**Applications for the 2023 Law Enforcement Advisory Board are now OPEN**
There are more than 164,000 miles of highway traversing the American landscape, forming the backbone of our four-million-mile-long public road network. In a country as vast and geographically diverse as ours, the interstate system is what literally connects our nation as one. And no two groups in society have a stronger and more consistent presence on our nation's highways than law enforcement officers and American truckers.
Ensuring the freedom of travel and the safe passage of vehicles is of paramount importance to both the law enforcement community and the trucking industry. In partnering together, trucking and law enforcement are uniquely positioned to enhance highway safety and the security of freight transportation across the country.
ATA established the Law Enforcement Advisory Board in 2021 to help strengthen the ties between the trucking industry and law enforcement community and better align our resources toward common goals.
Comprised of ATA members who have previous experience in federal, state, and local law enforcement, as well as current and retired law enforcement officials who’ve contributed positively to the partnership between both groups, LEAB currently has 37 members who combine for over 900 years of law enforcement experience:
Chairman
Fred Fakkema
Zonar Systems
Vice Chair
Dennis Bailey
Walmart Transportation
Vice Chair
Mark Savage
Drivewyze
Law Enforcement Outreach Advisor
Todd Armstrong
Illinois State Police
Industry Outreach Advisor
Derek Barrs
HTNB Corporation
- Chris Harris, ABF Freight System
- Christopher Morris, U.S. Xpress
- Jeff Ferber, J.B. Hunt
- David Lorenzen, Iowa Department of Transportation
- John McKown, TForce Freight
- Myron Rau, former president of the South Dakota Trucking Association
- Dana Moore, Texas Trucking Association
- Austin Collins, ABF Freight System
- James Farris, Louisiana State Police
- Parker Harrison, Old Dominion Freight Line
- Mike Martin, Old Dominion Freight Line
- Jim Kochenderfer, Werner Enterprises
- Butch Day, Yellow Corporation
- Tim Cardwell, National High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Assistance Center
- Jeffrey Tippit, City of La Porte Police Department
- Thomas Fuller, Elite Training & Consulting
- John Rigney, Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association
- Keith Eoff, J.B. Hunt
- Marc Nichols, Drivewyze
- Donnie Ware, ABF Freight System
- Mark Riordan, The Friedkin Group
- Christopher Vinson, Midlothian Police Department
- Rex Railsback, Hazmat Safety Professionals
- Ray Miller, McAnally Wilkins Insurance
- Jeff DeVere, DeVere Public Affairs and Consulting
- Steve Dowling, Covenant Logistics
- Rocco Marrari, EBE Technologies
- Steve Keppler, Scopelitis Consulting
- Jake Elovirta, Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA)
- Steve Wilhelms, Lee Trans
- Allen Boyd, Walmart
- Janice Mulanix, PrePass Safety Alliance
The LEAB members have current or previous affiliation with the following 27 law enforcement entities:
- Iowa Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Enforcement Bureau
- Louisiana State Police
- HIDTA Assistance Center
- City of La Porte, Texas Police Department
- Florida Highway Patrol
- Fort Smith, Arkansas Police Department
- California Highway Patrol
- Gassaway, West Virginia Police Department
- Midlothian, Texas Police Department
- Illinois State Police
- Texas Department of Public Safety
- South Dakota Highway Patrol
- Howard County, Maryland Police
- Midland, Texas Police Department
- Kansas Highway Patrol
- Dallas, Texas Police Department
- Burlington, Vermont Police Department
- City of Leclaire, Iowa Police Department
- Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
- Pennsylvania State Police
- Rogers, Arkansas Police Department
- Colorado State Patrol
- Sarpy County Sheriff’s Office, Nebraska
- North Carolina State Highway Patrol
- New York State Police
- Ocean City, Maryland Police Department
- Alabama State Troopers
- Pennsylvania Game Commission
- Washington State Police
LEAB In the News
The Trucker | ATA partners with Indiana State Police to teach youth highway safety (8.8.22)
[....]
Vice President of Safety & Compliance for Zonar Systems Fred Fakkema, chairman of the ATA’s Law Enforcement Advisory Board, said that as a former trooper, he can attest to the value of strong partnerships between law enforcement and the trucking industry.
“The Indiana State Police Department’s partnership with the Indiana Motor Truck Association and the American Trucking Associations is a model of cooperation between industries and a force multiplier for improving highway safety,” he said. “ATA’s Share the Road initiative effectively leverages these partnerships and the collective expertise of our nation’s professional truck drivers and law enforcement officials to make our roadways safe for all Americans.”
Bulk Transporter | ATA praises bill to expand truck parking (7.25.22)
[....]
The ATA’s newly formed Women in Motion advisory group and ATA’s Law Enforcement Advisory Board, along with the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, sent letters to members expressing strong support for the provision.
Guardian Magazine | ATA’s Law Enforcement Advisory Board:
Shared Vision and Goals with CVSA (Q2 2022)
[....]
By building bridges between the trucking community and law enforcement, we can combine our resources and align them in service of our common goal to increase safety across America’s highways. These individuals have deep, shared experiences across industry and law enforcement, and the LEAB has created a platform where their expertise can be applied in a constructive and purposeful way – with benefits for the entire motoring public
Fleet Owner | Roadcheck 2022 focuses on wheel ends (5.16.22)
[....]
“Events like this create that perception by the public that trucks are bad. And they're not,” Fakkema said. “It creates that perception that all drivers are not professional, which is also not true. There's so many great professional drivers, you know, and it's just one event that can change the reputation of the industry. That's one cool thing about what the Law Enforcement Advisory Board is trying to do. The trucking industry and law enforcement are working together to improve that safety aspect and the perception of both the trucking and law enforcement industries.”
The Trucker | ATA advisory board to help strengthen relationships between trucking industry, law enforcement (3.25.21)
[....]
The board will meet bimonthly to identify areas of opportunity and provide recommendations on priority issues. During its inaugural meeting, held virtually last week, the board identified the primary issues it will focus on in the coming weeks and months, including combatting human trafficking; increasing truck parking capacity and ensuring driver safety at rest stops; commercial motor vehicle safety and security; and enhancing access to training for drivers and company safety personnel.