PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 20, 2026--
John “J.T.” Taylor, longtime President of U-Haul International, has been presented the Truck Renting and Leasing Association’s (TRALA) Steve Lawrence Legacy Award.
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TRALA honored Taylor during the closing dinner of its annual national meeting on April 15 in Scottsdale. Named for a founding board member of TRALA, the Legacy Award recognizes individuals who demonstrate exceptional leadership and long-term dedication to the association and the industry it represents.
Taylor’s decades of leadership across the truck renting and leasing industry have helped make U-Haul the leader in do-it-yourself moving and self-storage.
“J.T. has been active within TRALA for many years and has always been supportive of the association and its advocacy work,” said Jake Jacoby, TRALA President and CEO. “TRALA greatly appreciates his many contributions to our association.”
Taylor has served on TRALA’s Board of Directors for more than 20 years and has chaired the association’s security committee, where he has shaped industry-wide standards on safety and asset protection.
Taylor’s U-Haul career spans 45 years and nearly every corner of the business. He has served as vice president of Rates and Distribution, payroll manager, director of Revenue Accounting, and senior auditor, among other roles. He was named President of U-Haul International in 2006 and has held the position for the past two decades.
In 2000, he received the U-Haul Hap Carty E&E (Economy and Effectiveness) Award, the highest internal honor given within the Company.
Taylor’s leadership directly supports nearly 2,000 Team Members at the U-Haul Midtown Campus in Phoenix — where U-Haul International has been headquartered since 1967 — and a workforce of more than 36,000 across the U.S. and Canada.
A graduate of the University of Wisconsin, Taylor also holds an MBA from the Keller Graduate School of Management. He has served on the U-Haul Board of Directors since 1990.
About U-HAUL
Founded in 1945, U-Haul is the No. 1 choice of do-it-yourself movers with more than 24,000 rental locations across all 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces. The U-Haul app makes it easy for customers to use U-Haul Truck Share 24/7 to access trucks anytime through the self-dispatch and -return options on their smartphones with our patented Live Verify technology. Our customers' patronage has enabled the U-Haul fleet to grow to approximately 203,000 trucks, 137,400 trailers and 41,700 towing devices. U-Haul, which offers rate transparency to self-storage customers through its 1-Year Price Lock, is the third largest storage operator in North America with 1,126,800 rentable storage units and 98 million square feet of self-storage space at owned and managed facilities. U-Haul is the top retailer of propane in the U.S. and the largest installer of permanent trailer hitches in the automotive aftermarket industry. Get the U-Haul app from theApp StoreorGoogle Play.
U-Haul International President John "J.T." Taylor, pictured center-left holding the TRALA Legacy Award, was honored for his career contributions on April 15 in Scottsdale. Taylor is flanked by (L-R) Aey Cook, wife Shannon Taylor, and U-Haul VP of Government Relations Joe Cook.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers and star left tackle Trent Williams agreed Monday to a two-year, $50 million contract that gives the team clarity about the future of one of its most important players before the NFL draft.
Williams' agency, Elite Loyalty Sports, announced the deal that includes $37 million of fully guaranteed money and a $22 million signing bonus. Williams had been owed about $33 million this season in the final year of a three-year, $82.3 million deal he had signed before the 2024 season before agreeing to the new contract.
The 49ers got the deal done on the first day of their offseason program and three days before the start of the draft. San Francisco has the 27th pick in the first round and had been linked to some tackles but that could be less of a priority now that Williams is under contract for two more seasons.
“As I told Trent when we started this thing, my hope is that his name, his number, are up in those rafters with a lot of great players that have played here,” general manager John Lynch said. "There’s a buzz in the building, the players are back, it’s the first day back for phase one. But, there’s a buzz because what Trent means to this place. So, we’re very excited.”
Williams turns 38 in July but is still playing at a high level after making the Pro Bowl and earning second-team All-Pro honors.
San Francisco originally acquired Williams from Washington for a third- and fifth-round pick during the 2020 draft and re-signed him to a six-year, $138.1 million contract the following offseason. The sides did a reworked three-year deal just before the start of the 2024 season after Williams held out of training camp.
There was much less drama this time around as the two sides came to the agreement before the start of the offseason program.
Williams is coming off his 12th Pro Bowl season — the most for any offensive tackle — and is two shy of tying Hall of Famer Bruce Matthews’ record for any offensive lineman.
Williams made three straight All-Pro teams from 2021-23 before being hampered by injuries in 2024. He was healthy for most of last season, playing 16 games for the first time since 2013.
Williams’ 40 pressures allowed last season were his most since his rookie season with Washington in 2010, according to Pro Football Focus, but he still remained one of the top left tackles in the game in both run and pass blocking.
“We’re fired up,” quarterback Brock Purdy said. “It’s going to be good getting back. He’s got a lot left. I know he’s going to have a chip on shoulder to go out and get a ring for him and his resume and his career and I want to help him do that.”
The 49ers have not drafted a tackle with a Day 1 or Day 2 draft pick since acquiring Williams from Washington during the 2020 draft, leaving the team with no obvious succession plan for when Williams’ tenure in San Francisco is finished.
Only two tackles in the last 20 seasons — Andrew Whitworth and Jason Peters — have played more than 125 snaps on offense in a season after turning 38, but San Francisco is counting on Williams to do that.
“We did a two-year deal with Trent with great confidence that Trent’s going to be here for a couple years," Lynch said. "The way he takes care of himself, where his heart’s at. In the inception of this offseason, I sat down with Trent, 'Where you at, man, what’s on your mind, what’s on your heart?’ That gave us a great feel. I think there’s going to be more and more cases of guys playing to this level with just the way they are taking care of themselves. I have a high degree of confidence that Trent can and will do that for us.”
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
FILE - San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle Trent Williams (71) blocks during an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans, Dec. 14, 2025, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo/Scot Tucker, File)
FILE - San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle Trent Williams (71) celebrates as he walks off the field after an NFL wild card playoff football game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Jan. 11, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams, File)
