ATA Gives $100,000 to Trucking Moves America Forward
The American Trucking Associations (ATA) trade group is donating $100,000 to the Trucking Moves America Forward (TMAF) campaign that offers public education on the industry as well as briefings for government policymakers.
TMAF was rolled out in March at the Mid-America Trucking Show as a cooperative effort by ATA, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA), the Truckload Carriers Association, manufacturers of trucking equipment and other groups.
The organizations behind TMAF said they wanted to raise $1 million a year for five years. The ATA statement said that with its donation the campaign now has $700,000 of its first-year budget of $1 million.
“One of our most important jobs is to tell the trucking industry’s story,” said ATA President Bill Graves. “There’s so much to know about the safety, the essentiality and the sustainability efforts of this industry and Trucking Moves America Forward has been designed to do just that.”
“As an industrywide image campaign, we’re happy that such a prominent industry association as American Trucking Associations is now combining its in-kind contributions with financial ones,” said Michael Card, chairman of the TMAF Fundraising Committee and president of Combined Transport in Central Point, Oregon. “TMAF has been overwhelmed with the support we’ve received from all corners of the industry and look to continue this momentum this year and beyond.”
In June, James Haslam II, founder of Pilot Flying J truck stops donated $1.25 million to TMAF, or $250,000 a year every year for five years.