ATA Chairman Boyle Views Selection as Opportunity to Serve
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It is probably fitting that Boyle Transportation co-President and newly minted American Trucking Associations Chairman Andrew Boyle leads the business alongside his brother and co-President Marc Boyle, as the Massachusetts-based motor carrier founded by their parents has always been central to their lives.
“Growing up in a house where our mother and father were running a trucking business meant that most of our dinner table discussions centered around trucking,” said Andrew, who on Oct. 17 was sworn in as the federation’s 79th chairman.
“When I was asked to become chairman, I took a long pause, because I knew the commitment that was associated with it,” Andrew said. “But then I reflected on the opportunities the industry has afforded me, and in turn the ones we’ve created for other people.”
He added, “The industry has such a vast capacity to create economic development and job opportunities — family-sustaining wages. That is a great source of inspiration and drive for Marc and me. Chairing ATA is not some sort of accomplishment, it’s an opportunity to serve.”
Andrew and Marc began serving as the leaders of Boyle Transportation about 20 years ago, returning to trucking after careers in investment banking and management consulting. Andrew said his weekend and summer work for the family business as a teenager left him with a great respect for the industry’s strong work ethic. These days, the company is focused on the specialty business of hauling freight almost exclusively for the U.S. military and companies that make lifesaving medicines.
It’s serious business, but Andrew Boyle also likes to have fun.
“We take our jobs very seriously,” he said. “We take our responsibilities very seriously. But we don’t take ourselves too seriously. As the great philosopher Gregg Popovich, coach of the San Antonio Spurs, says, ‘Get over yourself.’ ”
John Sommers II for Transport Topics
Look no further than the football helmet on Andrew’s desk for proof. One might think it’s sitting there as a reminder of his days playing strong safety with the Bowdoin College Polar Bears.
Not so.
“It’s helpful to put it on when you bang your head against the wall on trucking-related issues,” he said with a smile.
Now he’s suiting up for a year as ATA chairman, a role that will take him on visits to trucking companies, industry conferences, public speaking engagements, guest appearances on television and visits to the U.S. Capitol. He’s already a staple on television news, and recently testified before Congress on how electric vehicle mandates will affect trucking.
Andrew said he has no predetermined agenda on his mind, but states, “Policy positions all pretty much come back to the same fundamentals: ATA represents stakeholders that strive for the safe and efficient movement of goods throughout the country. Our industry needs to be both environmentally and economically sustainable, and we always need to communicate the essential work that we do and the many career opportunities that exist within trucking.”
Dold
Those who know him say he is up to the challenge.
“He’s a remarkable, thoughtful guy,” said former Illinois U.S. Congressman Bob Dold Jr. The two became friends while pursuing their MBAs at Northwestern University’s prestigious Kellogg School of Management and have remained close. “He is very smart — great sense of humor — and has a great outlook in terms of being able to bring people together, focusing on solutions.”
That extends to outlining clearly the complex challenges facing the trucking industry, Dold added.
“He’s extraordinarily level-headed, affable, personable, and is able to grasp concepts that the industry desperately needs to advance, and to articulate them in a fashion that makes sense to policymakers,” he said of Andrew.
Boyle Transportation specializes in deliveries of life-saving medicines. (John Sommers II for Transport Topics)
Andrew grew up in the town of Natick, Mass., and currently lives with his family in suburban Boston — south of Boyle Transportation’s tree-lined home base in Billerica, Mass.
“We have long-term relationships with clients that require high quality services,” said Marc Boyle. “We fully embrace their missions and treat their customers as our own. We develop proprietary software to manage critical information for them. We deploy millions of dollars of equipment and safety systems to reliably serve them. And most importantly, we invest in great people who care and are incentivized to perform at a high level for them.”
“Our customers hire us not for just transportation, but to manage risk,” added Michael Lasko, the company’s director of environmental health and safety. “The service that we sell is safety, security and quality. Our job is to be in support of soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines and for transporting life-saving medicines. I don’t know that there’s a more important mission than that.”
Indeed, employees relish the fact that Boyle trucks were among the first to depart Kalamazoo, Mich., carrying the first loads of the Pfizer vaccine that would help the country emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. Ernest Acevedo, director of fleet maintenance and onboard technologies, said the importance of the cargo Boyle hauls gives employees a good feeling. “Those shipments had a lot of attention, but we get to do important work every day. Our coworkers over the road, in the shop, and in the office take a lot of pride in their job.” Acevedo said.
A monitor at Boyle Transportation headquarters showing CNN capturing its trucks rolling out with the first shipments of the Pfizer vaccine in Kalamazoo, Mich. (John Sommers II for Transport Topics)
The company employs highly vetted driver teams that must undergo extensive background checks. Laura Duryea, director of driver recruitment and professional growth, notes that teaming can be “a very challenging job and challenging lifestyle.” That said, Boyle Transportation is frequently regarded as a top company among drivers, being named to the Best Fleets to Drive For list among all smaller fleets in the U.S. and Canada in both 2020 and 2021. Drivers receive guaranteed pay, and the company enjoys a low driver turnover rate of 20% annually.
Boyle Transportation also has won awards for recruiting women truck drivers; women represent roughly 40% of the company’s drivers.
