Biography of "Blair Ewell"

Blair Ewell is a transportation management professional from Fort Smith, AR. For the past several decades, Blair has demonstrated exceptional skills in the logistics and supply chain industry. A range of experience informs his decision-making, and his peers praise his aptitude and industry knowledge. Those who work for him appreciate his devotion to both the company’s big picture and the growth and success of the people he guides along the way.

Career History Ewell is no stranger to the trucking and transportation industry, as he has over 30 years of experience across several prominent companies. His earliest start in the industry was in 1986 with Ryder System.

This company is well-known for its fleet of commercial trucks available for rent, though it also specializes in supply chain management and transportation management. His initial work was as a Check Call Clerk on the night shift. It was his responsibility to issue Comchecks and check calls.

However, the division where he worked shut down, and he took a job as a load planner for C.R. England even though he had joined the army and would be leaving soon. This set the stage for three years of service in the United States Army Logistics Corp supporting Desert Shield and Desert Storm operations.

After leaving the army, Blair Ewell gained employment with Dick Simon Trucking out of Salt Lake City.

Although he started as a Fleet Manager, hard work moved him up to Dedicated Ops Manager and Terminal Manager. When first started out with Dick Simon, the company was privately owned and only had 250 trucks in the fleet. Eventually, the company went public and had 2,500 trucks in the fleet.

Unfortunately, the company had to file for bankruptcy, but Swift Transportation purchased it. For 13 years, Ewell worked his way through the company seeking challenges and expanding his experience.

Eventually, he held the positions of Vice President, Terminal Manager, and Regional Vice President of Network for Swift Transportation. Swift Transportation is the largest full truckload carrier in North America.

Armed with this leadership experience, Ewell left Swift for the position of Senior Vice President of Operations at Interstate Distributing Company headquartered in Tacoma, Washington. The company was failing, losing nearly $20 million a year. Under his guidance and efforts, the company turned the situation around in two years to become profitable. Ewell then went on to work for Mesilla Valley Transportation, located in Texas, as their Chief Operating Officer. In 2016, Ewell started his own consulting firm specializing in turn-around projects.

Professional Perspective The combined experiences across these transport and trucking companies broadened Blair Ewell’s understanding and engagement with the industry. His personal philosophy towards organizational success and management hinges upon trust. It takes a team of talented people to execute a well-planned strategy, but it takes trust at each level and with each participant to believe in the vision and the process for achieving it.

He is exceptionally gifted in understanding the big picture of logistics and transportation, and he excels in analyzing the details and data to improve the efficiency and reliability of the transport process. This includes building the most skilled teams to address demand and setting a pricing strategy that is reliable

but scalable. One of the leadership principles he brings to each organization is accountability. He believes in setting the standard and expectations by example and holding everyone accountable to those standards, including himself.

Current Role In 2019, Ewell joined the team at USA Truck as Senior Vice President of Trucking. In this role, Ewell oversees operational effectiveness and sets operational goals for the company. His particular interests are in value stream mapping and pricing strategies. He is well-versed in safety standards and best practices for the industry, and he understands the value behind the right talent in the right places.

Through his guidance, USA Truck completely altered the company culture to improve morale and efficiency, ending a long history of driver turnover.

One of Blair Ewell’s most remarkable changes was the institution of the self-dispatch process. Through technology integrations, drivers could access information about their routes through a self-service app, with one of the services being able to adjust their fuel routes without having to go through a dispatcher.

Achievements In 2021, Commercial Carrier Journal named USA Trucking the CCJ Innovator of the Year for its revolutionary self-dispatch process. Through Ewell’s leadership, the company identified drivers’ pain points and addressed them with the launch of the Drive Your Plan program.

Personal Interests Blair enjoys spending time with his family and staying active by skiing or boating when he isn't at work. He is also fond of veterans and contributes to the Wounded Warrior Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing a range of services and free programs to the post-9/11 wounded warriors and their families.