Trucking & Logistics Keynote Speaker
The Company Drivers Talk About At The Truck Stop.
State association conferences, driver meetings, dispatcher and driver manager sessions, safety meetings, and driver appreciation events.
Trucking & logistics
Every carrier runs on the same lanes, the same equipment, and roughly the same pay scale. What separates the fleets drivers recommend to each other is almost always one thing: the person on the other end of the phone. That relationship is buildable, teachable, and free. Chris Sund has spent two decades building it in another industry where the workforce is mobile, in demand, and can leave tomorrow.
Trucking & Logistics Keynote Speaker●President & COO●Fortune Best Workplaces●Great Place to Work Certified 3 Years Running●Two Decades in Mobile Workforce●Forbes Business Council●Trucking & Logistics Keynote Speaker●President & COO●Fortune Best Workplaces●Great Place to Work Certified 3 Years Running●Two Decades in Mobile Workforce●Forbes Business Council●
A driver's whole experience of your company is one person. Whoever picks up when they call.
My KC Live, KCTV5 Kansas City →In The Media
Something to send to the fleet.
Drivers are not in the building, which means anything you want them to know has to travel well by phone. Chris has been on morning television in six markets and in Forbes, Inc., and the Midlands Business Journal, and every clip in the media hub is short enough to drop into a driver app message or a terminal screen.
What They Get
Five things a fleet takes back on the road.
No regulatory update, no rate outlook, no TMS demo. This is the people side, which is the part that decides whether your best drivers renew another year with you.
- Dispatchers and driver managers who lead, not just assign loads. For a driver, that one relationship is the company. Most driver managers were hired for logistics ability and never trained in the conversation that decides whether somebody stays. That is the highest-leverage hour you can spend.
- What makes a driver renew another year. Getting home when promised, being told the truth about a load, and knowing somebody noticed the hard week. Those are the things drivers actually repeat to each other, and none of them cost a cent per mile.
- Safety as something a driver owns. Your safety department owns the regs, the training, and the scoring. What a leader controls is whether a driver feels able to shut it down without a phone call they will regret, and that is a culture question with a specific answer.
- Recognition that reaches somebody in a truck. The hardest part of leading a mobile workforce is that nobody sees the good week. Naming specific work by name, through the channels drivers actually use, is free and it is the most underused tool a fleet has.
- One move, not a program. Every session closes on a single specific action, sized for people who will be back on the road tonight.
Drivers recommend companies to each other constantly. That word of mouth is either recruiting for you or it is not, and it is decided one phone call at a time.
On what the trucking session is about
Formats
Eight ways carriers book him.
Fleets almost always pair a driver meeting with a dispatcher session on the same visit. Associations add a breakout to the general session.
45 to 60 Minutes
Association Conference Keynote
General session for a state trucking association, national carrier conference, or logistics industry event.30 to 45 Minutes
Driver Meeting
Built for drivers, in the room or run more than once so different boards and schedules can all get it live.60 to 90 Minutes
Dispatcher & Driver Manager Session
The single highest-leverage group in any carrier. For a driver, this person is the company.30 to 45 Minutes
Safety Meeting
The leadership half of safety culture alongside your compliance content. Speaking up, standard-setting, and shutting it down when it needs shutting down.20 to 30 Minutes
Driver Appreciation Event
Driver Appreciation Week, million mile and safe driving award ceremonies, and recognition banquets built around the honorees.45 to 60 Minutes
Terminal or Warehouse All-Hands
Dock, warehouse, and terminal staff. Shift-based teams that keep the freight moving and rarely get their own session.Half Day
Leadership Retreat
Ownership, operations leadership, and terminal managers. Standard-setting, growth, and keeping the culture that got you here.Virtual
Virtual Driver Session
Live for a fleet spread across states, or a multi-terminal operation getting everyone the same message on one day.Who Books It
Built for the operations that keep it moving.
The framework holds across all of them. What changes is who is in the room and where they are headed after.
Motor Carriers
Truckload, LTL, and specialized carriers of any size. Driver meetings, dispatcher sessions, and leadership retreats.State Trucking Associations
Annual conferences, safety councils, management conferences, and driver of the year events.Private Fleets
Company-owned fleets inside retail, grocery, food service, and manufacturing operations.3PL & Brokerage
Third party logistics, freight brokerage, and freight tech companies with fast-growing sales and operations teams.Warehouse & Distribution
Distribution centers and fulfillment operations running shift-based hourly teams. See manufacturing for the all-shift structure.Transit Agencies
Public transit systems and paratransit operations. See government and public sector for the wider organization.Driver Training Schools
CDL schools, carrier training academies, and graduation events for people entering the industry.Safety Councils
Fleet safety conferences and regional safety groups wanting the leadership side alongside compliance sessions.Dealers & Suppliers
Truck dealers, equipment suppliers, and vendor customer events.The Framework
Four movements. Ten principles.
