During the Truckload Carriers Association’s (TCA) annual convention, slated for March 15-18 in Phoenix, chairman John Culp will pass the torch to incoming chair Karen Smerchek, president of Veriha Trucking Inc.
As he prepares to transition to the role of immediate past chair, Culp took time to reflect on his tenure as chairman and share his thoughts on the state of the trucking industry.
“I’ve loved my time as TCA chairman. I love our industry. I love to talk about it,” he said during a visit with Linda Garner-Bunch, managing editor of Truckload Authority and The Trucker Media Group, one February afternoon.
Anyone who’s spent more than five minutes conversing with Culp would agree that not only does he love trucking; he is also an expert on the many aspects of the industry.
As his year as chairman comes to an end, the Truckload Authority and Trucker Media Group teams extend a word of thanks to John Culp for making this a year to remember.
Linda: Good afternoon, Mr. Chairman, and thank you for joining us today. It’s hard to believe it’s been a year since our first visit and that this is your last Chat with the Chairman! What have been some of the highlights of the past year for you?
John: The highlight for me has been working with the team at TCA. It’s been a great year. It’s been challenging, it’s been fun, and it’s been rewarding. Working with TCA is always a great experience altogether, not just the past year, but every year.
When I first became chairman, someone asked me, “Well John, what are you going to do? What do you want to accomplish as chairman?” My answer was that I want to do keep doing the same thing I’ve been doing with TCA over the years. I want to continue what we’re doing as an organization, and I want to work to make it even better — I’ll just be sitting in a different chair.
And that’s exactly what we’ve done. Note that I said “we.” It’s not just me; it’s the entire organization, from the staff to the officers and members. Our officers this year have been awesome, and our TCA staff is stronger than it’s ever been. We’re well aligned with the objectives we’re trying to reach, and we’ve got a lot of momentum. Having the opportunity to work closely with these people has been amazing.
I have been truly blessed with the relationships I’ve developed and the friends I’ve made — and it’s been extremely rewarding to be a part of TCA’s leadership and to continue the efforts to amplify the “voice of truckload” on Capitol Hill.
Our membership has grown stronger, and together we have worked through the challenges and uncertainties of the past 12 months. We continue to grow stronger. It has been an honor to be a part of this team effort. To sum it up, it’s been a great year to be part of TCA.
Linda: What would you say has been your greatest challenge in the past 12 months, and what accomplishment are you most proud of?
John: The biggest challenge is pretty universal: Time. There’s just never enough of it. But that’s where teamwork comes in, and the TCA staff and officers really stepped up to help make sure all the wonderful educational offerings and meetings provided the added value our members have come to appreciate and expect.
Linda: Earlier you mentioned amplifying the voice of truckload on Capitol Hill. During his first few weeks in office, President Trump has already signed countless executive orders, some of which relate to the trucking industry. How do you believe the new Trump administration will impact TCA’s efforts to enact legislation that will benefit trucking and the supply chain?
John: Executive orders are great, and they serve an important purpose — but issues really need to be addressed at the congressional level through legislation.
That’s one of the key benefits of TCA membership. We allow the stakeholders to actually have input on what is presented in Washington. If you haven’t already, check out the story on Page 6; TCA’s Dave Heller does a great job of explaining how the association works to make sure our members have the ear of the nation’s decision-makers.
Any time you have an administration change at the federal level, it’s going to have an effect on every industry in every sector. TCA’s leadership has a history of working closely with whoever’s in the Oval Office, or whatever party has control of the House and Senate, to help promote legislation that benefits our industry.
We work to bring about changes that will benefit our members as well as the rest of the nation. To that end, it doesn’t matter which party is in power — our goal remains the same: To educate the lawmakers about how different issues, such as emissions mandates and a lack of truck parking, impact the transportation industry as a whole, especially the hundreds of thousands of truck drivers that make sure products are delivered safely every single day.
Linda: I’m glad you mentioned the emissions mandates. One of the first executive orders President Trump signed back in January called for a halt to what he termed as Environmental Protection Agency’s “EV mandate.” Since then, the EPA has announced further changes that could impact the previously-called-for transition to zero-emission Class 8 trucks. What are your thoughts?
John: The Advanced Clean Fleet Rule being put to bed, so to speak, is great news. It offers a reprieve for the industry to develop a realistic, commonsense approach to addressing the trucking industry’s environmental responsibilities.
