Navigating all that OOIDA has to offer

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association offers its members a slew of services. Whether it’s insurance, drug- and alcohol-testing compliance or advice on building a business, there aren’t many areas of trucking in which the Association isn’t involved.

However, many truckers – and even some current members – are still unaware of the many services OOIDA has to offer. That’s where the Association’s Business Development Department comes in.

From the ground up

Still in its infancy, the department is just over a month old and consists of two employees – Supervisor Alison MacKay and Specialist Cheyanne Hodges. The two have been tasked with building the department from scratch and are still molding it into what they hope will be a big benefit to truckers.

The goal of the department is simple: to follow up on leads obtained from trade shows, the OOIDA tour truck and the Association’s website.

“I think it’s just us trying to connect with them, listening to them and figuring out what they’re really needing,” MacKay said. “We’re trying to reach out to these people and let them know that we are so much more than insurance.”

The two do this in true OOIDA fashion – over the phone with a personal touch. Hodges said this approach is a benefit to both the members and the staff of the Association.

“Sometimes we just need to take a magnifying glass and see how we can best assist them, what’s going to work, what doesn’t,” she said. “And then our hope is that we take what we learn and spread it out to the building. That way, when we hit the light at the end of the tunnel of our freight market, we’re prepared to bring people in and we can sharpen everything up.”

The right tools for the job

When it comes to building something from nothing, the Association seems to have picked two people uniquely positioned to take on the task.

MacKay knows a thing or two about how OOIDA operates. This coming March, she will be entering her 27th year with the Association. She began her tenure as a switchboard operator before transitioning to support staff in the Life and Health Department. After that, she went on to become an agent – a role she filled for 15 years.

While Hodges, who joined OOIDA’s staff in January 2022, may not have as many years under her belt as MacKay, she brings with her a wealth of knowledge concerning the services OOIDA has to offer. She was previously in the Association’s Membership Department, where she fielded calls from current and potential members. Her ability to connect with members led her to become a trainer for new employees.

“I think we both have a deep appreciation for the Association with the viewpoint in mind that this is for our members,” Hodges said. “And we both like pioneering new things … so I think there’s a willingness to create something and learn with the appreciation of the Association and the members in mind.”

MacKay added that over the next year, she hopes to expand the department to include more employees and to educate other departments on how to better serve OOIDA members. LL