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08/02/2007 Driver Appreciation Week to Celebrate America's Truckers
--The 2007 National Truck Driver Appreciation Week will take place from August 26 – September 1, 2007. The annual observance celebrates the men and women who deliver goods throughout the country. The week is the perfect time to let the truckers in your personal and professional life know how important they are. The event is sponsored by the American Trucking Association (ATA).
“From August 26th to September 1st its all about thanks,” the ATA says on its website. “America will take the time to honor drivers for their hard work, their commitment, for all they do for our country.”
“Our Nation’s economy depends on having the most efficient and reliable transportation system in the world,” said President George W. Bush. “As a leading mode of moving freight, the trucking industry plays a vital role in advancing American prosperity. Across the country, truck drivers embody a commitment to excellence that increases efficiency and production and helps maintain important networks for commerce. . . Your efforts contribute to the strength of our transportation system and reflect the true spirit of America,” he said.
"National Truck Driver Appreciation Week is about letting our professional drivers know they are valued," said Tim Lynch, senior vice president of ATA. "ATA is proud to provide a way for companies, suppliers and customers to show their appreciation to these hard working and dedicated drivers, and to let the American people know how important truck drivers are for our country,” he said.
There are many ways organizations around the country are celebrating the week. These include a company picnic or gathering celebrating drivers, a letter to the editor in a local newspaper from the owner or president thanking his drivers, providing coffee and breakfast treats each morning of the week, having employees wash the company trucks for the driver and more. ATA has even provided a forum that allows companies to share their ideas for celebrating the week. To read more ideas about how to celebrate National Driver Appreciation Week or to learn more, visit ATA’s website at www.truckline.com/ntdaw
According to ATA, the approximately 3.3 million U.S. truckers drive about 338 billion miles every year. In 2005, the trucking industry hauled 10.7 billion tons of freight, 68.9 percent of total U.S. freight tonnage. More than 80 percent of U.S. communities depend solely on trucking for delivery of their goods and commodities.
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