Industry Leaders Appointed to ATRI Board of Directors

ARLINGTON, Va., May 15, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Transportation Research Institute has announced the appointment of two new members to its board of directors:

• Clifton Parker, G&P Trucking Company, Inc. President and General Manager, Gaston, South Carolina;
• John A. Smith, FedEx Freight President and Chief Executive Officer, Memphis, Tennessee.

The appointments were made by ATRI Chairman of the Board Judy McReynolds, ArcBest Corporation Chairman, President and CEO.

Mr. Parker has served as President and General Manager of G&P Trucking Company since 1986.  During his tenure at G&P, the company has grown from $5 million to sales of over $150 million in 2017.  He has been active in the South Carolina Trucking Association where he served as Chairman for two years, and currently serves as SCTA's representative to the American Trucking Associations.  He has been recognized by the South Carolina House for Outstanding Leadership in the field of transportation and appointed to a study committee on Public Private Partnerships in Transportation to make recommendations to the Governor.  He has a B.A. from the University of North Carolina-Charlotte.   

Mr. Smith has 32 years of experience in the transportation industry.  He has been with FedEx since 2000 where he currently provides strategic direction for the less-than-truckload (LTL) FedEx companies throughout North America.  He also serves on the Strategic Management Committee of FedEx Corp., which sets the strategic direction for the FedEx enterprise.  His experience spans every area of the business, including operations, sales, transportation, fleet maintenance, facility services and safety.  John currently serves on the boards of the Arkansas Trucking Association and the Automotive Service Excellence Education Foundation.  He is a graduate of Northwestern State University with a degree in geology.

"Our board plays a critical role in guiding and shaping ATRI's research priorities," said ATRI President and COO Rebecca Brewster. "We are fortunate to have a very engaged Board of Directors and look forward to working with Clifton and John."

A complete listing of the ATRI Board of Directors is available at TruckingResearch.org.

ATRI is the trucking industry's 501c3 not-for-profit research organization.  It is engaged in critical research relating to freight transportation's essential role in maintaining a safe, secure and efficient transportation system.

SOURCE American Transportation Research Institute