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THETRUCKER.COM OCTOBER 2022 • 21
THANKS cont. from Page 19
Company officials also noted, “Truck
drivers have been a big part of what makes
Walmart special since the earliest days of the
company, and they’ll continue to help drive
Walmart’s success as we lead retail into the
future. Thank you to our amazing team of current
drivers, and I’m looking forward to welcoming
new faces in the weeks and months to
come.”
At J.B. Hunt, drivers were treated to giveaways
and other festivities that included their
families. Prizes, including gift cards, jackets,
T-shirts, hats and backpacks, were given to
drivers, along with free food.
“What would the world look like without
truck drivers?” a J.B. Hunt news release queried.
“Grocery stores would be without food,
hospitals would lack supplies, mail and package
delivery would stop and lines would form
around fuel stations. We don’t have to worry
about these scenarios because of the hardworking
people that drive the trucks that keep
this country moving.”
Werner held celebrations at its terminals
throughout the U.S.
“The appreciation and respect we have for
our professional drivers at Werner runs deep.
As the heart of our company, we are excited to
not only express our gratitude for their hard
work during National Truck Driver Appreciation
Week, but to recognize the important role
professional drivers play in our nation’s economy,”
said Derek Leathers, chairman, president
and CEO of Werner.
Twice weekly throughout the month of
September, Chief Carriers provided special
lunches for its drivers. Brett Kleier, safety
manager at Chief Carriers, smoked a pork
shoulder through the night and served a special
lunch to drivers at the terminal in Grand
Island, Nebraska.
During National Truck Driver Appreciation
Week, Chief Carriers also handed out
goodie bags, gift cards and other swag to their
professional drivers at company terminals in
Indiana and Nebraska.
Global logistics company C.H. Robinson
offered $100,000 in giveaways directly to truck
LOVPB-0055_052722_5125x375_V1_L1.pdf 1 5/27/22 10:27 AM
HOW WE HELP
drivers in recognition of the 100,000 miles on
average they travel every year. Each business
day from Sept. 11-23, C.H. Robinson held 10
giveaway drawings, each for $1,000, for carriers
who by booked and picked up C.H. Robinson
loads.
In addition, for every “thank-you” message
posted using the hashtag #ThanksForEverythingLiterally
on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn
or Instagram, the C.H. Robinson Foundation
donated $5 — up to $25,000 — to the St. Christopher
Truckers Relief Fund, which helps
truck drivers in need.
“We appreciate truck drivers every day of
the year, and Truck Driver Appreciation Week
especially gives us another opportunity to take
a step back, reflect and truly recognize the
people who help make our world go ’round,”
said Mac Pinkerton, president of North American
surface transportation for C.H. Robinson.
“As one of the largest logistics companies
in the world, we get to see first-hand how
truck drivers continue to step up to deliver all
of life’s essentials that we often take for granted,”
Pinkerton continued. “We are so grateful
for their dedication and thrilled we get the
opportunity to say, ‘thanks for everything’ in
a big way.”
Pat Nolan, vice president of North American
surface transportation for C.H. Robinson,
said truck drivers “are inextricably linked not
only to our business but also to our everyday
needs and there is no better time than Truck
Driver Appreciation Week to say thank you for
all they do.
“At C.H. Robinson, we look forward to continuing
to support carriers in every way that
we can,” he continued. “From introducing
new ways for carriers to gain access to more
freight than any other platform can offer, to
innovative technology which makes it easier
and more efficient for them to book loads
and get paid quickly, we are hyper-focused
on finding ways to consistently improve the
carrier experience and support the important
work they do.”
Here’s hoping the nation — and the world
— will continue to recognize the vital role
truck drivers play, not just during September,
but every day of the year. 8
RAIL cont. from Page 7
to ease their strict attendance policies to address
union concerns about working conditions.
Railroad workers will now be able to take
unpaid days off for doctor’s appointments without
being penalized, and they won’t be penalized if
they are hospitalized. Previously, workers would
lose points under the attendance systems at
BNSF and Union Pacific railways, and they could
be disciplined if they lost all their points.
The talks also included Norfolk Southern, CSX,
Kansas City Southern and the U.S. operations of
Canadian National.
The president of the Brotherhood of
Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, Dennis
Pierce, predicted that workers will ultimately
support the deal if they look logically at all the
gains, including the fact that the unions again
fought off proposals to cut locomotive crews
down from two people to one.
But if workers vote angry, the outcome is
harder to predict.
“I think it is going to dramatically change the
way these jobs look,” Pierce said.
Victor Chen, a sociologist at Virginia
Commonwealth University who studies labor,
said concerns about working conditions have
increasingly become a priority for unions and
their workers.
“At a certain point, good wages just aren’t
enough to make up for the toll these sorts of
working conditions impose on workers,” Chen
said. “The companies need to treat workers
like human beings, rather than just inputs in a
business process.”
The railroad unions pointed to workload
and attendance rules after the major railroads
cut nearly one-third of their workforce — some
45,000 jobs — over the past six years.
The rail industry has aggressively cut costs
everywhere and shifted its operations to rely more
on fewer, longer trains that use fewer locomotives
and fewer employees. The unions said the
remaining workers, particularly engineers and
conductors, were on call 24-7 because of jobs cuts
and could hardly take any time off under strict
attendance rules.
Unions had an advantage at the bargaining
table because of the tight labor market and
Marketplace FOR
AAP Photo/Andrew Harnik
President Joe Biden speaks about a tentative railway
labor agreement in the Rose Garden of the White House,
Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022, in Washington. From left,
Deputy Secretary of Labor Julie Su, Secretary of Labor
Marty Walsh, Biden, Celeste Drake, Made in America
Director at the Office of Management and Budget, and
National Economic Council director Brian Deese.
ongoing service problems on the railroads, Chen
said.
Shippers have complained loudly this year
about delays and poor service as railroads
struggled to hire quickly enough to handle a
surge in demand as the economy emerged from
the pandemic. The shipping problems gave rail
workers extra leverage.
Newly hired CSX CEO Joe Hinrichs said he
hopes the new deal helps the railroad hire and
retain more employees to address the service
problems.
“Now we can move our conversation into how
do we work together to grow the business and
better serve our customers,” he said.
Before the deal was reached, business groups
including the Business Roundtable and the U.S.
Chamber of Commerce predicted that a rail
strike would be an “economic disaster.”
The Association of American Railroads
trade group estimated that a strike would cost
the economy more than $2 billion a day and
force many businesses to scale back or cease
production and consider layoffs.
With the economy still recovering from
the pandemic’s supply chain disruptions, the
president’s goal was to keep all parties talking so
a deal could be reached.
It was clear the effort had paid off when Biden
announced the deal, calling it “an important win
for our economy and the American people.”
The Trucker News Staff contributed to this
report. 8
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