ATA President and CEO Bill Graves said the restructuring builds upon the agency’s recent lobbying successes — namely, getting an e-log mandate in the MAP-21 law, along with the requirement that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration create a drug and alcohol clearinghouse, and the ‘sleep apnea bill’ passed in the fall — and its historical successes of battling tolls on the state level to position itself for “even more success in the future.”
“As our members are acutely aware, these challenging economic times require organizations to be more agile and responsive to changes – whether they are changes to the business environment or changes on Capitol Hill,” Graves said, “and by streamlining our organization, we can be more nimble in responding to the challenges facing our industry.”
Dave Osiecki has been tapped to head ATA’s executive vice president and chief of the National Advocacy division. Jeff Mason, ATA’s former senior VP of image and communications, will head the new Communications and Public Affairs branch, and Karla Hulett, former CFO and senior VP of finance and administration, will be ATA’s new COO and executive VP of the Finance and Operations division.
“As members of ATA, we are lucky to have such strong and well-respected representation in Washington, and in every state capital across the country,” said ATA Chairman Phil Byrd, president and CEO of Bulldog Hiway Express in Charleston, S.C. “By simplifying ATA’s organization, we are strengthening the association and enhancing the professional staff’s ability to represent motor carriers of all stripes.”