Every session runs the same architecture as the book, which is what lets a dispatcher session and a driver meeting land as one message rather than two.
1
The Foundation
Ownership and time. What is inside your control when the freight, the traffic, and the clock are not.2
The Breakthrough
The comfort ceiling and the inner voice. The section a million mile driver goes quiet for.3
The Standard
Truth over praise, and the hidden gear. What changes when a dispatcher and a driver finally tell each other the truth.4
The Purpose
Finishing, and leaving people better. The close, and the movement that connects a long week to what it is actually for.The Book
A copy for every driver in the fleet.
A meeting reaches whoever is in the room that day. A copy reaches the whole fleet, including the drivers who were rolling, and it gets read in a sleeper berth over a thirty-four.
You Are Capable of More: A No-Excuses Guide to Becoming Your Best Self. An Amazon bestseller from Game Changer Publishing, with a foreword by Ben Newman.
Ten chapters across four movements, written plainly and short enough to finish on a reset. The free companion toolkit includes a discussion guide, a self-assessment, and a thirty day challenge, none of it gated behind an email address, which matters for a workforce that will not fill out a form on a phone at a truck stop.
Length172 pages, 10 chapters
Common UseDriver appreciation gift, orientation, dispatcher development
Bulk OrdersAny quantity, signed and pre-signed copies available
DistributionShip to terminals or include in orientation packets
What People Say
The feedback speaks for itself.
“
Chris consistently brings knowledge, insight, and practical advice. He led two impactful sessions and left everyone with tools they could use immediately.
GS
Gina SalazarTalent Acquisition Lead, University of Kansas Health System
“
Chris would be an incredible addition to any live audience. Each time he finds a unique way to connect on both a personal and professional level, keeping everyone engaged and attentive.
JT
Jack TiernanManager of Sales Training, Definitive Healthcare
“
Chris is a thoughtful, intentional leader who understands the influence he carries. His message challenged me to think differently about how I lead, serve, and influence others.
JR
Jay RamosCEO AGSI & President, California Staffing Professionals
“
Chris was an outstanding speaker and a highlight of our event. He took the time to deeply understand our organization and thoughtfully personalized every moment.
MW
Macy WebbDirector of Human Resources, Crawford County Memorial Hospital
“
His engaging style draws the audience into the conversation, creating a relaxed atmosphere that encourages learning and reflection. You leave not only inspired but equipped.
DB
DeAnna Busby-RastAuthentica Group
“
Chris consistently brings knowledge, insight, and practical advice. He led two impactful sessions and left everyone with tools they could use immediately.
GS
Gina SalazarTalent Acquisition Lead, University of Kansas Health System
“
Chris would be an incredible addition to any live audience. Each time he finds a unique way to connect on both a personal and professional level, keeping everyone engaged and attentive.
JT
Jack TiernanManager of Sales Training, Definitive Healthcare
“
Chris is a thoughtful, intentional leader who understands the influence he carries. His message challenged me to think differently about how I lead, serve, and influence others.
JR
Jay RamosCEO AGSI & President, California Staffing Professionals
“
Chris was an outstanding speaker and a highlight of our event. He took the time to deeply understand our organization and thoughtfully personalized every moment.
MW
Macy WebbDirector of Human Resources, Crawford County Memorial Hospital
“
His engaging style draws the audience into the conversation, creating a relaxed atmosphere that encourages learning and reflection. You leave not only inspired but equipped.
DB
DeAnna Busby-RastAuthentica Group
Drag or swipe
Best For
Events already on your calendar.
Association Conference
Driver Meeting
Dispatcher Training
Safety Meeting
Driver Appreciation
Awards Banquet
Terminal All-Hands
Leadership Retreat
About Chris
He led a workforce that was never in the building.
Chris Sund is an executive leader, keynote speaker, and bestselling author of You Are Capable of More.
As President and COO of Uniti Med, GQR Healthcare, and Nebula, he helped grow Uniti Med 10x in two years and earn the number three ranking on the Inc. Regionals list among the fastest growing companies in the Midwest, while the organization earned Fortune Best Workplaces recognition and Great Place to Work certification three years running.
