FROM THE PRESIDENT One of my goals as ATA Chairman of the Board a few years ago was to establish a foundation dedicated to promoting trucking through workforce development, education, and public relations. In 2018, we established the Alabama Trucking Association Foundation with a mission to showcase the industry as a major contributor to Alabama’s economy through supply chain support, infrastructure funding through business taxes and job creation. I am amazed how our members have embraced the Foundation and stepped up to build something that improves and strengthens our industry for generations to come. Our Foundation has awarded thousands of dollars in scholarships to deserving diesel technology students at state community colleges, and we have raised awareness of the outstanding work of our industry’s professional truck drivers throughout the pandemic. Additionally, we have supported a pilot program in partnership with Reid State Technical College that utilizes an apprenticeship program to attract and train 18-20-year-old students in the industry and even graduate high school students with a CDL learners’ permit. We have high hopes for this new program. We also partnered with marketing communications firm Markstein to assist in the development and execution of a new strategic plan to attract the next generation workforce for Alabama’s trucking industry. Several weeks ago we launched a long term industry workforce development campaign that identifies and connects qualified applicants to great paying positions at thousands of Alabama trucking businesses. We are already seeing great results from this campaign and have high hopes for its success. This report will highlight the work we have been doing to improve our industry. We have certainly raised the bar. Trucking has much to offer anyone willing to work hard and be a part of something greater than themselves. We are ready to tell the world that Alabama Trucking is moving Alabama’s economy in ways we have never imagined. We’re proud of where the Foundation started, where it is today. and where it’s heading. Let’s go to work to build the trucking industry that Alabama deserves. TERRY KILPATRICK ATA FOUNDATION PRESIDENT
MISSION STATEMENT The Alabama Trucking Association Foundation is the 501(c)3 charitable arm of the Alabama Trucking Association. The Foundation’s work signifies an ongoing objective to complement the efforts of the Alabama Trucking Association with funding and support for public image, education and scholarship, safety, and workforce development.
THE ATA FOUNDATION IS DEDICATED TO: • Advancing highway safety • Investing in workforce development through meaningful research • Providing scholarships to young adults seeking a trucking-related career • Creating an effective, ongoing image campaign for the trucking industry
ATA FOUNDATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS TERRY KILPATRICK | PRESIDENT
LEIGH BREAL
Monroeville, Alabama
Mobile, Alabama
Billy Barnes Enterprises, Inc.
Ward International Trucks
COLLINS WHITE | TREASURER
WILL BRUSER
Ashland, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Alabama Motor Express
Truckworx Kenworth
DANIEL WRIGHT | VICE PRESIDENT
CHRIS HORNADY
Mobile, Alabama
Monroeville, Alabama
Wright Transportation, Inc.
Hornady Transportation LLC
WHERE IT STARTED The Alabama Trucking Association formed the ATA Foundation in 2018 to elevate the industry’s public image by promoting safety, providing scholarships and charity within the trucking community, and investing in workforce development. With financial support from key Association members and a modest revenue stream from the elected apportionment of membership dues, the Foundation enjoyed steady growth, creating successful programs that yielded a few wins to push trucking ahead. However, without a consistent plan for sustained long-term funding, those projects were limited and sporadic.
WHERE IT IS NOW Workforce Development In February 2022, we launched our much-anticipated “Careers in High Gear” media campaign, which is part of a much larger next-generation workforce development initiative funded by the Foundation. The campaign begins as a three-month pilot program in targeted areas of the state. So, depending on where you live, you’ll soon start seeing digital and print advertising to attract the next generation to fill thousands of job openings across the state. Key messaging will inspire interest among high school students through clearly identifying career pathways and training resources. Then, through collaborating with training and education programs, ATA officials will develop a network that can fully explain and cultivate the next generation of highly-skilled and safety-focused commercial drivers and diesel technicians. Ad campaigns will target two personas: “Career Changers” and “Students”. The former is a person who has been in the job force for a while, but perhaps is underemployed or affected by the pandemic either losing a job or maybe forced to take a significant reduction in pay. We’ll target their needs for more stable employment and guide them through the career path depending on their interests. For students, we’ll seek to change misconceptions in the secondary education system. We will address the growing stigma about pushing students into skilled trades, especially considering rising higher education costs and an abundance of technical jobs. This campaign will seek to change biases against these lucrative fields. Ad messaging will humanize our workers with positive and compelling visual storytelling. Print and digital format ads will showcase “The Real Faces of Alabama Trucking,” creating authenticity for the commercial driver and diesel technician workers. The campaign will be strategic and measured. Analytics and data collected will allow campaign managers to adjust or quickly change tactics.
