What’s happening: There are almost 8 million trucking-related jobs in the U.S., but the industry doesn’t always make the list when students are picking a career path. That’s why U.S. Xpress invests in programs at the college and high school levels to support students in exploring trucking careers.

Why it matters: In 2021, trucks moved about 11 billion tons of freight, and the industry had $900 billion in revenue. Trucking is a complex industry that needs skilled people in everything from accounting and technology to operations and communications roles.

The bottom line: U.S. Xpress supports multiple programs focused on educating students and attracting new talent to trucking and logistics, including the Trucking U program through American Trucking Associations, as well as university and high school programs in the company’s hometown of Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Trucking and logistics are essential to everyday life, but the industry is somewhat misunderstood when it comes to its potential as a place for a rewarding career.

“People don’t realize that working in trucking means you can work in operations, sales, accounting, human resources, information technology,” said Brandon Bibbs, vice president of Enterprise Sales for U.S. Xpress. “There are almost 8 million trucking-related jobs in the U.S.”

U.S. Xpress supports multiple programs focused on educating students and attracting new talent to trucking and logistics, including the Trucking U program through American Trucking Associations, as well as university and high school programs in the company’s hometown of Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Encouraging college students to apply for Trucking U is one way Brandon is helping spread the word about careers in the industry. Full-time college seniors who are majoring in business or a related field can apply for an all-expenses-paid trip to the American Trucking Associations annual Management Conference and Exhibition, or MCE event. The Trucking U program is a unique networking and educational opportunity in the industry.

“These students get exposure to C-suite management, they walk the show floor with a seasoned executive, they build connections they will use for a lifetime,” Brandon said.

The event, which is happening Oct. 14-17, 2023, in Austin, Texas, brings together trucking executives from all over the country to set the priorities and the agenda for ATA for the coming year. Everyone from the U.S. Secretary of Transportation to retired NFL players come to speak to the group. Nearly 3,000 people attend, and more than 200 companies exhibit.

Trucking U students get a tour of the MCE exhibit hall and can meet manufacturers of all kinds of equipment, see new technology, and talk with trucking professionals from across the industry landscape. They also have access to events that aren’t part of the general conference experience, including receptions, luncheons, ATA policy committee meetings, and insider access to receptions and exhibits.

“It’s all free for the students thanks to the sponsors who donate to cover travel, meals, lodging, and attendance at the MCE event,” Brandon said. “Our sponsors understand the value of the program in attracting talent to our industry.”

This video featuring Brandon offers students an overview of the program, which is open for applications until June 16.

U.S. Xpress also supports the Freight Broker Professional program at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, which helps people launch freight broker careers with 90 days of intensive logistics, communication, and sales training.

“When graduates can launch their careers with a greater understanding of the industry and minimize their learning curve, everyone wins,” said U.S. Xpress Director of Key Accounts Andy Porter, who is among the freight pros offering their expertise to students.

The courses are offered in the evenings so people working full-time jobs or in degree programs can still participate while working toward their new career goals.

At the high school level, U.S. Xpress supports the Supply Chain program through Hamilton County Schools Future Ready Institutes. The program includes 20-25 students at two Chattanooga-area high schools who are enrolled in the Supply Chain Program.

Students enter the program during their freshman year and continue through graduation four years later. The curriculum includes work-based learning opportunities at U.S. Xpress headquarters and service centers.

This year, our Safety and Risk Management teams have visited one high school with a tractor and trailer in tow to teach students about what each of their departments do on a daily basis. At another high school, U.S. Xpress leadership acted as judges for a “Shark Tank” student business pitch competition. Supply Chain program students have also visited a U.S. Xpress terminal and a roadside inspection event at interstate scales.

These programs are an important link between supply chain careers and students, Brandon said.

“It’s cool to see students realize there’s so much they can do in trucking and make good careers,” he said. In 2021, trucks moved about 11 billion tons of freight, and the industry had $900 billion in revenue, Brandon added.

“Likely everything you touch or deal with came to you on a truck,” he said. “Trucking is an essential staple of the U.S. economy.”

What’s happening: In observation of February’s Black History Month, we’re highlighting Black groundbreakers in our industry, and celebrating the benefits of inclusion and diversity across our business and beyond.

Why it matters: Despite unjust racial barriers that made their journeys extraordinarily challenging, these transportation pioneers persisted in imagining and creating some of the most essential inventions in our industry.

The bottom line: Inclusive business practices build cultures where every great idea can shine, and talent can thrive. The stories of these determined and gifted inventors and engineers are an important reminder that diversity delivers better ideas, better results, and a better world for everyone.

The inventor of the Thermo King refrigerated truck system. The visionary who developed the modern stoplight. The first Black woman (and only the second woman) to pass the Professional Engineers licensing exam in California. The mind behind the catalytic converter. As we kick off Black History Month in February, we’re highlighting some brilliant inventors and engineers who broke entrenched, unjust racial barriers and set new standards for our industry and the wider world of transportation.

Frederick McKinley Jones

In the mid-1930s, inventor and engineer Frederick McKinley Jones started working on the mobile refrigeration technology that would ultimately form the basis of the Thermo King Corporation. A largely self-taught engineer who left school after sixth grade, Jones was working as an auto mechanic by age 14. He served in World War I as part of an all-Black unit and was promoted to sergeant because of his mechanical skills. During the war, he equipped his camp with electricity, telephone, and telegraph services.

