Bob Costello is the Chief Economist & Senior Vice President of International Trade Policy and Cross-Border Operations for the American Trucking Associations (ATA), the national trade association for the trucking industry.

As Chief Economist, he manages all of ATA’s collection, analysis and dissemination of trucking economic information. This includes several monthly trucking economic indicators, motor carrier financial and operating data, an annual freight transportation forecast, driver wage studies, weekly diesel fuel price and economic reports, and a yearly trucking almanac.

Bob also conducts economic analyses of proposed regulations and legislation affecting the trucking industry.

Wayne has spent the last five years helping TEC Equipment and its customers prepare for and deploy heavy duty electric trucks, high speed charging infrastructure, and the business models to support them. Prior to joining TEC, he helped other businesses like Kinko’s, FedEx, and RR Donnelley with their transitions from legacy platforms to new technologies and new profit models.

Wayne holds a BS in Geography and a minor in just about everything else. Based with his wife in Portland Oregon, he enjoys travel, food, backpacking, and electric vehicles. Wayne is an early adopter.
 

Carl Hergart is the Director of Global Powertrain Planning and Agency at PACCAR – a leading manufacturer of light-, medium- and heavy-duty trucks under the DAF, Kenworth and Peterbilt nameplates. In this role he is responsible for the development of the global powertrain strategy, certification, compliance and North American aftersales for PACCAR. 

Prior to his current role, Carl was Chief Engineer Leyland Trucks, a role in which he oversaw the design, development and production support of the DAF LF medium-duty truck portfolio. He led the development and introduction of the first series production DAF LF electric truck. (DAF LF Electric for ‘zero emission’ urban distribution - DAF Trucks N.V.)

As Director Powertrain and Advanced Engineering at the PACCAR Technical Centre in North America, Carl led the 2017 introduction of the 12-speed PACCAR Transmission for Kenworth and Peterbilt trucks as well as the integration of the class-leading MX engines. He also spearheaded advanced technology efforts in the areas of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, Electrification and Connectivity and served as Principal Investigator for a $40M Department of Energy initiative aimed at doubling freight efficiency for trucks.

Carl received his Masters Degree from Lund University in Sweden and Doctorate from Aachen University in Germany, specializing in in-cylinder modeling of diesel engines. Prior to joining PACCAR in 2014, Carl spent 17 years at Ford, GM, and Caterpillar in roles of increasing responsibility. To date, Carl has been granted 15 patents in the areas of engine, hybrids and powertrain technology.

Gabe Klein is the executive director of the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation. Previously, he served as the commissioner of the Chicago Department of Transportation and director of the Washington, D.C., District Department of Transportation, where he revamped technology platforms and government processes while focusing on putting people (versus cars) first on city streets. This included launching two of the first and largest solar-powered bikeshare systems in the country and building protected bike lanes and better pedestrian infrastructure for vulnerable citizens citywide, as well as facilitating private services like carshares and rideshares to support city mobility goals.

He honed his creativity and leadership skills working in business as vice president at Zipcar and national director of stores at Bikes USA. He also co-founded CityFi, a consulting firm to help city leaders, chief executive officers, and others understand the complexities of 21st century challenges, facilitate people-centric solutions, and use new models and technology-based tools to deliver optimized results. Clients ranged from foreign governments to cities, states, start-ups, and publicly traded companies.

In 2015, he published Start-Up City: Inspiring Private and Public Entrepreneurship, Getting Projects Done, and Having Fun. The book focuses on revamping how we innovate in cities and rethinking public-private partnerships as technology shapes a dramatically different future. He received a bachelor’s degree in marketing management from Virginia Tech’s Pamplin College of Business and an executive certificate in transportation/mobility management from The Wharton School. He also served on the 2020 Biden-Harris Agency Review Team for the U.S. Department of Transportation with a focus on innovation, including transportation electrification and program delivery.

Jed R. Mandel is President of the Truck and Engine Manufacturers Association, a Chicago-based organization representing the manufacturers of commercial vehicles and of engines used in trucks and buses; farm and construction equipment; lawn, garden and utility equipment; marine; locomotive; and stationary applications.  EMA represents the interests of its members to regulators and legislators and provides a forum for the industry to address issues concerning product performance, safety, emissions, test procedures, fuels and lubricants, research and science, and public policy.

Mr. Mandel has represented EMA for over 40 years and has been involved in every major regulatory, legislative, and judicial matter affecting engines and emissions since 1977.  Mr. Mandel has appeared before Congress, state legislative bodies, and various state and federal agencies, and has served on numerous federal advisory committees.

Mr. Mandel was instrumental in negotiating the removal of sulfur from diesel fuel, the historic Tier IV nonroad emission regulations, the first-ever heavy-duty vehicle and engine GHG standards and other rules too numerous to list.

Mr. Mandel received his undergraduate degree with honors from the University of Michigan in 1974.  He graduated from Northwestern University School of Law in 1977.

