The Truckload Carriers Association has formally formed a search committee to find a replacement for outgoing President John Lyboldt.

Lyboldt, who informed the officers of his decision to retire late last spring, will retire on April 1, 2022.

TCA has also contracted with an outside consultant who has worked in the industry for nearly four decades to coordinate a nationwide search, officials said in a press release.

“John has been instrumental in growing both TCA’s membership and the number of programs and services we provide to our members,” said TCA Chairman and D.M. Bowman President Jim Ward. “He led our efforts to strengthen TCA’s role as the principal advocate for truckload carriers on Capitol Hill while continuing our focus on safety, carrier education, and TCA’s highly regarded driver recognition programs.”

The search committee has laid out a process and timeline for the recruitment effort and plans to issue a progress report during the upcoming TCA annual convention, Truckload 2021: Las Vegas, set for September 25-28. Its goal is to have the new TCA President onboard by the first of the year and to begin the staff leadership transition at that time.

TCA’s Board appointed Lyboldt president in December 2015, and during his 5-and-a-half years of leadership the association has grown to an all-time high record number of members, including a 6% year-to-date gain. Today, TCA carrier members operate a combined 210,000 trucks and represent over $38 billion in annual truckload revenue.

“John has been a steady hand on the wheel during his tenure as our president,” Ward said. “During the worst of the pandemic, he guided TCA’s outreach to inform and educate its members about COVID-19, keeping them informed of regulatory waivers, and other information critical to keeping their trucks on the road. We wish him the very best in pursuing his retirement goals and we are confident we will recruit the right individual who can continue to grow TCA and expand our brand on the advocacy front while adding new services that benefit our members.”