It’s fair to say the odds were stacked against Marc Clark entering the work force in 1972 as a teenager. He was small and disabled. He’d spent his elementary school years attending special schools designed to help him compensate for his physical disabilities while identifying a “skill set” that would enable him to earn a meager living as an adult.
Becoming a diesel mechanic in the rough-and-tumble trucking industry wasn’t even remotely an option for a youngster like Clark as far as the “experts” at the time were concerned. The thought of a young disabled man like Clark making vehicle spec’ing and application decisions for a one-day parcel delivery company with a global reach and a massive vehicle fleet was so far-fetched as to be laughable.
But Clark never has paid much attention to well-intentioned – or even ill-intentioned – people seeking to constrain his talents or limit his opportunities in life. Instead he has, quite simply, used all of his talents – including a steel-trap mind, an incredible attention to detail and an unquenchable thirst for knowledge – to stride forward continually in an industry he loves dearly.
“(Marc) is probably the smartest person I have ever met,” says Louis Nathan, global tire program administrator for FedEx Express, where today Clark oversees a 40,000-unit fleet. “He has an in-depth knowledge in just about any topic related to vehicles, from ground support equipment to heavy trucks. He treats his employees well and values their inputs and suggestions.”
Clark sees himself as a man with a mission: Not content to merely do his job and maximize the efficiency and capability of the FedEx Express fleet, he also works closely with the Technology & Maintenance Council and deals with equipment and vehicle manufacturers in a way that will help trucking industry colleagues he never will meet.
“Negotiating with OEs and manufacturers on behalf of FedEx Express means I have an objective degree of influence that is fairly unique in our industry,” he explains. “But whenever possible, I feel I have a moral responsibility to seek out solutions that will not only benefit FedEx but the trucking industry as a whole. The fact is that a fleet manager with 40 or 400 or even 4,000 trucks is never going to get the type of access to manufacturers or have the ability to wield the kind of positive influence with them that I have been allowed. So I always keep the needs and problems of small and medium-sized fleets in mind when I find myself in those situations.”
Twists of fate
