8/22/2019 Background Ata

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BACKGROUND

Trucks were first used extensively by the military during World War I. With the increase in

construction of paved roads, trucking began to achieve significant foothold in the 1930s, and

soon became the target of various government regulations (such as the hours of service). During

the late 1950s and 1960s, trucking was accelerated by the construction of the Interstate HighwaySystem, an extensive network offreeways linking major cities across the continent.

Trucking achieved national attention during the 60s and 70s, when songs and movies about truck

driving were major hits. Truck drivers participated in widespread strikes against the rising cost of

fuel, during the energy crises of 1973 and 1979, and the entire industry was drastically

deregulated by the Motor Carrier Act of 1980. Trucking has come to dominate the freight

industry in the latter portion of the 20th Century1.

On September 23, 1933, the American Trucking Associations was established as a national

affiliation of state trucking organizations. The ATA was established by a merger of the American

Highway Freight Association and the Federated Trucking Associations of America.

ATA began with a staff of eight working from a three-room suite in the Transportation Building in

Washington, D.C. During World War II the Army requested ATA recruit personnel for twoquartermaster regiments that would become the U.S.Army Transportation Corps. With calls tothe 350 members of the ATA's Trucking Service War Council, 5,700 trucking industry employees

volunteered for enlisted positions and 258 volunteered for officer commissions. After the war the

ATA was in the forefront of the groups and industries supporting Dwight D. Eisenhower's

Interstate Highway System.

UPDATING

Advances in modern technology have enabled significant improvements within the trucking

industry. Trucks are commonly equipped with satellite communication features, automatic

transmissions are gaining in popularity, and truck stops featuring WiFi internet access are now

commonplace. The trucking industry provides an essential service to the American economy by

transporting large quantities of raw materials , works in process , and finished goods over lan

typically from manufacturing plants to retail distribution centers.

The U.S. trucking industry still faces uphill battles in getting fleets to where the sizes they once

were, and to get more younger drivers involved in the business. In 2012, truckload activity was

barely up 1 percent, according to the American Trucking Association.

According to the IANA, the industry needs nearly 100,000 new drivers per year for the next 10

years to replace lost drivers in the recession, and those who are getting out of the business. Thatsan incredible amount of drivers to sustain in the economy. Also, the average truck driver is 10

years older than the average American, and many young people are not exactly flocking to

trucking jobs.

1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trucking_industry_in_the_United_States

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WiFihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WiFi