Every day, millions of Americans get behind the wheel to get to work. But for 3.6 million professional truck drivers, the highway is the workplace — and it's where they keep the entire country moving.

At Ascendance Truck Centers, we build our business around the people who drive these trucks. So when National Truck Driver Appreciation Week rolls around each September, it's more than a calendar note for us — it's a chance to say thank you to the drivers who keep freight, and our communities, moving.

Beginning September 13, the trucking industry will celebrate the 38th annual National Truck Driver Appreciation Week. This year's theme, "For the Miles You Drive and the Sacrifices You Make," honors the hundreds of billions of miles professional drivers log crisscrossing the country — getting freight where it needs to be, on time and safely, every single day.

The numbers behind the trucking industry are hard to overstate: 

• American truckers collectively drive over 330 billion miles every year - more than 13 million trips around the globe, or nearly 1,800 round trips to the sun! 
• Truck drivers move approximately 11 billion tons of freight annually, accounting for about 70% of all freight transported in the United States. 
• More than 80% of U.S. communities depend exclusively on trucks to receive their goods.
• Trucking supports roughly 8.4 million jobs nationwide, directly and indirectly.

Every one of those miles represents something real: a stocked store shelf, a package on a doorstep, raw materials delivered to a manufacturer, equipment hauled to a job site. Practically everything we touch spent time on the back of a truck.

Truck drivers are consistently among the first to answer the call when disaster strikes. When the pandemic shut the world down, drivers stayed on the road, keeping shelves stocked and supply chains alive. When hurricanes flood the East, wildfires threaten the West, or storms strike the heartland, trucking is the transportation mode nimble enough — and with enough capacity — to get relief supplies where they're needed most.

That kind of dependability doesn't happen by accident. It's the product of drivers who take their commitment to safety and their communities seriously, day in and day out.

You don't need to wait until September 13 to show appreciation for the drivers who keep America running. A few easy ways to join in:

• Give the honk. Next time you're on the highway with your kids, have them give a passing trucker the classic "honk" gesture — most drivers love it.
• Share the moment. Capture it on video, post it to social media, and tag it #thankatrucker.
• Say it out loud. If you see a driver during National Truck Driver Appreciation Week (or any week) take a second to say thank you. It goes a long way for people who travel a long way for the rest of us.

At Allegiance Truck Centers, our mission is to keep drivers and fleets on the road with the trucks, parts, and service they can rely on. This September, we're proud to add our voice to the thousands saying thank you to the professionals who make it all possible.

Source: Content adapted from the American Trucking Associations' National Truck Driver Appreciation Week release.