Americas Commercial Transportation Research announced Jim Meil has joined the firm in the position of principal, industry analysis.

The company, commonly known as ACT Research, provides commercial vehicle industry data, market analysis and forecasting services.

Meil previously was vice president and chief economist with Eaton, a position he held since 1996. He recently retired from Eaton after a 29-year career with the company, serving in various roles in planning, treasury, and economics functions. Prior to joining Eaton, Meil had held consulting and management positions with Chase Econometrics and with Burroughs Corporation.

"Jim is well known in the commercial vehicle industry and the broader transportation community for his analytics, his insights, and imaginative, yet down-to-earth management presentations. He is also a recognized leader in the business economics community," said Ken Vieth, ACT senior partner and general manager.

Meil holds an MBA in finance and a BA, with honors, in economics from the University of Chicago. He has served on the board of directors of the National Association for Business Economics, and has won recognition from both the Wall Street Journal and USA Today for top economic outlooks from their respective panels of 50 economics forecasters.