8 Trucking Organizations You Need to Know

TDI | July 18, 2025 |

The trucking industry is always growing and evolving. After you’ve earned your CDL, it can feel overwhelming to navigate the large number of national trucking organizations that are out there. In this article, we break it all down, covering everything you need to know about the major groups that serve truckers—from small trucking organizations, to compliance and regulatory trucking groups, to owner-operator trucking organizations and more.

Click below to find information about one specific trucking organization or scroll through to read our entire roundup.

National Trucking Organizations for Workforce Development:

Advocacy & Legislative Trucking Organizations:

Safety and Compliance Trucking Coalitions:

Agencies for Legal Defense and Risk Mitigation in Trucking:

A semi truck driver standing in front of a group of trucks as a member of national trucking organizations

National Trucking Organizations for Workforce Development

National Association of Small Trucking Companies (NASTC)

The National Association of Small Trucking Companies is one of the preeminent small trucking organizations in the nation. NASTC supports over 10,000 small trucking companies by helping them reduce operating costs through collective buying power. The organization lobbies for the unique needs of small carriers, who are often overlooked in broader trucking regulation and legislation.

Through their National Association of Small Trucking Companies membership, truckers have access to: 

  1. Discounted fuel, tires, insurance, and truck maintenance
  2. Roadside assistance
  3. Safety and legal compliance tools
  4. Hiring tools to pre-qualify new applicants
  5. Cash flow management services
  6. PrePass access to bypass weigh stations while remaining compliant

NASTC helps trucking businesses with recruitment of new drivers through their Driver Assessment Program, which aims to help trucking companies pre-qualify drivers to ensure they hire qualified, low-risk applicants.

Another membership perk is the yearly conference NASTC holds to help members keep up with industry trends, learn the latest regulatory changes, and network. To ensure accessibility, scholarships are available for truckers who would like to attend the conference but wouldn’t otherwise have the means to do so.

Women In Trucking (WIT)

Women In Trucking promotes the employment and advancement of women in the trucking industry through advocacy, education, and support resources. Founded in 2007, WIT has been pivotal in empowering women across the trucking community.

The group offers career development, networking, and member discounts, while working to improve workplace conditions and increase women’s participation in the trucking industry. Women In Trucking hosts the annual Accelerate! Conference & Expo, along with numerous regional events and webinars throughout the year.

Looking for more resources for women truckers? Check out these articles:

Advocacy & Legislative Trucking Organizations

American Trucking Associations (ATA)

The American Trucking Associations (ATA) is the largest and most influential of American national trucking organizations, representing more than 10,000 members across all 50 states. Founded in 1933, ATA actively lobbies for major industry issues, such as improving infrastructure, safety, sustainability, and workforce development. 

Every year, the ATA hosts a multitude of trucking industry events, from their annual Management Conference & Exhibition, to Women in Motion Symposiums, Legal Forums, and more. In addition to these networking opportunities, ATA members benefit from discounts on insurance, frequently updated industry news and data, and professional resources designed to help their business grow.

As the leading national trucking organization, ATA plays a major role in shaping U.S. transportation policy. The group works closely with federal agencies and lawmakers to shape federal trucking policies and to protect and promote the role of trucking in the U.S. economy. Every year, the ATA conducts research on the state of the trucking industry, providing insights on how many new jobs truckers can expect to see, how the demand for truck drivers is (or, recently, isn’t) being met, and what salaries truck drivers are receiving.

National Private Truck Council (NPTC)

The National Private Truck Council is one of the most powerful national trucking organizations that represents and lobbies for companies that operate private fleets. Wondering what exactly counts as a private fleet? Private fleets are operated by businesses such as Walmart, PepsiCo, and Sysco that use their own trucks to transport their products internally, rather than contracting with for-hire carriers.

