INTERNATIONAL ANDSPECIALIZED TRANSPORT
■
APRIL 2015
58
SC&RANEWS
The 2015SpecializedTransportationSymposiumhadan
impressive lineupof educational sessionsand committee
meetings. SC&RA reports
Thevalueofmembership
In the law
A highlight on Wednesday was the
opening session,
IndustryUpdate fromDC
,
presented by Dave Osiecki of American
Trucking Associations (ATA). Osiecki’s
presentation brought insights, analysis,
and forecasts concerning the most
important legislative and regulatory issues
facing the trucking industry.
According to Osiecki, “The top
challenge from an operational perspective
is the ability for fleets to find andhire safe,
qualified drivers. The driver shortage is as
acute as we’ve seen it. As much as I’d like
to shine a bright light at the end of this
driver capacity tunnel, I really can’t.”
But Osiecki also recognised SC&RA
as a pivotal piece in sorting out the
transportation puzzle. “Industry
conferences and events are incredibly
valuable for a host of reasons,” Osiecki
said, “Including information sharing
and networking among business
leaders, learning the latest industry and
government initiatives that affect the
transportation and trucking business
and, in the case of SC&RAmembers, the
ability to talk to and collaborate with key
government officials.”
Teaming up a state permitting official,
a software engineer, and a permit
service, Permits From Every Perspective,
followed up the presentation from
Osiecki on Wednesday. Presented by
Louis Juneau, of Nova Permits & Pilot
Cars; Tina Sanders, of the Maryland
State Highway Administration; and Mike
Webb, of ProMiles Software Development
Corporation, this presentation allowed its
audience to see how rapid technological
advances continue to alter the perception
of the oversize and, or, overweight
permittingprocess.
T
he 2015 Specialized Transportation
Symposiumwas held at the Atlanta
MarriotMarquis from 3 to 6March
in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. The event was
attended by 450 people, including some
of the transportation industry’s top
executives, safety directors, state and
federal transportation officials, and related
trade officials.
The symposium provided SC&RA
members the opportunity to networkwith
one another and interact with some of the
topofficials in transportation.
The impressive line up of committee
meetings and educational sessions
was commented on by Jay Folladori,
Transportation Group chairman and
conference presenter from Landstar
Transportation, “The Symposiumprovides
the foundation for an exchange of ideas,
provokes thought, and strengthens
dialogue between industry and
government leaders.”
Symposium activities began on
Tuesday 3March, where allmembers were
welcome to attend meetings of state and
regional permit officials and the SC&RA
pilot car task force throughout the day.
The three committee meetings (state and
regional, transportation safety education
& training, permit policy) then kicked
off Wednesday 4 March, representing a
valuable chance for members to network,
experience up-to-date information
concerning all state and safety issues, and
make their voices heard on any matters
of interest.
Juneau said that the hottest topic for
Nova Permits & Pilot Cars is “…having
access to a portal where we could send
all of our data (applications) – where
that portal would then have access
to the web-based permitting systems
belonging to the different DOTs, counties
andmunicipalities.”
Rounding out Wednesday was
the Regional Executives’ Update, one
of the week’s most popular sessions.
This roundup presented members
an unparalleled opportunity to hear
directly from state and regional highway
transportation officials about unique
challenges within regions they share
andbeyond.
Officially bringing Wednesday to a
close, the First Timers’ Briefing and the
reception closed the day in productive
fashion, and allowed all in attendance yet
another chance to learn more about the
Association, network, and unwind a bit in
a relaxed setting.
Good conduct
Thursday 5 March got off to an inspiring
start after the continental breakfast,
with
Choose to be Remarkable!
an
energetic presentation delivered by the
insightful Randy Ross. During this highly
motivational session, Ross educated
Jay Folladori, TransportationGroup
chairmanand conferencepresenter from
Landstar Transportation
The symposiumprovidedSC&RA
members theopportunity tonetworkwith
someof the topofficials in transportation
