Wanted: Managers Who Know How to Drive a Truck . . . and Run the Business

In trucking, there’s a time-honored tradition of learning on the job. But as the industry has grown in size and complexity, the need for executives with broader knowledge and sharper management skills appears to be increasing exponentially.

It used to be enough just to know how to keep trucks running. Now executives are being asked to make decisions about technology and supply-chain logistics on an international scale while maintaining a firm grasp of the human element — meeting the needs of drivers, motivating personnel and fostering cooperation among employees, customers and, at times, competitors.

“Trucking, like all transportation, is facing a crisis in the availability of middle and top managers,” said Robert E. Gallamore, a former director of strategic analysis at Union Pacific Railroad. He recently replaced Aaron Gellman as director of the Transportation Center at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill.

For the full story, see the Sept. 10 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.

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