Family fueled: Usher Transport celebrates 80 years

Usher Transport is always people first. Almost to a fault. Or that’s what Beau Mosley believed before he made the worst mistake of his life. After helping Usher upgrade its safety program, the former Kentucky State Police highway patrol officer left to chase a bigger paycheck with a bigger carrier outside the tank truck industry—in a decision he quickly came to regret.

“I got dragged through the mud out there, and saw what companies that are strictly focused on profit are all about, and realized how valuable it is being with a people-first company,” Mosley recalled.

Fortunately for him, Usher welcomed him back with open arms.

Core values

Harlan co-founded Boyd and Usher Transport with six tractors in 1946 in Paducah, Kentucky, after serving in the Army in World War II. He teamed with his son, Bill Sr., who separated from the Air Force as a major, to buy out his original partner and form Usher Transport in 1960. “My father was a very principled man with integrity, and a lot of pride,” Bill Sr. said in an old interview. “Only three things upset him: disrespect, lying, and stealing—in that order.” Together, they hauled bulk liquids from the beginning, first fuel, then beer and milk, and chemicals starting in 1970 with a load of caustic soda for BF Goodrich, whose Calvert City plant was purchased by Westlake Chemical, which remains a loyal customer.

Bill Jr. and Alan officially joined the business in the 1980s, ushering in two decades of expansion amid trucking deregulation in the prime of their careers. And most of that growth was organic, with the only key acquisition the 2008 pickup of Saraguay Petroleum that pushed Usher into the Atlanta market. Ryan, who followed in his grandfather’s footsteps as an Air Force pilot, joined the company in 2007, rose to president in 2017, and last year added the CEO title previously held by Bill Jr. Patrick and William moved up in 2023, with Patrick taking on the role of EVP of corporate governance, and William stepping in as EVP of maintenance.

“Bill Jr. and Alan raised their boys right,” said Mink, who also worked under Bill Sr. “They always did the right thing—even if it cost the company money—and that carried over to the fourth generation.”

Today, the carrier operates a fleet of over 200 power units—primarily Freightliners for company trucks—and 350 trailers, including Heil and Polar chemical and fuel tankers, end dumps, flatbeds, and chassis trailers. Usher has three “brick-and-mortar” locations in Paducah, where it all started; Louisville, Kentucky, Usher’s corporate headquarters since the 1990s; and Doraville, outside Atlanta in the former Saraguay terminal; along with multiple satellites spread across six states, including Cincinnati; Indianapolis; Birmingham, Alabama; and Nashville, Tennessee. Satellite operations are supported by owner-operators, who helped the company grow organically—and remain an integral part of its identity. “We have a very favorable environment for owner operators, by design,” Ryan explained. “We want it to be that way because with owner operators, if you hire the right guy, they have more skin in the game. They will financially, of course, because the power unit is theirs.

“But they’ll also take on more ownership, and perform very well.”

Usher helps contractors with upfront equipment costs. It also offers one of the most generous lease-purchase programs in trucking—because it wants to create more fellow entrepreneurs. “I’ve heard horror stories about guys with leased trucks,” Mink said. “They’re five payments away from paying it off, and the employer cuts off their freight or tries to repo the truck. We don’t want the truck. We want the relationship with a quality driver.” Currently, about 75% of Usher’s drivers are owner-ops, due to that philosophy. But really, the carrier’s leaders aren’t looking for contractors or company drivers. They’re searching for the most talented folks they can find, who also fit the culture, and don’t want to exclude anyone up front.

That’s why Usher is so selective in the recruiting process, which features a frank conversation with a panel of Usher employees that now includes former owner-operator Dave Powell, National Tank Truck Carriers’ 2023-24 Driver of the Year—the only Usher driver to win the award named after Bill Sr. Powell parked his prized Peterbilt in January, after 25 years behind the wheel, to join Usher’s “support staff” as safety and workforce development manager.

“I enjoyed giving back to the industry during my time as NTTC’s ambassador,” Powell shared. “And this is a way for me to keep doing that and help make our organization better. So, I’m excited.”

Contemporary causes

Making Usher better has been Ryan’s top priority since joining the business he grew around, just like his dad and uncle before him. That not only entails building and enabling a talented team, but overcoming complacency, modernizing processes, and utilizing technology to boost efficiency. And Usher’s leader is more focused on family business than ever before—at work and home. As a newly certified Air Force instructor in Louisville, the accomplished pilot is around more often, he’s more deliberate with family time—especially since youngest son Parker was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes last fall—and more effective in the office.

“We’re managing the company better than we ever have, and that’s not just me,” he insisted.

“It’s a group effort by our entire team.”

Usher’s team now includes Powell, new CFO Wilson Tucker, key leaders like Christine Estes, VP of safety and HR; Jesse Gosman, VP of sales and logistics; and Heather Denning and Derek Cole, both directors of operations; and a host of problem-solving dispatchers and mechanics, giving the carrier a productive blend of energy and experience. And Bill Jr. and Alan now are filling an invaluable advisory role as co-chairmen, making the transition to the next generation easy. “They’re letting us run the business,” Ryan said. “There’s a lot of freedom to operate, but purposefully, and that’s been great, because it doesn’t always happen that way.”

