21 www.ortrucking.org Issue 1 | 2024 One of the tools Erik used to learn more about the industry when he first joined Omega Morgan—and in the many years since—was membership in the Oregon Trucking Association (OTA). “I think I just wanted to be around people who had been in the industry to learn,” said Erik. “I was new to the industry and trade associations are typically target rich environments for people who care and often are willing to share that knowledge with you.” Erik says that for him the OTA was a great place to network and meet people, particularly given the diversity in membership, with some members having a single truck and others having upwards of 500 trucks, but everyone faces similar challenges. “One example was a couple years ago when everyone was getting into telematics and cameras for trucks, in my case, we had to make this decision to buy a couple hundred cameras and sign up for a multi-year contract,” said Erik. “Wouldn’t it be nice if you could talk to someone who actually uses them and get their opinion and hear their experience? The OTA allowed me to do that.” Erik said much of the value he has seen in OTA is in attending events, particularly when there’s time to interact with the other members and get to know them and leverage their knowledge to help each other’s businesses—knowledge they’re often more than willing to share. “That’s what I did—show up and meet people, whether that be through committees or from attending events,” said Erik. “It’s a long-term play, but at least for me in helping our business, I think it’s been very much worth it, and
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTY1NDIzOQ==