NIT LEAGUE APPROVES PLAN TO OPEN MEMBERSHIP


NIT LEAGUE APPROVES PLAN TO OPEN MEMBERSHIP

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Home/American Shipper/NIT LEAGUE APPROVES PLAN TO OPEN MEMBERSHIPAmerican ShipperNIT LEAGUE APPROVES PLAN TO OPEN MEMBERSHIPFreightWaves Staff·Wednesday, February 20, 2002


NIT LEAGUE APPROVES PLAN TO OPEN MEMBERSHIP


   The National Industrial Transportation League approved a plan this week to open its membership to include freight transportation providers.    The plan, Vision 2020, was announced by the


NIT League’s Executive Committee at its annual meeting last November in Charlotte, N.C., and was approved by the entire board in January. Ballots were mailed to each current member company


and were given 30 days to vote. Seventy-two percent of the membership approved the Vision 2020, meeting the two-thirds requirement for the NIT League to activate the plan.    This is a big


change for the 95-year-old group, long known as the “voice of the shipper.” For the first time, freight transportation providers, such as ocean carriers and freight forwarders, can become


full, voting members of the NIT League.    '”While shippers, carriers and third parties will continue to have disagreements, it is in all of our interests to work together,” said Van L.


Hayes Jr., manager of transportation support services for Vulcan Materials Co., and chairman of the NIT League. “In the end, the freight transportation system must serve the needs of


shippers and we believe Vision 2020 will make it easier for the league to pursue that goal.”    The Vision 2020, however, was not implemented without some strong opposition and concern from


some shipper members. “Clearly some of our members opposed the change, but I am sure the entire organization will continue to pull together to accomplish even more than it has in its rich


history,” Hayes said.    Implementing Vision 2020 will also require some operational changes at the Arlington, Va.-based group.    “The league has long been viewed as the organization which


represents shippers interests in regulatory and legislative battles,” said Ed Emmett, president of the NIT League. “Where the issues require us to do that, we still will. But in recent years


there have been fewer and fewer of such issues.”    “Now we will become much more visible in a whole range of issues that affect the daily business lives of all parts of the freight


transportation industry,” Emmett added. “Our positive impact for shippers will be far greater in a wider variety of places.”