Fleet Equipment senior staff writer and occasional Tire Review contributor D. Mike Pennington, passed away suddenly on Dec. 5, at age of 64.

A respected member of the trucking industry, Pennington had retired from Meritor as its senior director of global marketing communications and industry relations in 2010 after 25 years. He began his industry career as a reporter and editor for the Southern Motor Cargo magazine.

After retirement, he remained active in the trucking industry, managing projects for Meritor’s aftermarket interests. During his Meritor career, he was active in the industry, serving as vice chairman of the American Trucking Associations’ Communications & Image Policy Committee, and as a former president of the ACT 1, Allied Committee for the Trucking Industry.

Pennington’s monthly Service and Support column for Fleet Equipment first appeared in January 2010, and his most recent column appears in the December 2014 issue.

Pennington resided in Fernandina Beach, Fla., with his wife Patsy, but was a longtime resident of Michigan.