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The great transportation and logistics renaissance has begun!

(Jim Allen/FreightWaves)

On occasion, someone asks me how long I have been involved in the trucking industry. I often say “42 years.” I get an odd look, but I then explain that I literally grew up around the industry and that my father and grandfather built successful trucking companies. As a young boy, I would often go to work with my father and rather than let me play, he would put me to work. It goes back as far as I can remember, so I suspect he was breaking some child labor law that was on the books back in the 1980s.

But I didn’t care; I loved every minute of it and I was proud to show my dad that I would grow up to be just like him one day. I spent time in the parts department, maintenance, janitorial, dispatching trucks, dealing with driver issues, repowering loads, working on the computer systems, selling, marketing – really everything short of driving a truck. He would even have me attend executive meetings with key vendors, bankers, and even a board meeting or two. When I was eight years old,  I negotiated a multi-million dollar truck deal; but I suspect that I was just repeating things my dad had told me to say. 

My story is likely familiar to thousands of others in the trucking industry. After all, trucking is a family business. The business provides a good living for families, but the work is hard. Trucking entrepreneurs want their kids to build on their legacy and are proud to have them involved. For me there is nothing more exciting than smelling a new truck or the rubber from a new set of tires. It brings back fond memories of my childhood and how I was able to watch my father turn dedication into a successful enterprise. 

In early March, FreightWaves turned four years old. While most startups tend to fail in the first four years, we were too busy to even remember the significance of our birthday, much less celebrate it. In that short period of time, FreightWaves has become the dominant media and information platform for the North American freight market. While we’ve enjoyed great financial success as a result of the products we have created, I am most proud of how we have created a level of transparency and awareness of everything that is happening in this dynamic and massively important industry. 

The trucking/logistics/supply chain industries are having a massive renaissance. Technology, decarbonization, automation and digitization are shaping the future of society. The next decade will be the most exciting in the history of logistics and we are honored to be a trusted partner as you navigate the future. A venture capital investor once told me that the greatest impact we’ve had on the industry is that we’ve helped to make the broader world aware of how sexy and exciting freight and logistics truly is. 


Thank you for being part of the FreightWaves community. This is the most exciting time in our industry to-date, and it is our pleasure to be your partner and resource as you navigate the future.

16 Comments

  1. Earl Bailey

    This starts out the same way my trucking industry life started.
    It’s good to read articles like this to see I am not the only one

  2. CM Evans

    The drivers who are complaining in the comments, this article wasn’t written for you. It’s written for the corporate class of managers and intended to sell subscriptions.

  3. Vin Carrano

    When people ask me how long I’ve been in the freight business, I usually send them a photo from the early 1970’s. Its 5 year old me standing in the passenger door of one of my Dad’s B Model Macks.

  4. Larry Kennedy

    Thanks to you all at freightwaves. You have helped me understand the industry much better and you have me steps ahead on key issues that impact us drivers and our industry. Thanks again

  5. Kurt

    There will never be a Renaissance in trucking as long as turnover rates among the big carriers remain in the 90 to 100% or more range. That these numbers have remained basically constant for decades show that they are an accepted practice and conscious management decision to allow. Every year the greed needs new victims to satisfy the abuse, more women, veterans, new immigrants, and now they want 18 year olds. I started over the road in 1978, and while equipment has drastically improved, until CARB got involved, the standard of living of the average driver has eroded.

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Craig Fuller, CEO at FreightWaves

Craig Fuller is CEO and Founder of FreightWaves, the only freight-focused organization that delivers a complete and comprehensive view of the freight and logistics market. FreightWaves’ news, content, market data, insights, analytics, innovative engagement and risk management tools are unprecedented and unmatched in the industry. Prior to founding FreightWaves, Fuller was the founder and CEO of TransCard, a fleet payment processor that was sold to US Bank. He also is a trucking industry veteran, having founded and managed the Xpress Direct division of US Xpress Enterprises, the largest provider of on-demand trucking services in North America.