Chairman's Letter

“The bottom line in leadership is not how far we advance ourselves but how far we advance others.” ~Dr. John C. Maxwell

Greetings and thank you for the time to read through another excellent publication of the Kentucky Trucker magazine. The KTA staff does an outstanding job in putting together this publication; hat’s off to them! 

Throughout my career, I have long held to the belief that advancing and promoting others is the true earmark of a leader. Even in times more than twenty years ago, I believed this as others were helping to advance what I wanted to achieve in life. Dr. Maxwell’s quote is my “go-to” quote for just about any role one might find me in. Whether it’s serving as your current KTA Chairman, the EVP role at Usher Transport, or mentoring hundreds of students assigned to me each year in the colleges where I teach, advancing others and continually standing in the gap for others, I believe, sets the leadership apart from those with nothing more than mere titles. 

To that point of advancing others, my role as your new chairman is just getting started. The agenda and goals are heavy, and whether or not I reach each of them is yet to be seen. However, one thing is for certain, I will do everything within my ability to advance others who look to the Kentucky Trucking Association as their voice in the trucking industry. Our association, I believe, is as strong as it has ever been in terms of leadership, influence, and in our ability to affect change where needed in the industry. The past Chairman and our current association president are some of the most talented people I have ever had the privilege of working with, so the bar is set high right out of the gate for me it seems. No worries, however, our association represents a collective group of professionals who share the same values as I do in our industry. 

We have several important events to note in the coming year. First, I encourage you to bookmark the KTA homepage in your browser favorites, particularly the events calendar. Our monthly Safety Council meetings are an excellent way to remain both attentive and connected to the current issues we share as an association and industry. Safety Council Chairman, Tracy Stephens from M & M Cartage and Vice-Chair, Beau Mosley from Usher Transport, do an out an exceptional job in hosting our monthly events. The meetings are advantageously placed around the noon hour and are designed out of respect for the one most precious commodity we all share – our time. 

Mid America Truck Show in March, don’t miss this one! Come by and visit our staff at the KTA booth, learn a few things about what your association is working on in your behalf. Furthermore, during the 2019 MATS, KTA will host our annual basic DOT Safety & Compliance Seminar. The seminar curriculum is from the North American Transportation Management Institute (NATMI). I will personally be teaching this course. Please contact Melissa Zink at KTA if you would like to attend or perhaps send any of your safety and risk management representatives to the class. 

Following the 2019 MATS, another thing coming up is the annual “Call-on-Washington” event. Each year, a few members of your KTA Board travel to Washington, DC to meet with our State Representatives to discuss issues facing the trucking industry, specifically those issues germane to the trucking industry in Kentucky. 

Lastly, as part of my first “Chairman’s Letter” for the Kentucky Trucker, I would just encourage each of you to do one thing. That one thing that makes the single-most difference: Get involved. With your involvement, support, and ideas, our association will continue to grow in its strength. 

My Best to Each of You,

David Guess | KTA Chairman