Five good things in trucking: Hurricane relief, National Technician Appreciation Week, and Road Warriors

Trucking has seen its fair share of struggles the past several years, from natural disasters to coronavirus lockdowns. That's why it's especially important to focus on the way truckers and commercial carriers are helping each other and the general populace in this week's Five Good Things.

CSX donates $200,000 to Hurricane Ian relief efforts

Intermodal transport company CSX has donated $200,000 to support relief and recovery efforts in Florida and South Carolina communities affected by Hurricane Ian, which struck the East Coast last week and shot up spot rates in the Southeast.

American Red Cross will receive $150,000 of the contribution to support relief efforts throughout Florida and South Carolina, and Florida’s Disaster Fund will receive $50,000.

CSX also announced that it will match, dollar-for-dollar, employee contributions to the CSX Employees Disaster Relief Fund, which provides financial assistance to employees who have suffered severe damage to their homes and property

“CSX cares deeply about the communities where we operate and our thoughts are with all those in Florida and South Carolina that have been impacted by Hurricane Ian,” said Joe Hinrichs, president and CEO of CSX. “We are pleased to make this contribution towards recovery efforts and to ensure the delivery of critical resources to our neighbors in these communities where so many of our CSX employees, customers, and partners call home.”

Donations to the Red Cross will support the wide range of assistance underway, including working with community and government agencies to assess the damage and support emergency needs. The Red Cross is providing safe shelter, food, and health services to families who lost their homes and belongings. Florida’s Disaster Fund assists Florida’s communities as they respond and recover during times of emergency or disaster by distributing funds to service organizations in impacted communities.

Pilot Flying J honors Road Warriors

Pilot Flying J revealed the winners of its annual Road Warrior contest, which recognizes the hard work and sacrifice of truck drivers who go above and beyond to keep America moving.

Grand-prize winner, Sweetman, is an Army veteran with over 50 years and 5 million miles behind the wheel. He is also a volunteer for the Trucking Buddy nonprofit, which educates schoolchildren about the industry.

After reviewing thousands of nominations, this year’s $15,000 grand-prize winner is David Sweetman of Wilmington, Delaware. The $10,000 second-place winner is Jeffrey Thomas of Belews Creek, North Carolina. Inspired by the incredible stories received this year, Pilot Flying J for the first time in contest history determined it was a tie for third place, selecting Greg Hepner of Fayetteville, North Carolina, and Ron Rigdon of Tignal, Georgia, to win $5,000 each.

Grand-prize winner Sweetman is a U.S. Army veteran with more than 50 years and 5 million miles behind the wheel. He leases out his truck to Bennett Truck Transport as a power-only hauler for concerts, stage events, and equipment moves. He has also been a contributing writer and editor for various trucking publications for over 20 years. During the coronavirus lockdown, Sweetman carried on, helping set up food banks, hauling generators for emergency hospitals, and helping move generators, showers, and water treatment units for the Federal Emergency Management Agency after several natural disasters across the southern U.S.

Sweetman also is one of the original Trucker Buddy volunteers, working with classrooms to help educate young students across America. Through reading, writing, and mentorship, Sweetman and others help encourage future generations of professional drivers through tales of the road and showcasing how essential trucking is to the economy and our way of life.

“One of the great things about the project is that it gives us, the people traveling the country, a chance to share not only what we do but it teaches school children, who’ve maybe never left their hometown, where produce in the supermarket comes from—it comes from trucks,” Sweetman said.

To recognize his contributions and further the great work of Trucker Buddy, Pilot Co. surprised Sweetman during his award ceremony at the Bennett Family of Companies with a $15,000 donation on his behalf to the organization. To watch this special moment and Sweetman’s reaction, visit https://fb.watch/fXWEq9S1cj/.

Pilot Flying J’s second-place Road Warrior winner, Jeffrey Thomas, is the independent owner-operator of Joly American Enterprises and is a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and driver trainer with over 35 years of experience. Third-place winner, Greg Hepner, has spent 30 years and more than 3 million incident-free miles behind the wheel covering 38 states, 17 foreign countries, and three war zones. He drives for Tidewater Transit Co. The other third-place winner, Ron Rigdon, is an Army veteran, father and grandfather who operates a 53-foot race car hauler across the country for Parella Motorsports Holdings. Rigdon also started and operates Santa’s Toy Run, a toy drive and fundraiser dedicated to providing toys and funds to children in need.

Kenworth supports careers in trucking among U.S. military members

Kenworth Section Manager for Battery Electric Vehicle Development and member of the U.S. Navy Reserve Mark Buckner with a Kenworth T880.

Kenworth and Paccar, in their continued support of the U.S. armed forces, met with active and retired military personnel to provide information about the trucking industry at a career development and job hiring summit for Hiring Our Heroes, a U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation nonprofit dedicated to helping veterans transition to the private workforce. The summit was held at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, a U.S. Army installation in the Tacoma, Washington, metro area.

Kenworth representatives met with members of the military to discuss employment opportunities and offer information. A Kenworth W990 with a 52-inch flat-roof sleeper, Paccar MX-13 engine, and Paccar TX-18 was brought along for attendees to get an up-close and personal look at Kenworth’s equipment and learn about their latest long hood truck.

