The American Trucking Associations says it is out in full force for National Transportation Week 2008, working to promote the industry. America’s Road Team Captains, elite professional drivers with millions of accident-free miles, are giving individuals the opportunity to experience first-hand what professional drivers see out on the roads every day as part of National Transportation Week:
Captains are at Welcome Centers throughout Kentucky to educate motorists on how to safely drive around tractor-trailers and the essentiality of the trucking industry today through May 14;
Captains will be at Potomac Airfield in Fort Washington, Md., May 14 with two trucks to talk to 5,000 students about blindspots, as well as careers in trucking;
Captains will be at the U.S. Naval Base in San Diego May 14 to let 1,200 children of military families get inside the cab of a truck;
Captains will perform a safety demonstration May 15 at Cheney High School in Cheney, Kan., for 200 students;
Captains will work with Boy Scouts in Ramona, Calif., May 15 to earn their Transportation Merit Badge;
Captains will speak at the Wyoming Trucking Association Annual Convention’s Safety Awards Luncheon May 16 in Cody, Wyo.;
Captains are traveling to Sioux Falls, S.D., May 17 to speak at the South Dakota Truck Driving Championships Awards Banquet;
Captains will be in Baltimore for Teen Safety Day May 17 with a truck to demonstrate safe driving techniques; and
Captains will participate in Operation Lifesaver, a program that promotes railroad crossing safety awareness, touring Greensboro, Burlington, Durham, Cary, Raleigh, Selma, Rocky Mt., and concluding in Wilson, N.C.
Finally, Share the Road professional drivers will be at the MoDOT Safety Fair May 17 in Kirkwood, Mo., with a No-Zone truck to educate 500 attendees how to safely Share the Road with tractor-trailers and avoid the blindspots around trucks.
“National Transportation Week represents a chance for the industry to show the American public how important trucking is to their everyday lives,” says Bill Graves, ATA president and chief executive officer. “We have a full slate of events this week – and I know our drivers are our best ambassadors. Hopefully, attendees leave a little more informed, and a few pursue rewarding careers in trucking.”
