Ahead of National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, the industry is focused on donating to good causes within and outside of trucking and honoring truck drivers and other award winners. Read more about trucking’s latest in this week’s Five Good Things.
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Love’s donates $378,000 to local schools for 60th anniversary
Love’s roots can be traced back to 1964 and a single country store in Watonga, Oklahoma. That year, late founder Tom Love and his wife Judy Love opened a single country store that served residents and the traveling public. That vision has now grown to nearly 650 travel stops and country stores nationwide.
As a nod to these roots and its 60th anniversary, Love’s is committed to donating $6,000 to schools or school districts in the 63 cities it operates country stores. This initiative spans five states and totals $378,000. Local leaders and store team members in Oklahoma, Kansas, Utah, Colorado, and Arizona selected the local school/district recipients.
“In honor of our 60th anniversary we wanted to show our appreciation to the steadfast loyalty our customers and these communities have shown our country stores,” said Jenny Love Meyer, chief culture officer and EVP of Love’s. “Six decades ago, in one of our newspaper advertisements for the first store, my Dad included this short phrase 'fuels for the future.' Fast forward to today, and the start of a new school year, and we hope these funds will play a small part in fueling future generations of youth.”
Transervice awards $10,000 in college scholarships for employees’ children
Transervice Logistics recently announced the recipients of the 2024 Transervice Scholarship Awards for the Fall term.
The $2,500 scholarships to children of its employees recognize outstanding students who have demonstrated academic achievement, dedication to their fields of study, and community involvement. In addition, applicants were required to submit an essay explaining why they deserved this scholarship.
This year’s scholarship recipients are:
- Carly Pherigo, a marine science major attending the University of South Florida. She is the daughter of Jerod Pherigo, a mechanic at LG&E.
- Josephine Starin, majoring in elementary/middle school education at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. She is the daughter of Clint Starin, RDO at Berkeley.
- Maya Markowski, a biochemistry major at Binghamton University. She is the daughter of Marek Markowski, a driver at Montgomery.
- Evelyn Klumker, majoring in biology at Lehigh University. She is the daughter of Eric Klumker, a driver at Mountain.
“At Transervice, we deeply value our culture, family, and giving back to our employees,” said Kari Beeson, VP of human resources. “This commitment is what inspired us to develop the Transervice Scholarship Program, supporting the growth and future success of our team members and their families."
NPTC/International Trucks recognize 2024 National Driver All-Stars
Twenty-seven private fleet truck drivers who have demonstrated high-performance standards against their peer drivers throughout the country based on customer service, safety, adherence to company standards, regulatory compliance, and community service have been honored by the National Private Truck Council as 2024 National Driver All-Stars. The award is co-sponsored by International Trucks/Navistar.
“These drivers embody all the characteristics, skills, and attitudes that are the heart of what enables the private fleet to continue to deliver exceptional levels of customer service,” according to NPTC President and CEO Gary Petty. “They are ambassadors, not only for their company but for the entire private fleet community. We are honored to recognize these private fleet drivers for meeting high-performance standards in the fields of customer service, safety, and compliance.”
This year’s National Driver All-Star honorees are:
- Ricky Choate, Marathon Petroleum Company
- Charles Cofield, New South Express, Inc.
- Jose Cruz, Toyota Quality Parts Express, assigned by CPC Logistics
- Juan De La Rosa, Tempur Sealy International, Inc.
- Daniel Demery, JBS Carriers, Inc.
- Eric Eaton, Speedway | SWTO LLC
- Martell Farrell, Standard Logistics Transportation, assigned by Centerline Drivers
- Jose Fernandes, Ocean State Job Lot
- Jose Gallardo, Coastal Pacific Food Distributors, assigned by Centerline Drivers
- Jerrid Gossett, Fabri-Kal Corporation, assigned by CPC Logistics
- Louis Hartman, Frito-Lay, Inc.
- Richard Johnson, Univar Solutions USA Inc.
- Travis King, ADM Trucking, Inc.
- John Lauterio, Jr., Kroger Company
- Michael Martin, KeHE Distributors, LLC
- Joseph McWilliams, Schwan Food Company
- Christopher Mooney, CVS Health
- Greg Neece, Crowley Customized Transportation, assigned by Centerline Drivers
- Ricky Owens, Walgreen Oshkosh, Inc., assigned by CPC Logistics
- Gordon Pitcher, Mohawk Industries, Inc.
- Eric Powell, Deseret Transportation
- Richard Putskey, Brakebush Transportation, Inc.
- Tony Reno, Performance Food Group
- Christopher Serviss, Walmart Transportation LLC
- Walter Thompson, Occidental Chemical Corp.
- Christie Tilton, Procter & Gamble Company, assigned by CPC Logistics
- Brian Troutman, John Deere, assigned by CPC Logistics
See also: Private fleet benchmarking survey reports growth and efficiency
Relay Payments honors Deb LaBree and Roger Mackbach as the 2024 Haul of Fame Winners
Relay Payments recently announced two winners for its second annual Haul of Fame contest. After hundreds of nominations and thousands of public votes, judges selected Deb LaBree and Roger Mackbach as the 2024 Haul of Fame drivers.
"We had an incredible slate of drivers featured in this year's Haul of Fame, making it difficult to identify just two winners," said Relay's CEO Ryan Droege. "But in the end, Deb and Roger stood out for their significant contributions and dedication to the trucking community."
LaBree and Mackbach were both nominated because of their inspirational stories and their focus on bringing new people into the role of truck driving.
A truck driver for 18 years, LaBree is a key figure in Women in Trucking, serving on the organization's board and the image team. Her commitment to safety and efficiency has earned her many industry awards. She is a role model for aspiring female drivers, exemplifying that women can succeed in trucking.
Mackbach has been driving trucks for 24 years and returned to the road in 2008 after losing his right arm in a boating accident. He designed a custom prosthetic arm and became one of the first in Maine to qualify for interstate travel with an amputation. Roger advocates for other amputees, helping them regain their CDLs and adapt to life post-amputation.
Trimble announces 2024 Ovation Award winners
Trimble recently announced the winners of the 2024 Ovation Awards. The Ovation Awards recognize Trimble customers within its transportation and logistics segment for their solutions to improve business performance, safety, and efficiency. All products highlighted in this year's awards are software solutions provided by Trimble.
Automation All-Stars: Best in Improving Overall Efficiencies highlights companies that automate business processes to eliminate paperwork and reduce manual tasks.
Better Together: Best Collaboration recognizes organizations implementing Trimble solutions collaboratively with industry partners.
Rookies of the Year: Best Trimble Up and Comer honors new Trimble users who have adopted solutions enthusiastically and achieved notable results within the past 12 months.
Safety Superteam: Best in Advancing Safety salutes organizations that improve safety by reducing accidents and enhancing overall safety measures.
Attending Ovation Award winners will be celebrated during Trimble's Insight Tech Conference on September 15-17 in Las Vegas.
