Trucker Appreciation week, August 18-24 rolls around every year and truckstops and companies try to come up with a way to say thanks for a job well done. Companies have held barbeques and family picnics and truckstops have given away t-shirts and meals.
Hopefully, the mainstream media takes note and truckers get some positive publicity along with a well-deserved pat on the back.
This year, “appreciation” takes on a whole new meaning. This year, truckers have been asked to become the eyes and ears of our highways, a request made with the deepest respect and appreciation for the job of trucking. You have been asked to notice suspicious driving and to take anything out of the ordinary very seriously and to report unusual activities. “America’s Trucking Army” has received a lot of media attention as warnings come down from the top.
Most of you have already discussed these warnings on CB radios and at truckstops. Tanker trucks and hazmat rigs are rolling down the road from coast to coast and everyone knows that they are easy targets. Cargo thieves have always been the bane of the industry, and now the prospect of a missing tanker takes on a whole new meaning.
Our government has asked truckers to be alert and on the lookout, and it’s a request truckers take very seriously. The roads are a trucker’s workplace. Your rig is your office, home and livelihood. If you see something unusual, report it at once. In recent weeks truckers who haul fuel have been asked to take particular care during pre-trip and post-trip inspections.
There’s nothing like an assault on freedom to make you appreciate what you have. Take this week in this year of tragedy and insult to think about the things in your life that you appreciate. Your family, friends, health, company, country and even the freight you haul are part of what makes your trucking world. Appreciate more stable fuel prices, more positive media portrayals and most of all, the chance to earn a decent living hauling goods to keep America strong.
Truckers News staff and I will be washing windshields and serving hot dogs at the McCalla, Ala., Petro Stopping Center along Interstate 20. We appreciate our opportunity to serve you.
Thank you for all that you do.
