MemberSpotlight Terry Minor
of Cumberland International Trucks and TTA TruckPAC Co-Chairman
BY TODD TRAUB CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Not even the space program had prepared Terry Minor for this. Minor, now president and CEO of
Cumberland International Trucks, was in his second day with the dealership when he found himself in the driveway looking at an upside down truck in which a customer had tried, and clearly failed, to negotiate a turn. Stints at NASA and supervisory jobs with
Carolina Freight and Averitt Express had not given Minor the experience to deal with such a traffi c-blocking turn (so to speak) of events. It was on-the-job training with the emphasis on “job” and “training.” “It was the fi rst day I realized I was truly
in charge and it was also the day I realized how much I didn’t know and needed to learn,” Minor said. “It put me on a crash course to learn how to manage in a crisis scenario while providing confi dence to our staff on what we need to do, how we to do it and the sense of urgency to make it happen.” Sorting out the mess and fi ling the
whole episode under “experience,” Minor didn’t let the mishap sour him on his job. It hasn’t all been overturned trucks, but the challenges of working in the trucking and transportation industry have educated him and given him a greater understanding of his role as an industry member. “It has made me more aware of the
unique purpose our industry brings to the
population through moving goods,” Minor, 48, said. “It has given me a better knowledge on where I fi t into that equation by keeping trucks on the road for our customers.” A native of Alabama who now resides
in Brentwood, Minor spent time with the U.S. Army in Europe before attending Jacksonville State. He met his wife Kristin, thanks to an introduction by his brother who shared a biology class with her. Married 27 years, with a son Taylor soon
to be married and a daughter Calleigh soon to graduate the University of Tennessee, Minor enjoys time at the lake and in his garden. When the travel bug strikes he and Kristen, with their dogs, take to the highways in the couple’s tricked-out bus and they also completed a recent trip to Australia. Minor graduated Jacksonville State with
a degree in industrial management and worked for NASA as a safety and mission assurance engineer and as a reliability engineer working on the International Space Station. Space agency cutbacks and a baby on the way led Minor to work as outbound supervisor on the docks at Carolina Freight, and he eventually wound up at Nashville-based Cumberland International as a sales manager, setting him on his path to leadership. “All days revolve around making sure we sell something and the customer has a
34 • TENNESSEE TRUCKING NEWS Q4 WINTER 2017
good experience,” said Minor, who enjoys the chance to provide a positive company culture while grappling with the many changes, especially in technology and regulation, that aff ect trucking. “On my side of the business the
challenges all revolve around technology to meet EPA standards and the technician shortages that all dealers face,” Minor said. “T e next challenge is that as the trucks get smarter with health reports, and the ability to communicate with dealers rolling down the road improves, how we attract that business to our dealership will be key.” “As dealers we are going to have to get
more effi cient and educated on all shiſt s in the business to address 24/7 and customers that will have better visibility into our organizations.” Speaking of organizations, Minor has
been happy to serve a number of roles with the Tennessee Trucking Association, helping its eff orts to represent the needs of the industry to the federal and Tennessee governments. “I have served on the board for several
years and currently co-chair the PAC position on the board,” Minor said. “T e trucking association does a wonderful job making sure that our common interests are heard in Washington and the state. What aff ects our industry ultimately aff ects all industries.” TTN
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