Politics, Trucking, New Legislation Are Focus of 50th NTTC Meeting

May 1, 1998
National Tank Truck Carriers Inc is celebrating its 50th anniversary with the annual conference and tank truck equipment show in Washington DC. It will

National Tank Truck Carriers Inc is celebrating its 50th anniversary with the annual conference and tank truck equipment show in Washington DC. It will be held May 18-20 at the Omni Shoreham Hotel.

More than 500 tank truck carrier executives, suppliers, spouses, and guests are expected to attend. More than 65 suppliers will have exhibits at the equipment show.

Conference speakers will discuss politics, the national trucking agenda, and new legislation affecting the tank truck industry. An annual highlight, the NTTC safety awards breakfast, will be held May 20. During the breakfast, winners of the 1997 National Tank Truck Carriers Safety Contest will be honored. Manfredi Motor Transit Company, Newbury, Ohio, will receive the Outstanding Performance Trophy.

Political commentator Mary Matalin will present the keynote address at the conference's opening breakfast May 19. Matalin and her husband, political consultant James Carville, co-authored the best-selling political campaign book, All is Fair: Love, War, and Running for President.

Known for her sharp wit and free-spirited political repartee, Matalin hosts a three-hour afternoon radio program on the CBS Talk Radio Network. "The Mary Matalin Show" airs from 3 to 6 pm eastern standard time from studios on Capitol Hill. Covering a wide range of timely issues and news events, Matalin interacts with prominent guests and national newsmakers on the national broadcast.

She was listed by Talkers magazine as one of the 100 most important talk show hosts in America in 1996 and 1997. The show's Internet web site received the "Great Web" site award by Talk Daily. The site address is www.cbsradio.com/mm/index.html. Previously, Matalin co-hosted the Washington-based political weeknight talk show "Equal Time," which premiered in May 1993 on CNBC. Knight Ridder News Service called it "the best talk show on television." Contributing to the success of the show was Matalin's skilled and straightforward interviewing technique and her sense of humor. She covered some of the hottest political issues in Washington.

Besides the best-selling book she co-authored with Carville, Matalin has written for various periodicals, including Newsweek and the Los Angeles Times.

In 1984, Matalin joined the Republican National Committee (RNC) and was voter contact director for the Reagan-Bush campaign. After the campaign, she worked in the public affairs office for President Reagan's inaugural. In 1985, Matalin became the chief of staff to the cochairman of the RNC.

Matalin began working for the George Bush for President Campaign in 1986. Over the next two years, she held three different positions - deputy political director and Midwest regional political director in the primary, and National Victory '88 director in the general campaign.

After Bush's victory and appointment of Lee Atwater as chairman of the RNC, Matalin served as Atwater's chief of staff.

In 1992, Bush named her the deputy campaign manager for political operations. She was responsible for the overview and organization of all 50 state operations. Matalin was the "on-board planner" who traveled with Bush throughout the 1992 campaign. She emerged as a vocal defender of Bush and his policies.

Trucking Agenda Session Another speaker, Walter McCormick Jr, recently was elected president of the American Trucking Associations (ATA). He is making his first appearance before the NTTC. He will discuss the national trucking agenda.

McCormick is a 43-year-old Washington lawyer and former general counsel of the Department of Transportation. One of his goals as the new president of the ATA is to expand the organization's member base by showing that membership provides general value to the industry and specific value through member benefits.

The ATA's success in the public policy area arises from approaching public policy issues in a united way, McCormick says. "We are going to attack any and all attacks on the industry," he says. "We are not going to allow our opponents to play the game of divide and conquer."

Two high-profile concerns for tank truck carriers will be the focus of another NTTC session presented by Congressman Nick Rahall (D-WVA). Rahall is the ranking member of the House Surface Transportation Subcommittee for Highways. He will comment on highway legislation and reauthorization of federal hazardous materials legislation.

Another presentation will address bulk transportation dislocations caused by the merger of the Union Pacific and Southern Pacific railways. Discussing when and how these shortages can be resolved will be Maureen Healey, director of transportation issues for the Society of the Plastics Industry.

Other conference sessions will cover legal issues facing bulk carriers and business and estate planning for the family-owned carrier.

The NTTC program will conclude on the evening of May 20 with a dinner dance, sponsored by the Allied Committee of Manufacturers. Entertainment will be provided by Washington's top political satire group, The Capitol Steps.

Washington Entertainment The Capitol Steps is a troupe of current and former Congressional staffers who travel the country satirizing the people and places that once employed them. Over the past 13 years, the group has recorded 17 albums, the latest being "Sixteen Scandals."

Other releases include the group's three Clinton albums, "Lord of the Fries," "The Joy of Sax," and "Return to Center." Additional releases include "A Whole Newt World," "76 Bad Loans," "We Arm the World," "Stand by Your Dan," and "Fools on the Hill." The Capitol Steps perform more than 300 shows a year throughout the country.

The group was formed in December 1981 when three staffers for Senator Charles Percy were asked to provide entertainment for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Christmas party. They decided to dig into the headlines and hot topics of the day to create new lyrics for familiar tunes.

In addition to attending the Capitol Steps' performance, convention participants and their guests may take the opportunity to visit some of the many attractions Washington has to offer.

The NTTC will provide a tour for spouses and guests on May 19. Scheduled from 10 am to 3 pm, the tour program is entitled "The Elegance of Washington's Past, Through the Eyes of Architecture." Tour stops include The National Cathedral and Anderson House.

Spouse Tour Highlights

Guests first will travel to Anderson House to visit the national headquarters of The Society of the Cincinnati's library and museum, a historic landmark. The Society of the Cincinnati was the first alternate solution to the not-yet-available military pension system in the late 1800s. The Cincinnati was the first American military beneficial society.

The Anderson House mansion was the winter residence of Larz Anderson III and his wife Isabel Weld Perkins. Larz was a descendant of Richard Clough Anderson, an original member of The Society of the Cincinnati and an aide-de-camp to Lafayette. Isabel was the granddaughter of William Fletcher Weld, whose shipping fortune was used to build the mansion after his death. The house was built between 1902 and 1905. After Anderson's death in 1937, his widow presented the house and much of its original art and furnishings to The Cincinnati.

After Anderson House, tour participants will ride through Kalorama, known as "the home of Washington's elite." This elegant neighborhood once was the grounds of Washington's last great antebellum estate. At the beginning of the 20th century, when great fortunes were being made in America, many of the new millionaires chose to build their residences on the grounds of Kalorama.

Next, guests will tour Washington's National Cathedral. This gothic structure is referred to as "a symphony of stone" and is an architectural masterpiece. Tour guides with a thorough knowledge of the structure will point out some of its important features including the renowned stained-glass windows. Guests will be encouraged to ride to the top of the cathedral tower for a great view of Washington.

Finally, tour participants will dine at Restaurant Nora, which offers customers healthy and hearty servings of contemporary American food prepared from wholesome ingredients.

Woodley's Wild Neighborhood Convention attendees may find time to visit Woodley Park, a tree-lined neighborhood that is home to the wildest residents in town. Within walking distance of the Omni Shoreham Hotel, the park is home to the 5,000-plus inhabitants of the Smithsonian Institution's National Zoological Park.

Situated on 165 acres, this biopark is one of the world's largest zoos. Over 100 years old, it has more than five miles of trail on which to stroll. The park combines animals with the best of natural history museums, botanic gardens, aquaria, and art galleries to illustrate the splendor of all living things.

The zoo is home to the country's only giant panda, Hsing Hsing, and rare blue-eyed Bengal tigers. Other attractions include Amazonia, a steamy rainforest habitat.