Together, they’re thriving amid challenging circumstances, from the pandemic to the current economic uncertainty, and soaring operating costs in between. By structuring the company “more deliberately,” refining processes and procedures, protecting rates, and caring for customers and employees, Usher stayed profitable—and provided for its people—in 2025, generating $63 million in revenue, which is up from $41 million in 2005 and $15 million in 1995.

“It’s funny, you’ll hear it straight from Ryan, ‘I’ve never made the company a dime. I’m overhead. I’ve never put a mile on a truck. The drivers are the ones who make us money,’” Powell relayed. “And when you hear that message echoed by support staff—basically anyone who’s not in a truck—that instills the culture, and the mentality that Usher cares for its drivers.

“And that attracts the best of the best.”

Continuous improvement

Usher won NTTC’s North American safety championship for 2001 and 2012, and again for 2025 (after this story first went to press). It also collected American Trucking Association’s top safety award, the President’s Trophy, for its performance in 2001 and 2013. But the carrier’s safety program was in dire need of a refresh by the time Mosely joined Usher in 2018, so he led a “total rebuild” during his first stint that helped Usher win another President’s Trophy in 2019. “They were still doing accident reports on paper,” Mosley said. “Our hours-of-service tracking was non-compliant. It was still an AOBRD [automatic onboard recording device]. So, we had to do a conversion to an ELD [electronic-logging device] platform. And we didn’t have cameras, so we implemented cameras into the program.”

Mosley also established Usher’s first Certified Driver Trainer and corrective action programs, revamped orientation and Usher’s policy manual, and adopted Smith System training during that overhaul. But he wasn’t able to help the company met one of the industry’s highest bars for safety—certification in the American Chemistry Council’s Responsible Care Partner (RCP) program—until returning in 2022 with a fresh perspective on his job, and the pursuit of safe operations. In fact, he pulled Usher out of the grueling three-year audit in 2019, which left them with only one year to qualify in their second attempt.

Usher finally earned its RCP status in 2024.

“It was one of the most frustrating and challenging things my team and I have ever been through,” Mosley said. “There is no stone left unturned in the process, and it’s a humbling experience. But now, having gone through it, we no longer need to talk the talk.

“That certification proves we walk the walk.”

He credits upgrading to Motive’s AI-powered cameras and ELDs, implementing a non-punitive driver performance improvement plan based on an associated driver scoreboard created in house, and hiring a corporate chaplain for Usher’s continuous safety improvement. And the industry is taking notice. Usher claimed an NTTC Grand award in February, making them one of 10 finalists for a third Heil trophy as the largest carrier in the Sutherland division.

“We’ve decreased our individual events by about 60%,” Mosley raved.

“So, the improvement we’ve seen over the course of a year of working with drivers, coaching them up, and really being committed to that improvement plan has truly been astonishing.”

Usher’s unwavering dedication to caring for its drivers’ well-being also is bolstering retention. The company last year posted a turnover rate of 11%, ensuring reliability, and helping Usher emerge as Chevron’s Bulk Lubricants Carrier of the Year for the third consecutive year and fifth time overall in February. “We don’t sell product. We sell service,” Mink said. “And that starts with hiring and retaining exceptional drivers who buy into the culture.”

80 years and counting

Eight decades is a long time to operate. Mink’s witnessed most of it. “That makes me feel older than I am. I’m only 66,” he laughed. “I never would have thought I’d be here more than half the time Usher’s been in business. It’s a heavy thought.

“I’m just proud of my contribution, and proud of my teammates.”

Ryan feels the same. He’s also grateful to be part of a tradition that connects four like-minded generations. That’s why he’s determined to take the business to the next level—and ensure its viability for a fifth generation of family ownership. Ryan, Patrick, and William currently have four young children between them. William’s first was born in February. “I don’t know if being around a long time is a selling point for anybody,” Ryan said. “But that longevity speaks to our strengths. We’re good at what we do, and we’re good at taking care of people.”

Ongoing efforts to secure Usher’s future include Patrick pursuing a law degree, an endeavor made possible by the company’s talented management team; exploring new avenues for expansion, including acquisitions; evaluating 360-degree camera technology, and utilizing camera glasses to make point-of-view training videos—all while staying true to Usher’s established expertise. That entails providing specialized services, like direct truck-to-locomotive refueling and radioactive material handling, and giving back to the tank truck industry.

Bill Sr. got involved with NTTC—which celebrated its 80th anniversary last year—in its earliest days and served as chairman in 1986-87, Bill Jr. steered the association’s advocacy efforts for years and was chairman in 2008-09, Patrick is on a path to chairmanship, currently serving as secretary and Energy Services committee chair, and Ryan plans to follow him. “I’d love to be chairman one day. I know Patrick would, too,” Ryan said. “It’s important. The advocacy part is key, but so is networking with talented people who share our passion.

“So NTTC involvement is another big part of our story.”