Five Good Things: Goodyear toy drives, Capitol tree delivery, and drivers saving lives

Goodyear, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve to host annual Toys for Tots events

For the 15th consecutive year, Goodyear will host toy drives in partnership with the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve at its Blimp bases in Ohio, Florida, and California. These events offer an opportunity for the public to contribute to the Marines' Toys for Tots Foundation.

From December 5 to 7, Ohio residents can drive through the Wingfoot Lake Blimp hangar from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. for a behind-the-scenes look before dropping off their donation to a U.S. Marine representing Toys for Tots.

In Florida, the event will be held on December 7, with open house tours of the hangar from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The California event will take place on December 5, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., and on December 6, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. 

"All of us at Team Goodyear are excited to celebrate our 15th year of partnering with the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve and the Toys for Tots Program, especially during the Goodyear Blimp's 100th anniversary year,” said Laura Duda, Goodyear’s SVP and CCO. “Sharing the magic of these iconic blimps while giving back to the community during the holiday season is an opportunity we cherish as an organization.”

Over the past 15 years, toy drives at the Blimp bases have delivered over 275,000 toys and raised $765,000 to benefit the Marine Toys for Tots Program. Founded in 1947, it is the mission of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program to collect new, unwrapped toys during October, November, and December and distribute those toys as Christmas gifts to disadvantaged children in the community in which the campaign is conducted.  

The Goodyear Blimp base locations will also accept mailed toy or monetary donations for Toys for Tots.

Kenworth T680 transporting 2025 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree returns to Chillicothe plant

A Kenworth T680, assembled by employees at Kenworth’s manufacturing plant in Chillicothe, Ohio, recently returned with special cargo: the 2025 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree.

The T680, operated by Michael Porter, based at Swift Transportation’s Phoenix, Arizona, Terminal, stopped at the Kenworth Chillicothe plant for a private event on November 16 so Kenworth employees could see “The People’s Tree” before it completes its journey to Washington, D.C.

This year’s U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree, a 53-ft. red fir affectionately nicknamed “Silver Belle,” was harvested from the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest in Nevada last month. Since its harvest, Porter has transported the tree to communities across the country for special events as part of the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree Tour. This year’s tour theme celebrates the “Spirit of the Silver State.”

“Our employees take great pride in assembling The World’s Best Trucks and welcoming back the T680, built right here in Chillicothe, has become a special way for our employees and their families to kick off the holiday season,” said Doug VanZuiden, Kenworth Chillicothe plant manager.

Knight-Swift, this year’s official designated tour carrier, selected Porter to transport the 2025 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree. Kenworth supplied the specially decaled T680, which is equipped with a 76-inch sleeper and the Paccar Powertrain featuring the Paccar MX-13, Paccar TX-12 automated transmission, and Paccar DX-40 tandem rear axles. The Kenworth T680 has a special graphic design that features Nevada’s National Forest. For the second year, real-time GPS location tracking of the U.S. Capitol Christmas tree is provided by Kenworth’s TruckTech+ connected truck technology. The tree can be tracked via interactive map.

This year marks the 12th consecutive year that a Kenworth truck will deliver the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree. The annual tree lighting ceremony will be held in early December.

Move for Hunger delivers relief to Second Harvest Food Bank

Move For Hunger, the national nonprofit dedicated to reducing food waste and fighting hunger through transportation partnerships, recently announced a delivery of 20 pallets of nutritious meal kits to Second Harvest Food Bank in Nashville, Tennessee. The effort was spearheaded by long-standing Move For Hunger partner Apex Moving + Storage, an agent of Atlas Van Lines.

This donation underscores Move For Hunger's mission to recover surplus food and deliver it to those in need, leveraging the resources of the moving industry. The meal kits, sourced through community drives and corporate partners, will provide thousands of healthy, shelf-stable meals to families facing food insecurity across Tennessee—a region where 1 million residents, including one in five children, struggle to access consistent nutrition.

"Every delivery like this brings us one step closer to a hunger-free future," said Adam Lowy, founder of Move For Hunger. "We're grateful to Apex Moving + Storage for their unwavering commitment to our shared goal. By mobilizing their trucks and teams, we're turning potential waste into lifelines for neighbors in Nashville and beyond. Since 2009, our network has delivered over 55 million meals—including more than 1 million meals in Tennessee—and initiatives like this keep that momentum going strong."

Online Transport Driver honored as TCA Highway Angel for saving trapped truck driver after overturn

The Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) recently named Phil Damme, from Evansville, Indiana, a driver with Online Transport, as its newest TCA Highway Angel for his actions at the scene of a crash on Interstate 68 in Maryland.

On the night of October 5, Damme was driving through the mountain passes near Ellicott City when he noticed a strange flicker of headlights, followed by sparks illuminating the roadway ahead. Realizing something was wrong, he slowed down and approached the scene—discovering an overturned semi-truck blocking the road.

“He actually turned the whole thing over,” he said, referring to the driver of the crashed truck. “He ended up in the median.”

Damme was the second person to arrive, alongside another motorist who had narrowly avoided the crash. Assessing the danger, he helped remove the truck’s shattered windshield to reach the injured driver trapped inside. Seeing that the man was bleeding from his arm, Damme used his own belt as a tourniquet, stemming the bleeding and likely saving the driver’s life before emergency personnel arrived.

“He was bleeding pretty bad,” Damme said. “I put my belt up above his elbow and tightened it really, really tight to slow down the bleeding.”

His calm response turned a chaotic situation into a coordinated rescue effort. Following the incident, Damme was personally thanked for his bravery. Known among his colleagues for his strong faith, he humbly credits “being in the right place at the right time” as divine guidance.

Fleet Advantage celebrates ninth year sponsoring Kids Drawing and Writing Contest at the IFDA National Championship 

For the ninth straight year, Fleet Advantage sponsored the Kids Drawing and Writing Contest at the 2025 International Foodservice Distributors Association’s (IFDA) National Championship.

The IFDA National Championship, which took place October 23-25 in Orlando, Florida, remains a premier event showcasing the top drivers and warehouse professionals across the foodservice distribution industry. Competitors demonstrate their expertise, precision, and safety skills through a series of competitions that highlight the role these professionals play in keeping the supply chain strong. 

For nearly a decade, Fleet Advantage has co-organized and sponsored the Kids Drawing and Writing Contest, where children of competitors share why their parent or guardian is their hero. Fleet Advantage was the inaugural sponsor, and the contest celebrates the deep sense of pride these families hold for the hardworking professionals who keep America’s foodservice industry moving. 

“This year, we were thrilled to receive over 80 drawing and writing entries,” said Lisa Broyhill, VP of industry relations for IFDA. “The creativity, emotion, and pride these children express every year are a touching reflection of the commitment our competitors show daily. We’re grateful for Fleet Advantage’s continued partnership and their dedication to celebrating the families that make this industry so special.”