Defense Transportation Day is a United States Federal Observance Day held on the third Friday in May.  It was established by Congress in 1957, followed by the establishment of National Transportation Week in 1962.  National Defense Transportation Day, this year falling on Friday, May 18, and National Transportation Week, May 13-19, 2018, were established by Congress to ensure proper recognition of the professionals working in our Nation’s transportation industries.

The NDTA Houston Chapter celebrated Defense Transportation Day at a luncheon honoring professionals working in the transportation industry on May 17, 2018 at the Sheraton North at IAH located at 15700 JFK Blvd, Houston, TX 77032 from 11 am until 1 pm. Immediately following the luncheon, NDTA President Andy Brown joined the sponsors, State President Roger Neumann, Rhonda Moon Dallas Chapter President and San Antonio Chapter President Joan Dixon-Scott for a harbor tour of the Port of Houston.

“We were honored to have NDTA President Brown as our featured speaker and were pleased his schedule allowed a harbor tour on his three day tour of Dallas, Houston and San Antonio,” said Ernest Bezdek, SW Regional president of the NDTA. Bezdek added, “The lunch meeting and the tour allowed local NDTA members to join the efforts of our national organization to give sincere thanks to all the dedicated and hard-working professionals who ensure the success of our national transportation system—which supports the prosperity and national security of the United States.”

Sponsors for the event included Port of Beaumont, Port of Port Arthur, Clark Freight Lines, Southwest Airlines, Port of Houston, Crane Worldwide Logistics, and USOcean. 75 attendees included professionals representing airlines, railroads, motor carriers, ocean shippers, transportation consultants, express companies, technology, household goods carriers, labor unions and port authorities. In addition to the networking opportunity, attendees were given a general update on NDTA – committee changes and were encouraged to participate in the annual fall meeting scheduled for October 22-25, 2018 in Washington D.C.

NDTA meetings brings the defense transportation and the logistics community together to network, define goals and establish strategic relationships. The Houston group, under the direction of Bezdek is planning to meet once per quarter. The next meeting is tentatively scheduled for August 23, 2018. Anyone interested in joining the Houston area group may contact Ernest Bezdek at elb@portofbeaumont.com or call 409-835-5367 for additional information.

The National Defense Transportation Association (NDTA) is a non-political, non-profit educational association founded in 1944. NDTA supports those working to deliver the required equipment and infrastructure necessary for an effective and efficient national transportation capability. NDTA works to benefit national security and defense through knowledge sharing in logistics, transportation and passenger travel services.