National Truck Driver Appreciation Week is an annual celebration of the more than 3.5 million men and women who dedicate their lives to delivering America’s goods safely and efficiently. About 70 percent of all freight tonnage in the U.S. is delivered via trucks, making trucking one of the most demanding and crucial jobs to our nation’s economy.1 This profession requires weeks away from home, hours of solitude every day, strict adherence to stringent safety regulations and a unique skillset.
According to the Trucking Moves America Forward organization, trucks stimulate economic activity in every sector of the U.S. economy, including health care, fuel and transportation, food and agriculture, retail, finance and more. The trucking industry currently supports nearly 7 million jobs in the U.S. and has more than 30,000 job openings. It also works diligently to improve safety on the highways, develop new technology to allow for faster and safer deliveries, and improve the environment by participating in sustainability programs and embracing green technologies that reduce air pollution.2
Not only do truckers move everyday goods across the country, they are also heavily relied upon to bring critical supplies during times of crisis. Following a natural disaster, trucks bring necessary provisions like food and first aid, and then help with hauling away debris and bringing supplies to rebuild communities. For example, after Hurricane Sandy struck the East Coast, as many as 32 food trucks were dispatched daily, serving over 500 meals apiece to storm victims in areas without access to food.2 The dedication and expertise of skilled drivers are crucial to disaster relief efforts.
Great Dane salutes the hardworking truck drivers across America. Thank you for your commitment to delivering the nation’s goods and to improving the safety of America’s roadways. Great Dane will continue to provide drivers and the transportation industry as a whole with quality equipment to help make it safer, easier and more efficient to move America forward.
Fortune Smiles Upon Those Who Drive
Sources:
[1] ATA Truck Tonnage Index Rose 1.9% in July. (2018). Retrieved from: http://www.trucking.org/article/ATA-Truck-Tonnage-Index-Rose-1.9%25-in-July
[2] Trucking Moves America Forward. (2018). Retrieved from: http://truckingmovesamerica.com/aboutus/
