“All things change, there is nothing in the whole world which is permanent. All things are brought into being with a changing nature.” Ovid, 43 BC – 27 AD

Ovid, the Roman poet, wrote the above words sometime around the time of Christ’s birth, and they continue to be true over 2000 years later. The events of September 11 have changed our lives forever. Even before that tragic date, new technologies had created intense competition. The economic slow down that we were experiencing earlier this year reeked havoc on our shippers, competitors and suppliers. What we felt was an already weak economy has taken a downward turn since the terrorist attack. Interest rates have fallen and seem to have reached a point where even reductions in interest rates have little or no effect on the economy. Thoughts have turned to war and people feel insecurities that were never felt before in America. Life has changed.

As we see from Ovid’s comments, change is not new to the world. How we respond to change is the key to successfully surviving it. An organization that doesn’t change in order to adapt is very much at fault. The world rewards those who catch on to what’s happening and invest energy in finding the opportunities brought about by change.

Over the past few years we have been making a concentrated effort in determining the opportunities that exist for us in the ever-changing market. Those efforts have been stepped up to an even greater degree since September 11. One example is the power generation market. ATS Specialized put a marketing focus on this market earlier this year. As a result of this focus, Specialized is in a ready position to take possession of the additional freight volumes. Acquisition prospects, which would give ATS opportunities for rapid growth, are being evaluated. Some of our competitors have withdrawn from the market place, leaving additional opportunities for freight and trucks.

ATS is committed to making the needed changes to keep us a viable leader in the transportation industry. Through all of this, the safety of our drivers and staff will remain of primary importance to us.

Rollie Anderson, Executive Vice President, Anderson Trucking Service, Inc.

"Rolling Along" presents thoughts from a member of the ATS Management team.