Get Ready For Truck Driver Appreciation Week

National Truck Driver Appreciation Week is coming up in mid-September. But it’s never too early to start planning for how you are going to celebrate. TDAW is not only a great way to show your drivers you care, but also to work on retention and building up your driver-centric culture.

Truck Driver Appreciation Week exists because truck drivers want to be recognized. And you should recognize them. There are a lot of different ways you can do this. They don’t have to cost a ton to undertake either.

One way you can show your appreciation is hosting a health fair. These free events are held during appreciation week every year, such as those put on by TCA. Drivers can get a ton of free stuff and also learn a lot about staying healthy on the road. It’s both a fun and educational experience that shows your drivers you care about their well-being and also want them to have a good time. TCA has a website where you can inquire all about these health fairs.

If that sounds too boring to you, there are a lot of other ways to show your appreciation. Many companies have cookouts and similar lunch type events, and while those are well-intentioned, they often get missed by a lot of drivers because they’re too busy out on the road. There’s no point in showing your appreciation to only a handful of drivers while others have to miss out.

The best way to dig into appreciation week is to know your drivers. If you’re not sure what the best way to celebrate them is, just ask them. You develop a driver-centric culture at your company through your drivers and allowing them to have input to pick a special event is entirely necessary. This way, you can plan an event that both promotes what your company stands for and shows your appreciation to YOUR drivers specifically.

This could range from anything from giving gift cards to your drivers to they can take their families out to dinner on a night off, to useful stuff like new travel mugs or mini coolers they can use on the go. Companies are all different and only you will be able to decide what works best for your drivers and what defines your company to them.

We will be bringing you all kinds of ideas and reminders about National Truck Driver Appreciation Week on this blog leading up to the week itself September 10-16. We will show you different ways you can reward your drivers for all of their hard work and establish a new tradition of appreciation at your company, including some ways other companies have done this in the past.

But for now, start thinking about things you can do to show your appreciation to your drivers. Prove to them they are making the right call driving for your company. Because your company cares more about them than the other guys and is not afraid to show it. Showing appreciation to your drivers is a key part of retention and building that driver-centric culture we always talk about. Start working on it today.