This week is National Truck Driver Appreciation Week! Every year, Americans dedicate a week to pay tribute to professional truck drivers and their importance to everyday life and the overall economy. At Block, we are using this week to go out to the area truck stops with goody bags and a smiling face to just say ‘THANK YOU’ to the truck drivers. There are plenty of ways to show appreciation to truckers. Don’t know of one? We got you!
To help make this initiative
a success, take a look at these five ways you can help truck
drivers feel appreciated:
#1: Educate yourself and others around
you
There is much negative
public perception around truckers on the road. Much of this is
reaction-based, with some four-wheelers meeting truck
drivers who are cautiously turning, accelerating, and merging with
huffing, puffing, obscenities, and honks.
This past year resulted in a slew
of timely articles emphasizing the critical role truckers
play in delivering vital supplies across America — during times of crisis
and beyond. Take the time to read up and then use the knowledge you
gain to gently inform an impatient person in your circle scoffing at
truckers in the future.
#2: Be a good pal on the road
Driving a commercial vehicle is
many things — and
easy is not one of them. You can lend a symbolic helping
hand right from the driver’s seat. Whether you leave
room for a driver to merge into your lane or wave at a
trucker while you’re both stopped at stop signs, there are many ways you can
show truckers that they have allies on the road.
#3: Thank a trucker
It wouldn’t be a successful Truck
Driver Appreciation Week without those two magic words — thank and you. In
today’s increasingly digital and virtually connected world,
in-person acknowledgments are a perfect and genuine way to show truck
drivers they’re appreciated.
Interstate travelers, in
particular, will likely be able to take advantage of this most, as
they have the opportunity to encounter truckers a great deal
at stops along their routes.
#4: Deliver some care to drivers who deliver
everything else
When a good
Samaritan left a care package for truckers and postal workers at
their doorstep this March, the heartfelt gesture made national news.
A seemingly small act
of kindness like this can make a significant, positive impact on a
driver’s day. And the good news is this doesn’t only apply
to residential homes. Anyone, anywhere — from
warehouse workers to retail managers — can leave care packages
filled with goodies, like sports drinks, water bottles,
snacks, and hand sanitizers, for drivers to treat themselves to.
#5: Say it with a sign
Many people have been getting creative and making Truck Driver Appreciation Week poster signs. You can show your gratitude — and your art skills — with a poster, some markers, and whatever else you wish. Once you have your poster ready, share it however you see fit. You can have your kids pose with it and post a picture to social media, tape it to a car window, or stick it on your balcony.
This week we are celebrating all of the truck drivers out there! Your appreciation doesn't have to be extravagant, a simple wave as your driving down the road makes a difference.
Remember, #THANKATRUCKER!
Chris Powers // Transportation Specialist