Former USA Truck executive Cliff Beckham has a new job.
Beckham, who served as both CFO and CEO during his 20 years at USA Truck, resigned from the Van Buren company last September. He was recently hired as president and COO of Earl L. Henderson Trucking of Caseyville, Illinois.
A Henderson representative said Beckham works out of the Tennant Truck Lines offices in Colona, Illinois. Beckham, a 2007 Arkansas Business 40 Under 40 honoree, is the married father of three and a lifelong resident of Fort Smith.
Beckham started at USA Truck as a $20,000-a-year staff accountant but worked his way up to CFO before being named CEO in 2007. The trucking company then suffered through five consecutive years of losses before John Simone replaced Beckham in February 2013.
Beckham returned to his CFO position and worked with Simone before stepping down. Tom Glaser, who became USA Truck’s CEO when Simone stepped down after being diagnosed with lung cancer, said Beckham’s cooperation with Simone during the transition was crucial to the successful turnaround of the company.
Glaser was a member of USA Truck’s board of directors during Beckham’s last year.
"Cliff was a great support for John," Glaser said last week during an interview for this story. "John learned a lot of the history [of the company] from Cliff, and it really helped John move quickly through the organization and make those changes."
USA Truck has posted five consecutive profitable quarters and, in 2014, had its first profitable year since 2008. Beckham announced his resignation in August and served as a paid consultant through the end of September; he earned total compensation of $345,610 and was allowed to keep a $75,000 bonus that he would have had to return since he resigned before October.
Beckham earned $383,201 in his last full year as CEO in 2012 and he earned $349,999 in total compensation in 2013. Shortly before he stepped aside, Beckham sold approximately 40,000 shares of USA Truck stock for nearly $750,000.
Another USA Truck executive also left the company. Jim Cade joined Simone’s management team as the vice president of maintenance in October 2013 but recently left to become the vice president of fleet services at Ruan Transportation Management Systems of Des Moines, Iowa.
(Also see: USA Truck Moves On Under New CEO Tom Glaser)
