MATS Fleet Forum is a conference for fleet executives and Heavy Duty/Commercial Vehicle industry VIPs. The forum will combine the resources and expertise of trucking's two major publications (Fleet Owner & Heavy Duty Trucking) and the largest trade show, to provide an in-depth look at the future of equipment and trucking.
Wednesday, March 20 11:30 AM - 6:00 PM at the KY Expo Center in South Wing Room C-203Early Bird Registration - $75
| 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM |
Past the Cliff: Factors that will drive the next phase of the cycleKenny Vieth, President and Senior Analyst, ACT Research |
| 2:00 PM - 2:15 PM |
BREAK |
| 2:15 PM - 3:40 PM |
The Blue FleetA panel of truck manufacturers and early-adopter fleets discuss the pros and cons of switching to natural gas, exploring fueling options, maintenance changes and total cost of ownership. Moderated by Jim Mele, Editor-in-chief, Fleet Owner |
| 3:40 PM - 3:50 PM |
BREAK |
| 3:50 PM - 5:15 PM |
Managing Your Fleet in the Real WorldLearn these Truck Fleet Innovators driver strategies, how new technology is playing a role, how they’re retaining “the best and the brightest” drivers and more. Moderated by Jim Park, Equipment Editor, HDT |
| 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM |
Cocktail ReceptionForum concludes with a reception to meet the panelists |
Past the Cliff: Factors that will drive the next phase of the cycle
Kenny Vieth, President and Senior Analyst – ACT Research
After graduating from Southern Illinois University, Vieth spent six years in city government and education before joining ACT Research in 1991. Vieth became a partner at ACT in 2000 and the company's President in 2009. Vieth oversees commercial vehicle analysis and forecasting at ACT and is the company's principal heavy truck and trailer market analyst.
In his capacity as the principal heavy vehicle market analyst at ACT, Vieth has become an advisor to the commercial vehicle OEMs and suppliers, the investment community, and other businesses affiliated with the industry. In 2012, Vieth was named as the consulting economist to the National Private Truck Council (NPTC).
In 2008, Vieth cemented a partnership with China's State Information Center to provide forecasts to Western companies interested in understanding commercial vehicle demand trends in China.
Since its inception in 1986, ACT Research has become the leading source of North American commercial vehicle market data, forecasting, and analysis.
Natural Gas Panel Moderator:
Jim Mele, Editor-in-chief – Fleet Owner Magazine
Nationally recognized journalist, author and editor, Jim Mele joined Fleet Owner in 1986 with over a dozen years' experience covering transportation as a newspaper reporter and magazine staff writer. Fleet Owner Magazine has won over 45 national editorial awards since his appointment as editor-in-chief in 1999. He spearheaded the magazine's move to online media in 1995, and continues to expand its digital footprint with an evolving web presence, mobile applications, webinars, online commerce, virtual events and other new media projects. In 2009, he was responsible for the successful redesign and re-launch of American Trucker as a full-featured editorial product. Mele holds a masters degree in creative writing from City College of New York and has authored four collections of poetry and a book on the science fiction of Isaac Asimov, as well as numerous essays, reviews and critical studies for national magazines and anthologies.
Natural Gas Panelist:
Sam Thomas, President, CEO and Chairman – Chart Industries
Samuel F. Thomas has served as Chairman of our Board of Directors since March 2007 and has served as our Chief Executive Officer and President and as a member of our Board of Directors since October 2003. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Thomas was Executive Vice President of Global Consumables at ESAB Holdings Ltd., a provider of welding consumables and equipment. In addition to his most recent position at ESAB, Mr. Thomas was responsible for ESAB N. America during his employment at ESAB Holdings Ltd. Prior to joining ESAB in February 1999, Mr. Thomas was Vice President of Friction Products for Federal Mogul, Inc. Prior to its acquisition by Federal Mogul in 1998, Mr. Thomas was employed by T&N plc from 1976 to 1998, where he served from 1991 as chief executive of several global operating divisions, including industrial sealing, camshafts and friction products.
