A Certified Transportation Professional program graduate from the Class of 2021, Ed Reardon, CTP, senior general manager for Fleet Safety and Compliance, CF Logistics, began participation in NPTC just under three years ago. Since then, he has become one of the council’s “rising star” volunteers as a frequent speaker and expert fleet management presenter at NPTC’s Annual Conference, National Safety Conference, and Webcast Series.
“I knew about NPTC and the CTP program through a former colleague who gave me his CTP Resource Study Guides,” Reardon said. “I got involved in NPTC as part of a ‘deal’ with my employer. When our two companies merged, I requested that the new company become a member of the council and I be allowed to go through the Certified Transportation Professional program.”
As soon as CF Logistics joined NPTC, Reardon enrolled in the CTP Exam Prep Workshop. “The prep course was exceptionally thorough and really helped me focus. After that, it was all studying on my own, since I couldn’t break away from work to attend the Private Fleet Management Institute. I cracked the books for several weeks, and fortunately, I passed. It was a great experience and very challenging, to say the least, but I would not want to do it again.”
Reardon was born in Philadelphia and raised in South Jersey. After high school, he enrolled in a local community college, then transferred to Glassboro State Teachers College (now Rowan University), where he “walked with cap and gown at the Trenton War Memorial” for graduation. A military veteran, Reardon served in the U.S. Coast Guard for several years with honors and commendations.
Before getting into the trucking business, Reardon worked for Wells Fargo at night as an undercover investigator of employee theft cases. His next job was in retail management, training store managers for pharmacy chain stores. He “lucked into” trucking almost by happenstance.
“My dad was in trucking all his life,” Reardon said. “Before retiring as a terminal manager, he offered me a position working nights loading trucks. After a while, I switched to long-haul truck driving."
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In his 22 years as an OTR professional, Reardon drove around 2.5 million miles without an accident or driving violation. Later, he and his father owned a hauling business, providing home deliveries for Sears and Roebuck. In addition, Reardon has owned a landscaping business for nine years.
“I eventually decided that fleet management was where I wanted to be,” Reardon said. He maintains a valid Class A CDL license and earned a Certified Smith System Instructor Certificate. These credentials and his exceptional record as a driver qualified him as a driver trainer/outside contractor helping companies build teams of professional drivers. Reardon was responsible for putting into service the first 37 drivers working for the private fleet of a major grocery supermarket chain.
Reardon has been in his current position for seven years. His responsibilities include overseeing the safety and compliance of a private fleet consisting of 227 tractors and reefer trailers and 88 drivers. Involvement with NPTC has brought many benefits to the fleet’s operation. “Our return on investment has been unbelievable—more than ten-fold in a few years,” Reardon said.
“The contacts I have met being a CTP are nothing short of phenomenal," he said. "Engagement with the NPTC culture means going far beyond your own four walls. I have found being a frequent speaker is a very rewarding learning experience in and of itself. I get great takeaway insights listening to other presenters and members of the audience. You really must be on your game to present at an NPTC event.”
Reardon took advantage of services provided by NPTC General Counsel Rick Schweitzer when his employer was going through the merger process. “Rick laid out a plan of action for us to follow, and it worked perfectly. I can’t stress enough the value Rick brings to the NPTC membership. I faithfully follow his monthly Washington Report to stay on top of legislative and regulatory changes going on in the industry.”
“The council’s annual Benchmarking Survey Report is a tremendous resource which I use constantly,” Reardon said. “The information helps validate, verify, or set a new course of correction. I also used other resources of NPTC to set up a new safety program for our company fleet almost from scratch.”
“Getting active in NPTC provides a steady flow of critical information that I use to continuously improve our private fleet. In my 45 years in the trucking industry, the council is the best-value organization I’ve ever known,” he said.
