obituary
Former Ruan Transportation Chairman John Ruan III Dies at 78
John Ruan III, chairman emeritus of Ruan Transportation, died Sept. 11 after a long illness. He was 78.
September 15, 2021Trucking Industry Legend Frank Beelman Jr. Dies at 100
Frank Beelman Jr. sits on a new motorcycle. (Courtesy of Sam Beelman)
Frank Beelman Jr., a trucking executive and military combat veteran decorated with the Silver Star Medal, died Aug. 4 in his hometown of St. Libory, Ill.
August 10, 2021Former America’s Road Team Captain Jeff Thompson Dies at 63
Thompson drove for FedEx Freight. (Photo by Penwell-Gabel Funeral Home)
Jeffery Kelley Thompson of Olathe, Kan., who served as an America's Road Team Captain appointed in 2009, died June 20.
July 1, 2021NFI Icon Bernard Brown Dies at 96
Rone Funeral Service
Bernard Brown, the visionary behind National Freight Inc., one of the oldest trucking companies in the U.S., died Jan. 21 at his home in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
January 27, 2021David Parker, Trucking Professional, Marine and Attorney, Dies at 80
David Parker (left) and Chris Spear by Eric Parker
David Robert Parker, 80, of Boulder, Colo., died Jan. 16, after a yearlong battle with brain cancer, according to his family. He was a longtime trucking executive and civic leader within American Trucking Associations.
January 21, 2020Ervin Equipment Founder Greg Ervin Dies at 58
Greg Ervin, founder and CEO of Ervin Equipment Inc., died July 18 from injuries suffered in a motorcycle accident near Sweetwater, Tenn. He was 58.
July 25, 2019Industry Leader Bill Reed Jr., CEO of Skyline Transportation, Dies
John Sommers II for Transport Topics
William Reed Jr., CEO of Skyline Transportation and prominent in the trucking industry for advocating for a broad number of issues, died suddenly Dec. 17 at his home in Farragut, Tenn. He was 71.
January 10, 2019Former ATA Chairman Ernest Cox Dies at 89
Ernest Stedman Cox, a former American Trucking Associations chairman and prominent figure in the industry, died Oct. 1. He was 89.
October 4, 2018John Conkin, Longtime Commercial Lender in Trucking, Dies at 62
John Conkin, a longtime commercial lender and supporter of the trucking industry who most recently was managing director at BMO Transportation Finance, died June 3 after a long battle with cancer. He was 62.
June 19, 2018Doyle Coatney, Longtime Owner of Acme Truck Line, Dies at Age 82
Doyle Coatney, the longtime owner and CEO of Acme Truck Line in Gretna, La., died May 1. He was 82.
May 10, 2018