ARLINGTON, Va. – The American Trucking Associations (ATA) has announced the revival of the National Accounting and Finance Council (NAFC).

The council will be reinstated with the new, dues-based membership structure on July 1 for the first time since 2013. This is the first time the council has collected dues from members since 2009.

The ATA says it is bringing back the revamped council after renewed interest from trucking executives and financing and accounting professionals.

As the economy becomes more robust following the great recession a decade ago, and new technologies and government policies reshape the industry, the council hopes to prepare fleets for future trends by guiding them through the best practices in accounting and finance.

ATA president and CEO Chris Spear says with an industry full of fast-paced changes, fleets need to be forward-thinking.

“In recent years, we’ve seen significant changes in the environment of finance – with the emergence of blockchain and a reformed federal tax code. NAFC is positioned to prepare our members and industry for these changes, both now and well into the future.”

Prior to the re-launch the NAFC held its annual conference in Raleigh, N.C. where six new study groups were formed to look at different areas of taxation. The groups were created for the areas of IT, financial relations, accounting and collections, associates, and risk management.

The NAFC has also absorbed what was previously the Information Technology & Logistics Council to reflect the increasing blending of the fields of business management and technology.

Among NAFC’s updated suite of services is a newly launched educational webinar series, with topics including revenue recognition, changes to the tax code and blockchain.