KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — In honor of Truck Driver Appreciation and National Literacy Month, Pilot Co. is partnering with United Through Reading, a national non-profit serving military families, to help military veterans in the transportation industry stay connected with their families through reading.
As the exclusive sponsor of United Through Reading’s Transportation Industry Veterans Outreach program, Pilot Co. is providing assistance to extend United Through Reading’s app-based program to veteran professional drivers, according to a news release.
“We are so honored to serve veteran truckers as they continue to serve our country every day,” said Dr. Sally Ann Zoll, CEO of United Through Reading. “Thanks to Pilot Co., we are able to connect with these heroes to ensure that their family can maintain their reading routines even when they are on the road.”
Using the United Through Reading app, veterans verified through ID.me can select a free book from their extensive collection, including eBooks, and record themselves reading a story to their family. United Through Reading will send the family a hard copy of the book or eBook, along with the recording, enabling veteran drivers to read with their children no matter the distance or time zone.
“What better way is there to stay connected to your loved ones than sharing a story,” said James Haslam II, Veteran and Pilot Co. founder and chairman emeritus. “United Through Reading gives professional drivers who are veterans a platform to read and share a book with their family back home, helping relieve some of the stress of being on the road and providing a way to experience special moments together regardless of the distance.”
A statement from Pilot Co. noted that “professional drivers continue to sacrifice for America, and both Pilot Co. and United Through Reading are honored to provide another service to help drivers along their journey. United Through Reading was founded on the principle that family separation is one of the most difficult parts of being in the military, and there are more than one million military veterans that have taken their skills and continued their service behind the wheel as professional truck drivers. They often face similar challenges of separation while on the road as professional drivers, and Pilot Company and United Through Reading are hoping to help bridge that gap by giving them the ability to share a book with their children.”
To learn more about United Through Reading and sign up as a veteran professional driver for the United Through Reading app program, visit www.unitedthroughreading.org.
The Trucker News Staff produces engaging content for not only TheTrucker.com, but also The Trucker Newspaper, which has been serving the trucking industry for more than 30 years. With a focus on drivers, the Trucker News Staff aims to provide relevant, objective content pertaining to the trucking segment of the transportation industry. The Trucker News Staff is based in Little Rock, Arkansas.
