This year’s National Truck Driver Appreciation Week takes place from September 12-18 and takes on an extra-special meaning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Everything you own, everything you use in your day-to-day life – it came on a truck. Truck drivers are the unsung heroes of our society, and here’s how you can show your appreciation for them not only this week, but every single day!
Driving a commercial vehicle is many things, and easy isn’t one of them. Try to a metaphorical helping hand to these road warriors right from your very own driver’s seat! Leave room for a driver to merge into your lane, or simply give them a wave if you’re both at a red light, it’s just the little things that let them know you are their ally on the road.
This last year has been incredibly stressful, and it has been stressful for truck drivers who have been working throughout the pandemic to ensure that everyone gets the supplies and essentials that they need. In-person acknowledgements of gratitude are a perfect and genuine way to let someone know that they are appreciated. The next time you’re getting gas and you see a truck driver stopping in, tell them thank you for their hard work!
We’ve seen the Instagram posts of the people who left baskets of waters and snacks on their front porches for the UPS, USPS, FedEx, and Amazon delivery drivers around the holiday season. Anyone, anywhere – office workers, apartment residents, schools – can make care packages filled with sports drinks, bottles of water, snacks, and hand sanitizer for drivers to treat themselves to.
Many people have been getting creative and making Truck Driver Appreciation Week poster signs. Show your gratitude — and your artistic ability— with a poster! Once you have your poster ready, share it however you want to. You can have your kids pose with it and post a picture to social media, tape it to a car window, or stick it in your front window, or hang it off of your balcony.
There are endless amounts of ways to show truck drivers that they’re valued. The next time you’re in a restaurant or drive-thru line with a truck driver, consider paying for their meal or coffee if you can afford to. Not only will this likely put a big smile on their face, but it’s an unexpected and kind gesture that lets commercial drivers know they have allies on and off the road.
At USTDTS, we showed our appreciation for our future truck drivers and those who teach them by grilling them lunch here on campus.
Thank you for explaining how you can be a better driver for truckers on the road. My brother is a trucker, and it’s made me wonder how to be a more considerate driver to them. I’ll have to keep this in mind whenever I see them on my commute from now on.