Solid oak: NTTC celebrates 80 years

The Covid-19 pandemic prevented National Tank Truck Carriers from celebrating its diamond jubilee in person, so leaders are determined to ensure this year’s 80th birthday bash is an occasion worth remembering.

The trade association’s “oak” anniversary is the overarching theme for the 2025 NTTC Annual Conference & Exhibits, which is set for April 21-24 at the JW Marriott Tampa Water Street hotel in Tampa, Florida, where industry stakeholders will gather to recognize the safest tank truck companies and drivers, advance industry initiatives, share best practices—and reflect on NTTC’s 80-year legacy.

“It’s humbling to think about,” said Ryan Streblow, who’s only the fifth president and CEO in the association’s history. “It speaks to our deep roots as an association, and the character of the individuals in the tank truck industry. These aren’t fly-by-night operations. Many of them are family-driven companies.

“So it’s in their blood—and they’re here for life.”

This year’s annual meeting also comes on the heels of the first 100 days under the Trump Administration, which started with a flurry of executive orders, including ambitious plans to roll back climate change regulations and promote fossil fuel production. Those moves, combined with the appointments of Republicans Sean Duffy as U.S. transportation secretary and Lee Zeldin as U.S. EPA administrator, bode well for NTTC in its battle against unreasonable zero-emission vehicle adoption times. But Streblow says emissions regulations will remain a top-tier priority for the association, which recently approved a record $204,000 in Political Action Committee disbursements for 2025.

“There are so many freshmen members of Congress who we need to spend time with to help educate; and then, with a Republican-dominated House, a Republican administration, and a small margin in the Senate, we have two years, maybe four, to get some of our association’s major priorities pushed across,” Streblow explained. Those priorities still include lobbying for electronic shipping papers in hazmat transportation and the dry bulk axle variance. They do not include streamlining duplicative security credentialing after NTTC helped push that issue across the finish line last year with the signing of the TSA Security Screening Modernization Act—giving members another reason to celebrate. Washington now has until June 2027 to implement the new legislation, Streblow said.

“That may seem like a long time, but it’s lightning speed in government years,” he said.

NTTC was founded in 1945, just after World War II ended, to advocate for tank truck industry causes, provide a valuable resource, and champion safety in the tanker community. Eighty years later, it’s better equipped than ever to fulfill that mission, Streblow contended, with improved financial status, enhanced deliverables, determined industry leaders, and swelling membership, all of which will be on display in Tampa. “There was a lot to be excited about over the last five years,” said Streblow, who succeeded Dan Furth as president in 2020. “It certainly took a lot of hard work by our association staff and members—with everybody committed to pushing us in the right direction.”

Ambitious agenda

In addition to sharing updates on key initiatives, like NTTC’s industry branding campaign and apprenticeship program, the conference will feature expert presentations, the 2025 rollouts of NTTC’s “Tank Truck Market Analysis” and Cottingham & Butler’s “Trucking Benchmark Compensation & Benefits Survey,” a PAC event at Top Golf, and an 80th anniversary celebration sponsored by ACT 1.

“It’s a great venue for this year’s activities,” Streblow said.

As always, the conference highlights are the Professional Tank Truck Driver of the Year award ceremony, which includes a keynote address by NFL Hall of Fame Coach Jimmy Johnson—who led the Dallas Cowboys to two Super Bowl championships—and North American Safety Award luncheon.

The champion finalists for the title of 2024-25 NTTC Driver of the Year—and the coveted Usher trophy—are Darrin Guillory, Custom Commodities Transport; Ed Heard, Highway Transport; Bruce Jones, G&D Trucking/Hoffman Transportation; Michael Key, Kenan Advantage Group; Travis King, ADM Trucking; Jwill Kozier, SWTO; Heath Leitzke, Groendyke Transport; and Mark Schroyer, Grammer Logistics. The presentation is on April 23. “I say it every year: I don’t understand how we could have such an amazing selection of drivers, and continue to one-up it year after year,” Streblow said.

NTTC Annual Conference 2025 agenda

Tuesday, April 22

• 10:30-11:30 am: Budget and Finance Committee meeting
• 10:30-11:30 am: Safety and Security Council meeting, featuring Groendyke’s Chris Pape, Safety and Security Council national chairman
• 11 am-noon: Nominating Committee meeting
• 11:45 am-12:45 pm: Young Executives Committee meeting, featuring Glendenning Brothers’ Bailey Glendenning-Stark, Young Executives Committee chairwoman
• 1-2 pm: Energy Committee meeting, featuring Tandem Concepts’ Drew Stypa and Usher Transport’s Patrick Usher, Energy Committee chairman
• 2:15-3:15 pm: Chemical Committee meeting, featuring Florida Highway Patrol Capt. Ezra Folsom, who will present “An Overview of Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement Efforts in Florida,” and All Chemical Transport’s Anthony Coruccini, Chemical Committee chairman
• 3:30-4:30 pm: Dry Bulk and Food Grade Committee meeting, featuring the Plastics Industry Association’s Charlotte Dreizen, who will present “Transporting Plastic Pellets, Flake, and Powder: Risks, Mitigation, and Legislation,” and G&D Trucking/Hoffman Transportation’s Jerry Curl, Dry Bulk and Food Grade Committee chairman
• 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 closes
• 6:30-8:30 pm: NTTC’s 80th anniversary celebration

Wednesday, April 23

• 7:30-8:15 am: NTTC Annual Conference 2025 opening breakfast
• 8:15-10 am: Professional Tank Truck Driver of the Year award ceremony featuring keynote speaker Jimmy Johnson
• 10:30-11:30 am: Workforce Development Committee meeting featuring Luma Brighter Learning’s Gina Anderson, who will present “Breaking Barriers: Harnessing Neuroscience and Coaching for Lasting Change Across Generations,” and Glendenning Brothers’ Bailey Glendenning-Stark, Workforce Development Committee chairwoman
• 11:30 am: Exhibit hall opens
• 11:30 am-1 pm: Lunch in the exhibit hall
• 1:30 pm: Exhibit hall closes
• 1-3 pm: Guest rooftop pool event
• 1:45-3:15 pm: General session featuring American Trucking Associations’ Emily Clayton, who will present “Tank Truck Market Analysis 2025 Report,” and Cottingham and Butler’s Kim Beck, who will present “Trucking Benchmark Report 2025”
• 3:30-4:30 pm: Advocacy Committee meeting, featuring LCL Bulk Transport’s Hans Schaupp, Advocacy Committee chairman
• 5-6:30 pm: NTTC PAC reception

Thursday, April 24

• 8 am: Exhibit hall finale opens
• 8-10 am: Breakfast in the exhibit hall
• 8:30-9:30 am: Executive Committee meeting
• 10 am: Exhibit hall finale closes
• 10:15-11:30 am: Board of Directors meeting
• 11:45 am-2 pm: North American Safety Award luncheon featuring the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Daniel Meyer, who will present the keynote “Unveiling the Crash Preventability Determination Program”