TransForce Celebrates National Truck Driver Appreciation Week 2021

This week, we join our peers and partners in the industry to celebrate National Truck Driver Appreciation Week (September 12 – 18), a time to honor the 3.6 million professional truck drivers who are safely navigating our roads.

Truck drivers are the backbone of our country—successfully keeping our businesses, lives, and economy moving forward. Over 70% of goods in the United States are placed on a commercial truck. From life-saving medical supplies and vaccines to daily essentials such as food, clothing, and fuel. Now more than ever, we need to rally behind our essential workers and extend our genuine support and admiration for all they do to enhance the quality of our lives.  

The COVID-19 pandemic presented considerable transportation and logistics challenges, ultimately uncovering acute deficiencies that continue to cripple today's supply chain. As lockdown restrictions eased globally and consumer demand increased, the already fragile system buckled under pressure. For example, the circulation of shipping containers decreased, leading to record-high rates. At the same time, congestion at our ports and railroads contributed to cargo sitting 2.5 times longer than before the pandemic. Additionally, the shortage of skilled labor coupled with warehouses reaching max capacity has enhanced the bottleneck further resulting in an even greater dependency on truck drivers to transport freight from coast to coast.