Fontana: What trucking professionals can do beyond donations to give back

It is not uncommon at this time of year for people to reflect on what they are grateful for and consider donating to their favorite charities and nonprofit organizations. Giving monetarily to one group or another is a good thing, but that is not the only way to help.

You can also help by volunteering to support the work of organizations. This applies to both the organizations you support in your personal life and those in the trucking industry.

When was the last time you did more than just show up for a meeting or a convention of an industry group?

For many trucking industry organizations, the real work is not what happens at the convention itself but rather activities that take place throughout the rest of the year.

The Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC) is an excellent example of this. While work on recommended practices (RP) occurs during task force meetings held in the spring and fall, much of the heavy lifting to get those RPs to ballot takes place between meetings. Under the heading “two heads are better than one,” the more volunteers who contribute to the RPs, the better those RPs are likely to be. Our collective knowledge surpasses what any individual can offer.

To be clear, TMC is not the only trucking industry association that could use a little of your sweat equity.

Another great place for you to get involved is at your local trade/vocational school. If you have strong opinions on the skills you want newly minted technicians to possess, consider volunteering to help write curriculum for technician training programs or even to teach a class. That could be in addition to donating current parts and components for the students to work on. You cannot expect someone fresh out of tech school to work on today’s trucks if the equipment they learned on is 10 or more years old.

Participate in a career day at your local elementary school as a volunteer. It is never too early to introduce the next generation of workers to the trucking industry. Although it offers a variety of career opportunities, it is not often thought of as a great place to earn a living by many people. Maybe if we all start talking about how cool it is to be part of this vibrant industry, we’ll get more people interested.

How about getting involved in your local Chamber of Commerce? These groups act as a voice for local businesses and often lobby government officials about the impact of laws they are considering on businesses of various sizes. In that same vein, if any of the trade associations you are a member of sponsor Legislative Days at your state or federal government offices, sign up to speak with government officials about the trucking industry and how the laws they enact impact your business.

As you are thinking about gratitude and making donations at this time of year, I encourage you to consider not only making monetary donations but also giving some of your time. I think you will find that it helps various organizations and will also be rewarding for you.