Back to business: Tank truckers seek new opportunities in Baltimore
Key Highlights
- NTTC navigated a difficult 2025 with cautious leadership, making strategic decisions to sustain operations and support members during uncertain times.
- The industry faced tariff-related planning issues, increased costs, and slow organic growth, impacting all segments of tank truck transportation.
- Key initiatives for 2026 include launching the Tank Truck Institute, forming a partnership with Wreaths Across America, and hosting a conference with industry awards and expert insights.
- The conference will feature motivational keynote speaker Ryan Davis, a war veteran who exemplifies resilience, alongside prestigious driver and safety awards.
- NTTC continues to advocate for industry interests, engaging with regulators, expanding staff, and providing valuable market and compensation reports to members.
The 80th-anniversary celebrations are over. Now it’s time to get back to business.
That’s the theme for National Tank Truck Carriers leaders heading into the 2026 NTTC Annual Conference after a year of reflection and regulatory uncertainty in the first year of Trump 2.0. The industry benefited from decelerated electric-vehicle adoption timelines and enhanced relationships with Washington officials, but tariff-related planning complications, operational-cost increases, and manufacturing slowdowns exacted a terrible toll on every trucking segment.
“For the tank truck industry, it was not favorable one bit,” said Ryan Streblow, NTTC president and CEO. “The biggest concerns revolve around tariffs. Everybody was excited about the Big Beautiful Bill, and we still believe tariffs are a negotiating tactic, but now they’re having a very real impact. And that’s on both the commodities we transport and the raw materials that support our industry.
“Ultimately, when you take a look across the industry, there was very little, if any, organic growth in 2025. The new business one carrier may have received was occupying business from a different carrier. So it was just a trade. And unfortunately, what carriers found themselves with were increased costs on everything from compensation and insurance to capex availability, which means less money to reinvest into their operations, whether it be equipment or personnel.”
The association wasn’t spared either, forcing the board to make difficult decisions regarding events and outreach, Streblow acknowledged. “This association, for the fifth consecutive year, is in a positive place, operationally and financially,” he said. “But, like our members, we faced a challenging year, without a shadow of a doubt. In 2025, everyone used the term uncertainty, so they were cautious in their approach, and from a leadership standpoint at National Tank, we didn’t deviate from that. We were cautious. We made tough choices. And we made moves that were beneficial in the end—for our membership and the association.”
Tank Truck Week 2025 in Kansas City, Missouri, still recorded the second-highest attendance in event history, Streblow pointed out. And NTTC hasn’t curtailed its efforts to advance industry causes, bringing in two new staff members (Aesha Beattle, director of meetings, and Jasmile De-Jesus, program manager for policy); meeting with PHMSA Administrator Paul Roberti to discuss the agency’s request for information concerning the risks of using heavy-duty electric vehicles in hazardous materials transportation; and planning out an Annual Conference that once again will feature prestigious awards for the segment’s top companies and driver, and invaluable industry-specific insights from subject-matter experts.
“We’re focused on the opportunities,” Streblow said. “How do we protect today for tomorrow? How do we have those important conversations now that are going to positively impact the future? So, you’re going to see a lot of that in the content and people we’re bringing in.”
The 2026 Annual Conference is set for April 20-22 in Baltimore, Maryland.
Workforce, wisdom, and winners
NTTC plans to introduce a new partnership with Wreaths Across America and officially launch the Tank Truck Institute (TTI) at this year’s conference. The non-profit TTI foundation, which will focus on funding workforce iniatives, now features seven board members: Streblow, Gina Anderson, Mark Mirsky, Jim Mullen, Eric Peterson, James Stark, and Lindsey Trent. Additionally, the association will host an opening-night celebration sponsored by the Allied Committee for the Trucking Industry (ACT 1), two PAC fundraising events, and a dozen committee meetings; and unveil its 2026 Tank Truck Industry Market Analysis, and the latest Bulk/Tank edition of Cottingham & Butler’s Compensation and Benefits Benchmark survey.
“Those reports both are back by popular demand,” Streblow affirmed.
After welcoming NFL greats Jimmy Johnson and Terry Bradshaw at last year’s marquee events, the keynote speaker for this year’s Annual Conference is military veteran Ryan Davis, a former Army Ranger who lost both legs and his right arm in battle—but didn’t lose his will to thrive. “He’s a true American hero,” Streblow said. “He has an amazing story, and with the challenging times we’re facing, there’s no one better to motivate us and deliver the message that it isn’t that bad. We will survive.”
The Professional Tank Truck Driver of the Year and North American Safety Awards presentations provide the exclamation point. The Driver of the Year breakfast, which includes the keynote from Davis, starts at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, April 21; and the Safety Awards luncheon—where NTTC will honor two for-hire carriers and one private fleet with prestigious Heil trophies—starts at 11:45 a.m. Wednesday, April 22. “You’re talking about the MVP and Super Bowl champions of our industry,” Streblow said. “Those are the marquee events we put on.”
