8-K

 

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of Earliest Event Reported): July 10, 2008

Ryder System, Inc.
__________________________________________
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Florida	1-4364	59-0739250
_____________________ (State or other jurisdiction	_____________ (Commission	______________ (I.R.S. Employer
of incorporation)	File Number)	Identification No.)
11690 NW 105th Street, Miami, Florida		33178
_________________________________ (Address of principal executive offices)		___________ (Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (305) 500-3726

Not Applicable
______________________________________________
Former name or former address, if changed since last report

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

[  ]  Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
[  ]  Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
[  ]  Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
[  ]  Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Item 5.02 Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.

Election of Directors

On July 10, 2008, our Board of Directors, upon the recommendation of the Board’s Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee, elected James S. Beard, former President of Caterpillar Financial Services Corporation and Vice President of Caterpillar Inc., to serve as a director for a term of office expiring at our 2009 Annual Meeting of Shareholders. Mr. Beard was also appointed to the Board’s Compensation Committee and Finance Committee.

The Board has determined that Mr. Beard qualifies as independent under the independence standards set forth in the NYSE corporate governance listing standards. There are no arrangements or understandings between Mr. Beard and any other persons with respect to his appointment as a director. Neither Mr. Beard nor any immediate family member of Mr. Beard has been a participant in any transaction or currently proposed transaction with the Company that is reportable under Item 404(a) of Regulation S-K.

Mr. Beard will partic ipate in the standard non-employee director compensation arrangements described under the heading "Director Compensation" in our 2008 Proxy Statement, which was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 21, 2008. We have entered into a Director Indemnification Agreement with Mr. Beard, the form of which was previously filed with the Commission on October 10, 2006.

A press release announcing Mr. Beard’s election to the Board is filed with this report as Exhibit 99.1.

Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(d) The following exhibits are filed as part of this Report on Form 8-K:

Exhibit 99.1: Press Release dated July 14, 2008 announcing the election of James S. Beard.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

	Ryder System, Inc.
July 14, 2008	By:	Robert D. Fatovic
		Name: Robert D. Fatovic
		Title: Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary

Exhibit Index

Exhibit No.	Description
99.1	Press Release dated July 14, 2008 announcing the election of James S. Beard

EX-99.1

News Release

For Information Contact: Lisa Brumfield Hagen
(305) 500-3668
Lisa_Hagen@Ryder.com David Bruce
(305) 500-4999
David_Bruce@Ryder.com

RYDER SYSTEM, INC. ELECTS JAMES S. BEARD
TO ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS

MIAMI, July 14, 2008 – Ryder System, Inc. (NYSE: R), a global leader in transportation and supply chain management solutions, today announced that James S. Beard, former President of Caterpillar Financial Services Corporation and Corporate Vice President, Financial Products Division for Caterpillar Inc., has been elected to its Board of Directors. Mr. Beard was appointed to serve on the Company’s Finance and Compensation Committees.

“Mr. Beard is an accomplished leader who brings a strong sense of integrity, financial expertise and more than 40 years of tenured management experience to Ryder’s Board,” said Ryder Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Greg Swienton. “We are honored that Jim has agreed to serve as we continue to work to strengthen our financial position and capitalize on future opportunities for profitable growth. His experience as a board member of other large American companies will also serve our company well.”

Mr. Beard, 67, served as President of Caterpillar Financial Services Corporation from 1991 to 2005. In this role, he had responsibility for the Financial Products Division of Caterpillar Inc., which was comprised of Caterpillar Financial Services Corporation, Caterpillar Insurance Services Corporation, Caterpillar Power Ventures Corporation and Caterpillar Redistribution Services. After joining Caterpillar in 1965, Mr. Beard held positions of increasing responsibility, including Finance Manager for Caterpillar Brasil S.A., Assistant Sales Manager for Caterpillar Americas Co., and Region Finance Manager for the U.S. Commercial Division. He served in leadership positions at Caterpillar Financial since its formation in 1981.

Mr. Beard is a graduate of Baylor University in Waco, Texas, and holds an MBA from the Harvard Business School. Mr. Beard serves on the corporate boards of Nashville-based Genesco, Inc. (NYSE: GCO) , and privately-held Rogers Group, Inc., a family owned aggregates miner and processor. He previously served on the Board of Directors of PHH Corporation.

About Ryder

Ryder provides leading-edge transportation, logistics and supply chain management solutions worldwide. Ryder’s stock (NYSE: R) is a component of the Dow Jones Transportation Average and the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index. Ryder ranks 371^st on the FORTUNE 500® and 1,631^st on the Forbes Global 2000. For more information on Ryder System, Inc., visit www.ryder.com.

# # #

Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: Certain statements and information included in this news release are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Federal Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on our current plans and expectations and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Accordingly, these forward-looking statements should be evaluated with consideration given to the many risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements including those risks set forth in our periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. New risks emerge from time to time. It is not possible for management to predict all such risk factors or to assess the impact of such risks on our business. Accordingly, we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.