There are more than 164,000 miles of highway traversing the American landscape, forming the backbone of our four-million-mile-long public road network. In a country as vast and geographically diverse as ours, the interstate system is what literally connects our nation as one. And no two groups in society have a stronger and more consistent presence on our nation's highways than law enforcement officers and American truckers.
Ensuring the freedom of travel and the safe passage of vehicles is of paramount importance to both the law enforcement community and the trucking industry. In partnering together, trucking and law enforcement are uniquely positioned to enhance highway safety and the security of freight transportation across the country.
ATA established the Law Enforcement Advisory Board in 2021 to help strengthen the ties between the trucking industry and law enforcement community and better align our resources toward common goals.
Comprised of ATA members who have previous experience in federal, state, and local law enforcement, as well as current and retired law enforcement officials who’ve contributed positively to the partnership between both groups, LEAB currently has 27 members with a total of 685 years of law enforcement experience:
Chairman
Mark Savage
Drivewyze Inc.
Vice Chair
Steve Dowling
Covenant Logistics Logistics Group Inc.
Vice Chair
Steve Keppler
Scopelitis Transportation Consulting
- Todd Armstrong, Illinois State Police
- Derek Barrs, HNTB Corp.
- Andrew Beckett, Amazon
- Jonathan Beshears, J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc.
- Tim Cardwell, High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas
- Will Cole, Montana Trucking Association
- Ron Cordova, Zonar Systems Inc.
- Jeff DeVere, Washington Trucking Associations
- Richard Elliott, Safeway Transportation LLC
- Jake Elovirta, Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance
- Keith Eoff, J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc.
- Fred Fakkema, Zonar Systems Inc.
- Jeff Ferber, J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc.
- Parker Harrison, Old Dominion Freight Line Inc.
- Malik A Henderson, PrePass Safety Alliance
- Steve Keppler, Scopelitis Transportation Consulting
- Rocco Marrari, EBE Technologies
- Michael Martin, Old Dominion Freight Line Inc.
- Gary McCarthy, Aurora Innovation Inc.
- Janice Mulanix, PrePass Safety Alliance
- Marc Nichols, Drivewyze Inc.
- John Rigney, Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association
- John Samis, Drivewyze Inc.
- Jeff Tippit, La Porte (Texas) Police Department
- Christopher Vinson, Midlothian (Texas) Police Department
The LEAB members have current or previous affiliation with the following 27 law enforcement entities:
- City of La Porte, Texas Police Department
- Colorado State Patrol
- Texas State Highway Patrol
- Florida State Highway Patrol
- Pennsylvania State Police
- Washington State Patrol
- California State Highway Patrol
- Rogers, Arkansas Police Department
- Sarpy County Sheriff’s Office
- Burlington, Vermont Police Department
- Kansas State Highway Patrol
- Midland, Texas Police Department
- Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
- North Carolina State Highway Patrol
- City of Leclaire, Iowa Police Department
- Illinois State Police
- National High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Assistance Center
- Ocean City, Maryland Police Department
- Alabama State Police
- Louisiana Department of Public Safety
- Louisiana State Police
- Fayette County, Georgia Police Department
- Austin, Indiana Police Department
- New Mexico Department of Public Safety
- Bunn, North Carolina Police Department
- Missouri State Highway Patrol
- Arizona Department of Transportation
- Montana Motor Carrier Services
- Delaware State Police
LEAB In the News
The Trucker | ATA partners with Indiana State Police to teach youth highway safety (8.8.22)
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Vice President of Safety & Compliance for Zonar Systems Fred Fakkema, chairman of the ATA’s Law Enforcement Advisory Board, said that as a former trooper, he can attest to the value of strong partnerships between law enforcement and the trucking industry.
“The Indiana State Police Department’s partnership with the Indiana Motor Truck Association and the American Trucking Associations is a model of cooperation between industries and a force multiplier for improving highway safety,” he said. “ATA’s Share the Road initiative effectively leverages these partnerships and the collective expertise of our nation’s professional truck drivers and law enforcement officials to make our roadways safe for all Americans.”
Bulk Transporter | ATA praises bill to expand truck parking (7.25.22)
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The ATA’s newly formed Women in Motion advisory group and ATA’s Law Enforcement Advisory Board, along with the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, sent letters to members expressing strong support for the provision.
Guardian Magazine | ATA’s Law Enforcement Advisory Board:
Shared Vision and Goals with CVSA (Q2 2022)
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By building bridges between the trucking community and law enforcement, we can combine our resources and align them in service of our common goal to increase safety across America’s highways. These individuals have deep, shared experiences across industry and law enforcement, and the LEAB has created a platform where their expertise can be applied in a constructive and purposeful way – with benefits for the entire motoring public
Fleet Owner | Roadcheck 2022 focuses on wheel ends (5.16.22)
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“Events like this create that perception by the public that trucks are bad. And they're not,” Fakkema said. “It creates that perception that all drivers are not professional, which is also not true. There's so many great professional drivers, you know, and it's just one event that can change the reputation of the industry. That's one cool thing about what the Law Enforcement Advisory Board is trying to do. The trucking industry and law enforcement are working together to improve that safety aspect and the perception of both the trucking and law enforcement industries.”
The Trucker | ATA advisory board to help strengthen relationships between trucking industry, law enforcement (3.25.21)
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The board will meet bimonthly to identify areas of opportunity and provide recommendations on priority issues. During its inaugural meeting, held virtually last week, the board identified the primary issues it will focus on in the coming weeks and months, including combatting human trafficking; increasing truck parking capacity and ensuring driver safety at rest stops; commercial motor vehicle safety and security; and enhancing access to training for drivers and company safety personnel.