From trucks to space and back again: Meet Adam Morgan, DTNA’s new head of corporate communication

Daimler Truck North America’s newly appointed head of corporate communication, Adam Morgan, has worked with nearly every mode of transportation: trucks, helicopters, fighter jets, an aircraft carrier, and even the International Space Station.

“Trains and subways I guess are all that I haven’t done now,” Morgan mused a few weeks into the role.

This role is a return to his roots in more ways than one for the Portland, Oregon native, where DTNA is headquartered.

Morgan’s dad was a truck driver in the 1990s, with Freightliner his make of choice. As a teen, Morgan would get dropped off at truck stops by his mom to meet his dad and help him untarp loads. The summer between freshman and sophomore year, he even traveled across the country to New York to assist with tarping and keeping his father company.

He would also head over to the Freightliner dealer on weekends to look at new truck with his dad.

“I'd sit in the new truck cab, and act like I was a truck driver—it’s why I feel very connected to this industry,” he recalled.

After high school he joined the U.S. Navy as an aviation boatswain’s mate, launching and recovery. Those are the aircraft crew members who speed around the flight deck working the steam-powered catapults that launch Navy fighters at 172 mph. It’s an unforgiving environment and routinely named one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. Morgan was recognized by the USN for having assisted with the successful launch of more than 20,000 aircraft.

After that he went to Portland State and, upon graduation, started working for the U.S. Forest Service public affairs department, which helped create Smokey Bear in 1944. He often found himself deep in remote wooded areas, observing the firefighters and trail technicians and telling the stories of these real-life stewards of America’s forests, from Alaska to Kentucky.

After that, he was hired by Boeing and helped manage communications for the 787 Dreamliner program and in 2007 moved to Houston to eventually serve as director of communications for  the company’s space exploration division, primarily working on International Space Station program and Boeing’s commercial space endeavors.

He would get to see space shuttle launches up close at the press area.

“If you can get a night launch with a heavy payload, that's the best,” he offered. "It’s so loud… you see it for a few seconds, and then all of a sudden [the loud roar] comes rippling over you and the whole sky lights up. Very, very cool.”

His last role was director of global communications and marketing for the Bristow Group, which provides transport via helicopter to oil rigs and search and rescue operations.

And now he is back to where it all started with trucking. Morgan, though, now sees the industry through a different lens than he did as a teen.

His dad’s trucking career ended after he jackknifed—swerving around instead of plowing through an animal running into the road. That was enough for him.

Cut to the present, and his son leads messaging on how the Detroit Assurance Safety Suite, which includes Electronic Stability Control and automatic emergency braking, can save truckers from life-changing accidents.

It’s also makes perfect sense from a career standpoint for Morgan, who replaces Andy Johnson, now Head of Global Communications & External Affairs for parent company Daimler Truck in Germany.

“With all of the industries that have worked in, safety is the number one thing, so I see a lot of parallels here at Daimler from a focus on safety perspective,” he said.

His boss, John O’Leary, president and CEO of DTNA, agrees.

“Adam is a strategic, highly experienced communicator, and a proven leader,” Leary stated. “His experience across complex, global industries will serve DTNA well as we continue to grow, evolve, and strengthen our connections with employees, customers, and the communities we serve.”

Whether all that experience can truly prepare him for working with trucking journalists remains to be seen, but we wish him luck and look forward to working with Morgan.