American Trucking Associations CEO Chris Spear said Monday that interests aligned with the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association have threatened him, his family and ATA headquarters with violence—an accusation the latter group called "patently false."

Trade publication DC Velocity reported that Spear and his family received death threats from "OOIDA interests" and that persons aligned with the association have threatened to bomb ATA headquarters in Arlington, Va. Spear also told the publication that people aligned with OOIDA falsely accused an unidentified ATA employee of being a child molester. http://bit.ly/2HKZ5Ox

ATA represents motor carriers while OOIDA represents independent truck drivers. The two groups have clashed on a handful of policy issues in recent years, including government requirements for electronic logging devices in trucks and mandated rest time for drivers.

In an email to CEO Update, an ATA spokesman said Spear offered a "candid response" to questions posed by a reporter at a conference in Orlando, Fla., based on experiences of ATA staff in recent months. "That said, ATA's mission is to secure victories on behalf of our industry and our members. We've worked hard to build broad coalitions, reaching out to those who have an interest in the future of this industry, including OOIDA, and we will continue to do so as we advocate on behalf of the entire trucking industry."

OOIDA responded in a statement on their website Tuesday to what it labeled as Spear's "barrage of untrue accusations."

"Most small-business truckers—who represent the majority of motor carriers—have objected to ATA's policies in a firm, but extremely respectful and civil manner," the association said. "Mr. Spear's suggestion that OOIDA employs questionable tactics and threatens harm on others is patently false."

The association added that Spear "simply feels ATA's positions and policies are vulnerable, and he is lashing out with falsehoods and misrepresentations." http://bit.ly/2w8rZH2

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