Shelley Simpson

Shelley Simpson became president and CEO of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in 2024, becoming the first woman to lead the company that founder J.B. Hunt started as a rice-hull trucking operation in Arkansas. Today, J.B. Hunt is North America's largest intermodal freight transportation provider and a technology-forward logistics company with over $14 billion in revenue. J.B. Hunt's core competitive advantage is its intermodal franchise — the largest in North America — which combines trucking and rail to move freight more cost-effectively and with lower carbon emissions than pure over-the-road trucking. The company's exclusive intermodal arrangement with BNSF Railway (a Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary) provides access to the largest rail network in western North America. Simpson has also built out J.B. Hunt's technology platform, J.B. Hunt 360, which uses data analytics and machine learning to match shippers with carriers and optimize freight routing. Simpson's management of intermodal volume recovery after the freight recession, execution on the J.B. Hunt 360 technology platform, and ability to expand margins through operational efficiency are the primary drivers of the stock. The structural shift from over-the-road trucking to intermodal (driven by cost savings and sustainability requirements) provides a long-term growth tailwind.