Ep. 131: Chris Hammond – Great Dane

Chris Hammond, executive vice president, industry affairs and strategic accounts at Great Dane, talks about the 126 year history of the company, the various roles he has held during his long tenure with the company and his new role. He also talks about where trailers are headed in the future, what the industry needs to know about trailers and shares advice he would give to his younger self and people who are new to trucking.

Chris Guerrero, vice president of marketing at ENGIE Resources, talks about his work with Starship, the three main positions in the energy space and green hushing. He also talks about his love of storytelling, why it is important to share good stories and what is keeping him confident during the energy transition.

Susan Fall, owner of LaunchIt PR, talks about her work during the pioneering days of telematics in trucking, the importance of messaging when introducing a product and she shares some of her success stories with clients. She also talks about why it’s wrong to cut marketing and PR when times are slow and she offers advice to both tech companies and fleets to help the industry stay strong.

Blair Hefty, senior media manager at Coyne PR, talks about his career in public relations, how things have changed in in that industry in the past 20 years and his love of the motor sports industry. He also talks about the importance of the personal touch in business, the need for in-person events, what he likes about the trucking industry, what frustrates him about it and how we should deal with change. He also shares his thoughts on what makes a good event, including the mixing business with some social and fun time.

Mark Willis, host of Road Dog Trucking News on Sirius XM, talks about his show and how he finds guests, his background in hard news, and the biggest stories of 2025. He also talks about his passion for safety, what drivers are saying about technology and the elements of a good story.

Zhe Wang, principal of RMI’s China program, talks about China’s focus on decarbonizing trucking, the fast growth of what he calls new energy trucks, and what is driving this growth. He also talks about the recent Rush to Zero program, which was modeled on NACFE’s Run on Less, and the program’s role in increasing the confidence in the viability of new energy trucks in the Chinese market.

Adam Klauber, chief sustainability officer at World Energy, talks about the rebirth of World Energy, the importance of education about fuel types and the need for voluntary choice when it comes to fuel solutions. He also talks about the benefits of drop-in fuel solutions, why renewable diesel is a good solution for trucking and about why a diverse approach to decarbonization makes sense.

Matt Schrap, chief commercial officer of Forum Mobility, talks about his career and his special area of expertise in regulatory policy He also talks about why trucking means so much to him, shares his thoughts on the drayage portion of trucking going electric and explains the goal of Forum Mobility. He also talks about HVIP vouchers in California, Tesla and how BEV technology will continue to evolve.

Don Baldwin, retired from Michelin, talks about the origins of NACFE, why he put his personal stamp on starting NACFE and the fuel agnostic Challenge Bibendum. He also talks about the importance of passion in your work, the value of bringing unbiased information to decision makers and the need to establish some guiding principles for your life. He comments on his role as a recruiter/interviewer for the Naval Academy and where he thinks the trucking industry is today.

Graham Richard, advisor to CEOs and founders leading innovation clean economy companies, talks about his affinity for the clean economy, his time in the Indiana State Senate, and his time as mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana. He also talks about work he has done on energy and its impact on the environment and about implementing an idle reduction solution for his city’s fleet of trucks. And finally, he shares the theme of his life and talks about one of the proudest moments of his life.