Five good things that happened in trucking this week—Nov. 19

As the holiday season gets closer, people everywhere are getting their Thanksgiving ingredients weeks ahead of the holiday as the growing supply chain challenges continue to impact the American public. The trucking industry—as always—is doing what it can to lend a hand this year. Here are five good things that happened in trucking this week.

ATA names 2022-23 America’s Road Team finalists

American Trucking Associations (ATA) has released the list of 36 professional truck drivers named as finalists for the 2022-2023 term of America’s Road Team.

To be nominated to serve as an America’s Road Team Captain, truck drivers must be employed or leased to an ATA member company. Each nominee should have an excellent safety record and should demonstrate an ability to communicate his or her commitment to safety and passion for the industry. Nominees should also portray a positive image of the professional truck driver in all that they do.

“These men and women were selected as finalists for America’s Road Team because they have outstanding safe driving records, share a passion for the trucking industry, and are role models among their peers,” ATA President and CEO Chris Spear said. “We owe these professional drivers our gratitude, without them the American economy would come to a halt.”

The 36 finalists advance to the final round of the selection process, being held January in Arlington, Virginia. The newly chosen 2022-2023 America’s Road Team will be announced on Jan. 19 following a ceremony on Capitol Hill in Washington.

Click here to see the full list of finalists.

Xos, Los Angeles Mission to distribute 10,000 meals

Xos is partnering with Los Angeles Mission, a nonprofit dedicated to breaking the cycle of homelessness and poverty in L.A. and will deploy its fully electric stepvan for emission-free transportation and delivery of 10,000 meals to Los Angeles families experiencing food insecurity. 

The distribution is part of Los Angeles Mission’s effort to combat food insecurity and rising food prices across L.A. and will take place on two dates at five locations. On Friday, Nov. 19, an Xos vehicle will be filled with food boxes containing 6,000 meals and then delivered to four school distribution locations. On Sunday, Nov. 21, an Xos vehicle filled with food boxes containing 4,000 meals will be delivered to Guardians of Love, a nonprofit that supports children in the foster care system. 

“We’re grateful to have a partnership with Xos to distribute meals and combat rising food prices as we continue fighting food insecurity and empowering more clean energy usage in our city,” said Troy Vaughn, CEO of Los Angeles Mission. “Nearly 1 million Los Angeles County residents face food insecurity—a return to pre-pandemic levels. These are issues that need more attention and are only getting more dire each year. We’re doing everything we can to combat this and are thankful for our partners like Xos who are helping mitigate this issue.” 

The two delivery events are part of Los Angeles Mission’s Race to Feed initiative that aims to deliver 300,000 meals in 60 days to families in need. The mission is partnering with celebrity chef Michael Voltaggio for Race to Feed, and he will be present at the distribution on Nov. 21. 

NTDA awards $20,500 in scholarships

The National Trailer Dealers Association (NTDA) has selected seven scholarship recipients, marking a total of $235,500 in total awards to date. The recipients were selected based on financial need; leadership skills; participation in service organizations, clubs, and other student groups at school and in the community; and academic record.

NTDA selected students Devon Schroeder, Kaemon Wilkison, and Bernard Dzogbenuku to receive $3,500 scholarships. Raine Chornomitz, Riley Pope, Michelle Panameno, and McKenna Warawa will receive $2,500 scholarships.

During the 31st annual NTDA Convention Annual Golf Tournament & Scholarship Fundraiser, a long-drive contest was held featuring Lisa “Longball” Vlooswyk—eight-time longball champion and second-ranked longball champion in the world. Participants had the opportunity to outdrive Vlooswyk for a $20 donation to the scholarship fund, which raised more than $3,500.

Ryan Cook from Saw Valley Custom Chainsaw Carvings, who has been featured on the HGTV and Netflix “Carver Kings” and “Saw Dogs” series, carved a one-of-kind eagle from a tree stump. His creation was auctioned off, raising additional funds for the scholarship program and bringing fundraising efforts during the convention that will go toward the 2022 program to $12,000.

“The generosity of the NTDA membership is incredible,” said Gwendolyn Brown, NTDA's president. “Supporting children of NTDA members in their pursuit of further education gives students a chance at a brighter future and provides an immediate impact.” 

Feeding Westchester holds annual Stuff-A-Bus drive for Thanksgiving

Stop & Shop and the Westchester County Bee-Line Bus System hosted their third annual Stuff-a-Bus Food Drive from Nov. 5-11. This year, Westchester County government’s SMART Commute Program joined Feeding Westchester and Stop & Shop to support the effort.

Donation bins were set up at all 14 Westchester Stop & Shop stores to accept nonperishable food donations. After which, the donations will be distributed to Feeding Westchester’s community partners and programs that have been assigned to each store. 

“With rising costs of heating oil, gasoline, food, and food supply shortages, dollars are being stretched for our neighbors in need,” Feeding Westchester said in a post. “Your generous support is needed now and will make an immediate impact by providing food—and hope—for families who are struggling.”

Chester’s Chicken, Love’s Travel Stops host “Truckersgiving”

Chester’s Chicken and Love’s Travel Stops teamed up to create the first holiday season celebration to say thanks to truck drivers: Truckersgiving. On Thursday, Nov. 18, a week before Thanksgiving, Chester’s and Love’s celebrated these essential road warriors by inviting them in for a pit stop to receive a specially designed trucker hat and free side of Chester’s new mac and cheese.

Within the more than 560 Love's locations in 41 states, there are over 140 Chester’s restaurants—and more opening every week. According to Love’s, the week prior to Thanksgiving is busier with truck traffic than Thanksgiving week, making it the ideal time to treat these drivers.

“Truck drivers are more essential than ever due to the challenges brought on by the global pandemic. We rely on them to deliver critical goods—fuel, food, medicine, vaccines, etc.—that we’ve become so accustomed to in our daily lives,” said William Culpepper, VP of marketing of Chester's Chicken. “When the supply chain was disrupted, truckers and the important work they perform were rightfully applauded. We established what we hope to become an annual holiday, Truckersgiving, to praise and thank truck drivers for all they do, including the acknowledgement that many are away from their families during the holiday season.”