He is a father of three, based in Nebraska, a Maxwell Leadership Certified speaker, trainer, and coach, Vice President of the NATHO Board of Directors, and the founder of Amplify Speakers. He has never driven a truck and will say so. What he has done for twenty years is lead a mobile workforce on assignment across the country, where one relationship with one coordinator decided whether somebody stayed or took the next offer.
Fast Facts
Details your team will ask for.
FormatsAssociation keynote, driver meeting, dispatcher session, safety meeting, appreciation event, terminal all-hands
Length20 minutes for an awards event up to a half day for leadership
AudienceDrivers, owner operators, dispatchers, driver managers, dock and terminal staff, and operations leadership
RepeatsSame session run more than once so different boards and shifts get it live
SpaceTerminal, shop, driver lounge, or banquet room. No stage required.
Not CoveredNo regulatory, compliance, rate, or equipment content
Tech NeededA working microphone if the room needs one. Slides optional.
Travels FromOmaha, Nebraska. Speaks nationwide.
Questions
Operations and safety leaders ask these.
He has not driven a truck. Why does that work?
He says it plainly, which is the only way it lands with drivers. What he brings is twenty years leading a mobile workforce on assignment across the country, where one relationship with one coordinator decided whether somebody stayed or took the next offer. That is the same structure your fleet runs on. He offers no opinions on regs, equipment, or rates.
How do we get drivers in the room?
Most fleets do not get everyone at once, and the session is built for that. Run it more than once on the same visit so different boards and schedules can attend live, tie it to a meeting drivers already come in for, or pair a live session with a recorded version for the ones rolling that week.
What is the dispatcher session and why does it matter most?
For a driver, the driver manager is the company. That one relationship shapes the whole experience of working for you, and most driver managers were hired for logistics skill and never trained in the conversation that decides whether somebody renews. It is the highest-leverage hour available in a carrier.
How much does a trucking keynote speaker cost?
It depends on the date, the travel, and how many sessions you are running. A driver meeting plus a dispatcher session on the same visit costs far less than two visits, and a general session plus breakouts at an association event is the same economics.
Can he speak at our safety meeting?
Yes, alongside your compliance content rather than instead of it. Your safety department owns the regs, the training, and the scoring. What a speaker adds is whether a driver feels able to shut it down without a phone call they will regret.
Do you do Driver Appreciation Week and awards events?
Yes, in short form. Twenty to thirty minutes built around the drivers being recognized rather than around the speaker, and it ends on time so your program does. Million mile and safe driving award ceremonies are a strong fit.
Will it land with drivers, not just the office?
That is the audience it is written for. No jargon, no slides required, and nothing that assumes a desk. Fleets commonly book the driver meeting specifically because it is a session drivers do not tune out.
Do you work with 3PLs, brokerages, and warehouses?
Yes. Freight brokerage and 3PL sales and operations teams, and distribution and fulfillment operations running shift-based hourly teams. Warehouse operations often run the same all-shift structure used in manufacturing.
Can we get books for the fleet?
Yes. Driver appreciation gifts, orientation packets, and dispatcher development are the three common uses. Copies ship to terminals and can be pre-signed, which reaches drivers who were rolling on the day of the meeting.
How do we start?
Send your date, who is in the room, the format you are considering, and what your operation is focused on right now. You will get availability and a plan back within one business day.
Related Programs
Other ways organizations book him.
Same framework, built for the specific room you are filling.
Retention
Employee Retention Speaker
Why people leave, and what actually keeps them.Shift WorkManufacturing Keynote
Warehouse, dock, and all-shift sessions.RecruitingRecruiting & Talent Acquisition
Driver recruiting teams and talent operations.CultureCulture Keynote
Build a company people never want to leave.RecognitionEmployee Recognition Event
Appreciation weeks and awards banquets.AssociationsState Associations & Chapters
State trucking association conference work.Signature KeynoteYou Are Capable of More
The flagship keynote behind the book.SafetySafety Keynote Speaker
Safety councils, fleet safety summits, and driver recognition.ManagersFrontline & Middle Manager
Dispatch leads and supervisors promoted off the road.DistributionDistribution & Equipment Dealer
Truck dealers, warehouses, and distribution centers.BooksBulk Book Orders
Volume pricing for fleets and conferences.Let’s Talk
Be the company drivers recommend.
Send your date, who is in the room, and what your operation is focused on right now. You will get availability and a plan back within one business day.Or reach out directly: info@chrissund.com · 402-212-5771