Panther Expedited Services executives Andrew Clarke, president and CEO, and Ed Wadel, chief information officer, will be working as a driver team this week to raise money for charity and get a better idea of how things operate

in the field. Starting Monday, the two will ride around in a Sprinter cargo van, making door-to-door deliveries, and handling and caring for freight.

"We are going to work as 'owner-operators' for one week," Clarke said. "We'll be on the road ourselves, reviewing load offers, taking loads, making deliveries, and meeting our customers' needs for on-time delivery. No special support. No special frills. We are going to gain greater insight to the job we ask our people to do day-to-day, shipment-to-shipment. And we're going to raise money for charity in the process."

The experience will also give the pair an opportunity to use and evaluate Panther's in-cab technology.

"We'll see precisely how our technology performs on the road," Wadel said. "And, hopefully, we'll learn where we can make adjustments or consider improvements to make processes more efficient for our workforce and our customers. This is a genuine opportunity to see how the company works from the inside out."

Clarke and Wadel will be blogging about the experience throughout the week, posting pictures and video at www.pantherexpedite.com. Proceeds from the trip will benefit Toys for Tots this holiday season.