Trucking's Vital Role in Disaster Relief with Kathy Fulton of American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN)

Freight Nation: A Trucking Podcast

In this episode of Freight Nation: A Trucking Podcast, host Brent Hutto is joined by Kathy Fulton, Executive Director of the American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN).

Join them as they explore:

• Kathy’s career journey
• The purpose of ALAN and how it helps during crisis situations
• The challenges of leading an organization that relies on outside involvement
• The importance of industry associations
• Examples of when trucking played a crucial role in providing aid during disasters

Kathy Fulton has been with ALAN for over fourteen years. She currently serves as Executive Director, where she leads the organization in facilitating donations of logistics services and equipment to enable delivery of millions of dollars’ worth of humanitarian aid. Kathy has also worked for Saddle Creek Logistics Services for over twenty-six years, and was the President of CSCMP Central Florida Roundtable between 2017 and 2019.

[16:29 - 18:45] Kathy explains that although going from a defined role at Saddle Creek to a more amorphous role at ALAN was difficult, she and her team all relied on one another to cope with the problems that arose in the organization's infancy—she says “I learned was I was not alone”. Another key lesson she learned was that when people serve a greater purpose, they are willing to put business interests aside.

[25:54 - 29:21] Kathy describes running an organization that's fully dependent on every outside resource, saying that the only thing that ALAN possesses is the relationships and trust they have built with their partners—whether that’s the nonprofit organizations they serve, the businesses who step in to provide the support, or the government organizations they help to have better visibility on what's happening with supply chains. Kathy notes that she prioritizes these personal relationships over transactional business relationships.

[33:05 - 35:54] Explaining the core function of ALAN, Kathy says that it was formed to be the trucking industry's response to disaster, to figure out how to provide logistics, expertise, and services to support disaster relief efforts. Kathy says this happens in a couple of ways. Firstly, they bring together nonprofits who are responding to disasters with logistics services providers who can donate their services—she describes ALAN as “matchmakers”. Secondly, the organization provides critical information (such as updates on transport waivers during emergencies) to businesses in order to keep them operational.

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