September 9, 2021
By: OMNITRACS
Truck Driver Appreciation Week is September 12-18, 2021, and the nationwide initiative dedicated to thanking truckers for their tireless and dedicated work throughout the year could not come at a better time.
The varying impact of the COVID-19’s pandemic on public health and systemic architecture has placed truck drivers among the most essential people since the coronavirus took center stage in early 2020. And, through the upheavals, truckers have remained resilient and reliant.
To show our appreciation for the truckers who are the forefront of our technology engineering, we’re spotlighting these five crucial reasons we should extend our gratitude to truck drivers every day of the year.
#1: Truck drivers have played a critical role in vaccine distribution
As of September 7, 2021, 176 million fully vaccinated Americans can thank professional drivers for the essential COVID-19 vaccines they received. Drivers have played a vital role in both over-the-road transportation and last-mile distribution of the vaccines since they received emergency approval in late 2020.
The trucking and transportation industry, alongside airlines and major shipping companies, worked diligently to coordinate delivery efforts, successfully undertaking the arguably most massive feat in supply chain logistics in our modern history. To this day, professional drivers are still distributing vaccines at warp speed.
#2: Overall, truckers prioritize our safety on the road
Professional drivers undergo extensive safety and operational training to operate commercial and other vehicles.
These drivers focus on our safety on the road as much as their own. From monitoring their following distance to keeping track of their speed on the interstate, the overwhelming majority of professional drivers take it upon themselves to strategically operate their vehicles in the safest way possible.
#3: Truck drivers deliver almost everything we rely on
From our groceries to essential medical supplies, almost everything we hold dear is transported in a truck. The paper product shortage at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted how just one group of the everyday essentials we took for granted played a pivotal role in our lives and throw us into a state of societal chaos when our access is limited.
Now, let’s imagine all our everyday essentials and items we enjoy didn’t have the means to get to us. Without truckers, they wouldn’t. So, next time you’re preparing a recipe with your beloved ingredients or are enjoying an impulse purchase that reached you the next day, thank a trucker.
#4: Truckers transport with exceptional care and service
While trucks carry loads, truckers transport the items with care. A reckless driver could diminish the cargo’s quality instantly.
Fortunately, truckers operate carefully and practice safe driving, loading, and unloading behaviors to ensure quality delivery.
#5: Without truck drivers, our economy would be non-functional
Take these transportation statistics, courtesy of the American Trucking Associations (ATA), into consideration:
- Trucks move approximately 72.5% of the nation’s freight by weight
- Trucks transported 11.84 billion tons of cargo in 2019
- In 2019, trucking was responsible for $791.7 billion in gross freight revenue
The trucking and transportation industry isn’t a small, critical part of our nation’s economy — it’s the backbone. This Truck Driver Appreciation Week, join us in appreciating that.
From every one of us at Omnitracs, thank you to the 3.5 million truck drivers who keep our nation’s economy moving. To celebrate, Omnitracs has supported 60 fleets nationwide with giveaways and gift cards for drivers. Read our blog article from last year’s initiative to learn more about how you can support truck drivers.