GREENBORO, N.C. — Volvo Group original equipment manufacturers Mack Trucks and Volvo Trucks North America will continue sponsorships of American Trucking Associations outreach programs.
Mack Trucks will continue to support ATA’s Workforce Heroes Program and sponsorship of ATA’s Share the Road program.
Volvo Trucks North America will continue sponsorship of ATA’s America’s Road Team program.
The Workforce Heroes Program support includes the donation of a Mack Anthem 70-inch Stand Up Sleeper model.
The Mack Anthem model, featuring a unique camouflage-styled wrap, travels across country to help recruit military veterans into careers in the trucking industry. Thus far, the truck has visited nine locations, including schools, career fairs and military bases.
“Mack is proud to continue our support of veterans through this program, and we look forward to working with the ATA to encourage them to consider a career in trucking,” said Jonathan Randall, Mack Trucks senior vice president of North American sales and marketing. “Veterans have proven their dedication and service to our country, and trucking offers them a job experience that will build upon some of the skills they already have acquired.”
The Anthem model is driven across the country by professional truck drivers from the ATA’s Share the Road program, who teach students, policymakers and media how to drive safely around heavy trucks. Each of the Share the Road drivers has an outstanding safety record, with many of them having one million or more accident-free miles.
“From talking to the truck drivers who’ve had the pleasure of driving the camo Mack Anthem Workforce Heroes Truck around the country, it’s hard to describe the excitement that this truck generates about careers in our industry,” said ATA President and CEO Chris Spear. “Drivers are getting asked questions about trucking while fueling up at truck stops, getting saluted while driving down the road and being asked to take pictures with prospective industry recruits in front of the truck. This Mack Anthem is creating exactly the type of momentum we hoped to see out of this program.”
again sponsor the American Trucking Associations (ATA) Share the Road program in 2020. Mack has sponsored Share the Road since 2001, and made the announcement regarding 2020 today during the ATA Management Conference and Exhibition (MC&E) at the San Diego Convention Center.
“While significant strides have been made, there is still work to be done in terms of educating motorists on how to drive safely around large trucks,” Randall said. “We are pleased to again sponsor the Share the Road program and the professional truck drivers who deliver that safety message. The Mack Anthem the drivers use in this program is equipped with a variety of safety features, but it’s also critical that operators of passenger vehicles practice safety-conscious driving.”
The Share the Road drivers, many of whom have one million or more accident-free miles, deliver live safety presentations to students, media and policy makers throughout the U.S. The purpose of the program is to further the understanding of how to safely drive with heavy-duty trucks on our nation’s roadways.
“As the Captains of America’s Road Team, these men and women set the course for best-in-class driving practices in our industry with outstanding safety records and millions of accident-free miles between them,” said Peter Voorhoeve, president of Volvo Trucks North America. “Volvo Trucks is looking forward to continuing our exclusive sponsorship of this valuable outreach program in 2020 and supporting the elite professionals who lead it.”
America’s Road Team was formed in 1986 to publicly represent America’s 3.1 million professional truck drivers and serve as a celebration of the dedication and teamwork required to deliver America’s freight safely, securely and on time. The small group of professional truck drivers, recognized for superior driving skills, remarkable safety records and advocacy for safety, are nominated to serve two-year terms as captains of America’s Road Team. During that time, the captains travel the country to bring their messages of safety and the essentiality of trucking to students, community groups, lawmakers and government officials. Volvo Trucks has served as the exclusive sponsor since 2002.
Earlier this year, Volvo Trucks hosted the 2019-2020 America’s Road Team Captains at its New River Valley Customer Center in Dublin, Virginia, before the nationwide outreach effort began. While at Volvo’s state-of-the-art facility, the captains received hands-on training with the Volvo VNL 760 model, which hauls ATA’s Interstate One mobile classroom. The 53-foot show trailer, which is equipped with a conference room, seven presentation screens, a truck-driving simulator and educational displays, enables the Captains to deliver interactive trucking demonstrations on safety and the importance of trucking on daily lives.
The captains’ new VNL 760 model is equipped with active safety technologies including Volvo Active Driver Assist, Volvo Enhanced Stability Technology, and Lane Departure Warning. It is powered by a Volvo D13 engine and is equipped with a 12-speed Volvo I-Shift automated manual transmission. Several Volvo connectivity services designed to improve uptime such as Remote Diagnostics and Remote Programming are also integrated in the truck.
“Each Captain deserves special recognition for their dedication and tireless efforts to serve as ambassadors of this industry and for all professional truck drivers,” Voorhoeve said. “Volvo Trucks thanks you for the incredible work you are doing to demonstrate the importance of safety, the growing need for sustainability and the essential service that trucking provides to society and our economy.”
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.
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