I actually spent some time reading the material on the ATA website. As with most pinheads representing "our" industry most of what they say is corporate double speak using funny numbers. Their CEO Bill Graves, a former Governor of Kansas appears unimpressive to me. They do seem to hold a lot of meetings in places with great weather and golf. The suits in trucking seem to function better when they think less about drivers and more about golf or NASCAR. The following is the "something" you might be interested in. Typical of the ATA and its members (ie: Conway) it lacks substance. The italics are mine.Washington, D.C. May 8, 2008—The American Trucking Associations today launched a far-reaching program of initiatives to set the industry on the road toward a more sustainable future under the banner Trucks Deliver a Cleaner Tomorrow. ATA President and CEO Bill Graves* praised the program as a landmark effort that will join all trucking industry stakeholders to work together on these issues. The recommendations are displayed on a new Web site http://www.trucksdeliver.org/ together with full details of the trucking industry’s new commitments on sustainability:
• Set governors on new trucks to limit speeds to no more than 68 mph and reduce the national speed limit to 65 mph for all vehicles.
• Reduce engine idling.
• Increase fuel efficiency by encouraging participation in the U.S. EPA SmartWay SM Transport Partnership Program.
• Reduce congestion by improving highways, if necessary by raising the fuels tax.
• Use more productive truck combinations.
• Support national fuel economy standards for trucks.
* The "Honorable" Bill Graves - according to his bio on the ATA web site: "Under his leadership, the ATA is advancing several safety initiatives. ATA has proposed requiring that all new heavy trucks be equipped with speed limiters and supports a government proposal to test the use of onboard recorders. In addition to his duties at ATA, Gov. Graves serves on the board of the International Speedway Corporation, the leading promoter of motor sport racing in America."