With private truck fleets representing the majority of the medium- and heavy-duty trucks on U.S. highways, this lobbying group is highly important and influential. Through its work with government agencies and industry leaders, the Council helps shape policies that impact private fleets nationwide.

NPTC members benefit from much more than the group’s legislative advocacy:

  • Truck drivers can earn the prestigious Certified Transportation Professional® (CTP) certification through the NPTC’s elite training program.
  • For more continuing education, NPTC hosts an annual National Safety Conference in addition to its annual Education Management Conference and Expo.
  • Frequent webinars and an active forum help keep members up to date on trucking safety, compliance, and operations.

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA)

Since 1973, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association has been a powerful voice for those in the trucking industry, with over 150,000 members nationwide. This nonprofit is one of the most well-known owner-operator trucking organizations, with a legislative arm, robust membership services and discounts, and tools and resources available for new and seasoned truckers alike.

OOIDA is best known for lobbying in Washington, DC on behalf of owner‑operators. Truck drivers look to OOIDA for news and action campaigns about potential regulatory changes in the industry. As an owner-operator trucking organization, OOIDA represents small business and professional truck drivers, with a focus on legislative advocacy, regulatory reform, and business development and support.

Truckers benefit from OOIDA’s:

Truckload Carriers Association (TCA)

Truckload carriers are companies that typically move full truckloads of freight from one point to another. The Truckload Carriers Association is a national trucking organization that advocates for truckload carriers by working with lawmakers and federal agencies to shape national policy. They focus on key issues like cargo liability, truck equipment regulations, and economic policies that impact fleet costs, operations, and efficiency.

TCA represents the interests of dry van, open deck, refrigerated, tanker, and intermodal container carriers in its national lobbying efforts. There are four types of membership in TCA:

  1. For-hire carriers
  2. Private fleet operators
  3. Trucking schools
  4. Trucking industry goods and service providers

Truckload Carriers Association helps its members stay informed and educated on industry developments with its annual convention and with webinars scheduled for multiple dates each month. Past webinar topics include: 

  • Making fleets more sustainable and eco-friendly
  • Informative sessions for refrigerated truck operators
  • Increasing fuel margins
  • Decoding FMCSA regulation

Safety and Compliance Trucking Coalitions

Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA)

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance is a nonprofit that was created in 1980 to establish uniform international safety standards between the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The CVSA seeks to provide clear, common inspection criteria to policy enforcers to reduce redundancy across multinational safety checkpoints. 

With 4,000+ members, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance unites law enforcement, carriers, and vendors to improve road safety across North America.

CVSA’s member base is comprised of:

  1. Local law enforcement agencies
  2. Fleet owners, owner-operators, and other trucking companies
  3. Trucking industry service providers and vendors
  4. Trucking industry trade associations and training institutions
  5. Insurance companies
  6. Consultants
  7. Other trucking professionals

The CVSA not only sets but also enforces these commercial driving safety standards. Several regularly scheduled CVSA events help educate drivers and ensure commercial vehicles are up to safety standards:

  • Operation Safe Driver: This annual event focuses on reducing risky driver behaviors like speeding and distracted driving through educational outreach programs.
  • International Roadcheck: This annual event tests tens of thousands of trucks with rigorous safety inspections in just 72 hours.
  • Operation Airbrake: This biannual event targets faulty braking systems, aiming to prevent accidents caused by commercial vehicles. 

Through standardized inspection programs, the CVSA ensures safety and consistency across the commercial driving industry.

Trucking Industry Defense Association (TIDA)

The Trucking Industry Defense Association (TIDA) focuses on defending the trucking industry from costly claims and litigation by offering legal resources, education, and a strong professional network. With over 1,500 members, it supports both experienced and new industry professionals through mentorship programs and industry defense initiatives.

Membership is broken down into 6 categories:

  1. Attorneys
  2. Paralegals and legal assistants
  3. Individuals in the trucking industry
  4. Corporate membership
  5. Vendor membership
  6. Association memberships

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