Washington — Today, the American Trucking Associations announced that 27 trucking industry and law enforcement officials have been named to the ATA Law Enforcement Advisory Board.
“Now in its fourth year, the Law Enforcement Advisory Board continues to deliver results on a whole host of issues impacting highway safety. This group’s engagement with state officials and local, state and national law enforcement organizations has helped secure hundreds of millions of dollars in federal grant funding to expand truck parking capacity across the country,” said ATA President and CEO Chris Spear. “Security, including cargo theft and cybercrime, has now been added to ATA’s strategic priorities, further demonstrating the ATA Federation’s commitment to our partners in law enforcement.”
Formed in 2021, the ATA Law Enforcement Advisory Board advises the ATA Federation on strategies to grow and strengthen relationships between the trucking industry and law enforcement organizations across the country. Comprised of ATA members with previous experience in federal, state or local law enforcement, as well as current and retired law enforcement officials, this year’s LEAB has 27 members with a total of 685 years of law enforcement experience.
For the coming year, the LEAB will be chaired by Mark Savage, director of connected truck solutions at Drivewyze Inc. Steve Dowling, director of enterprise safety training at Covenant Logistics Group Inc., and Steve Keppler, co-director of Scopelitis Transportation Consulting, will serve as the board’s first and second vice chairmen respectively.
“Throughout my career spanning both law enforcement and trucking, I’ve come to appreciate the synergy that exists between these two professional communities. When we combine forces, we have an enormously positive impact on highway safety, and I’m honored to now assume this role to foster that kind of cooperation at the highest levels,” Savage said.
The members of this year’s board are:
- Andrew Beckett, Amazon
- Christopher Vinson, Midlothian (Texas) Police Department
- Derek Barrs, HNTB Corp.
- Fred Fakkema, Zonar Systems Inc.
- Gary McCarthy, Aurora Innovation Inc.
- Jake Elovirta, Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance
- Janice Mulanix, PrePass Safety Alliance
- Jeff DeVere, Washington Trucking Associations
- Jeff Ferber, J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc.
- Jeff Tippit, La Porte (Texas) Police Department
- John Rigney, Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association
- John Samis, Drivewyze Inc.
- Jonathan Beshears, J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc.
- Keith Eoff, J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc.
- Malik A Henderson, PrePass Safety Alliance
- Marc Nichols, Drivewyze Inc.
- Mark Savage, Drivewyze Inc.
- Michael Martin, Old Dominion Freight Line Inc.
- Parker Harrison, Old Dominion Freight Line Inc.
- Richard Elliott, Safeway Transportation LLC
- Rocco Marrari, EBE Technologies
- Ron Cordova, Zonar Systems Inc.
- Steve Dowling, Covenant Logistics Group Inc.
- Steve Keppler, Scopelitis Transportation Consulting
- Tim Cardwell, High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas
- Todd Armstrong, Illinois State Police
- Will Cole, Montana Trucking Association
“Our mission is to develop processes that are mutually beneficial to the safety goals that the trucking industry and law enforcement share,” said Dowling. “The incredible breadth and depth of experience represented on this board will serve the entire motoring public well as we partner together to increase safety across our nation’s highways.”
“Safety cannot be advanced by enforcement or industry alone; it takes engagement, collaboration and partnerships,” said Keppler. “The LEAB represents an unbelievably valuable resource to our collective safety goal of reducing crashes on our highways, and I am humbled and honored to be a part of it.”