Five good things in trucking: Delivering holiday cheer and staying warm with furry friends
As we roll into November and the holiday season, it's important to keep enthusiasm high during the busiest shipping period of the year. One award-winner embodies the spirit of giving in this week's blog, and one company gives back ahead of Veterans Day. Kenworth delivers Christmas cheer, women in trucking are celebrated, and one carrier encourages its drivers to stay warm with furry friends in this week's Five Good Things.
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Kenworth's special T680 Next Gen revs up for the 2022 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree Tour
A Kenworth T680 Next Generation, adorned with newly installed special graphics, will soon transport the 2022 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree from the national forests in North Carolina to the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol Building.
This year’s tour themes of “From the Mountains to the Sea” along with “From the National Forests in North Carolina” are prominently displayed on the truck’s driver and passenger sides. The design also features the U.S. Capitol Building, the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree, and a background of the sunset overlooking the Pisgah National Forest in the Appalachian Mountains. The 2022 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree logo is displayed on the roof.
Siloam, North Carolina-based Hardy Brothers Trucking, this year's carrier, is recognized on both doors. The company selected its husband-and-wife driver team of Harold “Ed” Kingdon Jr. and Deborah Z Kingdon. The pair will have the honor of transporting the special tree—a 78-ft. red spruce scheduled to be harvested Nov. 2 from the Pisgah National Forest in North Carolina—to a full slate of community celebrations en route to Washington, D.C.
See also: ‘Transition Trucking’ contenders earn D.C. trip
The U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree Tour schedule runs through November, with public community celebrations beginning Nov. 5. The official tree lighting-ceremony on the U.S. Capitol’s West Lawn is scheduled for Nov. 30. Smaller companion trees also will be provided to decorate offices inside of the U.S. Capitol Building and other sites throughout Washington, D.C., along with handmade ornaments created by North Carolinians.
Clifton of UPS receives ATA Trucking Cares Foundation Lex Achievement Award
Last year, American Trucking Associations' (ATA) Trucking Cares Foundation presented its Trucking Cares Achievement Award toWalmart professional truck driver John Lex during ATA’s Management Conference & Exhibition (MCE) in Nashville. Not long after joining ATA President and CEO Chris Spear on stage, Lex, who was also an America’s Road Team Captain, lost his battle against colon cancer at age 56.
This year, during MCE in San Diego, Spear announced that the Trucking Cares Foundation board had decided to rename the accolade as the William John Lex Achievement Award. Every year, the award is given to an individual or company that exemplifies trucking’s spirit of giving. In recognition of the recipient's generosity of time and money, the foundation donates to the recipient’s 501(c)(3) charity of choice (such charity shall further the foundation’s mission).
The board also recognized Nikki Clifton, UPS president for social impact and the UPS Foundation, for pioneering the industry’s largest training initiative to combat human trafficking and for coordinating the in-kind distribution of COVID-19 vaccines and cold chain freezers to disadvantaged countries around the world.
In addition to her work at UPS over the past 19 years, Clifton is a National 4-H Luminary and serves on the board of directors for both the Girls Scouts Nation's Capital and Points of Light. She also was appointed to the U.S. Department of Transportation's Advisory Committee on Human Trafficking and serves on the advisory board for the CARE Global Network Leaders.
See also: UPS Father-daughter team drivers take family life on the road
Pilot honors veterans with free meals
In honor of Veterans Day, Pilot Co. is continuing its long-standing tradition of giving back to military service members and their families by offering a free meal at more than 750 participating Pilot, Flying J and One9 Fuel Network travel centers across the country. Veteran-founded Pilot also is bringing back its roundup campaign with the Call of Duty Endowment to help more of our nation's heroes transition to successful civilian careers after military service.
"Service members and their families give their all for our country and have incredible talents to offer in the civilian workforce upon leaving the military," said Shameek Konar, CEO of Pilot Co. "The Call of Duty Endowment has helped more than 100,000 veterans and their family members find career opportunities that leverage their skills, and we are honored to join them in this endeavor. We are proud to employ veterans across our organization and to further our mission to fuel life's journeys by giving back and saying, 'Thank you' to everyone who's served."
