The 2014 NASSTRAC Shippers Conference and Transportation Expo was a great success. We were thrilled to have so many first time attendees and circling back with them after the conference to find that they want to become more involved in NASSTRAC.  We are always looking for new information and ideas to keep our content fresh and lively. Our conference started off with a delightful interview with J. Harwood Cochrane, founder of Overnite Transportation.  Mr. Cochrane’s unique perspectives and amazing recall of the history of the trucking industry was not only informative but thoroughly entertaining.

Our CEO panel never disappoints and this year was no exception.  Coming off a challenging first quarter, these executives spoke candidly of the issues facing their companies and the industry.

Our first day ended with the Undersecretary of Policy for the DOT, Peter Rogoff.  In a give and take with NASSTRAC’s Advocacy Chair, Mike Regan, Mr. Rogoff addressed the issues facing the industry regarding Hours of Service and Highway Reauthorization.

This year our collaborative learning labs offered attendees an opportunity to meet with industry experts on varied topics as Carrier Score Carding since CSA, Trends in Technology, Insurance and Liability Issues, and Capacity Challenges.

Monday evening, we all helped Saia Motor Freight celebrate 90 years in business at our Networking Tailgate Reception.

Tuesday kicked off with John Larkin of Stifel Research providing current perspectives and insights from Wall Street on the trucking industry.  Mr. Larkin was followed by a Technology Panel made up of various providers of TMS services discussing the rapid changes to that marketplace.

Next up, our Washington team of Mike Regan, Legal Counsel John Cutler, and NASSTRAC Director of Legislative Affairs, Ben Gann gave us an update of regulatory and legislative affairs in Washington, introduced NASSTRAC’s 2014 National Policy Agenda, and talked about our upcoming Fly In.

After lunch our student panel shared the results of a survey of current supply chain students and their view of the job market as well as thoughts on future employment in the supply chain industry.  The students were challenged and questioned by Dr. Brian Gibson and Brad Jacobs, Chairman and CEO of XPO Logistics.  Tuesday closed out with our Shipper of the Year Presentation to Tim Gomez, CEO of Dixon Ticonderoga followed by Tim’s presentation about Dixon and then sitting down to an interview conducted by Jeff Berman of Logistics Management magazine.

At any conference, the last day can be a bit of a let down, but this year our two closing sessions both hit it out of the park.  Kicking off Wednesday morning was our Shipper/Carrier/3PL panel moderated by Bob Voltmann, CEO of Transportation Intermediaries Association.  The panel spoke frankly and honestly about the importance of collaboration between all parties in the transportation transaction and how good transportation strategies make these relationships work.  This panel prompted some lively and very pointed Q&A.

The last session was of interest to many of our attendees.  “Doing Business into and out of Mexico” did not disappoint.  Our knowledgeable panel talked about the advantages and pitfalls of doing business in Mexico and the importance of finding good partners to help make your Mexican connection work.

NASSTRAC’s Education Advisor, Dr. John Langley conducted our conference wrap up, sharing his thoughts and overview of the last few days.

For those of you who were not able to join us, presentations will be made available on our website www.nasstrac.org and we encourage you to join us next year.  Also, look for our continuing round of regional meetings throughout the year.  Next up on our list of cities is Dallas, TX; Denver, CO; and Seattle, WA.