USA Truck on Wednesday, Jan. 24, announced the promotion of Jerry D. Orler to chief executive officer and president. Orler, who succeeds Robert M. Powell as CEO, was one of the founders of the Van Buren, Ark.-based company in 1989 and has been a member of the board of directors and an officer of the company since that time.
Orler is a Certified Public Accountant and served as the company’s chief financial officer from 1989 until 2002 when he was promoted to president, an office that he will retain. He also served as secretary from 1992 to 2001. Prior to joining USA Truck, Orler was employed by Arkansas Best Corp. and its subsidiaries for 24 years.
Orler will head up an executive management team that he helped to assemble. During his tenure as president, Orler has been instrumental in starting the company’s regional freight division and in implementing an ISO9000:2000 Quality Management and Assurance system.
“On behalf of the board, I want to thank Bob for his many years of leadership as USA Truck’s first CEO,” Orler said. “Personally, I want to thank him for his support and trust in me, and I look forward to his continued participation in the management of USA Truck and his faithful stewardship of our stockholders’ interests as chairman. The management team and I have our work cut out for us, and we’re anxious to get to it. I’ve got big shoes to fill.”
Powell, who is stepping down as CEO after 18 years, will remain an active chairman of the board, a position that he has held since 2000. Powell began his career with Arkansas Best Freight System in Kansas City, Mo., in 1960 after serving as an aircraft carrier attack aviator in the U.S. Navy.
The time is right for this transition, Powell said. “Jerry Orler and I have worked together in one capacity or another for over 40 years, so I know how important his leadership and energy are to this company,” Powell said. “He’s earned this promotion. It’s time for me to take a step back and let these younger managers take the reigns. I have a great deal of confidence in the management team USA Truck has in place, and I feel certain that I’m leaving the management of the company in capable hands.”
USA Truck also announced quarterly base revenue of $92.2 million for the quarter ended Dec. 31, a decrease of 5.1 percent from $97.1 million for the same quarter of 2005. Net income decreased 71.5 percent from $4.3 million for the quarter ended Dec. 31 to $1.2 million for the same quarter of 2006.
