According to Lauren Leatherby of The New York Times, the amount of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. are climbing toward its third peak in 2020. Leatherby quoted Caitlin Rivers, an epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins University, who said, "It concerns me that we might see even more cases during the next peak than we did during the summer."
But no matter how many peaks there are of this virus, there will be even more peaks of positivity to outweigh the future unknowns. Here are five good things that happened in trucking this week.
XPO Logistics transports 3,000 pairs of new shoes for Soles4Souls
XPO Logistics will haul 3,000 pairs of new shoes from Alabama to Tennessee to support Soles4Souls, a nonprofit organization dedicated to disrupting the cycle of poverty and providing relief. XPO will bring the shoes from a Soles4Soles warehouse in Wadley, Ala., to Nashville, Tenn., where they will be distributed to children in need.
This is the second donation XPO has made to Soles4Souls. In May, the company committed to transporting more than 100,000 pairs of new shoes around the globe, providing multinational logistics services free of charge. XPO shipped the shoes in ocean containers from China to Soles4Souls distribution hubs in the US, Canada and the Netherlands.
“This time, our truck brokerage team has taken the lead in helping Soles4Souls reach children living below the poverty line in the U.S.,” said LaQuenta Jacobs, XPO’s chief diversity officer. “Soles4Souls is restoring dignity for the most vulnerable members of our society while fostering entrepreneurship and protecting our planet. The need is particularly great this year.”
Ruan raises more than $290,000 for United Way
Ruan’s Des Moines, Iowa, campus team members recently participated in its annual campaign to raise funds for the United Way of Central Iowa. This year, even with the entire campaign moving virtual, the team broke its previous fundraising record by more than $20,000.
With Ruan’s dollar-for-dollar company match, the company raised $290,652 for the United Way of Central Iowa. Through the donation, United Way of Central Iowa can fund 138 programs across 75 agencies. These programs include a newly created hotline – United Way 211 – in which trained specialists will field phone calls for COVID-19 related concerns, as well as respond to texts and online messages to assist those in need with things like food, rent assistance, crisis intervention, and more.
“Ruan is filled with a great sense of pride in watching our team members across the country who have given so much to those around us in their greatest time of need,” said Ruan senior vice president and campaign chair Chris Fish. “Over our 88-year journey, the Ruan commitment of giving back, being humble, and making a difference in the lives of people who need assistance remains stronger than ever. I am proud of our team members for giving at a record level this year. Their dollars will go far to serve the needs of Central Iowans.”
NFI Industries employee makes wooden desks for remote students
NFI Industries employee and Camden County, N.J., resident, Justin Foley, was interviewed by Fox 29 Philadelphia’s Bill Anderson on a special project Foley is working on.
To help students who are learning remotely this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Foley has been quietly making desks out of his home woodshop. It began by Foley posting pictures of the desks on his local neighborhood’s Facebook page for anyone who needed a desk to stop by and pick it up.
“About 10, maybe 15 minutes later, [the first one] was gone,” Foley said.
According to Anderson, Foley was shocked and yet motivated by the response, so he kept going.
The next day, Foley made three more desks, posted them to the neighborhood Facebook page, and the same thing happened – within minutes, they were taken to a new home for a student who needed them.
“Now that I can actually build something and give it to other people that they can use, this is fantastic. Why would I not do this?” Foley said.
The overwhelming response from the neighborhood has even come in the form of others who can’t build have offered to donate money and supplies, but Foley’s answer right away was no. “That’s not why I’m doing this,” Foley said.
“It was a pleasure spending the day with Justin,” Anderson said. “Because he served as another reminder that – especially during difficult times – there is kindness and positivity all around us.”
Watch Foley’s interview below.
Maverick Transportation increases driver bonuses
Maverick Transportation announces a new $3,000 and $5,000 sign-on bonus for experienced glass and flatbed hires and an increase to their internal driver referral bonus program.
Through Dec. 31, 2020, drivers with six or more months of recent verifiable flatbed and/or glass OTR experience can earn a sign-on bonus of $3,000 (flatbed) or $5,000 (glass). Additionally, an increase has been implemented for Maverick’s internal driver referral bonus program. Maverick employees are paid a bonus for referred drivers ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 through the end of 2020.
Other Maverick driver benefits include pay increases and performance pay opportunities, excellent home time, weekly guarantee pay, paid pre-employment evaluation and training, 401k plan + match, company-paid life insurance, paid vacation, health and dental plans.
UPS driver gets surprised by local kids for a matching photo op
Kevin, a UPS driver, was surprised in the cutest way this week while on his delivery route. According to Meg O’Donnell, a TV news producer for NBC10 Boston, Kevin drives through her nephew’s neighborhood, always saying hi to the local kids. To return the kindness, the kiddos of the block put a little something on their sleeve.
Watch the video below because in the words of O’Donnell, “sometimes a smile and a laugh go a long way.”
