The FTA has announced that it will change its name to Logistics UK from the end of May.
The move comes as the organisation looks to achieve more for its members and change the way it is perceived by people outside the industry.
"For people who don’t really know us, the name Logistics UK is modern, it’s impactful, it’s authoritative," FTA marketing and communications director Kevin Green told motortransport.co.uk.
"But we’re not changing who we are or what we do. The road sector is massive to us and will remain the most important sector that we represent.
"It’s all about achieving more for members and more policy wins. People still like the word freight but our core purpose is achieving more influence with policy makers, the media and young people. It’s important that they understand that we represent the logistics industry and the whole supply chain, not just freight. We’re positioned and seen as the voice of logistics."
Green revealed that FTA chief executive David Wells had been the "architect" of the move, which is planned to come after the ITT Hub event on 13-14 May. However, the organisation will begin actively preparing members for the change at the beginning of May.
Its new website will be logistics.org.uk.
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Green claimed that the wider media don't understand what the FTA is or what its aims are: "We’ve got clips where Sky and the BBC mix up the associations in the sector, they stumble over the name," he said. "For people outside the sector the FTA doesn’t resonate, it goes over their head. It’s a cosmetic change but it makes us more relevant and it's more instantly obvious what we do."
He accepted that the change was “an emotive issue” with members and could risk undermining the FTA's identity, but said the organisation had carefully considered its decision in consultation with its governance board over several months.
"A good analogy is the EEF - the Engineering Employers' Federation," he said. "They recently changed their name to Make UK. They’re bigger and stronger than anyone in the logistics sector including us and they are very influential. They’ve done a very similar thing so it's not unprecedented."
He also claimed the costs of rebranding were "minimal".
"A lot of stuff is digital these days so there isn’t a cost in changing that," he said. "We certainly haven’t spent a fortune with external consultants and brand advisers. The name is important and a lot of our members are proud to be part of the FTA – but it’s the same organisation.
"It's a challenge for some people - change is always tough - but when you explain it’s about achieving more for them, they get that.
"The FTA has a proud history so people rightly think why are we ditching that? But we're not - we're trying to build on it. People have voiced their concern, but if Amazon changed their name to 'Rain Forest' you wouldn't stop using them. Nothing would change. It’s just a name. People understand that we live in a changing world and we need to adapt."
