William J. Tucker, retired CEO of Tucker Co. Worldwide and freight transportation innovator, has died at 85

William J. Tucker, 85, of Moorestown, retired owner and longtime chief executive officer of Tucker Co. Worldwide, and an innovative policy maker in the freight transportation industry, died Monday, Oct. 30, of complications from Alzheimer’s disease at Artis Senior Living in Evesham.

Mr. Tucker assumed control of Tucker Co. in 1971 after the death of his father and spent the next 32 years expanding the South Jersey-based firm and reshaping the landscape of the freight transportation business. His father, Jacob, founded the company in 1961, and Mr. Tucker helped it become the oldest and one of the most successful privately held freight brokerages in North America.

Known for his interest in every aspect of the business, he ushered the use of computers into the company in the 1970s and increased annual freight billings to $10 million by 1998. He was an expert in outsourcing, attracted both shippers and carriers through superior customer service and low prices, and worked often with small carriers that had special areas of expertise.

He also championed the notion that great employees create loyal customers. “We believe in longevity,” he told The Inquirer in 1998. “We want to build the very best team we can and keep it.” In an online tribute, former coworkers called him a “visionary,” “teacher,” and “mentor.”

Mr. Tucker became involved in the trucking deregulation movement in the 1970s and cofounded the Transportation Intermediaries Association in 1978 to influence government policy and advocate for members. He lobbied for deregulation and cooperation among competitors at public hearings and through letter-writing campaigns, and the brokerage industry grew from a few dozen companies in the 1970s to thousands of firms a few decades later. He retired in 2003.

“There is room for everybody,” Mr. Tucker said in 1998. “And the more opportunity you have for more people to serve, the more options shippers have, the more productivity you have.”

He also co-created a certification program for transportation brokers. He met with Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, and won the 2001 Heritage Award from the TIA for distinguished lifetime service.

He was an honorary member of the Traffic Club of Philadelphia and named its 2004 Transportation Person of the Year. The club also offers a family-endowed William J. Tucker Scholarship for exceptional college students.

“I have not met anyone who worked as tirelessly and selflessly,” said his son Jeff. “He fought for the little guy and believed that a rising tide lifts all ships.” His son Jim said: “He was a man of the utmost humility who always referred to himself as a mere student of industry.”

In an online tribute, a longtime friend noted Mr. Tucker’s “sense of humor, love of music, and basic human decency.”

William Jacob Tucker was born May 18, 1938, and grew up in Haddon Township. He wrestled at Collingswood High School and was active with the band, glee club, and school newspaper. He was junior class president and wrote in his yearbook that his ambition after school was to “be a successful businessman.”

He played drums in a jazz band to pay for his bachelor’s degree from Temple University in 1961 and earned a master’s degree later at Drexel University. He was inspired by John F. Kennedy while at Temple in 1960, joined the Peace Corps in 1962, and served for two years in the Philippines in what a friend called a “transformative personal experience.”

He met Barbara Foresta when they worked for the same firm in Phoenixville, and they married in 1967. They had sons Jeff and Jim, and lived in Audubon, Delran, and Moorestown. His wife died in 2021.

Mr. Tucker worked as a salesman, computer consultant, and in other jobs before he joined the family business. He enjoyed reading, writing, and boating, and listened to Frank Sinatra and classical music. He played golf at Riverton Country Club, and the family spent memorable vacations in Ocean City.

“His undying devotion to his company and to his people made employees love him and want to follow him,” said his son Jeff. “He was a servant leader before there was such a term.”

In addition to his sons, Mr. Tucker is survived by six grandchildren and other relatives. A sister and a brother died earlier.

Services were held Nov. 4.

Donations in his name may be made to Alzheimer’s Association of Delaware Valley, 225 N. Michigan Ave., Fl. 17, Chicago, Ill. 60601.