What makes a driver feel appreciated?
Clean bathrooms, water, snacks, short wait times and simple courtesy are what many drivers responded to on the survey by FreightWaves for its Above and Beyond Award.
Winners were named Wednesday for the Above and Beyond Award during FreightWaves LIVE @HOME. The winners of the driver appreciation survey highlights leaders in the supply chain who value and respect truckers.
In alphabetical order, the companies that went above and beyond to make drivers feel appreciated are:
- Cargill Kitchen Solutions
- Costco
- Dot Foods
- Henningsen Cold Storage
- International Game Technology (IGT)
- Ipex Inc.
- Johnsonville, Lidl Distribution Centers
- Lidl Distribution Centers
- Lindt Chocolate
- Nestle Cold Storage
- Nexteer Automotive
- Oshkosh Cold Storage
- Sargento Foods
- Smuckers
- Web Industries
Here are some of the comments FreightWaves received from drivers about the winning companies.
“In general, all the Henningsen Cold Storage Co. [workers] are great, they greet you and are very driver friendly people,” said a truck driver responding to FreightWaves’ survey. “To point out one specific location, the cold storage in Forest Grove, Oregon, is hands down the best so far, they even gave us snacks in little brown bags and personally thanked us for the service. Very good experience.”
A facility in Davenport, Iowa, run by Nestle USA Inc., was another cold storage unit mentioned in the survey.
“Had sandwiches and chips and soda last week. Before I left they filled a goody bag for the road. Beef sticks, beef jerky, crackers and cheese, raisins, apples, oranges, bottles of water and soda. I was in and unloaded in less than an hour, six hours before my appointment,” a driver wrote.
Another major U.S. retailer mentioned was the Costco in Monrovia, Maryland.
“Always in and out, check in at gate, check out at gate. Never get out of the truck, except to open and close trailer doors,” a respondent noted.
Drivers in the survey mentioned three different companies in Wisconsin, including the Johnsonville Sausage company headquartered in Sheboygan Falls, the Sargento Foods cold storage facility in Plymouth, and the family-owned Oshkosh Cold Storage company in Oshkosh.
“Johnsonville Brats in Sheboygan, friendly people, clean bathrooms and a microwave for you- coffee, spacious parking lot and they let you sleep there if you need to,” a trucker noted.
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