Trucking news and briefs for Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2023:
J.B. Hunt Transport Services (CCJ Top 250, No. 3) announced this month that Craig Harper will retire from his current duties as chief sustainability officer, effective Dec. 31, and Greer Woodruff will assume responsibilities as executive vice president of safety, sustainability and maintenance effective Jan. 1.
“On behalf of the over 35,000 employees that work here, on behalf of the board of directors and on behalf of the shareholders of this company, I offer our heartfelt thanks to Craig, and that's not near enough to convey the value that he’s brought to us all,” said John Roberts, CEO of J.B. Hunt. “Craig is very much a part of that group of leaders that will never be forgotten, and he has made an incalculable commitment, investment and improvement to J.B. Hunt.”
Harper’s career with J.B. Hunt spanned 31 years leading multiple key services, operations and initiatives. In just four years after joining the company, he was named Chief Safety Officer, a newly created position at J.B. Hunt and one of the industry’s first. In 1997, he was appointed Chief Operations Officer and held that title until 2020, continuing to lead the companies’ safety efforts while taking on the challenge of managing the company’s fleet.
In 2021, Harper was named Chief Sustainability Officer and has since led the company’s focused efforts to reduce its carbon footprint and help customers reduce theirs, including initiatives involving electric and autonomous vehicles and other emerging technologies.
Harper and Woodruff worked alongside each other for many years to create and advance the company’s safety culture. The two helped establish J.B. Hunt’s Million Mile program, celebrating company drivers that achieve one million-plus miles without a preventable accident. To date, the program has recognized more than 4,600 drivers throughout the company’s history.
In his new position, Woodruff will lead the company's sustainability initiatives, further its operational safety excellence and corporate security and oversee its equipment, maintenance and driver personnel departments, the company said.
