LEADERSHIP
10-4 Good Buggy Besides leading a national organization that serves LTL carriers, Debbie Sparks also promotes the trucking industry in
webinars, and hearing what our membership is experiencing. Additionally, I constantly brainstorm ways to improve our current programs and initiatives, such as the National Motor Freight Classification, Standard Carrier Alpha Codes, digitization, and cybersecurity. IL: How would you describe your leadership style? I strive to balance transformational leadership with servant leadership. On the transformational side, we’re working to respond to the evolving needs of our members. With the upcoming changes to the NMFC and the redesign of ClassIT— our online freight classification tool—we’re demonstrating that we’ve listened to all our stakeholders, including LTL carriers, shippers, and third-party logistics providers. On the servant leadership side, I take pride in offering support where it’s needed, and volunteering to give back, all while focusing on serving our staff and members to ensure they have what they need to succeed. IL: How do you like to spend your time when not at work? Spending time with my son, who I adopted when he was 13, has been a joy. I’ve learned more than I ever imagined I could about avatars, Roblox, and the Harry Potter Hogwarts Legacy video game. I also enjoy the creative aspects of home renovation and remodeling. I always have graph paper and a pencil in my bag. I know every dimension of a dishwasher, refrigerator, or stove, so I can nail a kitchen in a heartbeat, and eyeball the size of a room or a window. n another role: writing children’s books. Together with co-author Linda Hagopian, Sparks has created 10-4 Good Buggy , a series of picture books that follows the exploits of professional truck driver Tripp Wheeler and his dog, Detour. “People aren’t raising their kids to be truck drivers,” Sparks says. Maybe that’s because they don’t realize how rewarding the job can be. She and Hagopian decided to spread the word. “Tripp became a truck driver because he wanted to go on adventures, and he got a job that paid his way to get there,” Sparks says. “He brings along his snow shoes, his fishing pole, and goes to all kinds of unique places.” Sparks and Hagopian have published two books to date and have a third in the works. “Getting into the mind of Tripp Wheeler and all his adventures is a happy place,” Sparks says.
IL: When you joined NMFTA as executive director, what initiatives topped your agenda? My first priority was people. I was tasked with ensuring that I had the right staff members with the right skill sets in the right seats, and that they were in line with our mission. Our board of directors has requested that we modernize and enhance our products and services and take our digitalization, cybersecurity, and LTL freight classification system efforts to the next level. IL: What are LTL carriers most worried about these days? One of their biggest concerns is the increasing complexity of cargo claims and theft. In the past, cargo theft typically involved stealing physical freight, but now cybercriminals hack systems, reroute shipments, and track high-value freight to intercept it, making the threat more sophisticated and harder to combat. When something is stolen and a shipper files a claim, managing that process can be extremely complicated. We’re working on these issues internally and collaborating with experts at organizations such as the Certified Claims Professional Accreditation Council, the Transportation & Logistics Council, and CargoNet. IL: What project excites you to get up in the morning? Reimagining the trucking industry is an ongoing process. It involves working with the board of directors and the staff to bring new perspectives and insights for them to consider. We need to learn, grow, and keep pace with the changing landscape while also supporting the needs of the membership. It’s also imperative that I explore new ways to attract and expand our membership. One new offering I’m excited to introduce to the LTL sector is a benchmarking program, which will provide key performance metrics across carriers’ operations. This will help our membership understand how they compare to their competitors, offering valuable insights to improve how they run their businesses. IL: If we followed you on a typical day, what would we see? You’d see me talking with our membership and staff— hearing their concerns, addressing their issues, removing obstacles, and determining the source to solve it. I also enjoy staying on top of the latest trends affecting our members by listening to podcasts, reading industry pubs, attending
November 2024 • Inbound Logistics 13
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