The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI), the research arm of the American Trucking Associations (ATA), has appointed Page Siplon as its new president and chief operating officer, adding another major leadership announcement to a busy week for the U.S. trucking industry.
The appointment was announced on Friday, shortly before the ATA prepares to open its annual Management Conference & Exhibition (MCE) on Sunday. It follows the ATA’s announcement one day earlier that Mark Colson, currently leading the Alabama Trucking Association, had been selected to head the national trucking organization.
Siplon joins ATRI after serving as CEO of TeamOne Logistics, a Georgia-based company that works with businesses to provide drivers and other personnel to motor carriers. During his tenure, his responsibilities focused heavily on trucking workforce challenges, including driver recruitment and retention, safety, and the operational pressures facing carriers, according to ATRI.
His experience in these areas aligns with several of the issues that continue to shape the trucking sector, particularly the availability of qualified drivers and the need to maintain safe and efficient operations.
A career built around Georgia’s logistics industry
Before joining TeamOne Logistics, Siplon held several positions supporting the development of Georgia’s logistics sector. He served as executive director of the Georgia Center of Innovation for Logistics and founded the Georgia Logistics Summit, which ATRI describes as one of the largest logistics conferences in the United States.
His professional experience also extends to federal supply chain policy. Siplon previously served as vice chairman of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Advisory Committee on Supply Chain Competitiveness.
These roles have given him experience spanning logistics industry development, workforce issues and the broader competitiveness of U.S. supply chains.
Siplon is expected to join ATRI’s staff next month. He will initially work alongside current ATRI President Rebecca Brewster, who is scheduled to retire in February 2027. Following her retirement, Siplon will assume leadership of the organization.
Leadership change coincides with ATRI’s annual trucking priorities survey
The appointment comes ahead of the ATA’s MCE, an important gathering for the trucking industry that also coincides with ATRI’s release of its annual Top 10 Critical Issues in the Trucking Industry survey results.
The research examines the sector’s most pressing challenges, separating the findings by overall rankings and by subcategories based on feedback from drivers and trucking management.
Those separate perspectives can reveal significant differences in how the two groups assess industry priorities. Previous ATRI research has highlighted contrasting views between drivers and carriers on the issues affecting trucking, making the distinction an important part of the institute’s findings.
ATRI conducts research and surveys throughout the year. Earlier in the week, the organization announced two additional surveys focused on driver health, with one targeting motor carriers and the other directed at drivers themselves.
New research explores link between driver health and operating costs
The two studies will apply different methodologies to examine driver health and its potential implications for trucking operations.
Drivers will be asked for anonymous feedback on a number of topics, including how they are able to maintain their health and wellness while working on the road. The aim is to get first-hand information from drivers about the practicalities of staying healthy in a stressful job.
Motor carriers meanwhile will be asked to provide information on the duration of medical certificates held by their drivers, insurance costs and other key performance indicators. ATRI is also strongly encouraging carriers to send the driver survey to their workforces to encourage participation.
A medical card (officially, a Medical Examiner’s Certificate) is a certificate that says a commercial driver is physically able to drive a vehicle. Drivers subject to these rules shall hold the appropriate certification under federal law.
This study seeks to move beyond the known link between driver health and road safety to explore the possible economic and operational consequences for carriers.
That was the goal, Jeremy Reymer, founder and CEO of Project 61, said in a statement prepared for the launch of the study.
“We already know that driver health can play a role in safety,” said Reymer. “The next question is what it might also be doing to operational risk and cost.”
ATRI’s research that looks at both driver experiences and carrier performance data may provide further insight into how health and wellness affect safety, operating expenses and risk management throughout the trucking industry.
Siplon’s arrival coincides with ATRI’s imminent release of its latest industry priority findings and an expansion of its exploration into a factor that could impact both driver well-being and carrier performance.
