Each week, trucknews.com lists notable events, promotions and awards in the trucking industry.
This week, Calstart taps DOE’s Michael Berube as its president, UAP names Alain Primeau as president, and Chris Henry becomes president of KSM Transport Advisors, succeeding David Roush. TCA’s former president Lana Batts will also receive an honorary doctorate from the University of Montana.
Berube to head Calstart
Calstart, a non-profit dedicated to developing and scaling affordable green transportation options that reduce emissions, has welcomed Michael Berube as its new president and CEO.
Berube brings a wealth of experience to the role, having joined Calstart after nearly a decade at the U.S. Department of Energy. He joined DOE in 2016 as director of the Vehicle Technologies Office and became the agency’s deputy assistant secretary for sustainable transportation in 2021.
His earlier career includes senior leadership roles at Chrysler, DaimlerChrysler and FCA Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.
UAP names Primeau as its president
Alain Primeau will become the president of parts and accessories distributor UAP as of Dec. 1.
With more than 20 years of experience within the company, he brings strategic vision, market understanding and leadership nationwide, the company said in a LinkedIn announcement.
Primeau joined UAP in 2003 as sales director of heavy vehicles for the Eastern region and rose through the ranks, becoming executive vice president of heavy vehicles in 2023. He has served as UAP’s executive vice president since February 2025. Earlier in his career, Primeau spent four years as sales director at Novexco’s Hamster.
KSM Transport Advisors appoints new president
KSM Transport Advisors has named Chris Henry its president. He will succeed David Roush, who will remain the company’s senior advisor.
Henry joined the company in early 2022 as chief operating officer. As COO, he oversaw a modernization of the firm’s data infrastructure and helped launch FreightMath, a system designed to show where value is created or lost across a carrier’s network — including inbound, outbound and one-way freight.
“Chris has earned the trust of our clients and our team by turning complex network questions into practical, weekly decisions,” Roush said in a news release. “He led our team in the creation of FreightMath, which significantly improves our analytics, analysis and client delivery, and I’m confident he’ll keep pushing KSMTA, and our clients, toward sharper insights, stronger execution and durable margin improvement.”
Henry brings more than 20 years of experience in trucking and transportation to his new role. Before joining KSMTA, he spent nearly two years at CarriersEdge as vice president of customer experience and recognition programs. Earlier in his career, Henry served as vice president of carrier profitability at FreightWaves and as vice president, general manager and partner at NAL Insurance. He was also the program manager for TCA’s Profitability Program.
Batts earns honorary doctorate from UM
Former Truckload Carriers Association president Lana Batts will receive an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from her alma mater, the University of Montana, on Dec. 12.
Batts is widely known as a trailblazer in a male-dominated industry. Throughout her decades-long career in trucking, she held several leadership roles, including positions at TCA and ATA. She also founded an investment firm, Transport Capital Partners, which specialized in trucking company mergers and acquisitions, and co-founded Driver iQ, a full-service background screening company for the trucking industry.
“In an era when few women held leadership roles in trucking, Lana’s presence, influence and professionalism not only earned her respect but also paved the way for others,” said Billie Lee, the president of Driver iQ, who helped nominate Batts for the doctorate. “She is the kind of professional who sets the bar high, expects excellence and leads by example. Simply put, if you know Lana, you are a better person for it.”
A Billings native, Batts graduated from UM in 1968 with a bachelor’s degree in history and political science and later taught American history at the University of the Philippines. She started her trucking career in 1973, when her father helped her secure a junior transportation analyst role with ATA.
When she started at ATA, Batts was the highest-paid woman but the lowest-paid professional, according to a news release. Yet she rose through the ranks and eventually became ATA’s senior vice president of government affairs. In the early 2000s, she founded Transport Capital Partners and later co-founded Driver iQ.
