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KISSIMMEE, Fla.��— Keith Tuttle, incoming chairman of the Truckload Carriers Association, believes his role comes with a mission to deliver��to the industry and the public the message about the good works, and successful outcomes, that truckers can achieve.

Tuttle, who is chairman and founder of Ohio-based Motor Carrier Service, is focused on continuing to enhance programs such as Wreaths Across America, Truckers Against Trafficking and TCA’s Highway Angel program because “image is a huge issue” for our industry.

ATA Chairman Duane Long, who also spoke at the meeting, agreed with Tuttle saying, “Image is paramount. Our image helps us with advocacy [in Washington.] We have to use messages from groups like Trucking Moves America Forward to improve our image with the general public.”

Long and Tuttle focused on the importance of using a positive image of trucking to counter the scarcity of drivers. Tuttle said fleets need to find a way to make trucking “a career of choice, not a job of last resort.” Long said one way to accomplish that was to be more active on the local level to showcase positive contributions truckers make.

Speaking during the final day of TCA’s meeting here, Tuttle chose to reshape an old television��commercial for a clothing store to say that “an educated carrier is a safer and more profitable carrier.”

“My hope this year is that we have more of our members take advantage of the focused resources we have as an association,” said Tuttle, citing a direct link between industry association involvement and successful outcomes.

“Is it a coincidence [TCA members] are considered the safest and most profitable fleets in America?” the third generation trucker asked before answering “No”.

Tuttle admits to frustration that more truckload fleets don’t take advantage of association programs that can help them.

“I have a message for them,” he said. “Get involved.”

Tuttle also noted the connection between TCA’s mission of education and American Trucking Associations’ advocacy.

“It is important that TCA and ATA work together to move America forward,” Tuttle said, referring to image��campaigns such as the one referenced in his comment – the recently formed Trucking Moves America Forward.

ATA President Bill Graves told attendees there was the prospect of getting a new highway bill through Congress this year, possibly as early as May. With widespread support for infrastructure improvement in Washington, Graves said, the funding mechanism hasn’t been determined by Congress.

He said it wasn’t clear how a long-term fix of hours-of-service rules that were adjusted in December could be handled this year in the legislative arena. A key question, he said, is whether a highway bill is finished before the completion of a study of HOS rules mandated by Congress.

Tuttle replaced Shepard Dunn, chairman of Bestway Express, an Indiana carrier.