Food Logistics Honors PLM Fleet’s Rob Fortney as a 2026 Rock Star of the Supply Chain
Food Logistics, the only publication solely dedicated to covering the global cold food supply chain, has named Rob Fortney, Director of Supplier Partnerships at PLM Fleet, as a recipient of its prestigious 2026 Rock Stars of the Supply Chain Award. Fortney was recognized in the Top Transportation Professional category, an honor reserved for industry leaders whose expertise, innovation, and long-term contributions have had a measurable impact on the movement of temperature-sensitive goods worldwide.
The Rock Stars of the Supply Chain Award celebrates professionals who go beyond operational excellence to shape the future of logistics, transportation, and cold chain management. For Fortney, the recognition reflects more than four decades of hands-on experience in the trailer industry and a career dedicated to improving how refrigerated assets are designed, deployed, and managed across complex supply networks.
Recognizing Leadership in a Critical Segment of the Supply Chain
The cold food supply chain plays an essential role in ensuring food safety, quality, and availability across global markets. From fresh produce and dairy to frozen foods and pharmaceuticals, refrigerated transportation assets form the backbone of this ecosystem. Food Logistics’ annual Rock Stars of the Supply Chain program highlights individuals who demonstrate exceptional leadership in navigating this complexity while advancing innovation and operational resilience.
Fortney’s selection in the Top Transportation Professional category underscores the growing importance of specialized expertise in refrigerated transportation. As supply chains face increasing volatility—from climate-driven disruptions to regulatory pressures and rising costs—leaders who understand both equipment design and real-world application are critical to maintaining continuity and efficiency.
Four Decades of Industry Expertise
With more than 40 years of experience in the trailer industry, Rob Fortney has built a reputation as one of the most knowledgeable professionals in refrigerated trailer design and specification. His deep understanding of equipment performance, durability, and lifecycle economics has made him a trusted resource not only within PLM Fleet but across the broader cold chain community.
In his role as Director of Supplier Partnerships, Fortney leads the development and application of refrigerated trailer solutions tailored to the unique operational requirements of each customer. This includes overseeing product design considerations, evaluating supplier capabilities, and ensuring that every asset deployed delivers optimal performance throughout its service life.
Rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach, Fortney’s work focuses on aligning trailer specifications with customer use cases—whether that involves long-haul transport, urban distribution, high-frequency loading cycles, or specialized temperature control requirements. This application-driven philosophy has become increasingly important as customers demand greater efficiency, reliability, and adaptability from their fleets.
Driving Value Through Smarter Asset Design
Refrigerated trailers represent a significant investment for food and beverage companies, distributors, and logistics providers. Decisions made at the design stage can have long-lasting implications for maintenance costs, energy efficiency, food safety compliance, and asset longevity.
Fortney’s expertise lies in understanding these trade-offs and helping customers navigate them. By combining technical knowledge with operational insight, he plays a central role in ensuring that PLM Fleet’s refrigerated assets are not only fit for purpose but also resilient to the challenges of modern supply chains.
“Rob is an unmatched expert on trailer build with an intuitive knowledge of the perils and opportunities when designing a new asset,” said Keith Shipp, President and CEO of PLM Fleet. “Rob’s expertise in refrigerated trailer technology and fleet optimization is widely respected throughout the industry.”
This respect is rooted in Fortney’s ability to anticipate potential issues before they arise—whether related to component selection, regulatory compliance, or evolving customer needs—and to design solutions that mitigate risk while maximizing value.
Navigating an Increasingly Complex Supply Chain Environment
The recognition from Food Logistics comes at a time when the cold food supply chain is under unprecedented pressure. Transportation professionals are contending with a range of challenges, including cargo theft and fraud, extreme weather events, shifting food safety regulations, geopolitical uncertainty, tariffs, and rising costs of goods and materials.
Against this backdrop, leaders like Fortney play a critical role in helping organizations adapt. By ensuring that refrigerated assets are designed with resilience, efficiency, and compliance in mind, he contributes to supply chain stability at a time when disruption has become the norm rather than the exception.
Marina Mayer, Editor-in-Chief of Food Logistics and Supply & Demand Chain Executive and Co-Founder of the Women in Supply Chain Forum, highlighted the broader significance of the award.
“From cargo fraud and natural disasters to ever-changing food safety regulations and increases in tariffs and cost of goods, many of today’s supply chain leaders are faced with a number of challenges,” Mayer said. “But it’s their resilience, hard work, innovation and attention to quality, sustainability and food safety that separates these rock stars apart from everyone else.”
Fortney’s career reflects these qualities, particularly his focus on quality and long-term performance in an industry where short-term cost savings can often lead to greater downstream risk.
PLM Fleet’s Role in Refrigerated Transportation
Fortney’s work is closely tied to PLM Fleet’s unique position within the industry. PLM Fleet is the only company in the United States dedicated exclusively to the fleet management of refrigerated trailers, offering leasing, rental, maintenance, and fleet management solutions tailored to temperature-controlled operations.
By focusing solely on refrigerated assets, PLM Fleet has developed specialized expertise that enables it to support customers across the full asset lifecycle. This includes procurement and specification, preventive maintenance, compliance management, and technology integration aimed at improving visibility and performance.
Fortney’s leadership in supplier partnerships directly supports this mission. By working closely with manufacturers and component providers, he helps ensure that PLM Fleet’s trailers incorporate proven technologies while remaining adaptable to future requirements. This supplier collaboration is particularly important as advancements in refrigeration systems, telematics, and sustainability-focused design continue to reshape the industry.
Elevating Standards Across the Industry
While Fortney’s primary responsibility is to PLM Fleet and its customers, the impact of his work extends beyond any single organization. By setting high standards for trailer design, specification, and application, he contributes to broader industry best practices.
Transportation professionals across the cold chain often rely on shared knowledge and collective experience to address common challenges. Fortney’s insights—gained over decades of hands-on involvement—help inform decisions that improve safety, efficiency, and reliability across the sector.
His recognition as a Rock Star of the Supply Chain reflects not only individual achievement but also the value of deep technical expertise in an era increasingly driven by data, automation, and digital transformation.
As the cold food supply chain continues to evolve, the role of transportation professionals is becoming more strategic. Equipment decisions are no longer purely operational; they influence sustainability goals, regulatory compliance, customer satisfaction, and overall supply chain resilience.
Fortney’s work exemplifies this shift. By combining technical mastery with a customer-centric mindset, he helps ensure that refrigerated transportation assets are positioned to meet both current demands and future challenges.
The 2026 Rock Stars of the Supply Chain Award serves as recognition of a career defined by innovation, consistency, and industry leadership. For PLM Fleet, it reinforces the value of investing in expertise and long-term thinking. For the broader supply chain community, it highlights the critical role that transportation professionals play in keeping the global cold food supply chain moving safely and efficiently.
As Food Logistics continues to spotlight leaders shaping the future of supply chain management, Rob Fortney’s recognition stands as a testament to the impact that experience, vision, and dedication can have in one of the industry’s most vital segments.
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