ATRI Names TeamOne’s Siplon as New Leader

ATRI names TeamOne’s Page Siplon as next president and COO

The American Transportation Research Institute has named Page Siplon its next president and chief operating officer, putting a logistics and workforce executive in line to lead the trucking industry’s primary nonprofit research organization.

Siplon will join ATRI next month and work alongside President Rebecca Brewster during a transition period. Brewster is scheduled to retire in February 2027 after 34 years with ATRI, including 25 years as its leader. Siplon will assume the organization’s top leadership responsibilities after her departure.

ATRI conducts research on issues that affect motor carriers, drivers and the broader freight transportation system. Its work covers safety, operating costs, driver concerns, regulations, infrastructure, technology and productivity. The organization is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit affiliated with the American Trucking Associations.

For drivers and fleets, ATRI’s research often provides data used in discussions about the challenges of operating trucks, including parking shortages, detention, insurance costs, fuel expenses, safety performance and workforce retention. Its annual list of the trucking industry’s top issues also separates responses from drivers and motor carrier executives, highlighting where the two groups share concerns and where their priorities differ.

“Rebecca’s leadership of ATRI has made a lasting impact on the trucking industry,” said Derek Leathers, chairman of Werner Enterprises and chairman of ATRI’s board of directors. “We are grateful for her three decades of leadership and the legacy she will leave behind.”

Brewster said serving the industry through ATRI had been one of the greatest privileges of her life. She also said the organization’s staff was positioned to continue its research mission and that she looked forward to working with Siplon during the transition.

Siplon most recently served as chief executive officer of TeamOne Logistics, a company that works with carriers to provide drivers and other employees. According to ATRI, his work at TeamOne focused on trucking’s workforce challenges, including driver recruiting and retention, safety and the operational pressures facing motor carriers.

That background gives Siplon direct experience with several issues that affect drivers’ day-to-day working conditions. Recruiting and retention are influenced by compensation, scheduling, time away from home, equipment, communication with management and the ability to complete trips efficiently. Safety and operational performance are also closely tied to training, dispatch practices and the demands placed on drivers.

Before joining TeamOne, Siplon was executive director of the Georgia Center of Innovation for Logistics. He also founded the Georgia Logistics Summit, which ATRI described as one of the nation’s largest logistics conferences. In addition, he served as vice chairman of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Advisory Committee on Supply Chain Competitiveness.

His appointment comes as ATRI continues work on several research areas with direct implications for drivers. The organization recently announced new priorities involving safety, regulatory effects, fleet operations, weather disruptions and the use of telematics.

ATRI has also launched separate surveys examining driver health and wellness. The driver survey seeks anonymous information about drivers’ experiences maintaining their health while on the road. A related carrier survey asks fleets about medical-card durations, insurance costs and other performance measures.

A driver’s medical card, formally called a Medical Examiner’s Certificate, verifies that the driver meets federal physical qualification requirements. ATRI said the health research will examine how driver health may affect not only safety, but also operational risk and cost.

Those questions are significant for professional drivers because health requirements, access to medical care and time available for rest can affect whether a driver is able to remain on the road. They can also influence scheduling, insurance expenses and a carrier’s ability to keep trucks staffed.

Siplon’s arrival follows the selection of Mark Colson, the current head of the Alabama Trucking Association, to lead the American Trucking Associations. The leadership changes come as the trucking industry continues to deal with shifting freight demand, operating costs, workforce pressures and regulatory changes.

Brewster’s long tenure has made her one of the most familiar figures in trucking research and policy discussions. During her leadership, ATRI received multiple awards for its research and expanded its role as a source of data for carriers, drivers, regulators and industry groups.

The transition will allow Siplon to take over an organization with an established research program and a broad set of industry relationships. His experience with trucking labor, logistics and supply-chain policy will now be applied to ATRI’s work on the issues that shape how drivers and fleets operate.