According to Mark Buckner, Kenworth section manager for battery-electric vehicle development and a member of the U.S. Navy Reserve, interest in meeting with top national and Washington state employers was high at the career summit.

“There was a line that wrapped around one of the cargo plane hangars, which is a very large building,” Buckner said. “A number of attendees stopped by the Kenworth booth and showed interest in learning about the company and our open positions. There was also a lot of interest in the W990 we had staged at the event. I think it was fun for people to compare a modern Class 8 commercial truck with equipment that’s used in the military—it’s very different. We received a lot of compliments about the styling of the truck and in-cab technology, such as the new 15-inch digital display.”

Buckner was one of several Kenworth employees on hand to discuss job opportunities and provide information about Kenworth to event attendees. Prior to joining Kenworth in 2018, Buckner spent seven years in active duty with the Navy as a submariner. His most recent deployment was to Afghanistan in 2017. Buckner has also served a combined 12 years in the Navy Reserve and currently ranks as a captain. With Kenworth, Buckner supervises a team of design engineers for hoods and bumpers of Kenworth’s Class 8 trucks.

Buckner met with several qualified candidates for open engineering positions within Kenworth. The company was taking applications ranging from open positions at the Kenworth Renton manufacturing plant, to engineering, HR, and marketing opportunities at company headquarters in Kirkland, Washington. Across Kenworth’s manufacturing plants in Renton and Chillicothe, Ohio, and its headquarters, Kenworth employs more than 150 veterans.

“It’s important to have career events for veterans transitioning from active duty to civilian life. They’re especially helpful for those that don’t quite know what they want to do post-military life,” Buckner said. “Working with Kenworth, I get to help design components for trucks that I see on the road every day and that help keep the economy moving. I think that’s pretty cool. It’s been a great experience working for Kenworth.”

In addition to supporting veteran career events, Kenworth is a leading sponsor for the Transition Trucking: Driving For Excellence program. The program is dedicated to finding America’s top rookie military veteran driver who has made the successful transition from active duty to driving for a commercial fleet. Kenworth will provide the top award for the seventh consecutive year—a Kenworth T680 Next Gen.

Highway Angel rushes to aid victims in Mississippi mishap

The Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) has named truck driver William Hancock, from Thaxton, Mississippi, a Highway Angel for rescuing four motorists after their vehicle crashed into an overturned 18-wheeler truck. Hancock drives for Ashley Distribution in Ecru, Mississippi.

On June 23, Hancock was driving on Interstate 22 outside Fulton, Mississippi, around 3:15 a.m. when another tractor-trailer veered off the road and overturned in front of him. A Dodge Challenger came up from behind, did not see the accident, and crashed into the top of the overturned trailer, said Hancock, who immediately pulled over.

“I jumped out of my truck,” Hancock said, noting that there seemed to be smoke coming from the crashed vehicle. “It looked like the inside of the car was on fire ... the biggest concern was getting them out of the car.”

There were four passengers in the car, and Hancock proceeded to extract them from the vehicle. He was able to help three passengers out of the car, but had trouble with the fourth.

“I went around to open the passenger-side door and it wouldn’t open at all,” he said.

Hancock said the woman sitting in the passenger seat was disoriented from being struck by the vehicle’s air bag as it inflated. He went back around to the back seat and pulled the woman over the seat and helped her exit out the back door. Miraculously, there were no serious injuries in the accident. A trucker for 24 years, Hancock recently completed cancer treatment and said he didn’t hesitate to stop to help.

“If it was my family in that car, I’d hope somebody would stop to help them."

National Technician Appreciation Week

This week, Oct. 2-8, is the third annual National Technician Appreciation Week hosted by American Trucking Associations (ATA) and ATA’s Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC). ATA and other trucking organizations took this week to recognize the vital work technicians have in keeping trucks on the road.

“While our industry’s trucks keep the country moving, we are pleased to take a week to recognize the efforts of the men and women who keep those trucks moving: America’s professional technicians,” said ATA President and CEO Chris Spear. “The work these professionals do is critical to the success of every motor carrier in the country and without their efforts our trucks wouldn’t be able to deliver the essential goods that keeps our economy running.”

Trucking companies such as Ruan, which had technicians compete in this year’s TMC SuperTech Competition, and truck safety technology provider Bendix took the time to recognize technicians’ critical role in the industry.

“Without trucks, America stops—and without technicians, trucks stop,” said Fred Andersky, Bendix director of government and industry affairs. “And we’re not just talking the big rigs on the freeway: School buses, cement mixers, fire and rescue vehicles, garbage haulers, and those ever-present package delivery vans—every single one of them is kept rolling by dedicated professionals whose skills enhance the safety of their drivers and the roads we all share. We’re incredibly grateful for all they do.”

TMC Executive Director Robert Braswell said, "We are very excited to launch the third annual National Technician Appreciation Week, highlighting the professional technicians that are so indispensable to the industry. Technicians are part of the backbone of the trucking industry. Without them, making sure vehicles are ready for service and in safe condition, drivers can't make the deliveries we rely on. This is the perfect time for our industry and the general public to show their appreciation and say, ‘Thank you’ to these important individuals and the valuable work they do.”