The parent of several trucking operations, YRC Worldwide, has announced CEO James Welch has assumed the responsibilities as president of the company’s national less-than-truckload service provider, YRC Freight. He succeeds Jeff Rogers, who left the company for undisclosed reasons.

Welch has served as CEO of YRC Worldwide since July 2011 and has a history it the company that spans more than 30 years. He began his career at Yellow Transportation, the predecessor company of YRC Freight, where he served for 29 years, the last seven as president and CEO.

YRC Freight has been struggling since the “great recession” to improve its finances while its regional trucking operations have performed better. Many analysts said its most recent financial statement was another disappointing performance.

"While the regional companies (Holland, Reddaway and New Penn) continue to provide best-in-class service and more than market competitive margins, we recognize that we have additional work to do at YRC Freight and we are committed to taking the necessary steps to move our business forward,” said Welch in a statement. “Our first priority will be working through the recent optimization of the YRC Freight network, which was designed to enhance the consistent, reliable, quality service that our customers expect and deserve."

In an email to company employees, Welch thanked Rogers for his contributions.