Business View Magazine - August 2023

147 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 10, ISSUE 8 Call explains that the purpose of her organization is to advocate on behalf of the trucking industry. It is composed of more than 600 member trucking companies, representing the gamut from the Fortune 100 world of big-business movers and shakers down to small mom-and-pop operations. “We are also fortunate to have folks on staff who mainly contribute to educating the industry,” she adds, citing compliance education where it is federally regulated. “There is a non-stop effort to continue to keep carrier members educated about upcoming legislation or existing rule-making or things that are going to have an impact upon their industry that they want to get ahead of. Call continues that the WTA works to create positive legislation for the trucking industry—matters that affect the interests of both the industry and the public good. “I don’t think our focus has changed much in a hundred years,” she says of meeting the continuing and evolving needs of the trucking industry. “We’re faced with new challenges.” Call cites an ongoing revolution in power and technology for trucking, as well as the economic spin-offs from the recent COVID pandemic. “There’s been a lot of just topsy-turvy conditions for the industry from the onslaught of COVID,” she says. “We saw surges in e-commerce and the demand for groceries and medical supplies, and eventually our industry was responsible for hauling and distributing vaccines all across North America, so it’s been a real-time for the industry to shine.” “The downside of all that is the general public awareness of supply-chain issues and the impact that can have when you have capacity challenges and manufacturing challenges or whatever it might be.” Driving change The shipping industry is still experiencing its ups and downs concerning the COVID problem, especially as it affects ocean-going WASHINGTON TRUCKING ASSOCIAT ION