Trucking Association Executives’ Council elects officers

Aug 7, 2008

The Trucking Association Executives’ Council recently elected Kenny Cragen as national chairman for 2008-2009 at its annual meeting in Whitefish, Mont. Cragen has been president of the Indiana Motor Truck Association since 1987 and has worked in government relations for more than 43 years. Prior to joining IMTA, Cragen worked for the Indiana Farmers Union, the Indiana Retail Council and the Beer Distributors of Indiana, as well as for U.S. Sens. Vance Hartke and Birch Bayh.

“These are the toughest times for the trucking industry in my 20 years with the Indiana Motor Truck Association,” Cragen says. “My goal is to work with the state trucking association executives and ATA to ease the burden on the industry.”

Other national officers elected for 2009-09 were:

Vice chairman – Jim Runk, president and chief executive officer, Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association;

Secretary/treasurer – Bob Farrell, executive director, National Automobile Carriers Conference; president and secretary, Distribution & LTL Carriers Conference; and

Recording secretary – Elisabeth Barna, vice president, strategic planning and outreach, American Trucking Associations.

Regional chairman elected for 2008-09 were:

Region I (Northeast) – Anne Lynch, executive director, Massachusetts Motor Transportation Association;

Region II (Southeast) – Jamie Fiepke, president, Kentucky Motor Transport Association Inc.;

Region III (Midwest) – Tom Crawford, president and CEO, Missouri Motor Carriers Association; and

Region IV (West) – Myron Rau, president, South Dakota Trucking Association.

TAEC recognized Karen Rasmussen, president and CEO of the Arizona Trucking Association, for an outstanding job as chairman of TAEC for the past year. The executives thanked ATA Chairman Ray Kuntz (Watkins & Shepard Trucking, Helena, Mont.), ATA Vice Chair Shorty Whittington (Grammer Industries, Grammer, Ind.), ATA Past Chair Pat Quinn (U.S. Xpress Enterprises, Chattanooga, Tenn.) and ATA President Bill Graves for their support of TAEC and for attending the annual meeting.

Among the issues discussed during the meeting were public-private partnerships, tolling, reauthorization of the Interstate Highway System, environmental issues, diesel fuel prices and the many issues facing the states.

TAEC is comprised of staff executives of state trucking associations and conferences affiliated with ATA. TAEC’s mission is to promote the trucking industry; contribute to the improvement of the associations and organizations established to serve the trucking industry; and advance the professional stature and capabilities of the executives of those associations.

Trucking Association Executives’ Council elects officers

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