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The people who constitute the trucking industry are among the best examples of the American work ethic — they come to work every day focused on being a driver for the North American economy. Meeting them has been one of the great joys I’ve experienced while traveling across the United States.

In the world of transportation, change is something we deal with every day. It becomes a challenge to manage customer demands, the regulatory landscape, positive driver experiences and big data while promoting an organizational culture that is ready to accommodate the changes happening in front of us.

Communication and team building are two ideas or points of emphasis that all successful transportation firms need to understand and utilize.

The deal market in the transportation industry currently is in a rare position — it’s good for both buyer and seller.

Being chairman of American Trucking Associations is a tremendous honor — the capstone of a career in trucking that began for me many decades ago.

In trucking, safety means everything. Yet, when we talk about safety, our attention focuses on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Compliance, Safety, Accountability program scores, historical accident data and compliance standards. These elements, while important, do little to improve safety in the here and now.

By now, you’re well aware of President Obama’s announcement that he will direct the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Transportation to set the next — i.e., the post-2018 — round of medium- and heavy-truck fuel economy and emissions standards.

After much anticipation, on March 13 the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration released its proposal that interstate truck drivers be required to use electronic logging devices.

This Opinion piece appears in the March 17 print edition of Transport Topics.

At No. 21 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of the largest U.S. and Canadian for-hire carriers, Prime Inc. is a major trucking industry player. The company has more than 5,000 drivers, most of them trained by Prime’s safety director, Don Lacy. Many, however, have had additional coaching in weight control and exercise by fellow driver Siphiwe Baleka.