Schneider National says it has found a unique way to support military veterans, prisoners of war and missing-in-action soldiers. Last month, Schneider added the patriotically painted Ride of Pride VI truck to its nationwide fleet. Lowell Wilderman, a retired Navy veteran who has driven for Schneider for 17 years, will captain the special vehicle.
Prior to joining the Schneider fleet, the Ride of Pride VI – with Wilderman at the helm – participated in the Ride for Freedom, an annual event during which nearly a million motorcyclists ride through Washington, D.C., to promote POW-MIA issues. This year’s Ride for Freedom was held on May 27.
The Ride of Pride VI is a Freightliner Cascadia truck, a new truck model launched in May 2007 by Freightliner. Each year since 2001, employees at Freightliner’s Cleveland, N.C. plant have volunteered their time to design a Ride of Pride truck. This year’s design features images of a bald eagle, an American flag, a POW-MIA logo and military campaign ribbons from World War I to the Global War on Terror.
“We had a large number of drivers request the Ride of Pride truck, so we selected one person from a pool of drivers with military service,” says Darel Schoening, regional maintenance director for Green Bay, Wis.-based Schneider National and project lead for the Ride of Pride VI vehicle. “The task of selecting a driver was especially difficult, because over 35 percent of Schneider’s 15,500 drivers are military vets – a statistic we are extremely proud of.”
Wilderman is thrilled to be at the helm of the Ride of Pride VI. “This is an experience of a lifetime,” Wilderman says. “I am honored to get in the driver’s seat and show our troops how much we care.”
