By Shelley Simpson
J.B. Hunt Transport, Inc. recently passed a big milestone: 60 years in business. That’s 60 years of building on Johnnie Bryan and Johnelle Hunt’s innovation and vision for a more efficient supply chain. That’s 60 years of delivering for our customers and taking care of our people.
When we took the time to reflect on our history, three important themes emerged. They are the foundations of all that has come before, and all that will come after. These three company foundations personify the momentum that got us here and the vision that will continue to push us forward.
It all starts with people. When we take good care of our people, they take good care of our customers, and that takes good care of our business, which is good for our entire industry. People are at the heart of it all. We’ve built a team of more than 38,000 employees spread out across the country who come to work every day focused on how they can revolutionize the way we do business and create exceptional customer value. We trust them to move our mission forward, and in turn they trust us to provide an environment where they can feel seen, heard, valued and respected.
We believe that taking care of people looks like creating space where each person can bring their best ideas forward and be met with integrity, excitement and collaboration from their peers. That naturally leads to innovation.
The company was founded on an innovative idea for rice hulls, and that mindset—to see things differently and find their true potential—has been inherent since day one. Mr. Hunt’s revolutionary intermodal agreement in the late 80s disrupted the industry by bringing two historically competitive businesses together under one service offering.
When customers needed a company that could manage their transportation needs and act as an extension of their brand, we created Dedicated Contract Services®. When a new opportunity developed within that organization to deliver and install home furniture and appliances, we turned customer demand into a business segment – Final Mile Services®.
And, when we discovered the need for a digital marketplace after listening to customers, carriers and drivers, we built the J.B. Hunt 360°® technology platform, raising the bar as the industry standard. It’s big ideas like these that continue to advance our mission of creating the most efficient transportation network in North America.
That brings us to capacity. We consider our approach to ensuring capacity to be mode-neutral. Whether the best solution is intermodal, truckload, dedicated fleet management, less than truckload (LTL) or another freight mode, our multimodal shipping options mean we can help customers move freight in the most efficient and cost-effective way possible.
And we’re being proactive in our growth to keep pace with the demand for capacity. We’re the largest dedicated provider in North America, and we’re also expanding our intermodal fleet to as many as 150,000 containers, adding to our J.B. Hunt 360box® fleet, investing in transloading facilities and innovating creative shipment solutions.
As we accelerate, we’re aligning behind these three essential company foundations to connect us all as one dynamic company, from drivers to operations to sales to people teams and beyond: People you trust. Technology that empowers. Capacity to deliver.
When our employees feel a sense of belonging and safety, their innovation is boundless. When our innovation allows shippers and carriers to navigate the complexities of today’s supply chain, our technology is powerful. And when our size, scale and fleet density allow us to move freight in the most efficient and cost-effective way possible, we deliver.
Standing on the strong foundations of people, technology and capacity, there’s no limit to what we can achieve. And we’re just getting started.
Shelley Simpson is president of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. Her 28-year 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 leading integrated capacity solutions, truckload, customer experience, highway services, international services, marketing, sales and most recently serving as chief commercial officer and executive vice president of people and human resources.
