In the early 2000s, as America was stepping into the digital era and new opportunities seemed endless, a 22-year-old from Western Ukraine landed at San Francisco airport. He brought as much as $1,000 in his pocket and not a single word of English, but had the thing no money could buy — the belief that his dream could one day outpace his reality. His name was Vlad Skots.
Two decades later, he is the founder and CEO of USKO Inc., one of the fastest-growing independent logistics networks in North America, and the mind behind Motion TMS, a game-changing platform giving small and mid-sized carriers the tools to compete on equal footing. His story is not an immigrant’s journey, but a case study in grit, discipline, and resilience. It is one of the hero stories about the extraordinary people quietly building the economy and moving the world forward.
From Despair to the Driver’s Seat
Like many new arrivals, Skots’ first years in the United States were about survival. He started out as a night-shift janitor in a Chinese restaurant, studied English during the day, picked up construction jobs, and delivered packages — every move revealed the hard truth of living in a foreign country with no easy paths. After losing one of those jobs, he spotted an ad for truck driving school.
“That was the switch,” he recalls. “I realized no one was coming to save me. If I wanted stability, I had to build it myself.”
So, in 2003, he passed the CDL, borrowed money, and placed himself behind the wheel of an old Freightliner FLD — both his school of life and survival means — hauling freight from coast to coast across all 48 states. The work was grueling: endless miles, breakdowns, sleepless nights. But it gave him a lasting insight: logistics is the backbone of the economy, and truck drivers keep the economy moving, yet are often invisible and undervalued.
Atlas Straightened His Back
In 2006, Skots registered USKO Inc. in Sacramento, California. His office was his garage. His fleet was one truck. His capital was determination. No team, no investors — just an immigrant with limited English and an oversized dream.
By 2008, he had grown to five trucks and opened his first office. Then came the 2009 recession, which wiped everything out. He lost his business, his fleet, even his home. There wasn’t enough even for the basics. Once again, the moment came to decide — step aside or take action.
“I grew up in a big family with nine brothers,” he says. “From an early age I knew that one should always stand up for oneself. Every fall could become fuel. Trucking taught me discipline, but also that you must keep on moving.”
By 2012, USKO had reemerged as a full-cycle logistics company, expanding beyond trucking into warehousing and integrated growth strategies. By 2015, revenue surpassed $100 million, and Skots had secured his place among national industry players. Today, the USKO network includes 500 medium-duty trucks, 900 sprinter vans, more than 3,000 independent owner-operators, and offices across the United States and in five other countries. Yet, as Skots is quick to underpin, the company’s core values remain unchanged: resilience, respect for drivers, and innovation born on the road rather than in boardrooms.
“We never forget the road warriors who keep America moving,” he says. “They are the true Atlases of the economy. The company exists for them.”
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Motion TMS: Technology Built for the Underserved
In 2020, Skots shifted decisively toward technology. He had seen large carriers leverage sophisticated TMS platforms while small and mid-sized fleets were left with outdated tools — or none at all. Motion TMS became his answer: a system built not in executive offices but in dispatch rooms, where the realities of freight play out every day. It brought dispatching, compliance, document flow, and finance into one interface. Most importantly, it was designed not for managerial reporting, but for those behind the wheel, i.e., owner-operators and drivers.
“The future belongs to those who adapt,” he emphasizes. “Artificial intelligence, automation, electric trucks — these are opportunities. But respect for people must always remain at the core.”
Motion transformed USKO from a carrier into a technology partner. Embedded in that shift is a philosophy: the company does not only move freight; it is reshaping the industry itself.
From Business to Mission
Vlad Skots’ story extends far beyond logistics. In 2018, he founded the Ukrainian American House, a not-for-profit originally envisioned as a platform connecting diaspora, business, and policymakers. After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, it became a humanitarian and cultural hub, supporting thousands.
“My connection with Ukraine has always been strong,” he reflects. “I firmly believe that when people support one another as family and as a community, remarkable things happen.”
Under his leadership, the organization has delivered tons of humanitarian aid and hosted landmark events such as the Freedom Means Business forum. Over the years, Skots has also shared platforms and hosted mutual events with high-profile figures including government officials, businessmen, and many others committed to investing in and sustaining the community. These achievements positioned UA House as a recognized diplomatic and economic platform. The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky awarded Skots the Order of Merit, Third Class, for “significant personal contribution to strengthening interstate cooperation, supporting state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, and advancing the state’s global presence.”
Yet Skots insists that true recognition lies not in medals, but in the bridges built and the impact that extends far beyond numbers and reports.
Lessons for Forbes Readers
His journey runs from late-night restaurant cleaning shifts to boardrooms, from a single truck to an international logistics network. It serves as a reminder that setbacks are not full stops but commas; that discipline is not simply a habit but oxygen; and that people are not a resource but the purpose itself.
For Forbes readers, three lessons stand out. First, the best systems are built not in offices, but where real work happens. Second, setbacks are not endings, but levers for growth and reset. Third, people must be the center of every strategy. The driver on the road, the family receiving aid, the partner you trust — people impact defines performance and measures success.
Vlad Skots sums it up simply: “Design with vision, lead with purpose, stay on the people’s side.”
