National Truck Driver Appreciation Week will take place this year Sept. 15-21. To celebrate truck drivers across the U.S., companies within the trucking industry are offering their thanks through deals and other recognition next week and, in some cases, all month long.
Below, find some of the companies recognizing truckers this month and how they’re doing it. Stay tuned to this post in the coming days, as it will be updated as more deals and recognition are announced.
Pilot offering deals, launches annual Road Warrior contest
Pilot is celebrating truckers throughout September, saying “Here’s to You” to professional drivers with free drinks, special deals and the return of its annual Road Warrior contest.
“It truly is an honor to work shoulder to shoulder with professional drivers who keep North America moving, day in and day out,” said Jordan Spradling, vice president of transportation and logistics at Pilot. “At Pilot, we are committed to doing our part to support, serve, and show professional drivers they matter, and we look forward to seeing them out here on the road.”
Featuring real professional drivers in its campaign, Pilot is celebrating the hardworking people behind the wheel of a big rig with a “Here’s to You” cheers and an inviting call to “See You Out Here.” Throughout September, Pilot will recognize truckers in its commercials, billboards, store signage and digital content.
Pilot is also kicking off its annual Road Warrior contest with a $25,000 grand prize. The Road Warrior contest recognizes the individuals who weather the storms, long hours, and tight schedules to get the job done.
For this year’s contest, Pilot will invite people to nominate the professional drivers in their lives by visiting Pilot’s Facebook page and giving them a shout-out on each week’s Road Warrior recognition post. Every week during the contest, one deserving driver will be selected based on the details of their nomination to win a $1,000 prize.
At the end of the month, one of the four weekly Road Warrior winners will be named the grand prize recipient and awarded an additional $25,000. Winners will be announced in October.
Additionally, as a token of Pilot’s appreciation, truck drivers can save all September through use of the myRewards Plus app at participating Pilot, Flying J and One9 travel centers, including:
- Three free drinks every week, including Pilot coffee, fountain drinks and top-selling beverage brands from the cooler
- Exclusive discounts on popular snack items
- Military and veteran professional drivers will receive extra discounts on snacks in addition to the 10% military discount on food and beverage (after authentication through ID.me)
Love’s offering deals throughout September
Love’s Travel Stops is extending the National Truck Driver Appreciation Week celebrations with exclusive offers throughout September. All month, professional drivers can visit Love’s locations to redeem offers through My Love Rewards and on the Love’s Connect app.
To recognize truckers’ contributions year-round, Love’s has curated deals during Driver Appreciation Month, starting on Sept. 1. My Love Rewards members will receive an email with available offers, and they can activate mobile deals with a single tap in the special offer email or in the Deals section of the Love’s Connect app.
Love’s is offering drivers extra savings, rewards and points, including:
- Earn double My Love Rewards points on any in-store merchandise purchase in September by adding the Mobile Deal to your My Love Rewards card.
- Get a Premium Bundle truck wash at the Deluxe Bundle price by adding the Mobile Deal to your My Love Rewards card.
- Free driver appreciation hat with the purchase of three packs of gloves.
- Free Traverse Pro Series hat with the purchase of a Traverse Travel Gear seat cushion or Traverse Pro Series flashlight.
- Weekly discounts on various food items through the My Love Rewards card or Love’s Connect App.
- $10 back in My Love Rewards points on any oil and professional maintenance purchase.
As always, My Love Rewards provides drivers with free fountain drink refills and showers with any commercial diesel fuel fill of 50 gallons or more.
Carolina Tarps hears from independents about all things trucking
Carolina Tarps recently invited a group of independent truckers to famed Greenville, South Carolina, restaurant Saskatoon Steakhouse to talk about the highs, lows, and misconceptions of life on the road.
The essence of that event is captured in an 18-minute video, which can be seen below.
“My hope is that the insights shared from the evening will encourage other truck drivers, as well as give some much-needed perspective to those outside the industry,” said Jaron Ferrer, Carolina Tarps Operations Director.
In response to issues addressed in the roundtable discussion, Carolina Tarps implemented some immediate changes, including refreshing its bathrooms, offering water bottles and beef sticks to truckers who stop at its warehouse, and expanding the showroom inventory.
St. Christopher shows gratitude to truckers
The St. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund (SCF) is celebrating Truck Driver Appreciation Week with the support of several corporate sponsors, including Blue Beacon, Southern Recipe, Pilot Company, Truckstop.com, Echo Global Logistics, Shell Rotella, Raney’s Truck Parts, Fullbay and Brenny Transportation.
Each of the sponsors has made a donation to this year’s St. Christopher National Truck Driver Appreciation Week campaign ranging from $1,000 to $25,000. SCF’s campaign kicked off on Sept. 1 and will run through Sept. 30. The campaign includes a landing page with a video sharing statements of support, and pictures and stories of drivers that are the backbone of the corporate sponsors.
“While we at the St. Christopher Fund, along with our sponsors, show our appreciation for truck drivers all year long, Truck Driver Appreciation Week is a special time where everyone involved can elevate that appreciation on a bigger stage,” said Shannon Currier, Director of Philanthropy with St. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund. “Truck drivers are the backbone of our economy and work hard every day to make sure we have food on our tables, clothes on our backs, medical supplies, and more. We see and appreciate you, drivers, and greatly appreciation the support of everyone in our industry.”
This year, SCF will also be hosting a Hope-A-Thon across all its social media channels with some live interviews with campaign sponsors and SCF beneficiaries and health and wellness program participants throughout September.