Tom Ridge to Address American Trucking Associations Management Conference

ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- American Trucking Associations President and CEO Bill Graves today announced that Tom Ridge, our nation's first Secretary of Homeland Security, and superstar comic Jeff Foxworthy will headline ATA's 2005 Management Conference and Exhibition (MC&E) in Boston Oct. 15-18, 2005.

"Each year, ATA works to ensure that we have speakers who will provide a timely and unique perspective on the issues that matter to our members," Graves noted. "Trucking has entered a new age in which security is a paramount concern, and no one knows more about the challenges we face than Tom Ridge." A former Governor of Pennsylvania, Ridge accepted President Bush's call after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to lead the nation's new homeland security effort. Today, he is a leading private sector advocate for a tough, comprehensive, and fair approach to reducing the risks of terrorist attacks.

For the trucking industry, heightened security requirements have affected driver recruitment and training, cargo security measures, routes, and access to critical points. ATA also has expanded its highly regarded Highway Watch(r) program, which has trained thousands of drivers to spot and report suspicious activity and other safety hazards on the road.

"We also want to entertain our members when they join us at MC&E so I'm pleased that Jeff Foxworthy will be our featured entertainer this year at our annual banquet," said Graves. "The banquet is always a highlight of the MC&E, and Jeff's all- American down-home humor will really resonate with our trucking audience." A multiple Grammy award nominee and best-selling author, Foxworthy's family-oriented humor has made him one of America's hottest comic artists today.

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