The eight 2025-26 Driver of the Year finalists, who made their way to Arlington, Virginia, in late January for the final round of judging, are Jarrod Alsobrooks (SWTO), Andrew Givens (ADM Trucking), Joseph Hafford (Kenan Advantage Group), Jorge Hernandez (Certified Express, Inc.), Bruce Jones (G&D Trucking/Hoffman Transportation), Michael Key (Kenan Advantage Group), Anthony Rocha (Foodliner), and Scott Tempus (Quest Liner).
Previous winners of the Usher trophy include:
- 2013-14: James Starr, Groendyke Transport
- 2014-15: Bobby Weller, Hahn Transportation
- 2015-16: Darryl Nowell, Eagle Transport
- 2016-17: Todd Stine, Carbon Express
- 2017-18: Paul Emerson, Foodliner
- 2018-19: Barbara Herman, K-Limited Carrier
- 2019-20: Program suspended due to pandemic
- 2020-21: Ron Baird, G&D Trucking/Hoffman Transportation
- 2021-22: Thomas Frain, Highway Transport
- 2022-23: Kenneth Tolliver, G&D Trucking/Hoffman Transportation
- 2023-24: Dave Powell, Usher Transport
- 2024-25: Mark Schroyer, Grammer Logistics
“These Champion Finalists are all top-notch, high-caliber drivers,” Streblow said. “You have two repeat finalists [Jones and Key] in there, and so many incredible stories about professionalism, their path to the tank truck industry, their motivations, and their inspirations.
“Every one of them deserves to be a Grand Champion.”
NTTC Annual Conference 2026 agenda
Sunday, April 19
- 2-4 pm: TopGolf PAC event
Monday, April 20
- 10-11 am: Budget and Finance Committee meeting
- 10:30 am-12:30 pm: Safety and Security Council meeting, featuring a TSA tabletop exercise with Drew Taylor and KAG’s Dan Wright, committee chair
- 11 am-noon: Nominating Committee meeting
- 11:45 am-12:45 pm: Young Executives Committee lunch
- 1-2 pm: Energy Committee meeting, featuring a roundtable with FMCSA’s William Bensmiller and Usher Transport’s Patrick Usher, committee chair
- 2:15-3:15 pm: Chemical Committee meeting, featuring Grammer’s Daniel Day and Mark Schroyer, who will present “Industry Approaches to Prevent Chemical Release,” and KAG’s Tanya Rogers, committee chair
- 3:30-4:30 pm: Dry Bulk and Food Grade Committee meeting, featuring Highway Transport’s Doug Vineyard, who will present “Addressing Tank Wash Capacity and Coverage Challenges,” and G&D/Hoffman’s Jerry Curl, committee chair
- 3:30-4:30 pm: Tank Truck Institute Foundation meeting
- 4:30 pm: Exhibit hall grand opening
- 4:30-6:30 pm: Chairman’s Reception in the exhibit hall
- 6:30 pm: Exhibit hall closed
- 6:30-8:30 pm: ACT 1 opening night celebration
Tuesday, April 21
- 7:30-8:15 am: NTTC Driver of the Year Breakfast of Champions
- 8:15-10 am: Professional Tank Truck Driver of the Year award ceremony, featuring keynote speaker Ryan Davis, a U.S. Army veteran
- 10:30-11:30 am: Workforce Committee meeting, featuring Glendenning Brothers’ Bailey Glendenning-Stark, committee chair
- 11:30 am: Exhibit hall open
- 11:30 am-1 pm: Lunch in the exhibit hall
- 1:30 pm: Exhibit hall closed
- 1:45-3:15 pm: General session featuring Cottingham and Butler’s Kim Beck, who will present her “Tank Truck Compensation and Benefits Benchmark Report” and ATA’s Emily Clayton, who will present the “Tank Truck Market Analysis Report”
- 3:30-4:30 pm: Advocacy Committee meeting, featuring Hans Schaupp, committee chair
- 5-6:30 pm: PAC reception
Wednesday, April 22
- 8 am: Exhibit hall finale open
- 8-10 am: Breakfast in the exhibit hall
- 8:30-9:30 am: Executive Committee meeting
- 10 am: Exhibit hall finale closed
- 10:15-11:30 am: Board of Directors meeting
- 11:45 am-2 pm: North American Safety Award Luncheon, featuring keynote speaker Derek Barrs, FMCSA administrator
About the Author
Jason McDaniel
Jason McDaniel, based in the Houston TX area, has more than 20 years of experience as an award-winning journalist. He spent 15 writing and editing for daily newspapers, including the Houston Chronicle, and began covering the commercial vehicle industry in 2018. He was named editor of Bulk Transporter and Refrigerated Transporter magazines in July 2020.