The Harbor Truckers for a Sustainable Future is changing its name to the Harbor Trucking Association and launching a strategy aimed at boosting its political power within the port drayage industry, as well as the community image of it. The organization has contracted with attorney Alex Cherin, the former managing director of trade and transportation at the Port of Long Beach, and Shaun Lumachi of Chamber Advocacy to help manage its transformation to a power player.

The Harbor Trucking Association's group action plan will:

• Build and maintain a government affairs program including the implementation of its public policy goals and long-term strategy.
• Form an active organization of industry people dedicated to deciding and acting on issues of importance.
• Prepare monthly agendas that include detailed research on issues and recommendations.
• Track local, state and federal legislation and issues.
• Develop a legislative policy platform of issues.
• Communicate directly with elected officials and hold local officials accountable.
• Maintain an aggressive communication strategy through an advocacy-based web site.
• Establish an "eALERT" email system to keep the membership updated on action items.

The group adopted bylaws at its meeting in Long Beach last Tuesday.

Among the first challenges the re-organized group will take on are: achieving faster turn times at port terminals, creating a public relations campaign that would emphasize the importance of the drayage industry, showing opposition to efforts to amend federal law to allow local agencies to regulate trucking, supporting infrastructure development, supporting reasonable efforts to find alternative energy fuels, and opposing any tax or fee system that places trucking companies at a competitive disadvantage.

-- The Cunningham Report