After his military service, Jones went to work with an entrepreneur who asked him to design mobile refrigeration technology. By 1949, Jones had patented his invention, and Thermo King had grown to a $3 million business. During his lifetime, Jones was awarded 61 patents, 40 of them for refrigeration equipment.  

Garrett Morgan

Repairing sewing machines for a clothing manufacturer first sparked Garrett Morgan’s career as an inventor, and he created a host of devices and products throughout his career, including a safety hood that became the precursor to the modern gas mask.

Starting around 1913, as cars began to share the roads with horses and pedestrians, the first traffic signals began appearing. In 1922, after witnessing an accident between a car and a carriage at a dangerous intersection, Morgan innovated the two-position traffic lights to add a third position — the yellow warning light we’re all familiar with. He was granted a patent for the invention in 1923.

Morgan, who was the son of people who had been enslaved, also co-founded the Cleveland Association of Colored Men in Ohio. The organization later merged with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and Morgan served as the organization’s treasurer.

Lois Cooper

In 1953, Lois Cooper became the first Black woman to work as a transportation engineer for the California Division of Highways. An astonishingly talented mathematician, Cooper was known among her fellow engineers as the person they could go to for solutions to the most difficult problems — and to spot any errors in their work.

Cooper worked on major transportation projects including the I-105 Century Freeway, the San Diego Freeway, the Long Beach Freeway, and the Riverside Freeway. She designed the first bike path off the 91 Freeway, and was a leader in the effort to establish carpool lanes.

Later in life, she became involved in the Los Angeles Council of Black Professional Engineers and spent much of her time advocating for math and engineering education, while also teaching classes herself. Cooper became the first woman president of the Los Angeles Council of Black Professional Engineers in 1971.

Meredith Gourdine 

Meredith Gourdine was a prolific inventor who was awarded more than 30 patents in his lifetime. He was also an accomplished athlete who was selected to represent the United States in the long jump at the 1952 Summer Olympics, where he won a silver medal.

Among Gourdine’s best-known inventions is the Electrogasdynamic Precipitator with Catalytic Reaction (also known as the catalytic convertor), which is used to clean exhaust fumes of gases and particles that are harmful to the environment.

Gourdine held a bachelor of science degree in engineering physics from Cornell University and a Ph.D. in engineering physics from The California Institute of Technology.

In 1964, Gourdine borrowed $200,000 from his family and friends so he could open the Gourdine Laboratory in Livingston, N.J. He is also known for the Incineraid System, which was used to disperse smoke from burning buildings and for diffusing fog at airports.

Every year, Black History Month is an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of Black Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history. Since 1976, every U.S. president has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month.

What’s happening: Making trucking a more inclusive and equitable industry is part of the journey at U.S. Xpress, and recent recognition by two different organizations is just the latest sign we are on the right path.

Why it matters: Our team members tell us they want to live and work in diverse and inclusive communities, and for companies like U.S. Xpress that share that vision.

The bottom line: A growing drive to make trucking a more welcoming and inclusive industry is helping companies attract and retain the talent to keep goods moving better.

Making trucking a more inclusive and equitable industry is an important part of the journey at U.S. Xpress, and recent recognition by two different organizations is the latest sign we are on the right path.

The American Trucking Associations (ATA) recognized U.S. Xpress for its equitable policies and initiatives in the ATA’s inaugural Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Change Leader Awards. U.S. Xpress was one of nine member companies recognized at the ATA’s annual management conference in San Diego recently.

Just a couple weeks later, U.S. Xpress was among the 2022 “Top Companies for Women to Work For in Transportation” in Redefining the Road magazine, the official magazine of the Women in Trucking Association. This is the fifth consecutive year U.S. Xpress has been honored since the designation was launched in 2018.

“I’m proud of the work we’re doing to assure we continue to attract and retain a diverse and inclusive workforce,” said Eric Fuller, President & CEO of U.S. Xpress. “Our team members tell us they want to live and work in diverse and inclusive communities, and for companies like U.S. Xpress that share that vision.”

The purpose of the ATA Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Change Leader Award is to recognize members who make a commitment to a culture of acceptance and belonging for their employees. The award encourages innovation that supports a continued commitment to equal opportunity, and recognizes members embracing best practices and developing a culture of acceptance and belonging.

Several characteristics distinguish companies recognized on the list of “Top Companies for Women to Work For in Transportation,” according to Brian Everett, publisher of Redefining the Road. These characteristics include corporate cultures that foster gender diversity; competitive compensation and benefits; flexible hours and work requirements; professional development opportunities; and career advancement opportunities.

U.S. Xpress has a range of initiatives focused on fostering an inclusive workplace, including an Inclusion & Diversity Council made up of people from all over the company, five employee resource groups (women’s, veterans, multicultural, pride, and faith-based), strong connections with community partners, and engagement in a range of initiatives within the logistics industry.

U.S. Xpress has been certified as a Great Place to Work, was named to the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index, and is annually recognized as a top employer for military veterans.

U.S. Xpress Chief People Officer Amanda Thompson talked earlier this year with Heavy Duty Trucking about our company’s focus on inclusion, equity, and diversity and how it’s helping us build the future of our industry.