Opinion: Appreciating Truck Drivers
By Mike Reaves
When I first pondered the fact that the American Trucking Associations was promoting a National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, I was against it. It seemed insulting to devote only one week per year to the very backbone of this great nation’s economy and creature comforts. Every industry — medical, technology, manufacturing, food supply, military defense, you name it — depends on professional truck drivers. There isn’t a single item you can put your hands on that wasn’t brought to you by a professional truck driver at some step along the way.
Then I began to think about other days that we set aside to honor special groups of people, such as Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and Veterans’ Day. That certainly doesn’t mean we don’t appreciate those indispensable people every day of the year.
But it still didn’t feel right. It seemed more like an entertainment event, with a carnival atmosphere. Sure, it was a good time. Everyone from the office, including visitors and personnel provided by temp agencies, came out to be fed and entertained.
The problem was that it had absolutely nothing to do with appreciation. No one spent time honoring our drivers. No one sat down and talked with a driver who had pulled a load all night and was on his way home to see his family for the first time in weeks. No one shook the hand of a driver who helped change a tire for a motorist stranded on the side of the road. No one expressed appreciation to those upon whom we all depend.
This year, we believe we found a balance that feels right. We took a more thoughtful approach to Driver Appreciation Week. For example, we included our mechanics as guests of honor with our drivers. After all, they play a critical role in keeping our drivers moving.
Every morning, office personnel, including management, served coffee and pastries to drivers and mechanics. Everything from company issues to national politics were debated in a relaxed atmosphere over hot java and Krispy Kremes — at the drivers’ leisure. In the heat of the afternoon, the pastries were replaced with popcorn and snow cones, and the conversation continued.
On Thursday night and Friday at mid-day, we had a companywide cookout at all of our full-service terminals. Office personnel and drivers sat down and broke bread together. During the Friday luncheon, we had an award ceremony to honor our Million Mile Safe Drivers and our Road Team Ambassadors at our Memphis headquarters.
We learned from our initial excess that no amount of bells, whistles and shiny things can express deep appreciation better than the mere act of spending real time listening — and, more importantly, hearing. Anything short of that is lip service. As we all get bogged down in the day-to-day routine of running a business, those opportunities sometimes become rare. National Truck Driver Appreciation Week provides a focus that makes us stop and reflect on that very important human element that keeps our nation’s freight moving so reliably.
The writer is senior vice president of driver services for M.S. Carriers, a dry van truckload carrier based in Memphis, Tenn., and now a division of Swift Transportation in Phoenix.
This story appears in the Sept. 3 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.
