American Trucking Associations President and CEO Chris Spear left the federation effective immediately, ATA Chairman Greg Hodgen announced on August 21. Hodgen said Spear informed the association's Executive Committee of the decision that same day. The statement did not indicate whether the departure was Spear's choice or the board's.
Spear became the ninth president of ATA in July 2016, succeeding Bill Graves, a former two-term governor of Kansas who led the federation for more than 13 years. Over the following decade the association pursued legislative wins on highway infrastructure funding and workforce development, and sharpened its advocacy against what the industry calls nuclear verdicts in crash litigation. Spear also guided ATA through the federal electronic logging device rule, repeated shifts in commercial vehicle emissions regulation, and the relocation of the association's headquarters from Arlington, Virginia to downtown Washington.
Hodgen said the ATA Board of Directors will establish a search committee to identify the next president and chief executive. He told members they can have full confidence in the existing leadership team during the transition. Hodgen, who also serves as chief executive of bulk carrier Groendyke Transport, credited Spear with building an experienced staff of policy experts, technical professionals, and government affairs personnel.
Before joining ATA, Spear served as assistant secretary for policy at the Department of Labor and held government affairs roles at Hyundai Motor Company and Honeywell International. The leadership change arrives as the federation works on tort reform, carrier enforcement standards, and the 2027 emissions deadlines facing fleets across the country.
Source: Transport Topics - https://www.ttnews.com/articles/ata-chris-spear-departs