This is part two of a three-part series
NMFTA recently shared quotes from its leaders and key members that were broadcast by the Dave Nemo Show during February’s NMFTA Membership Meeting in La Jolla, CA.
If you missed it, or wouldn’t mind a quick rundown, you couldn’t do much better than to check out these podcast clips from the Dave Nemo Show. The Dave Nemo Show airs each weekday morning on SiriusXM Channel 146 – Road Dog Trucking. On-air personalities Jimmy Mac and Lindsay Lawler broadcasted live from the meeting, and interviewed numerous top leaders from NMFTA, as well as influential board members and staff.
Check out what they shared during their time on the live show:
Ben Gardiner, senior cybersecurity research engineer, explaining his emphasis on cybersecurity:
“We’re going to have the pleasure of giving a presentation about our cybersecurity program at the member meeting – giving talks and hosting workshops. I’m going to talk to the members about: What are some of the problems with trucks today? They’re better but not perfect. Fleets run stuff that’s 15 and 30 years old.”
Also Ben on his background in cybersecurity:
“When I was a little kid, I used to crack Commodore 64 games. That’s how I got into hacking. I went to work for Irdeto. They make technology that keeps hackers from stealing media. And from there I got into automotive cybersecurity, and I joined NMFTA five years ago. It’s 50 percent breaking things and 50 percent fixing things.”
Steve Hartmann, vice president of sales and marketing at Lynden Transport, on upcoming opportunities for professional truck drivers in Alaska:
“There’s a need in Alaska beginning this spring and early summer for literally hundreds of additional drivers. The gold mine project begins in 2024 and they’re already advertising for drivers. They’re going to put them in housing and they’re going to feed them, and they’re advertising that they’re going to pay them well in the six figures.”
Also Steve on the importance of his longtime membership in NMFTA:
“Some of the things we’re doing now for the classification, I was talking to our old head of the classification Frank Gryce back in the mid-80s, my background was economics. I had some econometrics classes, and along with Frank we developed a formula on how all freight could be classified, kind of an automated formula. It’s interesting but that’s where things have moved to now. We weren’t ready for it back then.”
Clete Cordero, treasurer of NMFTA and director of pricing and traffic at Southeastern Freight Lines, Inc., on the impact of NMFTA on his career:
“In the year 2000, we came to the (membership) meeting. I was working for another company, I met someone with the company I’m working for now – Southeastern Freight Lines – we’re trying to get on a plane and put everything up. He said let me hold your daughter as a gift to you so you can enjoy your trip. So we developed a relationship and I ended up going to work for that company.”
Clete again, on the value of NMFTA for companies who want to advance the LTL industry:
“It really helps when you come here and talk to your counterparts and learn to try to help move the industry forward. Even on the board, the language is used that even though we’re coming here for a conference, we don’t represent Southeastern or the other companies, we represent the LTL industry.”
Listen to all the clips from the Dave Nemo Show here.