“I’m delighted that we have such an emphasis on growing women in trucking these days through a multitude of programs, including ATA’s Women In Motion program,” Andrew said. “It’s always been assumed that we should have talented, intelligent, high-performing women in our company.”
Lasko by John Sommers II for Transport Topics
Boyle executives give high marks to Andrew’s leadership style. He gives them rope, but also follows up to make sure that things are moving in the right direction. He invests money and countless hours to make the company stronger and safer, they say.
And Andrew sets the bar high for his employees, Lasko said.
“When I first started here, for me it was a little intimidating because everyone here is so talented,” Lasko said. “This company has been racking up awards like hotcakes for 52 years.”
Lasko said early on he felt like he had to prove he deserved to work at Boyle, but he was up to the challenge.
“It was refreshing,” Lasko said. “For the first time in my career I felt like I’m somewhere that I’m going to learn and grow. It’s just an excellent environment here for someone who wants to excel.”
Araniz (left) looks over some paperwork with Boyle. (John Sommers II for Transport Topics)
“We deliver more than we promise,” said Enrique Araniz, Boyle’s director of operations. “Our customers see it, they expect it and they trust us to care about their products.”
With about 200 employees, Boyle is regarded as a top-notch, smaller trucking company. But it took a big step in November 2021 to broaden its influence in the safe transport of pharmaceuticals by agreeing to be acquired by a large Canadian pharmaceutical logistics company, Andlauer Healthcare Group.
“We were looking for a partner to help take the company to the next level,” Andrew said. “Andlauer has deep expertise in serving the life science market with a range of services — cold chain warehousing, distribution, packaging, forwarding, as well as temp controlled LTL and truckload.
“We’re able to offer customers a broader geographic range and a full suite of services,” Andrew added. “And Michael Andlauer’s emphasis on investing in your people so that your people can perform for your customers made it a great cultural fit.”
Marc (left) and Andrew Boyle. Andlauer acquired their company in November of 2021. (John Sommers II for Transport Topics)
“We acquired Boyle Transportation because it’s widely regarded as a high-performing, forward-looking organization,” Michael Andlauer, CEO of Andlauer Healthcare Group, said in a statement to Transport Topics. “Top-notch people and cutting-edge technology enable them to provide a premium experience to clients in the life science and defense sectors. It’s been a great fit as we build out our service offerings throughout the U.S. and Canada.”
As ATA chairman, Andrew will be encountering plenty of U.S. politicians who have their own ideas about trucking, but he’s ready to keep the focus on the industry’s unique story.
“We as truckers don’t have the luxury of pontificating and prognosticating. We are the doers,” he said. “So we welcome the opportunity to convey the essential nature of our work to members of legislative bodies and those of the executive branch.”
He added, “As truckers, we have the rare distinction of being present in every congressional district. Most members [of Congress] are aware of that. We create good blue-collar jobs. We produce astounding amounts of tax revenue. And we perform an essential service. How can you not want to welcome us into your office?”
“Andrew will be an excellent ambassador and advocate to move the trucking industry forward,” said Dan Field, senior vice president at Eastern Bank in Boston. He noted that Boyle Transportation — like many companies — received a loan under federal the Paycheck Protection Program, or a PPP loan, in the spring of 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. PPP loans were forgivable loans as long as certain conditions were met and if the money was spent for the right reasons.
“Our bank did about 15,000 of the PPP loans,” Field said. “I can tell you that Andrew and his company took the loan for what they were qualified for and six months later returned about 40% of the loan. I don’t know of anybody who returned the money like they did. As a taxpayer, I give them a lot of credit for that.”
Andrew and his company took the loan for what they were qualified for and six months later returned about 40% of the loan. I don’t know of anybody who returned the money like they did.
Dan Field, senior vice president at Eastern Bank in Boston, regarding Boyle Transportation's PPP loan
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“Well, we calculated the actual economic harm we incurred and returned the remainder,” said Andrew. “There’s no such thing as free money. If we had kept it, I would’ve had to forfeit the right to complain about taxes ever again. And I like to complain about taxes.”
Deborah Chausse, executive director of House of Hope Inc., a Lowell, Mass., shelter for the homeless, saluted the kindness Andrew exhibited during 12 years serving on the group’s board.
“He’s extraordinarily generous,” Chausse said. “He always wanted to know what on-the-ground needs we have, what’s something he could do for us that would directly benefit either the homeless families that we’re serving or the staff that is serving them. He’s just a cool guy.”
Holmes by John Sommers II for Transport Topics
Kevin Holmes, owner of Advantage Truck Group, the largest Daimler Truck North America dealer network in New England, has had a 20-year-plus personal and professional relationship with Andrew. Holmes called Andrew “charismatic, very witty, and very knowledgeable.”
Holmes added, “He’s a huge, huge safety advocate, and he’s always been a well-studied man. People who go to work at Boyle, they don’t leave. And they don’t leave for a reason: It’s a very pleasant working environment.”
“I think that Andrew will bring a new perspective to ATA,” Araniz added. “Andrew is an extremely intelligent person who has been in trucking for a long time. He wants to get it right. He’s never going to get frustrated, he’s going to talk common sense. And he’s going to listen.”
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