Opinion: Don Schneider’s Legacy of Innovation
By Dr. Irwin Jacobs
Founding Chairman and CEO Emeritus
Qualcomm Inc.
This Opinion piece appears in the Jan. 30 print edition of Transport Topics. Click here to subscribe today.
At Qualcomm, we have been greatly saddened by the news of Don Schneider’s passing. We honor his commitment to innovation and recognize the legacy he leaves the industry. His belief in the merits of advancing the integration of technology into transportation and logistics continues to benefit drivers, customers and fleet operators. As one of the earliest adopters of telematics systems, Don was a true leader and inspiration.
Following Don’s succession of his father as Schneider National’s president and CEO in 1976, Don grew the regional, Wisconsin-based trucking company into one of the largest full-load trucking enterprises in North America.
Don’s ability to embrace and adopt new technology and fresh perspectives to overcome deregulation and other major market hurdles will certainly be remembered as one of the primary hallmarks of his career.
He quickly recognized the potential value of position tracking and two-way communication with his trucks anywhere in the continental United States. He really tried to think about how adopting new technology would affect and benefit his entire fleet operation in a systematic fashion. Based on Don’s deep understanding of the business, his drivers and his customers, he communicated a clear picture of how best to develop a system that would provide true benefits.
I was fortunate to have met Don during the very early days of our company. I very much enjoyed the learning experience, and from these initial interactions grew a lasting business partnership and friendship that endured the ups and downs of a challenging industry for more than 25 years. It is a rare privilege to have had the opportunity to know an individual who modeled kindness, intelligence, integrity, philanthropy, compassion and outstanding business leadership.
Don was a visionary in every sense of the word. The market looked to him — and the decisions he made for his company — as a trendsetter in the industry. Once a new technology met his standards, he was forward-looking enough to anticipate how his employees would react to the fundamental shift toward a more technology-dependent operations model. Instead of shying away from such challenges, he remained an avid champion, believing strongly that technology adoption would fuel improved customer service and provide a better quality of life for drivers. He made every effort to reward drivers for their enthusiasm and willingness to embrace new procedures, tools and ways of doing things. For Don, it was not just about how technology would benefit his company and customers, but how it would affect the drivers as well.
For instance, there was concern about how drivers would view a satellite system that communicated their locations and key driving parameters back to headquarters at all times. With great business sense, Don made sure his drivers received immediate financial and quality-of-life benefits. He helped drivers to see the equipment as a positive capability that enhanced their ability to get the job done and improve service to their customers. Don not only grew his own great company but brought a unique end-user perspective that guided the industry’s research and development efforts.
He pushed the envelope of technology to “humanize” our field. As a savvy businessman, he certainly looked at investments in new innovations from a “hard numbers” perspective, and yet he also managed to illuminate the ways in which these innovations could be used to improve his drivers’ quality of life and enhance the customer experience.
Outside of work, Don also was a strong proponent of community service and philanthropy. He was active in a number of organizations. In 1982, his company founded the Schneider National Foundation, which has donated millions of dollars and thousands of volunteer hours to charities in need. He also was active in the academic community, serving on the board of trustees of St. Norbert College, where he had received his undergraduate degree in business before going on to earn his master’s at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.
I will forever be grateful to Don for challenging us — and the industry — to deliver solutions that not only improved his ability to serve customers, but always aligned with his own employees’ needs. His willingness to forge new paths defined the transportation industry today and will continue to affect the way fleets serve the needs of the global market for decades to come. We pause to honor Don’s legacy of forward-looking thinking and remain committed to maintaining his critical focus on serving the needs of customers’ customers and valued drivers.
Headquartered in San Diego, Qualcomm Enterprise Services, a division of Qualcomm Inc., provides integrated wireless systems, applications and services to transportation and logistics companies.
