Five good things that happened in trucking this week – Aug. 14

As COVID-19 continues to impact the economy through 2020, families across the country are still in need of food, resources and some fun. Companies like Carrier Transicold, Death Wish Coffee, FedEx, Thermo King and more are making sure that comes in spades. Here are five good things that happened in trucking this week.

Toddler welcomes his trucker dad home

This past weekend, a viral video spread across the Internet of a young boy welcoming his father home from a trip on the road. Paired with the song, “Roll On (Eighteen Wheeler)” by Alabama, the young toddler threw his hat down and ran straight for his dad.

Watch the adorable video below.

Death Wish Coffee and Front Row Motorsports team up to #thankatrucker

Death Wish Coffee Company, an independent coffee manufacturer based in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. and primary sponsor on John Hunter Nemechek’s No. 38 Ford Mustang, have joined Front Row Motorsports’ (FRM) “Thank A Trucker” campaign to show appreciation for truck drivers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fans and followers can now nominate a special truck driver in their lives for recognition at the end of the campaign. This driver’s name will be included in a special “Thank A Trucker” paint scheme to be driven by John Hunter Nemechek at Martinsville Speedway, scheduled for November 1.

Participants will be able to earn extra entries after filling out the form by following or sharing the campaign on social media, filling out questionnaires and more. Each nomination will still be entered to win prizes like autographed merchandise from FRM drivers, as well as free coffee and other swag from Death Wish Coffee, who has committed to giving more than $10,000 to truckers, which will be given out in daily $100 prizes.

“We know that it would be virtually impossible to keep our country going without front line workers right now,” said Mike Brown, CEO of Death Wish Coffee. “The Front Row Motorsports ‘Thank A Trucker’ campaign aligns really well with our efforts as an organization, particularly our ‘Broke, Not Busted’ program, to provide service-industry COVID-19 relief. We thought this would be a great way to stretch that message even further.”

FedEx-themed birthday party

On Aug. 7, five-year-old Yungyal celebrated his birthday in style – FedEx style that is. With a FedEx truck costume paired with a FedEx hat and specially personalized cake, it’s definitely a birthday to remember. Happy birthday, Yungyal!

Thermo King, Carrier Transicold support families in need

A local Thermo King dealership also looked to help its community.

When employees at Thermo King of Roanoke finished installing multi-temp evaporator units in refrigerated semi-truck trailers for a customer, they realized that they had nearly 1,500 pounds of leftover copper pipe. The team decided to turn in the scrap metal for money and make a donation to their local food bank, Feeding Southwest Virginia. The donation totaled $3,477.72.

As they were preparing to send the donation, Peter Hollett, the owner of the dealership, decided to match the donation, bringing the total to $6,955.44. The team then remembered that Kroger, Inc. made a pledge to match all donations to food banks and reached out to Kroger. The grocery chain agreed to match the donation, making for a grand total of $13,910.88. That equates to 139,100 meals for families in Southwest Virginia.

Carrier Transicold is helping the Mid-Ohio Food Bank deliver fresh food throughout the 20-county region that it serves and installed a X4 Series Model 7300 refrigeration unit on a 53-foot-long trailer by Williams Carrier Transicold of Columbus.

“The support of Carrier Transicold moves us one step closer to realizing our vision of a hunger-free and healthier community,” said Matt Habash, president and CEO, Mid-Ohio Food Collective. “Today, more than 50% of the food we distribute is fresh – fruits and vegetables, bread, eggs, meat and dairy. Our refrigerated trucks and trailers help us deliver it to our partners for distribution within two days of arrival, helping to preserve its nutritional quality.”

The Mid-Ohio Food Bank typically distributes more than 66.5 million pounds of food annually, providing enough food for more than 150,000 meals daily, serving nearly 600,000 people annually across central and eastern Ohio. Those numbers have been significantly increasing in 2020, due to the pandemic.

“Helping the Mid-Ohio Food Collective through this unit installation was a privilege for our Columbus service team,” said Nick Gutbrod, sales manager, Williams Carrier Transicold of Columbus. “By supporting the food bank, we are helping Ohio neighbors who are urgently in need.”