The Log Book is a weekly rundown of human-interest stories related to the transportation industry. This week: Schneider is awarded another Ride of Pride truck from Freightliner, Shell Rotella SuperRigs gets ready to celebrate its 40th anniversary and Suttons Tankers wraps a truck to honor Queen Elizabeth II’s Jubilee.
Schneider announces Ride of Pride driver
Trucking, intermodal and logistics services provider Schneider National announced Wednesday it has once again received a U.S. Ride of Pride truck from its partner Freightliner, which designs specially-wrapped trucks that honor military members in the industry.
Since starting the Ride of Pride program in 2001, Schneider has presented 14 trucks, the most of any national carrier.
Schneider received the truck on May 27 and awarded company driver Joseph Morning the honor of driving the vehicle. Morning is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and California National Guard service member.
“We are incredibly proud to have someone as highly regarded as Joseph Morning behind the wheel of this year’s Ride of Pride truck. Adding a new Ride of Pride truck to our fleet is always an exciting time and displays our dedication to those who serve. We are committed and honored to provide opportunities for veterans and current service members,” said Rob Reich, Schneider executive vice president and chief administrative officer and a U.S. Army veteran.
Morning will drive the truck over the next year and will represent the trucking company at the annual Wreaths Across America event in Washington on Dec. 17.
“I look forward to meeting other veterans at Schneider and across the country. Most importantly, I’ll get to be a part of Wreaths Across America. My first sergeant major is at Arlington. One of the greatest honors would be to be able to deliver wreaths there to honor him and those who gave the ultimate sacrifice,” said Morning, who has worked three years at Schneider and spent four years in the Marine Corps. That included deployments in Iraq, Afghanistan and Japan.
Currently, about 14% of employees at Schneider have military experience, something Morning believes ties in well with the work needed from drivers.
“Being a truck driver is almost the equivalent of being in the military to an extent. You have to be able to take care of yourself and other people around you, and you need to be aware of your environment. I feel that having those skills and transferring them over to truck driving worked out very well,” said Morning.
Shell Rotella SuperRigs prepares to celebrate 40 years
Truck beauty contest Shell Rotella SuperRigs is gearing up for its 40th anniversary next Thursday through Saturday at Branson Landing in Branson, Missouri, right off of Interstate 65.
Since its first show in 1983, SuperRigs has showcased more than 2,000 trucks in its truck beauty contests, celebrating drivers whose passion for trucking goes beyond delivery loads.
SuperRigs is looking to celebrate this year with both in-person and virtual events. A number of trucking social media figures will be live-posting throughout the event along with a new experience called Virtual Garage, which will review the history of SuperRigs.
As in past years, truck owners from the United States and Canada will compete in the annual beauty contest for more than $25,000 in cash and prizes, being judged on exterior appearance, design, detail, finish, originality and workmanship. Twelve finalists will also be featured in the 2023 Shell Rotella SuperRigs calendar.
Last year, Kiegan Nelson and Vinnie Diorio’s 2020 Peterbilt 389 won Best in Show, taking home $10,000 and 50,000 MyMilesMatter reward points to use on gift cards and Shell-branded merchandise.
Suttons Tankers wraps truck to celebrate Platinum Jubilee
International tanker container services company Suttons Tankers revealed on Wednesday a specially-wrapped Volvo FH Globetrotter truck wrapped in the Union Jack pattern of the United Kingdom’s flag to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee.
Jubilees are celebrations of a monarch’s governance, starting with the Silver Jubilee at 25 years of rule, followed by a Ruby Jubilee at 40 years, Golden at 50, Diamond at 60, Sapphire at 65 and Platinum at 70.
This year, the celebration of Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubliee is taking place from June 2-5.
“I am delighted to reveal our tribute to the Royal Platinum Jubilee. Suttons have a long history of paying respect to previous Royal Jubilees, most recently in 2012 for the Diamond Jubilee, where we [wrapped] a number of our units with a similar Union Jack effect. I’m proud to see the tradition continue into the modern era with the newest model in our fleet,” said CEO John Sutton.
Company driver Bob Marshall was given the honor of driving the newly wrapped Jubilee truck.
“I am very proud to be behind the wheel of the Jubilee cab to represent Suttons on the roads and pay my respects to Her Majesty’s 70 years of service. I’ll be making deliveries across the North West, so please keep an eye out and give me a wave if you see me,” said Marshall.
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