For more than 30 years, Marty Pollock has devoted his career to improving roadway safety, first as a crash investigator and later as a statewide leader in traffic data, research, and enforcement strategy. Today, as Director of Safety for the Tennessee Trucking Association (TTA) and a member of ATA’s Law Enforcement Advisory Board, he brings together the worlds of law enforcement and trucking to create safer roads for everyone.
A Career Built on Understanding the Story Behind the Data
Pollock joined the Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) in 1989 with a simple motivation: “You want to improve your communities, and you just want to give back,” he said. His first 12 years were spent in the field investigating crashes, experiences that shaped his view of how data, enforcement, and human behavior intersect.
“I learned early that you can’t just report a crash,” he said. “You have to investigate it, understand the contributing factors, and put that information to work.”
That belief guided him into progressively technical roles at THP headquarters, where he oversaw traffic-data collection, information systems, and statistical analysis. Pollock helped lead the Tennessee Integrated Traffic Analysis Network (TITAN), which transitioned the state from paper reports to a modern electronic system, transforming statewide crash-data accuracy and enforcement planning.
He also worked closely with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) Commercial Vehicle Analysis Reporting System, the Association of Transportation Safety Information Professionals, the Traffic Records Improvement Program, and the Federal Highway Administration’s Traffic Incident Management System. Those efforts deepened his appreciation for “improving the collection, accuracy, timeliness, and consistency of safety data,” a lesson he has carried throughout his career.
As a lieutenant, one of his most rewarding responsibilities at THP was taking statewide crash trends, developing 30-day enforcement plans, and watching those strategies translate into measurable results. “You start to see reduced crashes and reduced fatalities,” he said. “Those short-term, week-to-week rewards make the work worthwhile.”
Marty Pollock
Helping Tennessee Fleets Strengthen Their Safety Culture
After 32 years of serving Tennessee citizens, Pollock retired from the THP in 2021 and joined the TTA, where he leads statewide safety councils, educational programs, and compliance, safety, and accountability improvement initiatives. His transition into the trucking community was natural, helped by his decades working with fleets through enforcement and data analysis.
“I’ve learned that trucking has some of the best people in it, the salt of the earth,” he said. “They’re truly safety-focused, and they work every day to make sure their drivers get home safely.”
His background in crash reconstruction and data management now helps carriers understand trends, pinpoint root causes, and rebuild strong safety programs.
“It’s the same process,” he explained. “You take the evidence you have, put it together, and build solutions that prevent the next tragedy.”
Pollock also helps lead TTA’s roadside inspection events, which bring drivers, fleet managers, and safety directors onto the scale house floor to observe inspections in real time.
“It lets them ask questions without being afraid to ‘poke the bear,’” he joked. “And it builds real trust between enforcement and industry.”
Bringing Frontline Reality to the Law Enforcement Advisory Board
Pollock joined ATA’s Law Enforcement Advisory Board with two priorities: tackling Tennessee’s growing cargo-theft problem—especially in Memphis—and strengthening relationships between law enforcement and the trucking industry.
Cargo theft, he said, is “a big issue,” worsened by jurisdictional gaps once a load leaves the Memphis area. “When it occurs, nobody knows who to call or what to do,” he noted. “A report gets taken, but the crime just sits there. It becomes untrackable.”
He believes progress requires a coordinated, multijurisdictional approach. “We’ve got to come at it through a network of state and federal laws and partnerships,” he said.
He stays closely engaged with Memphis-area task forces, including teams that work with the FBI, and supports federal efforts to elevate cargo theft as a nationally recognized crime category.
Inside the LEAB, Pollock says members across the country are reporting similar trends. “We’re sharing the same experiences,” he said. “Now we can pull resources together and figure out exactly what can be done.”
From reconstructing commercial-vehicle crashes to modernizing statewide traffic systems and now training fleet leaders, Pollock’s work has centered on a simple philosophy: better information leads to better decisions.
“Once you understand what you’re collecting, how to improve the collection, and how to put it together into a safety program, you can make real change,” he said.