The Women In Trucking Association (WIT) presented Shelley Simpson, President, J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. with its 2023 Influential Woman in Trucking award. The award is sponsored by Daimler Truck North America (DTNA), a manufacturer of Class 6-8 commercial vehicles in North America, and recognizes the achievements of female role models and trailblazers in the trucking industry.
The winner was announced during the WIT Accelerate! Conference & Expo in Dallas. The announcement followed the panel discussion Unstoppable Women in Trucking You Must Know About, facilitated by Tracy Mack-Askew, Chief Engineer of Chassis, Propulsion, and Vocational Engineering, DTNA.
Finalists for the 2023 award included Tori Blake, Chief Financial Officer and Co-owner, Western Logistics Express and WLX, and Megan Ferguson, Vice President of End-to-End Delivery Acceleration, Walmart.
“It’s a privilege for Women In Trucking to recognize Shelley Simpson as our 2023 Influential Woman in Trucking award winner,” said Jennifer Hedrick, WIT President and CEO. “Shelley’s passion and leadership for this field, including her commitment to expanding gender diversity in transportation, have been evident throughout her nearly 30-year career.”
“On behalf of Daimler Truck North America, our congratulations to all of the remarkable finalists for the 2023 Influential Woman in Trucking award who have and continue to work tirelessly to create expanded opportunities for women in our industry,” said Angela Lentz, Chief People Officer, DTNA. “In addition, I want to congratulate Shelly Simpson for being named the 2023 Influential Woman in Trucking. Her amazing and vast career, commitment to others and impact on trucking are all impressive accomplishments worthy of this unique recognition.”
Simpson’s career at J.B. Hunt reflects the company’s continued progression as an innovative leader in the transportation and logistics industry.
Since joining J.B. Hunt as an hourly customer service representative, she has held multiple positions for business segments across the company, including most recently serving as Chief Commercial Officer and Executive Vice President of People and Human Resources.
In 2007, Simpson was named President of Integrated Capacity Solutions (ICS), a business unit she helped create. While continuing to develop ICS, Simpson assumed sales and marketing executive responsibilities in 2011 and was appointed Chief Marketing Officer. She took on additional leadership in 2014 as President of J.B. Hunt’s Truckload business segment, helping improve the efficiency of the company’s fleet.
Simpson was named Chief Commercial Officer in 2017, leading strategic direction of marketing, sales, customer experience, and external product development, including J.B. Hunt 360°, the company’s technology platform for freight matching and operational efficiency. As the company evolved J.B. Hunt 360 and its technology-driven services, Simpson was also responsible for commercializing them on a global scale as the leader of International Services. In 2020, she was named Executive Vice President of People and Human Resources, leading the company’s efforts to create a more inclusive culture and work environment.
Simpson was named President in 2022, and currently provides management and performance oversight for all company business units, in addition to emerging technology, developing services and People and Human Resources.
Simpson serves on the board for multiple organizations, including the Mercy Health Foundation and the Dean’s Executive Advisory Board for the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas, in addition to serving on the DSA Selection Committee for the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals.
In 2016, she received the Distinguished Woman in Logistics award by Women In Trucking and was named 2017 ATHENA Woman of the Year at the NWA Business Women’s Conference. In 2020, she received the Power50 Award by the National Diversity Council and was named a 2020 Top Influencer by Arkansas Money & Politics. In 2021, she was named one of the Top 100 Women in Supply Chain by Supply Chain Digital and has been named one of the top 100 HR Professionals by the National Diversity Council in 2022. She recently received the 2022 Woman of the Year in Innovation award by the Women’s Foundation of Arkansas and the Excellence in Free Enterprise Award from Economics Arkansas.
Originally from Russellville, Arkansas, Simpson graduated from the University of Arkansas with a bachelor’s degree in marketing. She lives in Rogers, AR with her husband David and three children.
