Going Into the Sunset to Fish
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Several trucking leaders have told me that although the industry is complex with various segments and channels, it鈥檚 also fueled by the people who infuse it with their passion.
And we all know that type of individual who can take that passion, break down those complexities and communicate with great clarity and simplicity.
One of the first people I鈥檝e encountered with that enthusiasm was 黑料吃瓜网r Hogg, who is the vice president of truck service at TravelCenters of America. Hogg announced his retirement during ATA鈥檚 2025 Technology & Maintenance Council Annual Meeting last month.
For more than 43 years, Hogg has been passionate about auto technology and the nuances around it, and for me and everyone within a listening distance, it was infectious. There have been several study groups and technical sessions where he led with either a straightforward gesture or a phrase that seemed small but underscored his point.
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For instance, when I first attended one of the study groups in an often-packed room, he started the session by breaking down the content of a recommended practice, then finished with a simple call to action, 鈥淚f we want to get this done, we got to do it!鈥 Basic as it was, every person in that room got the message loud and clear.
That has been the appeal of Hogg. He can discuss electric vehicle maintenance or engines, and it was easy for me, and others, to comprehend the message.
As the study group chairman of the S.16 Service Provider, Hogg鈥檚 experience and plain-speaking style garnered respect with many industry leaders. I had the chance to experience that when he was a part of our video series, Formulate, where he discussed, among many topics, the future of maintenance and industry relationships.
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鈥淲e have great fleets that we do business with, and we try to keep an open line of communication so that we understand what they need, and we try to deliver that. That goes both ways,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 really like the way fleets will come to service providers and dealers, sit down and talk about what they need so that we work together to find the right solution to keep that vehicle up and running. I think that is the key as we go forward.鈥
In the short time that I have gotten to know him, I learned a great deal from him, knowing he probably has forgotten more about auto technology than I鈥檒l ever know. I鈥檓 sure others in the industry feel the same.
鈥淚鈥檓 going to ride along into the sunset,鈥 he said, announcing his retirement at the annual meeting. 鈥淚鈥檓 literally going into the sunset to fish and looking forward to it.
鈥淚 just wanted to say thank you to everyone, all the support, all the mentors, friends. Thank you to the professionals that I鈥檝e had the privilege to work with for all these years. You will forever be a part of who I am. And I鈥檝e got great friends in here, in fact, who are my family.鈥
Have a happy retirement, Mr. Hogg.
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