TCA President John Lyboldt said the organization’s four areas of focus are building company value, boosting carriers’ profitability, retaining a skilled labor force and becoming the prominent voice of the truckload sector.John Lyboldt, president of the Truckload Carriers Association, and Rob Penner, CEO of Bison Transport and TCA chairman for 2017-18, detailed their strategies and objectives for the association going forward.
Lyboldt, who enters his second year as the association’s president, outlined four areas of focus that will guide TCA going forward to support its member companies: building company value, improving company profitability, retaining skilled workforce and being the leading voice of truckload.
“We must tell our story in front of legislators and regulators, tell it to our friends and neighbors and shout it from the rooftops if we must,” said Lyboldt. “The story of truckload has been an endeavor worth pursuing and the more people we tell it to, the more we can shape our future.”
Lyboldt said it is imperative that the story reflect the hard work and dedication that its member companies provide to the industry every day. “We must do so with such spirit and vigor so that those who listen will no longer question our dedication but discover our love of this industry in such way that they won’t just support it, but rather they will want to belong to it,” said Lyboldt.
Penner, who replaces outgoing TCA chairman Russell Stubbs of FFE Holdings, said TCA will continue to collaborate with the American Trucking Associations on matters that affect both groups, but said as truckload represents the largest segment of the trucking industry, TCA “can move the needle when and where we need to if [TCA members] band together, as a professional and vocal majority, in matters that specifically impact us.”
Penner challenged TCA members to become more engaged in association activities and to bringing more truckload carriers into the organization.
“We need to make the TCA a must-join value proposition for all those in our segment,” said Penner. “The foundation, structure and credibility of our organization already exists, we just need to leverage it more effectively.”
Penner announced a new strategic task force to build on TCA’s policy positions and develop a TCA position paper to address issues affecting freight movement, productivity and profitability.
“Our policies on most major issues are pretty clear, but what is not clear is what is rooted behind these policies,” said Penner. “We need more than a concluding statement, we need to share the whole story of what we want and why we want it.
“We want and need a seat at the table, and the only way we get that is if we are viewed as a thoughtful partner, capable of presenting sustainable solutions to complex problems, and that we back our position with truth and fact.”
