Five Good Things: Planting seeds for the future

As we roll into April, FleetOwner keeps on offering the latest good news in trucking with this week's Five Good Things blog, whether that's planting seeds for the future by capturing the interest of prospective trucking industry workers—or by literally planting seeds.

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Minnesota Trucking Association Foundation launches Drive the Difference campaign to boost interest in trucking careers

The Minnesota Trucking Association Foundation (MTAF) has launched its “Drive the Difference” campaign to boost interest in trucking careers, with a social media campaign to inform young people and their parents, women, those seeking career changes, and underrepresented populations about opportunities in the industry both on and off the road.

The project was undertaken by the foundation in response to MTA members identifying the driver and technician shortage as one of their top challenges, year after year. Minnesota currently faces a shortage of nearly 8,000 truck drivers, with a national shortage 10 times that amount.

The Drive the Difference website includes descriptions of all kinds of trucking jobs, links to schools, and videos featuring real MTA member companies and testimonials from their drivers, technicians, and behind-the-scenes employees. The ongoing social media campaign will utilize Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and YouTube as well as ads on Pandora and Spotify to help drive people to the website.

See also: Five Good Things: Distinguished women, Highway Angels, safe drivers

"The goal of the Drive the Difference campaign is pretty simple," said MTAF Chairman Brent Bois of Calhoun Truck Lines. "We want to attract men and women to the site, connect them with training providers, and deploy them into essential, high-paying truck driving and truck technician jobs."

The Minnesota Trucking Association Board of Directors donated $110,000 to the foundation to launch the multi-year campaign. "The Minnesota Trucking Association has been fortunate to accumulate resources to fund special projects of great industry need," said MTA President John Hausladen. "The board was unanimous that there is no greater need and no better use for these member resources. We are excited to see how this effort brings talented men and women into our industry."

"We believe this is a best-in-class workforce hub and campaign, utilizing cutting-edge tools and unique Minnesota content," said Hausladen. "Like trucking, we are in this campaign for the long-haul with a multi-year strategy."

Daimler Truck employees dig deep for reforestation

Alongside the Baden-Baden Municipal Forestry Office and the nature conservation organization Bergwaldprojekt e.V., Daimler Truck employees planted 700 new tree seedlings such as oaks, sweet chestnuts, and hornbeams to stabilize the ecosystem. In addition, Daimler Truck employees erected twelve large wooden fences, called horde gates, to protect the new plantations from animals.

Jürgen Hartwig, member of the board of management of Daimler Truck AG, responsible for Human Resources and Labor Director: "Daimler Truck assumes responsibility for society, we want to do our part to change things for the better; on a large scale - consistently pursuing our path to CO2-neutral transport - and on a small scale - directly on site, as here on the forest area with our committed employees."

Alina Klumpp, industrial engineer at Daimler Truck AG, said, "We have planted 700 trees, erected twelve protective fences and rejuvenated 2.5 hectares of forest close to its natural state. Together with our colleagues we have achieved a lot here. It's important to me to do something for the environment, and not just because I grew up in the area. It was really fun, and I'd like to swap my computer and office chair for a spade and hammer more often."

Women in Trucking Association selects Mary Bass as Driver of the Year

Bass has been a long-haul professional driver for 50 years and has over six million accident-free miles. In 2016, she was awarded the TA Petro Citizen Driver award. A Nashville, Tennessee, TA truck stop was named the Candy Bass Travel Center in honor of her.

“Candy Bass has given extensively to the trucking profession, not only during her time on the road and commitment to safe driving, but through mentorship and her desire to be a guiding star for women at all stages of their careers,” said Jennifer Hedrick, president and CEO of WIT. 

Bass is a lifetime member of WIT and Owner/Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA). She is involved in numerous charities including St. Christopher Foundation, Hats for Heroes, Trucker Buddy, and  Special Olympics. At 78, she is still driving long haul across the United States while encouraging and mentoring other women in the trucking industry.

The announcement was made during the Salute to Women Behind the Wheel event, hosted by WIT at the Mid America Trucking Show (MATS) in Louisville, Kentucky. The event honors female commercial drivers for their efforts and successes in the trucking industry.

Dana honored as one of America's greatest workplaces for women

Parts manufacturer Dana Incorporated was named to the list of "America's Greatest Workplaces for Women 2023" by Newsweek magazine.

Dana was one of only two Tier One mobility suppliers among 600 companies identified in the rankings.

"Women have always faced unique challenges in the workplace, but I am proud to be part of an organization that works everyday toward strengthening our company culture through initiatives and policies that promote fairness, equity, and respect for all our team members around the world," said Maureen Pittenger, SVP and chief human resources officer for Dana.

The rankings are based on a large employer survey and a sample set of more than 37,000 women working in the U.S. for companies that employ at least 1,000 employees. In total, the study collected more than 224,000 reviews of companies in the U.S., across all industry sectors.

This latest honor caps a number of third-party recognitions of Dana. The company was previously named one of "America's Greatest Workplaces for Diversity 2023" by Newsweek, and late last year the magazine selected Dana as one of "America's Most Responsible Companies 2023" for the fourth consecutive year. Dana has also been named General Motors’ Supplier of the Year for six years running.

Interstate Health opens clinic for truck drivers

Interstate Health began constructing a new clinic in Port Wentworth, Georgia, and opened its first location, in Cookeville, Tennessee. The Port Wentworth location broke ground on March 31 and is anticipated to open later this year. The Cookeville clinic is the current Occupational Health Center and joined Interstate Health April 1. Both locations are situated in areas frequented by commercial drivers, aligning with the company’s mission to make healthcare more accessible to the transportation industry, local communities, and interstate travelers.

“The groundbreaking of our first greenfield clinic coupled with the addition of Occupational Health Center represents a meaningful milestone in our efforts to improve the health and lives of 3.5 million commercial truck drivers nationwide,” said Interstate Health CEO Jeff Seraphine. “We anticipate that these two locations alone will serve thousands of drivers annually and are eager to watch that impact grow as we work to build a nationwide network of clinics over the next few years.”

Each location will initially offer primary and urgent care services for commercial drivers and the community, as well as specialized physicals required by the Department of Transportation for commercial truck drivers, drug screens and other pre-employment medical care, and x-ray services. Future services Interstate Health aims to offer include laboratory, pharmacy, and sleep studies, among others. The company also has a master technology plan to integrate with trucking company platforms and effectively utilize data to enhance continuity of care and patient convenience.

Interstate Health formally launched in November 2022 with the announcement of its successful pre-seed funding. Since then, the company has been working with its advisors, who include veteran transportation, healthcare and technology executives, to continue raising capital and bringing the shared vision of increased access, improved health, and enhanced safety and productivity for commercial truck drivers to life.

The Occupational Health Center (OHC) in Cookeville, Tennessee is a 5,300 square foot clinic that currently offers primary care, urgent care, and occupational medicine across the Upper Cumberland region. As part of Interstate Health, current OHC providers and staff will continue to serve their current patients and community, while connecting to an even broader network of impact to serve commercial truck drivers who frequent Interstate 40.

The 2,100 square-foot Port Wentworth, Georgia, location is being built by Gaylor Contracting and designed by AEI on the Port Fuel Center property located on the corner of Grange Road and Georgia Highway 21 near Interstate 95. The land has been leased from Port Fuel Center. The clinic represents a more than $1 million investment in the community and is expected to generate approximately 20 new jobs.