Ford Replaces CEO Fields With Mobility Head Hackett

Photo of Jim Hackett courtesy of Ford.

Ford has replaced CEO Mark Fields with Jim Hackett, who has led its mobility business unit for the past year. Ford views Hackett as a "transformational business leader" as it seeks to boost profit amid investor pressure.

Fields, who is retiring, has led the company since July 1, 2014, when he succeeded Alan Mulally. Fields, 56, joined the company in 1989.

Hackett, 62, will take on the roles of CEO and president following more than a year as executive chairman of Ford Smart Mobility. He began leading that business unit in March of 2016. He reports to executive chairman Bill Ford.

Earlier in his career, Hackett served as the CEO of Steelcase and interim athletic director of the University of Michigan.

"Jim Hackett is the right CEO to lead Ford during this transformative period for the auto industry and the broader mobility space," said Bill Ford. "He's a true visionary who brings a unique, human-centered leadership approach to our culture, products and services that will unlock the potential of our people and our business."

In related news, Ford named three executive vice presidents who will report to Hackett, including Jim Farley as president of global markets; Joe Hinrichs, president of global operations; and Marcy Klevorn, president of mobility. The appointments are effective June 1.

Ford announced two other appointments, including Mark Truby as vice president of communications and Paul Bellow as global chief data and analytics officer.

Related: Ford Discusses Commercial Fleet Outlook

Follow @HDTrucking on Twitter

International Opens Used Truck Center

International Truck announced the grand opening of the new flagship Used Truck Center in Melrose Park, Ill.

While the current Used Truck Center is also located in Melrose Park, the four-block move will bring it in the same building as Navistar's Melrose Park Plant and occupy previously unused space on the land. In addition, it will finish off a consolidation effort which brings engine testing, the Used Truck Reconditioning Center, certified technicians and used-truck sales all in a single location.

“The Used Truck Center move provides an opportunity to create our most comprehensive used truck facility yet,” said Jeff Heichel, vice president, Used Truck Operations. “On one side of the building, we will be selling our used trucks; and on the other, we have certified technicians working on reconditioning them. It creates a great environment that promotes sales and customer service.”

The new truck center is a 5,500 sq.-ft. building – a drastic improvement from the 2,500 sq.-ft. location it is replacing – and sits on a 150,000 sq.-ft. lot, with the potential to expand to 206,000 sq.-ft. The new facility comes with great accommodations for both customers and International's sales team.

Related: International Truck Receives NJPA Contract

Follow @HDTrucking on Twitter

Even with disruptive technologies, energy efficiency matters

There has been a lot of talk about electrification and autonomous trucks in the news lately. This coverage made me think about whether the focus on energy efficiency increases or decreases when those so-called disruptive technologies come into widespread use.

read more

Enterprise Truck opens new facility in southern Indiana

Enterprise Truck Rental has opened a new location in southern Indiana, located at 3800 Payne Koehler Road in New Albany. The facility is situated for customers in the greater Louisville area who would otherwise have to cross the Ohio River into Kentucky for truck rental services, the company noted.

read more

Reliable Carriers wins ‘Carrier of the Year’

Reliable Carriers has been named "Carrier of the Year" by the 2017 Annual Automotive Global Awards North America.

read more

Love’s Travel Stops opens in Kansas

Love's Travel Stop in South Hutchinson, KS, opened for business recently. Love's 24th location in Kansas gives professional drivers another place to rest and access to driver services along a busy U.S. Highway, the company noted. The new Love's is located at U.S. Highway 50 and South Main Street.

read more

Equipment Leasing and Finance Foundation releases May confidence index

The Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation released the May 2017 Monthly Confidence Index for the Equipment Finance Industry (MCI-EFI). Designed to collect leadership data, the index reports a qualitative assessment of both the prevailing business conditions and expectations for the future as reported by key executives from the $1 trillion equipment finance sector.

read more