American Patriotism in the Trucking Community

Patriotism runs deep in the veins of American truckers, and this community has a long history of honoring the heroes of our nation: our men and women who serve and have served in the military.

One major hurdle members of the military face after leaving the armed forces is finding a job, especially in today's economy. Jobs are scarce, but this is one area where truckers have a played a major role in helping many veterans to better their lives.

There are close to 20 million American men and women who have served our country. Now, many work in the trucking industry in some capacity. Not only are there many truckers who
have family members who have served in the armed forces, but many truckers come from a
military background. Some have even served abroad. This special relationship that truckers have with patriotism is nothing new; it goes back to one of the very first versions of a semi truck, which was being pulled behind the American classic, Model T Ford.

In 2014, Forbes magazine mentioned that truck driving was one of the top ten careers for veterans. To help boost these numbers, trucking companies all over the US have developed special programs to attract, assist and train veteran to become drivers.  One top trucking company with a reputation for hiring veterans is JB Hunt. In fact, JB Hunt was founded by a veteran who believed in providing solid and safe employment to people who were willing to work. In the past decade, JB Hunt has become a proud partner for veterans.

For years, the trucking industry has shown gratitude to veterans in several other ways. Truckers News has regularly collected photos of veterans submitted via its readers and developed a large online gallery. Then there are other truckers who have started an initiative of offering meaningful employment to veterans. The Owner Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) has continued to help veterans become owner operators in the trucking industry. The eventual goal is to help transition the lives of veterans so that they have meaningful, lifelong careers.

Furthermore, the American Trucking Association has always welcomed military veterans into trucking with open arms. Along the highways, many restaurants & cafes which serve truckers also offer free or subsidized meals to veterans on Veteran's Day. Similarly, coffee shops like Pilot Flying J have in the past donated nearly 10% of their profit to causes deemed important to veterans.

Many truckers also donate their time, service and skill to military veterans in many different ways, such as:

- Visiting the wounded veterans in healthcare facilities
- Helping with repairs of the homes of deployed servicemen
- Delivering meals and care packages to veterans in hospitals and nursing homes
- Offering transportation to men and women who are not able to commute between their home and the VA medical facilities.

In past years, the Road Dog Trucking channel on SiriusXM radio has held a Truckers for Troops Telethon. Donations received have been used to send care packages to troops overseas in Afghanistan, Iraq and other locations around the globe, and the last seven telethons have raised over $400,000.. The all-inclusive care package is more than adequate to supply an entire military unit and is much appreciated by the veterans.

Are you a trucker, or do you know someone who is? Do you or your employer honor our nation's military in some way? Have you heard about anything that we haven't already included above? Tell us about it in the comments below!