TuSimple, a global self-driving technology company, announced the members of its newly established Executive Advisory Board including Jeff Denham, Eric Fuller, Steve Girsky, Jim Kolbe, Derek Leathers, Mark Rourke, and Jean-Jacques Ruest.

TuSimple’s Executive Advisory Board will provide strategic advice to the company and its senior management team to accelerate the adoption of autonomous long-haul freight in areas including regulation, technology, freight logistics, and leadership.

“The Executive Advisory Board brings together a mix of world class industry and regulatory leaders in transportation”, said Cheng Lu, President and CEO, TuSimple.

“Our advisors will play a critical role in shaping our go to market strategy and correlating public policy efforts so we can safely and reliably introduce self-driving trucks at scale.”

Jeff Denham, Former Member of the United States House of Representatives

Mr. Denham is an accomplished leader in the U.S. House of Representatives and a decorated Air Force Staff Sergeant and Gulf War veteran with in-depth legislative and political knowledge of agriculture, transportation and infrastructure, natural resources, veterans, immigration, and California-centric policies. While in office, Mr. Denham exemplified the ability to secure local and national legislative victories, working across the aisle to build strong and lasting networks for better policy making.

Eric Fuller, President & CEO, U.S. Xpress Enterprises, Inc.

Mr. Fuller brings 20 years of experience in the transportation, trucking and railroad industry. He is President and CEO of U.S. Xpress, one of the largest asset-based carriers in the country. The digital transportation solutions provider is focused on innovation and is transforming the industry, most recently with the introduction of its digital fleet, Variant, an upcoming, new brokerage offering, and investments in the fuel cell and autonomous spaces. Previously, he served as President and Chief Operating Officer responsible for operations including over the road (OTR) operations, dedicated services, customer service and planning.

Steve Girsky, Managing Partner, VectoIQ

Mr. Girsky is the Managing Partner of VectoIQ, an independent advisory firm based in New York. Mr. Girksy has more than 30 years of experience working with senior corporate and board executives, labor leaders, OEM leaders, suppliers and dealers, and national and local policy makers. He served in a number of capacities at General Motors from November 2009 until July 2014, including Vice Chairman, having responsibility for global corporate strategy, new business development, global product planning and program management, global connected consumer/OnStar, and GM Ventures LLC, Global Research & Development and Global Purchasing and Supply Chain. Prior to his involvement with General Motors, he was President of Centerbridge Industrial Partners and Managing Director at Morgan Stanley and senior analyst of the Morgan Stanley Global Automotive and Auto Parts Research Team. He currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Nikola Corporation, Boards of Directors of United States Steel Corporation and Brookfield Business Partners Limited, the general partner of Brookfield Business Partners, L.P., as well as two private companies, Clarios and Valens Semiconductor Ltd.

Jim Kolbe, Former Member of the United States House of Representatives

Mr. Kolbe is a distinguished politician having served in the U.S. House of Representatives for over 22 years. While in Congress, Kolbe served for six years on the House Budget Committee and for 20 years on the Appropriations Committee. Today, he currently serves as a senior transatlantic fellow at German Marshall Fund where he advises on trade matters as well as issues of effectiveness of U.S. assistance to foreign countries, on U.S. and E.U. relationships, and on migration and its relationship to development. In Arizona, he is also co-chair of the Governor’s Transportation and Trade Task Force and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Derek Leathers, Vice Chairman, President & CEO, Werner Enterprises, Inc.

With over 20 years of transportation and logistics industry experience, Mr. Leathers leads Werner Enterprises, Inc. as Vice Chairman, President and CEO. Throughout his tenure at Werner, he has held integral roles in many facets of the organization, including the establishment of Werner’s Mexico operations and oversight for all the asset operating groups.

Mark Rourke, President & CEO, Schneider

A freight industry veteran, Mr. Rourke joined Schneider in 1987 and has since been leading, building, and positioning Schneider for ongoing success as the premier provider of transportation and logistics. Today, he serves as the company’s CEO, President and is a member of the Board of Directors. He also serves on the Board of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Jean-Jacques Ruest, President & CEO, CN

With nearly 40 years of experience, Mr. Ruest serves as the President and Chief Executive Officer of CN since July 2018, after having served as Interim President and CEO since March 2018. Having joined the railway in 1996, Mr. Ruest previously served as Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer where he provided the strategic direction and leadership for CN’s sales, marketing and supply chain solutions groups. Over the course of his career, Mr. Ruest has been honored many times by the business community, notably as 2019 Railroader of the Year and an Inductee to the International Maritime Hall of Fame in 2017.