Ruan is pleased to announce that our President and Chief Operating Officer Dan Van Alstine has taken the helm as Chairman of the American Trucking Associations (ATA), the largest and most comprehensive national trade association representing the trucking industry. Van Alstine recently completed roles as First Vice Chairman of the ATA and Chairman of the Board of the Iowa Motor Truck Association (IMTA), a state representative to the ATA. Van Alstine’s confirmation took place on Tuesday, October 25, at the ATA’s annual Management Conference and Exhibition in San Diego, CA.
In his role as Chairman, Van Alstine will spend the next year traveling the country to meet with ATA members and government policymakers to develop, advocate for, and advance innovative, research-based policies that promote highway safety, security, and environmental sustainability. A veteran of the industry that advances American’s supply chains, Van Alstine is a strong supporter of the millions of people employed in transportation and logistics, and he will prioritize workforce development as one of his primary initiatives.
“Trucking is significant and foundational to all businesses, all services, all communities, and ultimately, all consumers. With a determined focus on education and thoughtful promotion about all the great things happening in this industry, we can continue to attract a new generation,” Van Alstine said. “To attract talented people, we need to be innovative, creative, accommodating, and inclusive, and to think very differently when it comes to sourcing employees, especially professional truck drivers. We must continue to showcase our essentiality in recruiting and retention efforts so that the roles we are offering become first choice careers.”
Founded in 1932, Ruan is one of the largest family-owned transportation and logistics providers in the country. In his role as President and COO, Van Alstine has overseen significant growth across all of Ruan’s Integrated Supply Chain Solutions offerings, including Dedicated Contract Transportation, Managed Transportation, Value-Added Warehousing, and Brokerage Support Services.
“It’s especially significant that I enter my term as Chairman as Ruan celebrates our 90th anniversary,” Van Alstine said. “It wasn’t long after entrepreneur and trucking pioneer John Ruan founded our company that he developed a vision for a more unified transportation industry that could share a collective vision to shape legislation and positively impact shippers and carriers alike. As a result, John Ruan partnered with other early trucking ambassadors to further strengthen the position of the ATA, which quickly became the voice of the industry on which America depends most to move our nation’s freight and keep commerce thriving. I’m honored to help continue John Ruan’s legacy.”
Prior to joining Ruan in 2014, Van Alstine held senior-level roles with Schneider National, Inc., leading its van truckload group, dedicated services, and logistics offering, as well as holding positions on the commercial side of the business. Additionally, he served as vice president of marketing at Transport America and held other senior roles throughout his more than 40-year career in transportation and logistics.
Van Alstine received his Bachelor of Arts in Business and Communication Arts from St. Norbert College in De Pere, WI. He and his wife, Chris, are heavily involved in community and charity groups, foreign student exchange programs, the Food Bank of Iowa, and other efforts to support the underserved and underprivileged. They have three grown children and reside in Des Moines.
To read more about Dan and his goals as ATA Chairman, check out this article posted by Transport Topics, a publication of the ATA: New ATA Chairman Dan Van Alstine: ‘Create a Vision, Empower the People’ | Transport Topics (ttnews.com)