The journey from losing his legs above the knee to Paralympic Bronze, a cross-country bike ride, and running 31 marathons in 31 days made Marine Corps veteran Rob Jones an expert in overcoming any difficulty.

Jones will share his insights in the keynote address during Heavy Duty Trucking Exchange on Sept. 7 on Scottsdale, Arizona. He’ll use his experience to speak about staying on mission, living a life of meaning, and how to use the weight of obstacles to overcome anything in your way. 

HDTX is Heavy Duty Trucking’s annual event bringing together a small group of fleet managers and industry suppliers together for an intimate event focused on networking and education. It will be held Sept. 6-8 at the McCormick Ranch in Scottsdale, Arizona.

During his junior year at Virginia Tech in 2006, Jones read the book “Brotherhood of Heroes” about the Marines on Peleliu. The next day, he was at the Marine Corps Recruiter’s office. He was assigned to B Company, 4th Combat engineer Battalion, in Roanoke, Virginia, as a combat engineer and in 2008 was deployed to Iraq with the role of finding buried caches of weapons. But it was during his second deployment to Afghanistan in 2010, where he was tasked with finding improvised explosive devices, where he stepped on an IED, resulting in double above-knee amputations.

His journey to regain the courage, brotherhood, and selflessness that pushed him to join the Marines in the first place has led Jones to becoming a public speaker, sharing what he has learned about how to overcome any challenge and accomplish anything in your life.

In addition to Jones’ keynote address during the Sept. 7 luncheon, sponsored by Drōv Technologies, educational sessions will cover topics such as fleet electrification, safety and compliance, and more.

HDT’s 2023 Truck Fleet Innovators will receive their awards during HDTX and participate in a panel discussion.

Jones is the latest in a series of military veterans to keynote HDTX,  most recently:

• 2022: Commander Kirk Lippold, USN (Ret.) was the commanding officer of the USS Cole when it came under a suicide terrorist attack by al Qaeda in the port of Aden, Yemen, in October 2000.

• 2021: Col. Dan Rooney, an Air Force fighter pilot who founded the Folds of Honor Foundation.

HDTX is free for qualifying fleet managers. Fleet managers who are accepted will receive round-trip airfare to venue, local airport transfers to and from venue, all scheduled meals, and receptions included. For more information and to apply, go to www.heavydutytruckingexchange.com/.