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THETRUCKER.COM FEATURES
AUGUST 1-14, 2021 • 25
Round up for a good cause
TRAVELCENTERS OF AMERICA ASKS CUSTOMERS TO
ROUNDS UP FOR ST. CHRISTOPHER TRUCKERS RELIEF
THE TRUCKER NEWS STAFF
WESTLAKE, Ohio — From now until
Labor Day, TravelCenters of America Inc.
is asking customers to help raise funds
for truckers in need by rounding up their
purchase to the next dollar. All proceeds
will go to St. Christopher Truckers Relief
Fund (SCF), an organization that helps
professional drivers who are out of work due
to an illness or injury.
Customers will have the option to round
up their purchase to the nearest dollar at any
TA, Petro Stopping Centers or TA Express;
the option is also available for purchases
made at the fuel islands.
“We’re big supporters of St. Christopher
Truckers Relief Fund,” said Jon Pertchik, CEO
NURSING cont. from Page 23
used to be a nurse, and she did the same thing.
And she’s had a very successful trucking
business career,” Steward explained. “I had a
lot of time to think during that assignment. I
began to wonder, what all goes into it?”
Stewart floated the idea to her husband,
who’d driven with local trucking companies
for some time. With him on board, she began
researching the ins and outs of starting up the
business.
“I mentioned the idea around February,
and I just kinda kept working toward it,” she
said. “I watched YouTube video after YouTube
video all about successful trucking companies.
I watched The Highway Diva; she’s a truck
owner and she makes multiple YouTube
videos. She’s extremely helpful. She drives
with her daughter sometimes. I commented
on it, and she commented back to me. She’s
just great. She’s very friendly.
“I made a big ol’ check list, and I would
take notepads and I would just literally make
lists and I’d write notes. And as I went, I would
just scratch it off. I did the LLC and applied
for our own vehicle authority. I just did it
step by step,” she continued. “That’s what I’d
tell anyone who wants to do this. I would say,
‘Take baby steps and research and make lists.
Just take your time.’”
Stewart is quick to point out that while she
was spearheading the effort, the entire family
had input at some level, from her husband’s
experience behind the wheel to settling on the
name of the venture.
“At first someone said, ‘Stewart Trucking’
and I thought, ‘No, I want it to be cute. Stand
out,’” she said.
“One of my daughters actually came
up with the name, ‘Keeping Up with the
Stewart’s’ which is like ‘Keeping Up with the
Kardashians,’ you know. She always says she
wants a TV show,” Stewart said. “So, I was
sitting there one day at work, and I was like
‘You know what? That could work. ’Cause it’s
a trucking company and it’s always moving.’”
In May, the family found the perfect rig —
a 2017 Kenworth T680 — in Texas and drove
of TA. “We have an opportunity for everybody
to contribute out there for the benefit of
truckers in need.”
The campaign started July 1 and will
continue through Monday, Sept. 6.
“TA began its support of SCF in 2010 and
has since raised nearly $3 million for the
organization. We are honored and humbled
by the support we receive from TravelCenters
of America and its generous customers,” said
Donna Kennedy, director of SCF. “Professional
drivers always support each other, and we
are confident when they see the point-of-sale
fundraiser at TA registers across the country,
they will be proud to help. This campaign will
have an immense impact for those in need.” 8
it home to Louisiana after Ashley’s stint in
Dallas wrapped up. Once settled into the new
routine, the challenging realities of making a
go in the trucking business sank in.
“At first, we were very defeated because
nobody would work with us because we were
so new,” Stewart said. “I had been working on
it since March but because it just went active,
it finally cleared May 28, that’s what they were
going by. The first week, we’d make a call they
would say ‘Nope. Nope. Nope.’”
Their break finally came, however, and
Keeping Up with the Stewart’s was on the
road.
“We did one load, like a trailer drop — that
was our first move — and ever since that,
we’ve been successful,” she said.
While DeAntonio hauls the dry vans to
various destinations out of state, Ashley serves
as dispatcher and is taking a broker course, in
addition to continuing her nursing career. She
said her experience as a nurse actually plays a
role in her life as an owner-operator.
“It’s funny,” she said. “When you’re looking
at the loads and trying to piece and part them
together and map load after load, you have to
see the bigger picture. As a charge nurse and
a house supervisor, you have always look at
the bigger picture too, like the flow and the
management of things. Learning the trucking
business, I can really rely on how I manage
others as a nurse, seeing a bigger picture.”
Still, she admits balancing two careers and
a family of four daughters, ranging in age from
7 to 14, is not without its daily challenges.
“It’s hard some days, but I think being
a nurse through COVID, you learn how to
prioritize a lot of things — what is a priority
in life and what isn’t, you know?” she said.
“I sleep when I can and research some stuff
when I have a little free time here and there
and just keep working hard.”
One of the most important things is to not
go it alone, she said.
“My husband and I work on this together,”
she explained. “I just wanted to have something
we could call our own. I would want my
daughters to see that and know that whatever
you put your mind to, the sky’s the limit.” 8
TICKETS
TICKETS
Courtesy: TravelCenters of America
A register round-up campaign benefitting St. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund is going on now at all TravelCenters of
America locations, including TA, TA Express and Petro.
NO MEMBERSHIP FEES
NO MEMBERSHIP FEES
NO MEMBERSHIP FEES
MOVING & NON-MOVING
MOVING & NON-MOVING
MOVING & NON-MOVING
NO MONTHLY DUES
NO MONTHLY DUES
NO MONTHLY DUES
1-800-333-DRIVE
1-800-333-DRIVE
1-800-333-DRIVE
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