J.B. Hunt Transport Services President Shelley Simpson is the recipient of the 2023 Influential Woman in Trucking Award.
The award was presented by the Women In Trucking Association and Daimler Truck North America. Simpson received the award during the WIT Accelerate! Conference & Expo in Dallas last month.
“It’s an honor to be recognized for this award alongside such influential and dynamic leaders,” Simpson said in an emailed statement. “I’m grateful to represent our people and the incredible work they do each day to drive our industry forward.”
The award recognizes achievements of female role models and trailblazers in the trucking industry.
“Shelley’s passion and leadership for this field, including her commitment to expanding gender diversity in transportation, have been evident throughout her nearly 30-year career,” Jennifer Hedrick, WIT president and CEO, said in a statement.
Trucking executives recognized as finalists were Tori Blake, CFO and co-owner of Western Logistics Express and WLX, and Megan Ferguson, VP of end-to-end delivery acceleration at Walmart.
All the finalists were impressive with their decades of commitment and passion for the trucking profession, Hedrick said in an email to Trucking Dive. The organization’s awards program launched in 2010 and has experienced steady growth in nominations.
“The goal of the award is to recognize those in the transportation industry who provide leadership, create change, and inspire and Shelley has done just that,” Hedrick said.
Throughout her carrier at J.B. Hunt, Simpson has cultivated leaders and advocated to help others grow in the transportation profession, she said.
“It’s a privilege for us to honor women like Shelley who have exemplary vision, tenacity, and desire to build future leaders,” Hedrick said.
Simpson was named J.B. Hunt president in 2022. She worked her way up to the C-suite, joining the carrier as an hourly customer service representative in 1994, according to her LinkedIn profile, and later taking on more than a dozen subsequent roles overseeing operations across the company.
Through the years, Simpson served as president of J.B. Hunt’s Integrated Capacity Solutions, a business unit she helped create and later assumed sales and marketing responsibilities for as chief marketing officer.
Simpson later became president of J.B. Hunt’s truckload business segment where she assisted with improving the efficiency of the company’s fleet. She was named chief commercial officer in 2017 and oversaw marketing, sales, customer experience, and external product development, including J.B. Hunt 360°, the company’s technology platform for freight matching and operational efficiency.
Her role at J.B. Hunt evolved to include oversight of the carrier’s international services segment. Prior to her current job, Simpson served as EVP of people and human resources, leading the company’s efforts to create a more inclusive culture and work environment.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include Simpson’s statement.
