Trucking Moves America Forward Applauds Industry Efforts During the Holidays

WASHINGTON, Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As the end of the year approaches Trucking Moves America Forward (TMAF), the industry-wide education and image movement, proudly recognizes the trucking industry's work to deliver the holidays through major charitable contributions and the tireless work of its 3.5 million professional drivers.

"The holidays are a time when all of us – friends, family, neighbors, communities – come together and share special moments, and I couldn't be more pleased to highlight the integral role trucking has in making this happen each year," said Kevin Burch, co-chairman of TMAF, president of Jet Express, Inc., and chairman of American Trucking Associations. "We're also proud of the support TMAF has received, through people visiting our online store and purchasing our special edition TMAF holiday ornaments – because when people see those TMAF-branded items, it's a symbol of both the endless charitable work our members do and their 24/7 commitment to Moving America Forward year-round."

TMAF is proud to highlight the trucking-industry companies, large and small, coast to coast, that are making a difference in their communities:

• Knoxville, Tennessee-based Pilot Flying J has supported Wreaths Across America since 2012, and this year fundraised to sponsor a special section of the Arlington National Cemetery. The company has also given gifts to more than 140 children and elders for the Salvation Army Angel Tree program in Knoxville. Additionally, after the recent deadly wildfires in the Gatlinburg area, in just one day, Pilot Flying J raised nearly $20,000 in donations for the American Red Cross efforts while also filling a rental truck with supplies for those who lost their belongings in the devastating fires.
  
  
• American Trucking Associations, headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, delivered and helped distribute more than 3,500 wreaths to veterans' graves in Arlington National Cemetery as part of Wreaths Across America. ATA's Share the Road truck hauled the wreaths from Maine to Arlington, making stops along the way to participate in dozens of ceremonial events honoring America's fallen heroes. ATA staff also donated preferred gift cards to Doorways for Women and Families, a local nonprofit targeting homelessness and domestic violence.
  
  
• The St. Christopher Truckers Development & Relief Fund, out of Knoxville, Tennessee, is working again this season to assist semi-truck drivers with their living expenses during a medical crisis. This November alone, 41 drivers submitted applications for help; and since 2008, the fund has paid nearly $1.5 million on behalf of 1,699 drivers.
  
  
• Brenny Transportation, out of St. Cloud, Minnesota, raised $3,400 this year to benefit local causes, including a shelter for battered women and children, the homeless, veterans, children in the hospital, a local foodbank, and adults with disabilities.
  
  
• In Seaford, Delaware, Trinity Logistics partnered with a local food bank and Perdue to feed 250 families a Thanksgiving meal. This month, Trinity is partnering with local organizations to provide presents and essentials for seven families in need as part of its Trinity Christmas Families program.
  
  
• TransLand, out of Springfield, Missouri, has been a sponsor of the Dallas County Toys for Tots motorcycle toy run since 2010. Additionally, the company has adopted a family this year, supplying it with gifts, household goods, and food for Christmas, while donating time and equipment to transport more than 14,000 new toys to thousands of children in Greene County.
  
  
• Each year, New York-based Bestpass partners with the Trucking Association of New York to sponsor a local family in need during the holidays. Additionally, the Bestpass team is working to help feed the poor and hungry this January by volunteering at the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York.
  
  
• Dart Transit Company, based in Eagan, Minnesota, is participating in programs such as Toys for Tots and Wreaths Across America. Dart is delivering the wreaths to Arlington and several other veterans' cemeteries across the country in its brand new fleet of military-themed trucks and trailers, which the company unveiled this Veterans Day.
  
  
• Each year, Joplin, Missouri-based Contract Freighters, Inc. meets or exceeds its goal of raising $40,000 for its Truckloads of Treasures program, which has presented more than $745,000 in employee and independent contractor-raised donations to local organizations since 1993. CFI also supports an effort to provide coffee to American troops at home and overseas, as well as Wreaths Across America, through in-kind donations.
  
  
• For the second year in a row, Phoenix-based Stewart Transport is partnering with a local school, Imagine East Mesa, to support homeless families through its Adopt a Family program.
  
  
• Delano, Minnesota's Otto Transfer, Inc. is participating in a "Stop for Safety Day," in which its 25 employees, including 19 drivers, build six high-end bikes for local children who asked for bikes for Christmas but whose families cannot afford one. The company then works with a local charity to deliver the bikes on Christmas Day.
  
  
• National Carriers, Inc., out of Irving, Texas, is participating in the distribution for Wreaths Across America; also, this marks the third year the company will actively support The Family Place, the leading organization in the Dallas area for victims of family violence.
  
  
• Memphis, Tennessee-based FedEx Freight is marking the 12th anniversary of its Trees for Troops program, in which it joins forces with the Christmas SPIRIT Foundation – and generous tree farmers across North America – to deliver more than 18,000 real Christmas trees to service members and their families at nearly 65 bases in 17 countries.  
  
  
• Omaha, Nebraska-based Hill Brothers Transportation, Inc. is again helping with the transportation and storage needs of "Operation Others" – gathering and delivering more than 800 meals for families in need. The company also delivers food and books to homes that teachers with Omaha Public Schools flag as being in need.
  
  
• Keller Logistics Group, based in Defiance, Ohio, in addition to its year-round programs raising money for veteran families, adopt-a-highway efforts, and others, is a dedicated truckload carrier volunteer helping deliver hundreds of memorial wreaths to cemeteries across Ohio as a part of Wreaths Across America.
  
  
• Pottle's Transportation, based in Bangor, Maine, has participated in Wreaths Across America for nearly a decade and this year its convoy from Maine to Arlington, Virginia will include a Gold Star dad and an Army veteran Pottle's driver. For the second year, the company is collecting donations for area animals through the Furry Friends Food Bank and for the third year is participating in the Anah Shrine Temple's "Fez"tival of Trees in Bangor.
  
  
• Indianapolis-based Heritage Transport has more than two dozen volunteers who will participate in Wreaths Across America – including driving from Maine to Indiana and laying wreaths at the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood, Illinois. 

Trucking is the only industry that directly ships to every community in America. No time of the year is this more important than during the holidays, when trucking will deliver the food, holiday gifts, and everyday necessities that will help to make this season brighter for all families.

To learn more and join the movement, visit www.truckingmovesamerica.com. To enquire about a limited-time TMAF branded holiday ornament, email [email protected]. And visit www.shopTMAF.com to order industry gear during the holidays and all year long.

About Trucking Moves America Forward
Trucking Moves America Forward aims to establish a long-term industry-wide movement to create a positive image for the industry, to ensure that policymakers and the public understand the importance of the trucking industry to the nation's economy, and to build the political and grassroots support necessary to strengthen and grow the industry in the future. To learn more, visit www.TruckingMovesAmerica.com. Also join and follow TMAF through social media, on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

SOURCE Trucking Moves America Forward

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