Each year, members of our association sacrifice their time to come together for the annual conference to discuss, learn and plan for the ever-changing and ever-growing trucking industry. With this dedication of time, we strive as an association to make the experience as beneficial as possible for all who attend, regardless of the size or nature of their business.

Lake Cumberland was a gorgeous setting for this year’s conference, nestled in Kentucky’s beautiful hills and surrounded by the clear waters of the Wolf River. Over 60 of the state’s industry professionals came to the Lure Lodge in Jamestown on July 23-25, 2025, to learn about industry news and trends, and to celebrate some of the great things their companies and peers accomplished this year.

Our lineup of speakers was one of the best we have ever assembled, and we are incredibly grateful for the time and effort they took to bring the best possible information to our body of members.

Our first speaker, Justin Austin with AON Insurance, discussed emerging issues such as cargo theft, cyberattacks and organized crime within the trucking industry, highlighting cases of stolen freight and falsified bills of lading affecting some of the most at-risk products and companies on the road today.

Rebecca Brewster from ATRI followed, breaking down some of her organization’s research over the last year, including the ever-pressing issue of truck parking and the benefits of being a member of your state’s trucking association.

Following Rebecca, Jason Craven and Trey Thompson from Continental Tire spoke about their new technology, the Conti-Connect system, and how increased data and integration can help fleets stay on top of maintenance and tire health.

The fourth speaker was Jamie Winsett with Valvoline Global, who discussed the American Petroleum Institute and highlighted the oil qualities that matter most for the performance and longevity of trucks in your fleet.

Our final speaker in this year’s information session was Chris Henry with KSM, who brought an analytical approach to operating costs and explored what it takes to stay competitive and profitable in today’s economy.

An incredible keynote speaker capped this year’s conference: Raymont Harris with Elite Mindset Performance. He shared a very motivating message, encouraging us all to focus more on our own performance and the variables in our lives that we can control. We thank him for sharing his time and insight with everyone in attendance.

Thursday night, we held our chairman’s reception, presented by Katz, Sapper and Miller, as well as our chairman’s dinner, which included the presentation of the 2025 Great West Casualty Safety Awards.

The KTA is proud to offer these annual awards in recognition of the countless hours of hard work and great dedication that our drivers, safety professionals and companies put into their work every day. Some very stout safety records accompany this year’s awards, and the numbers from all the nominees were nothing short of impressive. We want to congratulate all our members on their safe driving, and we look forward to seeing even better numbers next year!

Thank you to all the sponsors, attendees and speakers who made this year’s KTA Conference a success. We look forward to seeing you in 2026!