Business Insider names OOIDA’s Todd Spencer one of its ‘Transformers’

October 9, 2020

Land Line Staff

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Business Insider has released its list of 100 leaders in North America driving change and innovation in their companies and across industries, and the president of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association is among their number.

OOIDA President Todd Spencer was one of 10 individuals recognized in the “Supply Chain” category. Other transportation industry leaders to be tabbed as “Transformers” include Alicia Boler Davis, vice president of global customer fulfillment at Amazon, Bala Ganesh, vice president of advanced technology group at UPS, and Gwynne Shotwell, chief operating officer of SpaceX.

Spencer was honored for his leadership of the Association’s lobbying efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic. The list was published on Friday, Oct. 9.

“One key part of Spencer’s advocacy has been pressing the federal government to provide personal protective equipment to truck drivers, which the administration agreed to do in April,” Business Insider wrote. “OOIDA, with other groups, also fought to stop the shuttering of rest areas. Several states, including Pennsylvania, reopened those areas after continued demands from truck drivers nationwide.”

The U.S. Department of Transportation eventually distributed more than 15 million masks to transportation workers, including 2.1 million to highway and motor carrier workers.

Others recognized among the Top 100 include Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, Eric Yuan, CEO of videoconferencing firm Zoom, and Liz Shuler, secretary-treasurer of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations.

Spencer began his trucking career as an owner-operator in 1974. He joined OOIDA as a member in 1976 and came to work for the Association full-time in 1981 as the editor of Land Line Magazine. Spencer sold his truck to purchase the magazine’s first printing press.

“For the vast majority of people who operate trucks, we’re going to be the only real voice that they have,” Spencer told Business Insider.

Along with lobbying for PPE, OOIDA sent a letter to members of Congress, pushing for full transparency in broker transactions. Those efforts resulted in a series of listening sessions which are scheduled to take place virtually later this month. LL