If ever there was a holiday for America’s truckers, today, Labor Day, is it.
Today, this federal holiday has evolved into a time for sales at stores asking employees to work while most others have the day off. It’s also become the day for a last summery fling — a picnic, a trip to a state fair, a day at the beach or the lake or a family gathering at home — before fall arrives and the recognition winter is not that far away.
However, when President Grover Cleveland signed legislation in 1894 establishing Labor Day as a national observance, the holiday was meant to pay tribute to America’s workers. Despite all else that has gone on, the day ought to still be a time for the efforts of hardworking men and women, no matter their profession or status, to be recognized and appreciated.
And, truck drivers and others in the transport industry, are especially worthy of that recognition today.
During the Covid pandemic that disrupted daily life for most people, truck drivers did not have the ability to work from home. If anything, their jobs became considerably more difficult as shippers and receivers enacted strict rules on who could enter their properties and what they could and couldn’t do once there. Truck stops curtailed many services; some even closed. Eventually, truckers were recognized as “essential” workers, men and women necessary to the not just for the orderly flow of goods, but essential to life itself.
But, when was the last time someone referred to you, a truck driver, as “essential”?
Later this month, fleets and other businesses — and some members of the public — will observe National Truck Driver Appreciation Week. Truckers will be recognized, fed, gifted and praised. The gestures may be as modest as a “Thank you, truckers!” sign held aloft by a kid on an interstate overpass, or as impressive as extra pay from your employer.
However, Labor Day 2024 is or ought to be about the workers who make daily life possible. At the forefront of those workers are truck drivers. We hope you are home with your family and friends, but also know you may very well be on the road. Either way, happy Labor Day. May you feel respect, appreciated and honored.
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