Meet the Reeds - Trucking Moves America

Jeff Reed

AND HIS SON TATE

Company Leader
Knoxville, Tennessee
3rd Generation and Counting

GENERATIONS
My son Tate and I are part of a trucking family that has been in business since 1954 when my grandfather, W.H. Reed Sr. and my great uncle J. Earl Reed purchased Skyline and moved from Chattanooga to Knoxville. The second generation of Reed’s, W.H. (Bill) Reed Jr., my father and his brother, Robert (Bob) Reed guided Skyline through tremendous growth in the LTL sector of the industry. In the late 90’s, under the leadership of the third generation of Reed’s – my brother, W.H. (Bill) Reed III and I — Skyline shifted from LTL to the full Truckload. We grew Skyline to be a high-quality truckload service provider.
THE ROAD AHEAD
Will any of the five children of the 4th generation of Reeds pursue a path in the industry? History demonstrates that at least one will. Time will tell.

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TRUCKING?
I’m not sure if I chose trucking, or if trucking chose me. Growing up, it’s all I knew and all I wanted to do. But I didn’t just want to carry on with the status quo. My goal is to challenge the way it’s always been done, find new technology and processes to improve and help our industry mature.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT TRUCKING?
Trucking plays a crucial role in economics, defense, health and other social and political attributes of any country. My dad always says when we confront a challenge “we pick it up at point A and drop it off at point B,” emphasizing much of society doesn’t realize all the behind the scenes work, problem solving and sometimes magic it takes to move our economy.