From Nov. 11 to Nov. 13, service members and their families verified through ID.me in the myRewards Plus app will receive a free meal credit valued up to $12.
See also: The benefits of hiring veterans
Women In Trucking Association announces finalists for 2022 Influential Woman in Trucking Award
The Women In Trucking Association (WIT) announced four finalists for the 2022 Influential Woman in Trucking award, sponsored by Daimler Truck North America. This is the 12th year for the award, which was developed in 2010 to recognize female leaders and to attract and advance women in the trucking industry.
See also: Women in Transportation 2022: Trailblazers in trucking
The 2022 Influential Woman in Trucking award finalists are:
• Trina Norman, transportation operation manager, UPS Inc.
• Jill Quinn, president, Centerline Drivers
• Mari Roberts, VP of transportation, Frito-Lay
• Lindsey Trent, president and co-founder, Next Generation in Trucking Association
Trina Norman is the Southern California feeder operations manager with UPS and has been with the company for 32 years.
Norman has proven to be a well-rounded leader and a global citizen. She mentors and sponsors young college students to achieve their academic goals while attending college. In October 2016, she attended UPS Driver Training School in South Holland, Illinois, where she became a certified feeder driver trainer.
Her mission is to recruit, empower, mentor, and encourage women to join the elite women behind the wheel at UPS.
Known for her collaborative leadership, she has received several honors and accolades, including Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA) Global Power 150 and Women In Trucking Association’s Top Women to Watch list over multiple years. Quinn sits on the National Private Truck Council (NPTC) Board of Governors. Under her leadership, Centerline has been named one of the Top Companies for Women to Work For in Transportation by WIT four times and a 2021 Top Workplace by Energage.
Mari Roberts is the VP of transportation for Frito-Lay.
She leads a team of about 3,000 employees in both the field and headquarters organization responsible for the safety, cost, and service performance of the 28 traffic centers in the U.S. and third-party carrier operations. Roberts has held numerous field operations and corporate positions in transportation and logistics in her 22-year career with Frito-Lay.
Under her leadership, Frito-Lay has been named one of the Top Companies for Women to Work For in Transportation by WIT. Fifty percent of all back-office and leadership roles are held by women, and the number of female drivers at Frito-Lay has tripled in the last few years.
Lindsey serves on the board of directors of the Kentucky Trucking Association and the advisory board of Fairdale High School where she helped start their diesel technician program.
All four finalists will participate on a panel discussion at the WIT Accelerate! Conference & Expo to be held in Dallas Nov. 13 through Nov. 16. The winner will be announced after the panel discussion on Nov. 15.
See also: Lindsey Trent: Attracting the next generation in trucking
CFI promotes lifestyle benefits of pets for truckers
Just as having the family pet around the house is a source of enjoyment and relaxation that leads to happier and healthier lives, those same benefits can be enjoyed by CFI’s professional drivers as they head out on the road joined by their furry companions.
“Life on the road can sometimes be lonely, but having a pet along for the ride provides companionship and a partner that can help ease those feelings and support a more pleasant and enjoyable driving experience,” noted Greg Orr, president of CFI. “That’s why we sponsor a program that supports drivers who want to bring their pets to work, encouraging them to have that companion join them on the open road.”
CFI has had a pet ride-along program in place since 1995. Orr noted that over the past several years, the company has seen an increase in drivers bringing their pets along for the ride. This year, CFI, which employs nearly 2,000 drivers, has surpassed more than 350 drivers who bring their pets on the road with them.
Studies have shown that pet companionship on the road has important benefits for both the emotional and physical well-being of drivers. Interacting with pets can decrease levels of cortisol, helping to lower stress, improve sleep quality, and support a happier driving experience. Walking pets during rest stops provides a physical exercise opportunity for both. Pets also often provide an incentive to initiate and participate in social interactions and conversations. And the companionship provided by a pet during days on the road can help reduce anxiety.
“We believe that professional drivers should have the opportunity to drive with their dog or cat so that everyone can enjoy a ‘paw-sitive’ driving experience,” Orr said.
