TORONTO – The Ontario Trucking Association (OTA) has launched several social media initiatives to communicate with members, transportation industry stakeholders and the public in new and interactive ways.
“Social media allows us to not only enhance our communication with members, but also to reach a whole new audience,” said OTA President, David Bradley. “Interaction on sites like twitter allows OTA to engage trucking industry members on issues that are of importance to the sector.”
OTA has been active on twitter (@ontruck) since November of last year, and has recently launched a facebook initiative to promote the industry through the OTA Road Knights, ambassadors of the Ontario trucking industry. Through facebook, the OTA Road Knights team will offer their expertise on trucking safety and careers in the industry.
“As technology evolves, new and exciting tools have become available that change the way we communicate,” continued Bradley.
OTA will soon be launching twitter handles for each of its divisions to focus on specific issues. Watch out for the launch of the OTA Livestock Transporters’ Division (LTD) twitter account and an account dedicated to human resources issues. OTA has also begun using videos to explain issues, and has created a youtube channel, ontruck, to share them. Many of the provincial trucking associations across Canada are expanding their social media footprint, as well as the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) which tweets on issues affecting the national trucking industry from the handle @cantruck.
OTA has also created several new communications products for members. OTA Market Watch is a biweekly newsletter, reporting on issues in the freight market. Carrier Business Briefs, a CTA initiative, is a monthly publication which discusses business issues affecting the industry. As well, OTA offers a news monitoring service for members only. OTA is holding a webinar on March 2nd to provide an overview of social media tools and their use in the freight industry. If you are interested in any of these products or the social media webinar, please contact Deanna.pagnan@ontruck.org.
