ATA resurrects IT council

Having shut down its information technology membership group in the 1990s, the American Truck Assns. (ATA) has decided that it needs a forum to address that segment of the industry and has announced the formation of the new Information Technology and Logistics Council (ITLC).

The new council will introduce itself to fleets with its first annual conference next month. It will be held on Oct. 22-23 in conjunction with ATA’s own annual Management Conference and Exhibition in Orlando, FL.

“The primary objectives of the ITLC are to provide a forum for IT, logistics and operations experts in the industry to identify solutions to various supply chain challenges; fairly represent carriers before relevant transportation and standards-development organizations; and provide ATA with expertise and industry resources regarding IT/logistics issues,” stated ATA president Gov. Bill Graves.

Technical topics scheduled for the ITLC’s first meeting include a presentation from the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) on supply chain integration, as well as sessions on supply chain security standards, advanced routing systems, a regulatory update, data mining for trucking, web services for the transportation supply chain, the automated customs environment (ACE) electronic manifests, and electronic onboard recorders.

Organizers also promise a blue ribbon panel discussion on emerging IT and logistics trends as well as a regulatory update on new government mandates and standards.

Registration information for the two-day event is available online at itlc.truckline.com.