Thank a driver, make a difference

Author: Tracey Dover, Vice President of Driver Retention

Transcontinental shipping started in 1912 when it took 91 days for drivers to get a load from Pennsylvania to California. Over the years, fifth-wheel trailers, air-filled tires, expanded infrastructure, hours of service, e-commerce, and more would evolve trucking into the industry we know today.  

While these things are all necessary to move freight, we know drivers are the most valuable asset to the transportation industry. From food to automobiles, technology to disaster relief, and everything in between, drivers are essential to helping us meet our basic needs.

Driver Appreciation Week started as a way to give drivers the credit they deserve in the customer centric industry. As a profession, driving requires more sacrifices and strategy than the average career, including isolation, time away from loved ones, obstacles on the road, weather, customer pressure, maintaining equipment, and more.

Here are five practical ways we show drivers our appreciation throughout the year — and you can too!

1. Celebrate big wins. Whether it’s a Million Miler achievement, birthday, anniversary, a child’s graduation, or a new addition to the family, their wins are our wins. We always look for reasons to celebrate accomplishments through events, meals, physical gifts, and sometimes, special parking places.
2. Make Driver Appreciation Week a priority. This is just a single week out of the year, and we like to do it BIG by hosting events and giving gifts at each of our terminals throughout the week.
3. Touch base every day. Isolation can be hard, so our Operations team makes it a priority to reach out to each driver every day to check in, listen to their needs, and provide guidance where possible.
4. Performance gets paid. We have performance incentive programs that reward drivers who excel in safety and productivity, among other criteria.
5. Take care of co-pilots. Show some love to the four-legged companions who put in long hours on the road. We have turf dog areas at each of our terminals so dogs can stretch their legs and get some energy out.

We’re all grateful it doesn’t take our order 91 days to arrive — and a big part of that is thanks to the drivers who work hard to keep our country rolling.

Let’s do our part to pamper those who help us meet our basic needs.

Thanks, Drivers!