Today, at the ATD Show, Steve Bassett, dealer principal of General Truck Sales in Muncie, Ind., took the helm of the American Truck Dealers (ATD).

During his first speech as ATD chairman, Bassett, who also has locations in Toledo, Ohio and Indianapolis, shared his goals and platform for ATD during his two-year term, as well as highlighted the pending evolution of the commercial truck industry in terms of both positive product development and potential threats to the industry.

“We’re living in a time where trucks are being outfitted with new power sources. New technology leads to new laws, which lead to more regulations, said Bassett, named Volvo Trucks Dealer of the Year for North America for the fourth time in 2018. “The good news is our dealer model will remain stable! We will continue to sell internal combustion engines well into the future!”

To address the imminent changes to the industry, Bassett encouraged dealers to be forward looking: “We, as ATD members, must look down the road—far, far down the road. We need to spot trouble before it starts, and we need to do what it takes to get the job done. Let’s start by looking at the issues that are directly in our headlights.”

In his speech, Bassett, a second generation truck dealer who also sells Isuzu, Hino and Mack, vowed to press forward with ATD’s effort to repeal the federal excise tax (FET), an antiquated levy on heavy-duty trucks used to fund the Highway Trust Fund, as well as challenged all ATD members to be part of the Workforce Initiative.

Bassett further noted that that the future of the commercial truck industry is dependent upon the actions and engagement of ATD members.

“But our future also depends on how well we respond to new customer demands. How strongly we advocate for our business in Washington, D.C. And how quickly we respond to threats in the next decade,” added Bassett.

ATD Show runs from Feb. 14-17 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas.