Open Road - Winter 2026
Spotlight: Outgoing LMTA President Brad Nelson
Drew Clark 2026-01-24 14:21:48
Before he was LMTA president, at just 2 years old, Brad Nelson was riding shotgun in a semitruck. Now, he’s a third-generation owner of his family’s truck carrier, FreedomTrucks of America.
Servicing the petro-chemical industry in the Lake Charles, Louisiana, area, FreedomTrucks was founded by Nelson’s grandfather in 1956. Before going into the family business, Nelson’s father started out in the Army; following his retirement from the military, he went on to manage the company. Years later, like his father and grandfather, Nelson wound up at the helm of the business, despite having plans to enter the electrical engineering field upon graduating college.
For the first couple of years he was in the industry, Nelson drove to Beaumont nearly every day, picking up loads and loading trailers at the local refinery. He enjoyed the camaraderie in the early days: “Being with other people in the trucking business is a lot of fun — gathering with them and sharing stories and just [having] a lot … in common to talk about,” he said. In addition to finding enjoyment in the work and his compatriots, Nelson highly regards the trucking industry, calling it the lifeline of the country. “The economy cannot function without trucking,” he said. “It’s taken care of me and my family very well.”
While moving up the ranks at his family business, Nelson was climbing the ranks at LMTA as well. He first joined the association in 2008 after attending the American Trucking Association’s annual meeting in New Orleans. After networking with LMTA members and realizing how many benefits were involved with membership — as well as how integral LMTA was to shaping legislation — Nelson decided that FreedomTrucks should join the state association. Then, once elected to Board president in 2024, Nelson sought to make the trucking industry — and LMTA — better than how he found it at the beginning of his term. “I realized from the beginning there was a lot that was going on with the LMTA, and for me to add any more would just get in the way,” he explained. “So, I think, as a leader, sometimes your best move is [to] just get out of the way and let things happen … and be involved with all the things that are going on.”
“Busy” would describe LMTA’s activity this past year. Between going to and from the Capitol and moving into a new building, LMTA’s staff had a lot on their plate. The office’s old location on Bennington Avenue was not close enough to the Capitol, so a move was necessary. Not only did LMTA manage to successfully move locations, but they also did not incur additional debt when doing so. “The equity of the sale is now invested to make our finances stronger,” Nelson said. The new Florida Boulevard location is closer to the Capitol, giving LMTA “better exposure and proximity to our state legislators.''
A goal for the future is to open a trucking museum in the new location’s bottom floor. “The museum will allow us to tell Louisiana’s trucking history, promote our importance to the Louisiana economy [and] ensure our youth [know] that trucking is a great career path,” Nelson shared.
Several programs were also implemented during Nelson’s tenure. The association’s Future Leaders program, for example, held its first-ever classes at this year’s convention. The program’s goal is to develop future trucking leaders for success as well as grow the talent pool. Gears & Grub was also created; the first event was held in Lake Charles, Nelson’s hometown. “The primary focus of Gears & Grub is to introduce trucking companies, owners and management [to] who the LMTA is and how it can help them run their trucking companies,” he explained. This new recruiting tool also allows members to attend and share success stories about their companies, as well as how being an LMTA member contributed to their success.
In addition to a busy association schedule, tort reform was a hot topic at the Capitol this year. A lot of time was spent at the Capitol, meeting with legislators and the like. Though the LMTA-supported tort reform legislation had some success in passing, the most important legislation was not successful. Nelson believes this session was a great headstart, which will help with future advocacy efforts. During the next session, Nelson hopes certain items such as medical transparency, which was watered down by the Senate this session, will pass. Currently, according to Nelson, what is shown on medical bills is not actually how much is paid, and it is important there be as much transparency as possible, especially in liability cases. “When you receive a doctor bill, it may show that this procedure was $10,000. Then you get your insurance [explanation of benefits], and the insurance cut it down to $4,000, so the actual cost for the medical bill was $4,000. But in Louisiana, lawyers are not required to show what was actually paid. They just have to show the original bill. So, they base their settlement on the $10,000 instead of the $4,000 that was actually paid.”
"The trucking industry is the lifeline of our country. There’s nothing that you can pick up or do without a truck having touched it some way. The econony cannot function without trucking.” — Brad Nelson, Outgoing LMTA President and Owner, FreedomTrucks of America
Another item Nelson — and LMTA — fought was the replacement of the Calcasieu River Bridge in Lake Charles. LMTA fought for the bridge to be toll free, but this battle wasn’t won; the bridge will have tolls upon its completion around August 2031, and it will be the only toll bridge on I-10 from California to Florida. The same contractor who worked on this bridge just completed a toll bridge in Bell Chase, Louisiana, and residents were misinformed about the costs. In Bell Chase, a 25-cent toll was paid every time a vehicle crossed the bridge, but a $25 service fee was tacked on without drivers’ knowledge. “So, the first month, people were getting $6,000 toll bills,” Nelson said. Although the Calcasieu River Bridge will be tolled, Nelson and LMTA are still fighting for basic transparency with the hope that drivers won’t be met with skyrocketing fees.
Legislative challenges can feel defeating, but Nelson undoubtedly found success during his presidency. Simply spending time at the Capitol was educational and provided insight on the legislative process. On the association side, moving office locations without incurring additional debt and creating new programs for members were important to growing LMTA, and Nelson credits the association’s staff for their hard work. Coming in with an open mind and being involved led to a successful tenure: Be the head cheerleader, Nelson said. “Just make sure that the trucking industry and LMTA are better off. Don’t get in the way of progress.”
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