February 2014
| Business World Magazine | 121
cessful policies they’ve worked on. “We do a
very good job of advocating for our members
before congress and the administrative agen-
cies,” Voltmann says.
In a recent example, the TIA lobbied for
a provision as part of the Fighting Fraud in
Transportation Act of 2011 (FFIT), which
was enacted and passed into law in July 2012.
This bill addresses fraud in the marketplace,
and raises the financial entry requirements
for coming into the transportation indus-
try, Voltmann explains. “It won’t block entry
– it will just make it clear to those coming
into the industry that this isn’t like running a
sandwich shop.”
TIA had a significant amount of input
into the bill, and had worked on some of the
included provisions for close to three years.
“We think it’s going to have a very positive
effect on our members and our industry,”
Voltmann says.
OVERCOMING
CHALLENGES
One of the main challenges for the transpor-
tation industry is a growing shortfall in the
number of trucks on the road. While TIA
members have a sufficient number of trucks
at the moment, that number is “tight” be-
cause of the economy, Voltmann says. “They
seemingly were crawling out of the recession,
yet my members are reporting that truck ca-
pacity is very tight in certain markets at cer-
tain times.”
That tightness, Voltmann explains, is due
to a couple of factors. Firstly, demand is high
– “we’re exportingmore so there’s more man-
ufacturing,” he says. Secondly, a lot of capac-
ity has been “idled” by trucking companies
that went out of business during the reces-
sion, and by drivers who have chosen not to
re-enter the workforce. The TIA is currently
hard at work, looking at ways to remedy that
shortfall.
TIA is also working on being more proac-
tive in promoting their members. Last fall,
they conducted focus groups with shippers
to find out exactly what their perceptions
were, so they could best tailor their message.
Looking ahead to the longer term, TIA’s
five-year plan includes doubling their mem-
bership, and strengthening the velocity of
their voice. That added strength that will
serve them well as they shape the industry
for years to come. “We will continue to work
and be more proactive in promoting our
members and their interests to the industry,”
Voltmann concludes.
