National Truck Driver Appreciation Week 2009 began Sunday, Nov. 1, and will run through Nov. 7 in celebration of the nation’s nearly 3.5 million professional truck drivers.
The annual event was shifted from its summer date of past years to coincide with the start of the holiday shipping season. Events honoring commercial drivers are intended to remind the public that many goods they rely on daily are delivered by truckers.
“This week is a time where companies, customers and the American family can show their appreciation and honor all drivers and their families,” said ATA President and CEO Bill Graves.
Professional truck drivers log more than 432 billion miles per year, while trucks delivered 10.7 billion tons of freight in 2007, or 69 percent of total U.S. freight tonnage.