Scholarship
The ATA Foundation encourages young adults to seek career opportunities in the trucking industry, such as fleet managers, professional drivers, and diesel technicians. This past year alone, the Foundation provided more than $6,000 in diesel technician scholarships to deserving students at Wallace State Community College; Lurleen B. Wallace Community College; and Bishop State Community College. Historically, the Foundation has awarded tens of thousands of dollars to deserving students, and given additional support, the Foundation will continue to grow its scholarship program to provide additional financial assistance to those interested in seeking a truck-related career.
Alabama Road Team
Part of the Foundation’s mission is to promote highway safety. For 20 years, Alabama’s Road Team has visited hundreds of state high schools to promote safe driving techniques among teenagers and new drivers while also showcasing the industry as a viable career choice. The Road Team is composed of professional drivers selected for an outstanding safety record and an ability to communicate with audiences from many different walks of life. This free service is available to any group needing a speaker to inform or entertain. Presentations include Share the Road demonstrations, driver safety, industry promotion, and a variety of other topics.
WHERE IT’S GOING You can feel the energy surrounding this organization, and it’s catching fire in every sector of our industry. We’ve strengthened our network to lead the industry for far greater returns for our members. We now have the right pieces in place to be successful, and with the help and funding of the ATA Foundation, ATA leaders are ready to bring significant change and opportunity to Alabama Trucking. When a pandemic shut down the world, truckers continued to deliver the essential items we all need to keep our families fed, clothed, and healthy. And while our drivers were putting themselves in harm’s way to keep progress on schedule, the rest of the supply chain provided the services and logistics needed to get the job done safely and efficiently. In that spirit, we made our own commitment to take big strides to take Alabama Trucking farther than ever so our members can get back to providing great-paying jobs while remaining our state’s most cost-effective goods movement network. We thank you for being part of this transformation. We will need your continued energy, support, and resources to accomplish the many great things we’ve planned. When it comes to industry promotion in Alabama, other business sectors spend millions of dollars on strategic campaigns to attract workers while trucking spends zero. That is about to change. We have high hopes for this new program, and we can’t wait to share its complete mission, and the team we have assembled to facilitate it.
SUPPORTED PROGRAMS The ATA Foundation supports the following organizations with funding, promotion and resources. Truckers Against Trafficking is building a cohesive network that merges trucking’s leadership and resources to train truck drivers and other industry employees to help law enforcement more effectively protect exploited men, women and children.
The Women in Trucking Association is focused to encourage employment, address obstacles, and celebrate the success of women in the commercial trucking industry.
The Trucking Cares Foundation works to improve the safety of the trucking industry and the safety, security, and sustainability of America’s highways and communities we serve by supporting and promoting research, education and leadership development, volunteerism, and a broad range of charitable activities towards those ends.
The American Trucking Associations Trucking Moves America Forward initiative educates the public and lawmakers and regulatory officials about the impact that trucking has on our daily lives.
Founded in 2021, the Next Generation in Trucking Association is a non-profit trade association with the mission to promote trucking as a positive career field; to create and partner with career technical education programs at secondary and post-secondary institutions, and encourage the training of young people in the trucking industry by connecting them to training and employment opportunities.
Founded in memory of Philip Lutzenkirchen The Lutzie Foundation partners with schools and companies to empower your students and employees to practice safe driving.
LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS Embrace Alabama Kids | Alabama FFA | Montgomery Area Food Bank | Family Sunshine Center | Wiregrass Area Food Bank
The Alabama Trucking Association Titans is a new super-supporters program that is the power boost behind Alabama Trucking’s ongoing workforce development and public relations efforts. This plan included engaging the Association’s most ardent supporters and key influencers for Alabama’s trucking industry. That group was named the Alabama Trucking Titans whose focus is funding strategic action to address the industry’s need for truck drivers and services technicians. This group of business leaders is investing in the industry’s potential to improve the lives of hardworking Alabamians by showcasing how and why to get a trucking job. To be a Titan, a commitment of at least $5,000 each year for the next three years is required. The goal was to recruit a group of Founding Titans from our Board of Directors by the time we unveiled the entire program at the ATA Convention and showcase these men and women to the membership -- which we believed would inspire others to become Titans. It worked, and we signed up about 15 more. We couldn’t be more pleased with the support we received.” Also during the 2021 Convention, ATA leaders held drawings for new Titans with prizes including a Talladega Driving Experience and a pair of Iron Bowl tickets (the latter of which was donated and raffled by the ATA Comp Fund). The group was also singled out during a ceremony during one of the morning meetings at the Convention.
