OTA Dispatch Issue 2, 2021

5 www.ortrucking.org Issue 2 | 2021 ADVOCATING, EDUCATING, AND PROMOTING THE TRUCKING INDUSTRY EVENTS UPCOMING EVENTS are in the difficult position of trying to emerge from this pandemic without clear guidance from our leaders. What are the safety standards we need to meet now? Do we still require masks? Can we require employee vaccinations? How do we “certify” that our customers are fully vaccinated so we can interact with them (in-person and without masks!) like we did before? What are the risks with whatever policies we end up choosing? It is becoming rapidly apparent that Oregon’s economy will not fully open without 70% of our citizens getting an approved vaccine. As an industry, we have been leading through this crisis and we need to lead the recovery. The concept of safety is often the trump card used to promote controversial public policies. During this legislative session, motorcyclists used safety as their excuse to pursue lane splitting when traffic is slowed or stopped. Safety was the justification for a change in policy that would allow police to use a two-hour window after a traffic stop to determine if a driver was over the legal intoxication limit for a DUII charge. Moreover, safety from carbon emissions is what our opponents use every time we try to address the massive congestion on our roadways in the Portland region—without considering the unsafe driving conditions that congestion causes! Safety is always a convenient go-to when trying to defend a proposed policy. We need to remember what Benjamin Franklin said about safety, “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” Undoubtedly, he was referring to the impending danger of war with Great Britain, but his words should give us pause today. While we will continue to pursue the elusive goal of safety, we should also remember the cost of using safety as the ultimate objective in conversations around the environment and climate change. One of the famous quotes about safety, from an unknown author, states simply that, “Safety doesn’t happen by accident.” The trucking industry’s pursuit of safety is always intentional. We have tangible evidence of how developing and implementing a safety program affects how we operate as a team with a shared goal. We know our commitment to safety has a direct line to our bottom line. We understand that, as policy and technology evolve, so must our approach to safety. OTA has the educational infrastructure in place to take this journey with you. I encourage you to learn more and to be a part of the discussion around safety at our upcoming events. We have great programming to help you take your safety efforts to the next level at the Annual Convention in Bend (August 9–11) the Safety Conference in Eugene (October 6–8) and the TMC Maintenance & Education Fair in Wilsonville (November 5). I hope to see you there!