LEADERSHIP Conversations with the Captains of Industry
Driving Safety & Leadership: Jaime Hamm’s Road to Success
While growing up in Omaha, Nebraska, the corporate headquarters of Werner Enterprises, Jaime Hamm, senior vice president of safety and recruiting, often saw the company’s trucks on the road. When a friend who worked at Werner had an opening, Hamm applied. The original opening had closed, but another had opened in the safety division. Hamm wanted a career helping others or improving peoples’ lives. “Working in safety, we always try to limit accidents and prevent injuries,” she says. “Plus, there’s always something new happening. It’s a rewarding career.” Currently, Hamm oversees about 250 associates in Werner’s safety, recruiting, terminal management and risk management teams. She shared her thoughts on leadership, the trucking industry, and the Green Bay Packers with Inbound Logistics . IL: How do you instill an appreciation for safety? We talk about safety from the moment new associates and professional drivers join the company. It’s at the top of our core values and everyone has to get on board, because it’s simply who we are. Derek Leathers, our chairman and CEO, always says, “Nothing we do is worth getting hurt or hurting others.” We do all we can to loop safety into other processes, so nobody needs to go out of their way to keep up with training. For example, our drivers can complete their monthly safety training right from their tablets, when it’s convenient for them. IL: How are you addressing the truck driver shortage? We take only about 10% of professional driver applicants, because the other applicants’ driving records aren’t suitable or they don’t t into Werner’s safety culture. It’s a struggle. But we have great resources to help us target areas where we need drivers, and then to identify quality applicants and bring them into Werner. Because Werner owns Roadmaster Drivers School, we can vet students and nd those who meet our safety culture and standards. We encourage them to apply at Werner once they successfully complete school and obtain their commercial driver’s license. IL: How does your leadership in professional organizations help in your role at Werner? As chair of the American Trucking Associations’ Safety Policy Committee, I work with others in the industry to
Jaime Hamm, Senior Vice President of Safety and Recruiting, Werner
From driver recruitment to policy reform, Jaime Hamm is shaping the future of trucking through leadership, innovation, a passion for safety, and rolling with change.
by Karen Kroll
10 Inbound Logistics • April 2025
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