Patrick Manzi, PhD is NADA’s Chief Economist. In this role, Patrick works with both NADA as well the American Truck Dealers (ATD), a division of NADA.

Patrick regularly speaks to various audiences about the auto industry and is responsible for many of the association’s monthly and annual economic reports including NADA Data and ATD Data.

A native West Virginian, Patrick received both his undergraduate and doctorate degrees in Economics from West Virginia University. Patrick currently resides in Falls Church, VA.

Paul Rosa is Senior Vice President of Procurement and Fleet Planning for Penske Truck Leasing, responsible for all vehicle and non-vehicle purchases, including asset management, supplier relations, residuals management, and fleet planning activities for a company fleet of over 400,000 vehicles.

Rosa’s career at Penske has spanned three decades, and he has accrued over 35 years of experience in the transportation industry. 

He joined the company as District Rental Manager in Hartford, Conn., in 1993.  Rosa then progressed through the roles of Area Rental Manager in New England, Manager of Consumer Rental, Quality Black Belt, Quality Master Black Belt, Manager of Commercial Rental, Director of Vehicle Planning, and Vice President of Vehicle Supply and Planning.  He was named Senior Vice President of Procurement and Fleet Planning in 2014.

Kellen Schefter is Senior Director of Electric Transportation at the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), the association for U.S. investor-owned electric companies.

At EEI, Kellen leads cross-industry coordination to advance transportation electrification, including policy advocacy, business model development, and stakeholder engagement.

He previously worked on regulatory and compliance issues at plug-in electric vehicle manufacturer Fisker Automotive. Prior to that, Kellen managed R&D projects in the Vehicle Technologies Office at the U.S. Department of Energy.

Chris Spear is president and CEO of the American Trucking Associations, the nation’s leading organization representing the interests of the trucking industry.

As president and CEO, Chris leads ATA’s efforts to advocate and educate on behalf of the trucking industry. Employing more than 7 million people and moving more than 10 billion tons of freight annually, trucking is the industry most responsible for moving America’s economy.

Prior to his time ATA, Chris worked in the transportation, energy, labor and technology sectors in over five different continents.  Most recently, Chris worked for Hyundai Motor Company, where he served as vice president of government affairs. In that role, he served on the Executive Committee for Global Automakers.  Previously, Chris was ATA senior vice president of legislative affairs and vice president of global government relations for Honeywell International.

Chris also has extensive experience in the federal government, serving as Deputy Representative for the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq, Assistant Secretary of Labor for Policy and as professional staff in the U.S. Senate.

Chris is on the board of directors for the American Transportation Research Institute, the Trucking Cares Foundation and the Louisa Swain Foundation.  He has been awarded the US Department of Defense Joint Civilian Service Medal and Honeywell’s Premier Achievement Award.

Chris holds a master's and bachelor's degree from the University of Wyoming. He is married to Michelle and they have four children.

Avery is the chief analyst for trucking-related market data at FTR, the industry leader in freight transportation forecasting.

He is one of the premier industry analysts for truck freight demand, capacity, and pricing dynamics; spot market metrics; and the impact of macroeconomic changes on trucking demand. He is also a leading authority on changes in fleets’ equipment and driver populations and on the impact of trucking regulation on productivity and capacity. 

Avery is a frequent speaker on the trucking outlook at association events and private meetings, as well as host of FTR's weekly Trucking Market Update podcast. 

He is the principal author, responsible for providing commentary, data analysis, and forecasts for the Trucking Update and Shippers Update services. He is also a regular contributor to the Truck and Trailer Outlook service, and a frequent author of the State of Freight Insights service, which looks at trends in freight transportation.

Currently, he is leading the development of FTR’s upcoming Trucking Closer Look product, which will provide a comprehensive look at trucking capacity by segment. 

Avery has closely studied the transportation industry for more than 30 years as an editor, analyst, and researcher, including more than 20 years dedicated to the trucking industry. 

Avery resides in Alabama with his wife Julie and their three children.  He is a graduate of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.
 

Sean Waters is the Vice President of Product Compliance and Regulatory Affairs for Daimler Trucks North America (“DTNA”) and Detroit Diesel Corporation (“DDC”). His responsibilities include supporting the development of smart emission and transportation policies by directly encouraging research into numerous areas affecting heavy-duty commercial products.

He has also worked with regulatory agency leadership on standard-setting initiatives, most recently on heavy-duty engine and vehicle greenhouse gas standards.  In addition, Waters has extensive knowledge of other heavy-duty regulations such as for criteria emissions, onboard diagnostics, fuel quality, and safety. He serves as Chair of the Truck and Engine Manufacturers Association (“EMA”) where he provides advice, counsel, and recommendations on the scientific and technical aspects of programs related to commercial truck emissions control strategies and safety technologies.

Sean is also on the Board of Advisors for the University of California Davis Institute of Transportation Studies and the Board for Portland Business Alliance.

Sean is married, with two children, four cats, a dog and a hedgehog.