National Hardwood Magazine - May 2022

KFIA Welcomes “A Whole New World”
During 57th Annual Meeting
(Editor’s Note: In conjunction with the KFIA meeting, a hospitality suite was hosted by Robinson
Lumber Company, New Orleans, LA and Houchens Insurance Group, Lexington, KY.)
Lexington, KY–The Embassy Suites here served as
the host site for the Kentucky Forest Industries Association’s
(KFIA) annual meeting, attended by approximately
365 guests.
The multi-day event was packed with informational
sessions with topics ranging from infrastructure and carbon
markets to issues pertaining directly to the Kentucky
lumber region. For example, Tom Inman, president of the
Appalachian Hardwood Manufacturers Inc., addressed
Hardwood training initiatives, followed by Darren Morris
of the University of Kentucky Forestry Extension, who
updated attendees about the White Oak initiative. Dana
Lee Cole, executive director of the Hardwood Federation
(HF), led two sessions. One was an HF update
and the other was an informative presentation about the
Real American Hardwood Coalition promotion.
Another issue addressed at KFIA was Trucking Availability
and What to Expect in the Future, by David Guess,
executive vice president of Safety and Insurance with
Usher Transport Inc.
His address was four-pronged and included comments
about:
•Driver shortage
Guess shared these comments with National Hardwood
Magazine: “The driver shortage isn’t necessarily
anything new to the industry. Many companies, such as
the one I represent, have faced a driver shortage for at
least 20 years as far as I can recall. In fact, I don’t recall
our operations manager telling me, ‘Dave, stop hiring
all those drivers’ during the time I worked as a recruiter.
Conversely, I think today there’s a greater focus on
the driver shortage due to the focus on labor shortages
throughout every industry. Now, however, ‘truck drivers’
have gained quite the notoriety in their level of importance
to, not just the trucking industry, but to every industry
that relies upon truck transport, especially within
that final mile of production. Is there a driver shortage?
Yes, no question about it, and will it ever improve? That
question leads into the avenues of attracting new drivers.”
•Avenues to attract new drivers into the industry
Guess noted: “Yes, we have several initiatives within
our industry to try and attract, and more importantly, retain
new drivers. One such initiative is through the Next-
Gen Trucking campaign. www.nextgentrucking.org/
40 MAY 2022 n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE
Photos by Paul Miller Jr.
Learn more at www.kfia.org.
“A long-time industry colleague and friend, Linsey
Trent serves as the founder and CEO of this organization.
Their aim, in short, is to get as many young people
– high schools – interested in careers in logistics as
possible through a host of platforms. More information
about their mission can be seen on their website.”
•Electric trucks, specific to the industry
Guess commented: “Jokingly, as someone who represents
the petroleum transport industry, we’re not likely
to see electric trucks donning our parking lots anytime
soon. On a more serious note, our industry has
embraced electric vehicles as part of the overall infrastructure
of how goods and services are moved and
delivered. The problem with electric trucks, in, say, the
logging industry, is the availability of infrastructure for
recharging. From brief research of my own, I found that
many logging companies welcomed electric vehicles as
long there was ample capacity for recharging those units
without having to completely rebuild things.”
•Driverless trucks, in general
Guess stated: “And lastly, I mentioned driverless trucks
at KFIA. Again, as a petroleum carrier, the thoughts
of unaccompanied fuel transporters raises quite a few
eyebrows in any audience. Fear seems to be the overarching
theme when it comes to driverless trucks. The
issue is not so much the technology as it relates to the
truck as much as it is the infrastructure in place for highly
advanced trucks to function. IE: are the lines and mapping
of highways and roads so great that we could solely
depend on those in feeding the guidance systems? Is
our current satellite imagery for GPS accurate enough
to subside fears that driverless trucks may malfunction?
Those are just a few of the very basic common fears I
hear throughout the industry when the subject comes
up.
“My brief speech/presentation is not an endorsement
or criticism of any one particular industry, business, or
motor carrier, but solely the collective opinion of my 30
years’ industry experience.”
Regarding the KFIA, it was organized in 1965 with a
discussion among industry leaders concerning the lack
of communication between the industry, government
and educators. Over 50 years later, KFIA continues to
be a strong voice for the forest products industry. n
KFIA Past Presidents: Mervin Strader, Strader Bros. LLC, Elkton, KY – 2018-2020; Tony Goodman, C.B. Goodman & Sons Lumber,
Hickory, KY – 1998-2000; Steve Merrick, Somerset Wood Products, Somerset, KY – 1997-1998; Tony Leanhart, Retired, LaGrange,
KY – 2016-2018; Henry Christ, Dunaway Timber Co., Fordsville, KY – 2012-2014; Rick Goodin, YesterYear Floors, Campbellsville, KY –
2006-2008; David Feldman, Retired, Feldman Lumber, Lancaster, KY – 2004-2006; and Dan Allard, Domtar Paper Co. Inc., Hawesville,
KY – 2020-2022
Toto Robinson, Robinson Lumber Company, New Orleans, LA;
Dan Allard, Domtar Paper Co. Inc., Hawesville, KY; and Robert
McCarthy, Northwest Hardwoods Inc., Apple Creek, OH
(Sitting) Dick Rauh, Robinson Lumber Company, New Albany, IN;
Kelly Hostetter, Robinson Lumber Company, New Orleans, LA;
(Standing) Craig Albright, Messersmith Manufacturing Inc., Bark
River, MI; and Paul Miller Jr., National Hardwood Magazine, Memphis,
TN
Mike Krol, American Wood Fibers Inc., Circleville, OH; Jenna
Reese, Executive Director, The Ohio Forestry Association Inc.,
Zanesville, OH; John Hester, National Hardwood Lumber Association,
Memphis, TN; and Jeremy Pitts, Nyle Dry Kilns, Brewer, ME
Mark Pierce, New River Hardwoods Inc., Mountain City, TN; Andy
Nuffer, DMSi Software/eLIMBS/TallyExpress, Winston-Salem, NC;
and Travis Bach, East Ohio Lumber Co. Inc., Salineville, OH
Dan Shiels, Whitewater Forest Products LLC, Batavia, OH; Ray
White II, Harold White Lumber Inc., Morehead, KY; and Chase
Shiels, Whitewater Forest Products LLC
Additional photos on next page
MAY 2022 n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE 41