there are also trucking associations in every state, which are members of American Trucking Associations, the nation’s largest trucking trade group. The state associations’ main interests are those of fleets. Still, these groups are open to owner-operator membership, and owner-operators with their own authority might find benefits from being associated with much larger carriers who share some of the same concerns.
“Whether it’s a state trucking association or an association for owner-operators, it is important that drivers or owner-operators are involved in the process,” says Tom Whitaker, executive director of the Kansas Motor Carriers Association. “It’s like the old adage that there is strength in numbers, and one voice speaking for a lot of people in an industry can have a big impact.”
Membership rates vary from state to state, but they are often a fraction of what major carriers pay to join. In Texas, for example, owner-operators pay $65 per year if they are contracted to a Texas Motor Transportation Association Member and $95 annually if not. The Montana Motor Carriers Association charges owner-operators with one truck $170 a year; South Carolina charges $75.
Whitaker says his organization sends information bulletins to its 1,400 members, telling them about pending legislation and calling on them to act when necessary.
“In order for our message to have the strength that it needs, that legislator or that official needs to hear from the people who vote for them,” he says.
Derek Brown, communications director of the 650-member Alabama Trucking Association, believes members who contacted their representatives had a strong impact this year. Every piece of legislation wanted by the association passed; everything it opposed was defeated.
Many of the 1,500 different pieces of legislation that are proposed to the Kansas Legislature each year would affect truck drivers, owners and companies in some way, Whitaker says. “If you’re not involved, and you don’t stay informed, it can cost you not to know,” he says.
Trucking associations also help to strengthen the voice of truckers through political action committees. The PACs raise money from members, then make donations to elected officials and those running for office.
“We let lawmakers know that we want to help and that we have lots of substance and lots of votes,” Spencer says of OOIDA’s PAC.
Owner-operators who join state associations may also be eligible for group discount programs, including insurance, tires and telephone service.
STATE TRUCKING ASSOCIATIONS
Alabama Trucking Association
(334) 834-3983
www.alabamatrucking.org
Alaska Trucking Association
(907) 276-1149
www.alaskatruckingassoc.com
Arizona Motor Transport Association
(602) 252-7559
www.arizonatrucking.org
Arkansas Trucking Association
(501) 372-3462
www.arkansastrucking.com
California Trucking Association
(916) 373-3500
www.caltrux.org
Colorado Motor Carriers Association
(303) 433-3375
www.cmca.com
Motor Transport Association of Connecticut
(860) 520-4455
Delaware Motor Transport Association
(302) 698-1266
Florida Trucking Association
(850) 222-9900
www.fltrucking.org
Georgia Motor Trucking Association
(404) 876-4313
www.gmta.org
Hawaii Transportation Association
(808) 833-6628
www.hawaiitruckandbus.org
Idaho Motor Transport Association
(208) 342-3521
www.truckmaster.com/imta/
Illinois Transportation Association
(708) 452-3500
Indiana Motor Truck Association
(317) 630-4682
www.ai.org/imta
Iowa Motor Truck Association
(515) 244-5193
Kansas Trucking Association
(785) 267-1641
www.kmca.org
Kentucky Motor Transport Association
(502) 695-4055
www.kmta.net
Louisiana Motor Transport Association
(225) 928-5682
Maine Motor Transport Association
(207) 623-4128
www.mmta.com
Maryland Motor Truck Association
(410) 644-4600
www.mmtanet.com
Massachusetts Motor Transportation Association
(781) 270-6880
www.mass-trucking.org
Michigan Trucking Association
(517) 321-1951
www.mitrucking.org
Minnesota Trucking Association
(651) 646-7351
www.mntruck.org
Mississippi Trucking Association
(601) 354-0616
www.mstrucking.org
Missouri Motor Carriers Association
(573) 634-3388
www.motrucking.org
Montana Motor Carriers Association
(406) 442-6600
www.mttrucking.org
Nebraska Trucking Association
(402) 476-8504
www.nebtrucking.com
Nevada Motor Transport Association
(775) 673-6111
www.nmta.com
New Hampshire Motor Transport Association
(603) 224-7337
www.nhmta.org
New Jersey Motor Truck Association
(732) 254-5000
www.njmta.org
New Mexico Trucking Association
(505) 884-5575
New York State Motor Truck Association
(518) 458-9696
www.nytrucks.org
North Carolina Trucking Association
(919) 834-0387
www.datanetinc.com/ncta
North Dakota Motor Carriers Association
(701) 223-2700
Ohio Trucking Association
(614) 221-5375 or (888) 382-1574
www.ohiotruckingassn.org
Oklahoma Trucking Association
(405) 843-9488
www.oktrucking.org
Oregon Trucking Associations
(503) 513-0005 or (888) 293-0005
www.ortrucking.org
Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association
(717) 761-7122
www.pmta.org
Rhode Island Trucking Association
(401) 729-5210
www.ritrucking.org
South Carolina Trucking Association
(803) 799-4306
www.sctrucking.org
South Dakota Trucking Association
(605) 334-8871
www.sdtrucks.com
Tennessee Trucking Association
(615) 777-2882
www.tntrucking.org
Texas Motor Transportation Association
(800) 727-7135
www.tmta.com
Utah Motor Transport Association
(801) 973-9370
Vermont Truck & Bus Association
(802) 479-1778
Virginia Trucking Association
(804) 355-5371
Washington Trucking Association
(253) 838-1650
www.wtatrucking.com
West Virginia Motor Truck Association
(304) 345-2800
www.wvmotortruck.org
Wisconsin Motor Carriers Association
(608) 833-8200
www.witruck.org
Wyoming Trucking Association
(307) 234-1579