MEET THE TITANS AL ABA M A TRU CKI N G F O U N DAT IO N T ITAN S RO S T E R:
WILL BRUSER * TRUCKWORX
TERRY KILPATRICK * BILLY BARNES ENTERPRISES
DANIEL WRIGHT * WRIGHT TRANSPORTATION
CHRIS COOPER
BOYD BROS. TRANSPORTATION
FENN CHURCH *
CHURCH TRANSPORTATION & LOGISTICS
TOM MCLEOD *
MCLEOD SOFTWARE CORP.
CHRIS BISANZ
KIMBLE COAKER *
CHRIS HORNADY *
BILL WARD *
WAYNE WATKINS *
ATA COMP FUND
WARD INTERNATIONAL TRUCKS
GREG BROWN
BIRMINGHAM FREIGHTLINER
B.R. WILLIAMS TRUCKING
REID DOVE
WESLEY DUNN
AAA COOPER TRANSPORTATION
RANGEWAY CARRIERS
*Original Founder
HORNADY TRANSPORTATION
WATKINS TRUCKING
JEFF COLEMAN
COLEMAN WORLDWIDE MOVERS
STEVE DUPUIS
NEXTRAN TRUCK CENTERS
STEVE JOHNSON
JERRY KOCAN
ACTION RESOURCES
ROLLINS MONTGOMERY MONTGOMERY TRANSPORT
MIKE LIMBAUGH
FOUR STAR FREIGHTLINER
WHITE OAK TRANSPORTATION
BUDDY MOORE
KELLY ROBINSON
BUDDY MOORE TRUCKING
SCOTT SMITH
S & M TRANSPORTATION
SCOTT TIDWELL DIXIE TRUCKING CO.
KEVIN SAVOY
SERVICE ONE TRANSPORT
BEN SMITH
PS LOGISTICS
DREW LINN
SOUTHLAND TRANSPORTATION GROUP
GREENBUSH LOGISTICS
HAROLD SUMERFORD J&M TANK LINES
BRENT COOK
ACTION TRUCK CENTER
THOSE INTERESTED IN JOINING THE TITANS CAN VISIT THE PROGRAM’S LANDING PAGE AT
WWW.ALABAMATRUCKING.ORG/BECOMEATITAN
ATA F O U N DAT I O N
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS BY T H E NUMBERS
$661,805
Total pledges raised since inception in 2018. A total of 24 individual contributors and 40 corporate contributors seeded the Foundation and are responsible for its early successes. This includes the Original Founders and the recently formed super-supporter group ATA TITANS.
29
420
The number of ATA members who made voluntary contributions in 2021 through their dues statement. On average, 57% of ATA members make this voluntary annual contribution which is 20% of total dues.
The number of ATA TITANS who made a $15,000 ($5,000 per year for three years) pledge to ensure that the ATA Foundation has the resources to implement the workforce campaign that is targeting getting more professional drivers and diesel technicians in the trucking industry in Alabama.
$232,147 Since the Foundation’s inception, the total amount contributed by ATA members through voluntary annual contributions with dues.
11
The number of Original Founders that seeded the creation of the ATA Foundation. Because of these visionary leaders’ investments, the ATA Foundation is transforming the public image and future workforce for Alabama Trucking.
HOW TO SUPPORT
THE ATA FOUNDATION
1
Make the annual voluntary contribution on your dues statement! 57% of members make this contribution which is 20% of total dues
with the max contribution of $800 for the largest dues payers and
$100 for the smallest dues payers. An additional $50,000 a year
could be invested in the ATA Foundation if the 43% of members not participating elect to make this contribution.
Become an ATA Foundation TITAN! Right out of the gate 29 courageous trucking leaders decided to join this super-supporter group committing to a $5,000 contribution for three years. These leaders are the muscle behind building a strong future for Alabama Trucking. We need you!
2
The ATA Foundation’s sole mission is to promote and protect the industry. We will always seek innovative ways to invest in trucking’s future. Anything we do in the name of the ATA Foundation is to make our industry stronger, safer and better. With the full support of the membership, we believe we can bring about real change for trucking in Alabama and beyond.
ATA FOUNDATION P.O. BOX 242337 MONTGOMERY, AL 36124