HDT Fleet Innovators moderator:
Jim Park, Equipment Editor – HDT Magazine
Jim Park, Equipment Editor, HDT, has been a truck journalist for 13 years, joining Newport Business Media in 2007. Prior to becoming an editor, he spent 20 year as a commercial driver and small-fleet owner. Park specializes in technical and equipment topics, including HDT's Tire Report and maintenance features. His "real-world" perspective brings a special insight to HDT's Test Drives and in-depth articles about drivers, as well as to his "On the Road" blog on Truckinginfo.com. He is the former editor of Newcom's HighwayStar magazine and former host of The All-Night Road Show. Park holds five Jesse Neal awards and honors.national magazines and anthologies.
HDT Fleet Innovator:
Kevin Burch, President - Jet Express, Dayton, Ohio
Burch went to work at age 19 with the same company his dad worked for, regional LTL Blue Arrow. Within two years he was terminal manager. Over the next 12 years he built his reputation and got an offer to work for a small truckload carrier in the automotive business. Within a couple of years he was president. That was 24 years ago. By 2009-2010, his stature in the industry was such that he was chairman of the Truckload Carriers Association. Jet keeps turnover under 40% by offering schedules that provide home time and a management style that honors drivers' preferences, and he has been involved in several panel discussions on driver recruiting and retention. He's also a vocal advocate for trucking image, including reaching out to communities and the media.
HDT Fleet Innovator:
Joe Cowan, President - Cowan Systems LLC, Baltimore, Maryland
Cowan Systems was founded in 1994 by Joe Cowan as a new operating entity, but it has origins dating back over 80 years -- in 1924 his father established a regional LTL, W.T. Cowan Inc. Cowan Systems is a truckload carrier operating primarily east of the Mississippi that specializes in dedicated operations, especially in the beverage industry. It has developed a lightweight tractor and trailer spec that is standard across its entire 1,600-plus-tractor fleet allowing it to handle 50,000 pounds of payload instead of the typical 44,000. With dedicated and short-haul truckload operations making up the bulk of its business, most of its drivers are home every weekend or sleep in a bed every night. The company says its ability to hire and retain the best drivers is one of the keys to its success.
HDT Fleet Innovator:
Trent Dye, Director and General Manager - Paramount Freight Systems, Fort Myers, Florida
Dye came from a law enforcement background and got his start in trucking as a dispatcher, working his way up the ladder at several trucking companies, including Schneider National, until he came to Paramount in 2008 when it was founded as the owner-operator division of R+L Truckload. Under Dye's direction, Paramount has been honored three years in a row in the Truckload Carriers Associations' "Best Fleets to Drive For" program as a top fleet for owner-operators. The company uses social media, relationship-focused onboarding, an unusual mentoring program, relationship education for its fleet managers, and business-management classes for its independent contractors to help it maintain a turnover rate of less than 30%.
HDT Fleet Innovator:
Robert Low, President and Founder - Prime Inc., Springfield, Missouri
This year's Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) chairman, Low got his start in trucking driving his own dump truck in college in 1970. He doubled the size of his fleet every year from 1973 until 1979, but within two years was in bankruptcy court. During the three and a half years in Chapter 11, the company developed many of the business practices that have helped it grow into one of the nation's largest truckload fleets, which today boasts more than 4,000 trucks. One of those practices was its independent contractor business model, where the company leases trucks to its owner-operator drivers. Low credits the company's ongoing driver training program, outstanding driver amenities, attention to wellness, and a culture that values drivers among the reasons for its turnover percentage in the low 50s.
Please use the following link to make reservations at one of several Louisville area hotels with which we have blocks available. If you have questions regarding accommodations, you may call 800.743.3100 for assistance. To book your rooms now, visit resweb.passkey.com/go/MATS13.
