Celebrating Drivers This NTDAW
National Truck Driver Appreciation Week is September 13-19 this year. This week is a great time to recognize drivers who keep our stores stocked, our pantries full, and truly deliver our way of life.
In my experience, making sure the week goes right takes a bit of preparation. Here are a few ideas to help you get started.
Provide Company Swag
Give drivers something they can use to show pride in the company they work for. Not only does it boost morale, but it also helps drivers, who often work alone on the road, feel more connected to the larger company.
High-quality items like branded jackets, caps, coolers, and shirts make drivers feel valued and part of a unified crew. Useful items like insulated travel mugs, phone chargers, or durable duffel bags can make their long hours on the road more comfortable
Cook For Your Drivers
I have hosted recognition cookouts in the past. Nothing shows appreciation like a leadership team cooking or providing meals for drivers and thanking them in person.
A warm, home-cooked meal at the terminal shows drivers they are genuinely valued and makes them feel appreciated and respected after their many long hours on the road. Sharing a meal can also help bridge the gap between management and drivers, creating an open, friendly environment where drivers feel comfortable voicing concerns.
Prepare For The Heat
Since it is hot now and will still be warm during National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, you can prepare hydration and snack packs to hand out to drivers. Focus on easy-transport items like:
- Electrolyte packets
- Cold drinks and water
- Beef or turkey jerky sticks and single-serve cheese or string cheese
- Almonds, pistachios, cashews, or sunflower seeds
- Fruits like apples, bananas, and oranges, or single-serving applesauce and fruit pouches
- Popcorn, pretzel packs, or other crunchy snacks
Hold Raffles With High-Value Gifts
When there was room in the budget, we’d hold raffles throughout the week, giving away high-value prizes to multiple people each day to increase driver engagement.
Holding raffles gives drivers a reason to stop at the terminal and perhaps get one of those meals I mentioned, giving them a time to chat with other drivers and hang out for a while.
Utility gifts are a great option: high-value gift cards, streaming subscriptions, Bluetooth headsets, heated and cooling lunchboxes, a nice set of tools, or high-end tumblers. If you have the budget, you can also do bigger-ticket items like TVs, gaming consoles, tablets, or even an experience like a 1-day guided fishing trip.
Don’t Forget OTR Drivers
For fleets with drivers spread across the country, handing out gifts directly may not be feasible, but it’s still key to show your appreciation. A short video or hand-written cards from your leadership team can be a more personal way to thank drivers. If you’re planning ahead, you can ship gifts to OTR drivers’ home addresses in advance so you don’t have to worry about them stopping by to pick them up.
If you’ve got contracted owner-operators running under your authority, consider offering complimentary vehicle checks with minor repairs handled, or truck wash vouchers.
When I ran a terminal early in my career, I wrote personalized thank-you notes to the drivers. I didn’t realize the impact it had until one of my drivers, who joined us after a 20-year career with a company that had closed, approached me and thanked me for the letter. He said he let his wife read it and said that he had never received anything like it from the previous company. Those letters don’t just impact the drivers; they impact the people they are close to.
Spend Time With Your Team
For recognition to stick, it has to feel personal and like you mean it. Spend time in dispatch and in the driver break rooms that week. Thank people face to face. Ask what you could be doing better, and actually listen to the answer. Some of the best operational changes I ever made started with a conversation that began with me saying thank you.
These recommendations can be applied throughout the year, too. Showing your appreciation regularly is a key way to make this week have extra impact. NTDAW is a great time to show extra gratitude, but drivers can feel the difference between one week of appreciation and actually being valued year-round.
Thank Drivers For All They Do
One year during National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, we fed an over-the-road driver who wasn’t one of ours. He got to talking with our drivers, mentioned that his own company wasn’t doing anything that week, and ended up applying to work for us. Appreciation keeps current drivers happy and can also be an effective recruiting tool.
If you see a driver, thank them for what they do. The days are long, and the work is tough, and recognition shouldn’t be in short supply.
And if you’re a driver reading this: thank you. For the stocked shelves, for the safe roads, and for the part of all this that most people never see.
Want to connect with Rodney about your fleet?