Owner, President of Usher Transport Dies at 86
William Amos “Bill” Usher Sr., the owner and former president of tank truck carrier Usher Transport of Louisville, Kentucky, died Feb. 14. He was 86.
An Air Force veteran, Usher left the service to help build Usher Transport with his father, Harlan, the company’s founder, in Paducah, Kentucky. He retired to Paducah, where the company still has a terminal.
His sons, William Jr. and Alan, are president and vice president, respectively, of Usher Transport.
Usher started his trucking career as a teenager when he drove his first truck. He later was chairman of the Kentucky Motor Transport Association and chairman of National Tank Truck Carriers.
NTTC named its Professional Tank Truck Driver of the Year Award after William Usher Sr.
Usher served as a fighter pilot in the Air Force and Air Force Reserves from 1952 to 1962, retiring as a major. His assignments included air combat and gunnery instructor at Luke Air Force Base in Phoenix and with the 417th Tactical Fighter Squadron based in France and Germany and flying F-100s.
He was awarded the commendation medal for his service with the Royal Air Force of the United Kingdom, for which he flew the Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star, F-84 G Thunderjet, F-84 F Thunderstreak and the B-26 Marauder.
“In his heart, he was always a fighter pilot,” according to his obituary. He took his first plane ride when he was 7 years old and later was an Air Force ROTC cadet while a student at the University of Kentucky.
He was a native of Graves County, Kentucky.
