It is hard to believe I am wrapping up my final year as your ATD Chairman – and what a year it has been! The ATD Board of Line Representatives and staff have been hard at work advocating for truck dealers and their customers. Truck dealers are faced with many hurdles, and it is critical that we continue to educate regulators and lawmakers about the effects their proposed environmental regulations will have not only truck dealerships, but on fleets, small businesses and the American economy.

Let’s take a glance at the year.

Advocacy:

• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Phase 3 Rule: Reps. Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif.) and Chris Pappas (D-N.H.) sent an ATD-backed letter (signed by 32 Members of Congress) to the EPA urging the agency to consider the trucking industry’s concerns regarding these new EV mandates and the impact on affordability and reliability of these vehicles. ATD has also filed comments on the Phase 3 proposal and hosted EPA decision-makers at two truck dealerships. Additionally, we have held meetings throughout the year with key decisionmakers at the agency. Due to the hard work of ATD and other stakeholders, the EPA has postponed finalizing their GHG Phase 3 rule until March 2024, so that the EPA can consider industry input.
• Clean Freight Coalition: In March 2023, ATD, the American Trucking Associations (ATA), and several other trucking industry stakeholders established the Clean Freight Coalition (CFC). The CFC is focused on educating policy makers on the progress the trucking industry has made in reducing emissions and protecting the environment, promoting the work underway to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from freight transportation and advocating for public policies that transition toward a zero-emission future while maintaining affordable and reliable freight transportation and protecting the nation's supply chain. In July, I joined the CFC leadership on Capitol Hill to meet with key Senators and members of the House and the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation to educate them on our concerns with the Phase 3 GHG rule and the need for electric commercial vehicle charging infrastructure.
• CARB Mandates: ATD spearheaded substantive dialogue with the OEMs on the CARB and Truck and Engine Manufacturers (EMA) new Clean Truck Agreement in July of 2023. Additionally, ATD and hosted a webinar with ATA (with record registrations) on the implementation and effects of the new agreement.
• FET Repeal: In March, the bipartisan “Modern, Clean, and Safe Trucks Act of 2023” (H.R. 1440/S. 694) was introduced to repeal the FET. The bill has generated 13 cosponsors. ATD submitted testimony for a Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing on clean vehicles and public health and sent letters supporting FET repeal to Congressional leadership and the relevant Congressional committees with ATA, the Zero Emission Transportation Association and other trucking organizations.
• So-Called “Right to Repair”: The ATD Board of Line Representatives sent a letter to House Energy and Commerce Committee leadership on June 16 raising concerns on H.R. 906.
• Catalytic Converter Theft: NADA/ATD secured 71 bipartisan cosponsors for H.R. 621 and eight cosponsors for S. 154, which create federal penalties for catalytic converter theft.

This June, 150 truck dealers, automotive trade association executives, senior OEM executives and allied industry and truck industry suppliers met in Washington, D.C. for our sold-out ATD Truck Industry Forum and Legislative Fly-In. Truck dealers conducted 95 Capitol Hill visits with Members of Congress and staff to discuss our top priorities. This event is incredibly impactful in our efforts to advocate for dealers with federal lawmakers.

Membership

Outreach to members and enhancing member engagement has been a top priority during my term. That’s why ATD staff have spent the year on the road, visiting seven dealerships and attending nine conferences and 22 OEM and supplier meetings.

Our success is reflected by our membership rates. I’m proud to announce we currently have 3,300 members, a record high.

Crucial to a healthy membership is investment in the ATD NextGen, our program dedicated to engaging and educating the next generation of truck dealership leaders. We now have an active Steering Committee guiding our priorities, over 100 ATD NextGen members and a calendar of programming, including receptions, webinars, policy discussion updates and focused content at the 2024 ATD Show.

Industry Relations

ATD continues to build upon our strong relationships with OEMs, suppliers and outside industry stakeholders. The ATD Dealer Attitude Survey is an important piece of that outreach. This year’s response rate was 53%. Our Line Representatives and staff delivered 11 industry presentations across the country on truck dealer priorities based on the results.

Education

Our education efforts exceeded our expectations at every point this year. The numbers speak for themselves:

• 51 students graduated from the ATD Academy, which went 14% beyond our 2023 goal
• This year we had 251 members of ATD 20 Groups, a record number and 8% increase over last year
• ATD had 32 in-dealership consulting days delivered by staff, which is a 68% increase from last year

I encourage you to consider tapping into our educational offerings in 2024.

2024 ATD Show We have a lot to celebrate this year, and I hope you will join me at the 2024 ATD Show in Las Vegas, February 1-3. We have an all-star lineup of industry experts and educators. And you won’t want to miss the passing of the gavel to my successor – Scott Pearson, president of Peterbilt of Atlanta, LLC in Jackson, Ga. Don’t delay: Register today!