During National Truck Driver Appreciation Week (Sept. 13-19, 2026), we have the opportunity to recognize the professional drivers who keep our country moving every day.
At Next Gen Trucking, we spend much of our time focused on the future of the trucking industry — introducing students to careers in professional driving, diesel technology, supply chain and logistics, and helping schools build programs that prepare young people for those careers.
But you cannot talk about the future of trucking without recognizing the professional drivers who are doing the job today.
As professional truck drivers, you deliver the food that fills our grocery stores, the medicine our families depend on, the materials that build our communities and the products that keep businesses operating. Behind every delivery is a professional driver navigating traffic, weather, schedules, regulations, time away from home and the responsibility of operating safely on our nation’s highways.
That deserves more than one week of recognition.
For the second year, students from Next Gen Trucking programs across the country have come together to create a special Truck Driver Appreciation Week video with one simple message for professional drivers: Thank you.
The students featured in this year’s video represent programs from across the country. They are the next generation of our industry. Some are preparing for careers behind the wheel. Others are exploring careers as diesel technicians, supply chain and logistics professionals, and other essential roles throughout trucking.
What they share is an appreciation for the professionals who are doing this work today.
There is something especially meaningful about hearing the next generation say thank you to the people who have built — and continue to move — this industry.
Professional drivers do far more than deliver freight. Their work requires skill, responsibility, professionalism and sacrifice. They spend long hours on the road, navigate changing weather and traffic conditions, prioritize safety, meet demanding schedules, and often spend significant time away from their families.
And much of that work happens outside the public eye.
So, during National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, we hope everyone throughout trucking and the supply chain takes a moment to recognize a professional driver — not only for the freight they deliver, but for the skill, commitment, professionalism and sacrifices that make those deliveries possible.
Watch the video. Share it with a professional driver. And most importantly, take a moment to say thank you.
At Next Gen Trucking, we spend a lot of time talking about the future of this industry. That future is being shaped by the example today’s professional drivers set for the young people who may one day follow in their footsteps.
From all of us at Next Gen Trucking — and especially from the students who helped create this year’s message:
Thank you, professional drivers. We appreciate you, and we are proud to celebrate you.
The C.H. Robinson Foundation supports the Next Gen Trucking Foundation and our work to inspire and prepare young people for careers throughout trucking and the supply chain. We are grateful for their continued support of our mission and their commitment to the trucking community.
Lindsey Trent is the co-founder and president of the Next Generation in Trucking Association, a nonprofit trade group dedicated to promoting careers in the trucking industry, building and enhancing school-based training programs, connecting tomorrow’s workforce with today’s employers, and celebrating achievements across trucking — all to support a professional, skilled, and diverse supply chain.
After getting her start in truck driver staffing, she gained experience in business development at Ryder, deepening her understanding of supply chain and workforce needs. Lindsey is passionate about building education-to-industry partnerships and has helped launch supply chain, diesel tech, and CDL programs across the country to strengthen the trucking talent pipeline. She also serves on multiple industry and school boards, and lives in Louisville, Kentucky, with her husband and two children.