American Trucking Associations kicked off National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, a week-long celebration of the trucking industry’s 3.5 million professional truck drivers.

Running Sept. 10-16, National Truck Driver Appreciation Week highlights the efforts of professional truck drivers to remind the industry of the important role that truck driver’s play in transporting goods across the nation. More than 80% of U.S. communities rely exclusively on truck drivers to deliver goods and commodities, and some remote towns and territories are unreachable by other modes of transportation.

“This week was created to commemorate and support the industry professionals who work daily to deliver America’s goods,” said Chris Spear, ATA president and CEO. “Truck drivers are hard-working men and women who practice safety on the roads and serve as the faces of our industry. These drivers improve our collective quality of life by making personal commitments to safety and delivering our critical goods like medicine, food, building supplies and clothing.”

ATA is asking the trucking industry to engage their communities in this week’s celebration of truck drivers. Public officials, community leaders, members of the media and local businesses can all play a role in helping to better understand the important work that truck drivers do in safely moving the economy each day. Highway safety is dramatically improved when the motoring public acknowledges the difficulties of driving a truck and the limitations of large commercial vehicles.

In support of this effort, Trucking Moves America Forward, the trucking industry’s image movement, is partnering with state trucking associations to run billboard advertisements along key highways to thank truck drivers for their service to the industry.

This year, special attention is being paid to the 1.6 million trucking industry employees who live and work in the direct paths of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. During National Truck Driver Appreciation week, ATA is monitoring the storms and working with FEMA and the American Logistics Aid network to carry out relief efforts.

State trucking associations, industry suppliers, and carriers are set to host appreciation events for the men and women who safely deliver more than 70% of all freight tonnage in the United States. Additionally, America’s Road Team Captains and Share the Road professional truck drivers will take to the airwaves Sept. 12 for live satellite broadcasts from the Nashville terminal of TCW. ATA first vice chairman Dave Manning, president of TCW, will participate in the morning broadcasts and speak alongside the professional truck drivers about the important role that drivers play in the nation’s economy.

“Truck drivers work day in and day out to make our jobs possible, our shopping more convenient, and our roads a lot safer,” said Manning. “Truck drivers are entrusted with large vehicles, yet we know we can rely on them to be fully aware of their surroundings on the road and make good decisions. They make safety their responsibility and truly deliver everything that makes our economy function.”  

The ATA official NTDAW site offers a collection of resources to magnify driver appreciation events. The content provided by ATA allows industry professionals to engage their communities during this week of outreach. These resources are aimed at demonstrating public support for the work that drivers do each day and reflecting the image of professional truck drivers.