Roeth: Hauling a truckload of gratitude this Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving! It's a great time to inventory everything inside and outside the trucking industry that gives you a bountiful life. The list is long. It starts with family and ends with you.

Michael Roeth

Nov. 27, 2024

2 min read

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Each Thanksgiving I try to reflect on the things I am grateful for—the things that give me a bountiful life. The first thing on my list is always my family. They support me and are willing to patiently listen to me go on about all the projects NACFE is working on. I think my wife Letty now knows as much about trucks as I do. This year, I even managed to draw my oldest granddaughter into the NACFE fold. If you have not listened to my 100th podcast, I suggest you do so because you will hear answers to some pretty tough questions posed by my granddaughter. She is one smart kid.

I am also grateful to the NACFE staff—those who have been with us for a while and those who are new to our ranks. They are out in the field talking and listening. While we are grateful for the number of presentations we gave—more than 100—I am equally grateful for how much time the NACFE staff spends listening so that we can learn new things and also ensure we continue to provide unbiased information to the industry.

I owe a big debt of gratitude to all the fleets that willingly share information with us about what has worked—and what hasn’t—in their efforts to improve MPG, deploy alternative fueled vehicles, and/or meet sustainability goals.

And I would be remiss if I left manufacturers and suppliers off the list. They continue to refine existing products and invest in bringing new products to market that get better fuel economy, emit less pollutants, and improve safety.

Finally, thanks to all the media outlets—with an extra shout-out to FleetOwner—for continuing to seek input from NACFE and allowing us space to share our news and views.

And thanks to all of you who are reading this blog. I truly am grateful that you have chosen to spend a few minutes with me.

I wish all of you a very Happy Thanksgiving and encourage you to make an inventory of all the things you are grateful for—the things that give you a bountiful life—not just on Thanksgiving Day but throughout the whole year.

About the Author

Michael Roeth

Executive Director

Michael Roeth is the executive director of the North American Council for Freight Efficiency. He serves on the second National Academy of Sciences Committee on Technologies and Approaches for Reducing the Fuel Consumption of Medium and Heavy-Duty Vehicles and has held various positions with Navistar and Behr/Cummins.