Linda: One thing you and I have discussed in the past is the possibility of using alternative fuels to achieve zero emissions for heavy-duty vehicles. What have you heard lately on this front?
John: The industry definitely needs to continue to look at alternative fuel sources. However, much like the charging facilities for electric vehicles, it’s going to take time to develop the infrastructure to produce the alternative fuels, such as renewable diesel, needed to meet the demands of the trucking industry and other sectors.
Bruce Guthrie recently wrote a very informative story about the progress of internal combustion engines designed to burn alternative fuel, along with information about the fueling infrastructure. Check it out here.
The industry needs to continue to work towards zero emissions and create a realistic path to our objectives — and it WILL happen; it will just take time.
Linda: What other issues do you see facing the trucking industry in the near future?
John: Parking is still a huge issue. We’re working with Congress to develop solutions, and I believe we made great progress last year. I believe there will be some real movement on parking this year.
Of course, one of the primary goals at TCA is to promote safety on the roads, and that means safe drivers. We want to see well-trained, drug- and alcohol-free drivers on the highways. That brings us to the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse and the admission of additional testing methods, including hair follicle and oral fluids testing. Progress is still needed on oral fluids testing, but the process of approving laboratories to conduct the testing needs further development. Hair follicle testing results are proven and accurate — but are still not accepted by the Clearinghouse. The guidelines for this testing were mandated eight and a half years ago, but we are still fighting shameful bureaucratic red tape that is preventing implementation.
Linda: What do you see as some of the top legal issues facing the trucking industry?
John: Insurance costs have shot well above the rate of inflation, and high-dollar verdicts — often referred to as “nuclear” verdicts — have been the driving force behind those increases. We need litigation reform to help curtail that, to ensure reasonable verdicts. Without tort reform, many trucking companies will be forced out of business, either because they can’t afford insurance or because of the unreasonably high verdicts themselves. In the end, these skyrocketing costs are passed along to the consumers in the form of higher prices.
For perspective, the current minimum insurance level is $750,000. That figure was set back in 1980 — 45 years ago — and it hasn’t changed. Today most carriers carry $1 million policies, but even that isn’t enough to cover a carrier’s financial responsibility.
As an industry, we carry insurance because it’s the right thing to do. We’re not trying to shirk any responsibility, but the premiums, as well as payouts to plaintiffs, should be reasonable.
On the plus side, I believe we’re going to see some real effort to have trucking accidents involving a certain monetary value being adjudicated in a federal court, regulated at the federal level.
Linda: Let’s talk about the freight recession. Many analysts predict that conditions will slowly improve over the course of 2025 after bouncing along the bottom for the past two to three years. What are your thoughts?
John: I would say we’ve been in a recession for about two and a half years now, and it’s been very painful. Many trucking companies are struggling to keep their doors open, and countless others have shut down. The challenges are very real.
We’re hoping to move toward a more robust economy, and that we’ll see some relief from inflation. The economy always goes up and down; it’s a cycle, like a pendulum swing. It’s not a question of IF things will change, it’s a question of when. I believe there’s reason for optimism, that the pendulum will swing in our favor this year.
Linda: As your time as chairman of the board comes to an end, it’s tradition to offer a few words of advice to the incoming chair. What wisdom would you like to share with incoming chairperson Karen Smerchek?
John: First of all, let me say how pleased I am that Karen will be succeeding me as chair of TCA. She is the first woman to lead the board in the association’s nearly 100-year history.
Rather than offering advice, I’d like to express my support. Karen became an officer on TCA’s board at the same time as I did. We’ve worked together, and I know how good she is. She’s a strong leader, a smart trucking industry stakeholder, and she’s going to do a great job leading the association’s board of directors.
Linda: Thank you for your time, Mr. Chairman. It has been an honor working with you over the past year.
Linda Garner-Bunch has been in publishing for more than 30 years. You name it, Linda has written about it. She has served as an editor for a group of national do-it-yourself publications and has coordinated the real estate section of Arkansas’ only statewide newspaper, in addition to working on a variety of niche publications ranging from bridal magazines to high-school sports previews and everything in between. She is also an experienced photographer and copy editor who enjoys telling the stories of the “Knights of the Highway,” as she calls our nation’s truck drivers.
