How USCC's Adam Shouse is Supporting the Trucking Industry with the IMTA Leadership Group

Back in late January, Adam Shouse was selected to the IMTA Leadership Group (Iowa Truck Motor Association) for 2022. This group has an Iowa Motor Association Board comprised of about 40 individuals from all types of trucking operations who provide leadership.

This is an amazing opportunity for our teammate as he can better advocate for the trucking and transportation industry, and invest in his professional development. Last month, members of different roles and companies participated in their first meeting in Des Moines at the Capitol. 

We’re curious to how the first meeting went. So we sat down with Shouse on his experiences, what processes they learned about legislation, and how to advocate for certain laws! 

You’re a member of the IMTA Leadership Group, that’s exciting! Tell us what the group is about, where it is, and how often you meet. 

It is a one-year program where we meet four times between March and September. We have two days of meetings and trainings at IMTA’s headquarters in Des Moines. The next time we’ll meet is in April, June, and September. 

Around since 1993, the IMTA Leadership Group supports the trucking industry in Iowa. They invest in the next generation of trucking industry professionals. 75% are trucking organizations and 25% are allied members who support the industry. 

Members who join from all over Iowa serve in different roles - like human resources directors, managers, and directors of recruiting. Each are passionate about supporting the trucking industry. Witnessing these professionals gives me a different perspective on how they're going to make an impact in their companies. 

How did you get involved with the IMTA Leadership Group?

I joined the group this year after wanting to join for a few years now. Individuals I met through IMTA shared positive experiences in the classes, so this encouraged me to be a part of this group. Getting to know people from all across the industry is so important. You never know when you may have a question or want to stay in contact with somebody, so that's always been something I wanted to be a part of.

I did learn instantly it's a commitment. You have to be nominated and commit to all the sessions and it's a commitment for IMTA to put this program on. It's a big investment for them to have all of us come down there and set up the meetings and trainings. I’ve heard of amazing things about IMTA, so it's been truly rewarding to be involved in this group.  

How will it impact you? What are learning experiences you'll walk away with? 

I am meeting a lot of great people as a newer professional in the industry. Regardless of business relationships, it’s great to build peer-to-peer networks. It’s by far the best thing I’ve done for my development in the trucking industry. I have the forum to learn and network, and I embraced this opportunity to be the best version of myself and get out of my comfort zone. 

One thing I did learn is here at US Cargo Control, we are experts in the trucking equipment we carry. While we don't have physical trucks and trailers on-site, there are things important to other individuals that gave me more knowledge about the industry. It starts to click especially after I hear something in the news or about legislation that they're fighting for at the Capitol. 

I want to continue and push US Cargo Control and my teammates to create a strong partnership with IMTA. I’m in the IMTA Leadership Class of 2022 and will be a graduate of the leadership forum. I'll be able to share with my team what I’ve learned thus far.

Fun Fact: Adam Shouse is the first from US Cargo Control to be a member of IMTA! 

How are you going to use this experience to challenge US Cargo Control in the coming year?

I'm going to continue to get more involved above and beyond because the IMTA Leadership Group plays a vital role to the trucking industry in Iowa. This is a huge opportunity to push myself professionally in my business development role. I’m continuing to learn about the issues in trucking and am allowing my peers and US Cargo Control to be aware about them. 

I'm especially hoping it can inspire my teammates and others to step out of their comfort zone and invest in their development.

It’s more than just learning about trucking and transportation though. Every session is different, where we're crafting our skills to invest in our development. For example, the second day of the first session was about communications training where we worked on presentation skills to sharpen our professional skills. We’re also reading a book about building relationships with our peers at work to make us better employees at our companies we work for, which will be a discussion in our next meeting. 

What are important topics that everybody should know?

From the first full day at the Capitol, we saw how industry advocates need to collaborate with our elected officials. They work for us as elected officials and they cannot work on behalf of their constituents if they don't know what matters to you. It was refreshing to experience how you can advocate for the industry.

The effort that goes into the advocacy process is highly critical. If you’re not fighting for what you’re passionate about, things won’t change. Staying committed and fighting for what you want is an important trait to have if you want to see change. 

Thank you Shouse for sharing your experiences with us so far! We cannot wait to continue hearing more about your experiences the next few months! 

20 Questions with Adam Shouse

Listen to our teammate, Adam Shouse, answer 20 fun questions! Learn more about his favorite things, what he enjoys about US Cargo Control, and so much more. 

More on IMTA Leadership Group

If you'd like to learn more about IMTA Leadership Group, request more information from their website. They work hard to invest in each member's investment, and have benefits for participating in this dedicated group.