Shannon Newton

The White House announced a program Thursday to address ongoing workforce challenges in the trucking industry, that have worsened in the pandemic. The Biden-Harris Administration’s Trucking Action Plan includes four strategies intended to strengthen America’s trucking workforce. The program will…

Since the Hernando de Soto Bridge on Interstate 40 connecting Arkansas and Tennessee at West Memphis closed on May 11, the trucking industry has absorbed more than $70 million in unanticipated costs, according to the Arkansas Trucking Association. However, the…

Chester Charles “Shorty” Jones began his trucking business with a 1954 AutoCar diesel truck, a strong work ethic and family values while he hauled poultry from Arkansas to the West Coast and oranges back home. Now, more than 60 years…

The trucking industry has rarely been so valued as during the pandemic, when grocery stores and other retailers were struggling to keep the shelves stocked with toilet paper, paper towels, sanitizer, meat, appliances and laptop computers. In the past, most…

ATA’s Shannon Newton dishes on industry challenges including worker shortage. The shift to online shopping over the course of the pandemic magnified the role of truckers in the American economy. And as the trucking industry continues to navigate a landscape impacted…

Shannon Newton President of the Arkansas Trucking Association   How did you get started in your industry? My first job after college was in payroll and new hire orientation at Maverick Transportation. Later, I had the opportunity to join the…

Is there public policy to balance our need for speed with our right to safe roads? by Shannon Newton Confession: I like to drive fast. During the first week of the recent 92nd General Assembly, I was pulled over speeding…

An Arkansas highway funding bill that’s “been years in the making” is expected to be signed on Tuesday by Gov. Asa Hutchinson in a ceremony at the state Capitol. Senate Bill 336 was delivered to the governor on March 5…

It’s not the sexiest political issue, but it’s one of the most important in the state of Arkansas, and right now, it’s causing an existential crisis for Arkansas lawmakers. The issue: How do we fund the highways? After much discussion…

Arkansas Trucking Association President Shannon Newton recently received the American Trucking Association’s President’s Trucking Association Executives Council Leadership Award during the association’s 85thManagement Conference and Exhibition. Newton is the 17th recipient of the award, which was created in 2002. According to…