Today we’d like to introduce you to Rick Knox.
Hi Rick, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Meet the 2026-28 ATHS President Rick Knox
The American Truck Historical Society (ATHS) preserves and shares the history of the trucking industry — an industry that has played a central role in shaping modern commerce, transportation, and daily life across North America. Founded in 1971, ATHS is dedicated to documenting and preserving the people, vehicles, and companies that built the trucking industry and the supply chains that sustain the modern economy. Trucking has long been the backbone of freight transportation, moving the majority of goods across North America and connecting farms, factories, and cities. The development of this industry transformed how goods are produced, distributed, and consumed. The story of trucking is therefore not only a story about vehicles — it is also a story about labor, innovation, infrastructure, and economic development. Meet the 2026-28 ATHS President Rick Knox.
“There’s all kinds of nuts out here just like me that love these old trucks.”
That was Rick Knox’s reaction the first time he walked into an American Truck Historical Society (ATHS) convention, and it pretty much explains everything about why he is the new president.
It wasn’t long after that Rick found himself a member. He became a board member in 2006, served as Regional Vice President at large, worked through the chairs, and today leads an organization that fits him about as naturally as the trucks in his driveway.
That comfort with ATHS did not come from nowhere. Rick lives in Grain Valley, Missouri, east of Kansas City, and by the time he was five years old he had already been coast to coast, border to border, and up into Canada, riding shotgun with his father Ray Knox in a bull-nosed Kenworth that came from the factory the same year Rick was born. Ray ran for A&M Food Products in St. Louis, and those early miles planted a passion in Rick that never ran out of fuel.
Trucks shaped Rick’s career, although these were red with sirens instead of sleepers and air horns. In forty years with the Central Jackson County Fire Protection District, Rick came up through the ranks, retiring as Assistant Chief. He now runs the Kansas City shop for Gully Transportation. He tried full retirement once. It didn’t take.
Rick’s most recognizable show piece is a 1965 White 3000 pulling a full semi trailer that was converted into livable quarters — a rolling home away from home that goes to shows, the annual convention, and occasionally out to the lake. The truck started its life hauling cigar boxes in Pennsylvania before eventually finding its way to Rick’s driveway. He dropped in a Cummins 8.3L after the original Mustang engine gave up. He also named the whole rig “Miss Debbie” after his late wife — a nod to the tradition of drivers putting their spouse’s name on the door. Debbie was also the one who encouraged him to become more visible within the ATHS, and her influence on his involvement is something he does not downplay.
The White is just part of him being a collector — Rick’s word for it is hoarder. He has a 1965 D-400 — three of them, actually — and he is about ninety percent finished on a 1969 C10 short bed stepside that looks factory stock from the outside and is anything but once you get close. Six hundred horsepower stroker, fuel injection, custom bucket seats, billet aluminum throughout. He also restored a 1959 Autocar frame-up that he still regrets selling, though he takes some comfort knowing it went to a good home in Houston.
For years, Rick’s constant companion at shows, conventions, and board meetings was Tank, his English Mastiff — all 186 pounds of him. Tank went everywhere Rick went for eleven and a half years, and the rule was simple: if Tank wasn’t welcome, Rick didn’t go. “He was a lovable thing… as long as you didn’t touch me.” These days Rick channels that same devotion into the ATHS itself.
As 2026-2028 president, Rick is clear-eyed about what needs to happen to ensure the future of the society. Financial stability is the first priority — reducing the organization’s dependence on membership revenue and bolstering it with outside revenue streams. He has said for years that the organization cannot keep going back to the membership every time it needs money, and moving that needle is his main push.
Underneath the practical goals is something more fundamental. For Rick, ATHS has always been more than a truck club. The men who built this industry and ran trucks in the forties, fifties, and sixties are gone or going, and with them the legacy and understanding of what it meant to be part of a now bygone brotherhood. ATHS exists to make sure that history isn’t forgotten, and Rick takes that seriously.
“It’s important to me that people realize what built this country and what built the trucking industry,” he says. “That culture, and the machines that defined it, are worth preserving.” “You don’t have to own a truck (to be involved with the ATHS). You just have to love them like I do.”
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Here are four big challenges Rick looks forward to addressing:
1. How do we protect the heart of ATHS—the history, stories, friendships, trucks and people who built this organization while making sure the next generation sees a place for themselves in it?
That means attracting younger members, expanding digital engagement and finding ways for people who don’t own trucks to feel that they too belong. ATHS has 28,000 followers on Facebook and 79,000 group members. These people have raised their hands and said, “I’m interested in old trucks.” Now it’s our challenge to figure out why those people haven’t raised their hands as members, and what ATHS can offer that makes joining feel like the natural next step.
2. Leading an organization with a very passionate membership.
This may be one of the most subtle challenges. ATHS isn’t simply a nonprofit business. It’s a community of people who are emotionally attached to trucks, trucking history and the organization itself. My own connection to ATHS goes back 24 years. The passion is an enormous strength, but it can also make change difficult. Members can have very different ideas about what ATHS should be, what it should spend money on and where it should go.
3. Proving that ATHS can grow without losing what makes it special.
The 2026 National Convention & Truck Show in Springfield, Missouri demonstrated that there is tremendous enthusiasm for ATHS – attracting more than 4,300 spectators with more than 500 trucks on display and owners from Mexico attending and participating for the first time. So, the opportunity is there. The challenge is turning that enthusiasm into long-term membership, stronger industry partnerships, sustainable revenue and a younger generation of ATHS supporters.
4. And finally, how can we engage younger people, as they are the future of ATHS.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
“I am most proud of my nearly 50-year career as a firefighter and retiring as Assistant Chief. I began as a volunteer firefighter at the age of 17. I drove over the road for National Carriers until 1985 when I got on full time at the fire department. Then, I drove for TransAm in Olathe on my days off from the department.”
Rick is humble and doesn’t talk about his many accolades hanging on his wall, which include Missouri Firefighter of the Year and his Million-Mile Safety Awards. “I am proud that I have I have received Million-Mile Safety awards from TransAm and National Carriers – and today am still an accident-free driver.”
What sets Rick apart and makes him unique as the ATHS president is his experience in management. He has 35 years of experience leading crews on the fire department and many management classes he has put to use.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://aths.org/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ATHSHeadquarters/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/american-truck-historical-society/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOT20xsSaGL-YX7-uhhDdhw
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/american-truck-historical-society-kansas-city
