ATA opens Charlotte conference under a new CEO, with cargo theft and tort reform on the agenda

The American Trucking Associations opened its 2026 Management Conference & Exhibition in Charlotte on Saturday with a new chief already named and a short list of fights it wants to take to Washington. The conference runs through Tuesday.

A new leader, and an abrupt handoff

ATA named Mark Colson its next president and CEO on October 15, according to Transport Topics. Colson has led the Alabama Trucking Association since 2019 and starts December 1. He replaces Chris Spear, who left on August 21 after more than a decade. Transport Topics described the exit as abrupt and reported no reason for it.

Colson told Transport Topics the industry is "on the verge of a trucking resurgence." He will run ATA's Trucking Resurgence plan, which targets regulatory gaps that let noncompliant carriers and unqualified drivers operate. Incoming chairman Derek Leathers said decisions made in Washington do not stay in Washington.

What is on the agenda

ATA's opening release, dated October 17, lists cargo theft, lawsuit abuse and tort reform, and building and keeping a qualified workforce among its policy priorities. ATA says it has more than 37,000 members.

The schedule, as reported by The Trucker on October 16, gives a sense of what to watch:

- Sunday: ATRI president Rebecca Brewster presents the research group's annual list of top industry concerns.
- Monday: ATA chief economist Bob Costello gives his freight market outlook, covering demand, employment and trade policy.
- Tuesday: sessions on cargo theft and supply chain fraud, followed by Colson's first closing press conference as incoming CEO.
- Other sessions cover hours-of-service compliance, litigation risk, driver recruitment and lessons from autonomous trucks on public roads.

The Trucker puts expected attendance at about 2,500 people from 670 companies.

What it means for carriers

Conference agendas rarely move freight, but ATA's priorities tend to show up later in comments to FMCSA and in letters to Congress. Carriers hit by rising insurance and legal costs should pay attention to the tort reform push. Those dealing with fraud and theft should watch Tuesday's sessions for any policy asks.

What shippers and brokers should watch

Costello's Monday outlook is the piece with direct market value. Treat it as ATA's forecast, not a measurement, and compare it with your own contract rate and capacity data. The cargo theft and fraud discussion matters for brokers, who bear much of the vetting burden when a load goes missing or a carrier turns out to be fake.

The ATRI list was not public when we checked on Sunday. We will cover it if it surfaces anything new for carriers.