PALMETTO, Fla. — SeaPort Manatee deeply appreciates the critical role of professional drivers, as underscored by its 10th annual celebration of Trucker Appreciation Day.
“SeaPort Manatee is profoundly grateful for the dedicated efforts of the professional drivers who steadfastly form the backbone of the supply chain,” said Mike Rahn, Manatee County Port Authority chairman. “It is a privilege to collaborate each year with the Florida Department of Transportation and a host of industry partners in this modest expression of gratitude to the truckers who serve SeaPort Manatee.”
The celebration included providing complimentary lunches and giveaway items to hundreds of truckers who move crucial goods in and out of the vibrant Florida Gulf Coast trade gateway.
Celebrating Truckers
In conjunction with the American Trucking Associations’ National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, SeaPort Manatee was joined again this year by representatives of FDOT and numerous sponsors in hosting the free lunch celebration outside the seaport’s main access control center. Boxed meals and special event T-shirts also were handed out to truckers at the port’s south gate.
Sponsors of SeaPort Manatee’s 10th annual Trucker Appreciation Day included Agunsa Manatee Terminal, AMEsalt, Environmental Defense Fund, Gulf Stevedoring Manatee, Kinder Morgan Port Manatee, Logistec Terminals, Mega Trucking LLC, ParkPro, Port Manatee Propeller Club, Siemens, Stingray Maritime LLC, Sun State International Trucks LLC and TransMontaigne Partners LP. Others donating giveaway items included Schwend Inc. and DOT Doc USA.
“I’ve been coming to the port every day for four years now,” said Charlie Rogers, a professional truck driver for 25 years, who picks up Del Monte Fresh Produce N.A. Inc. loads at SeaPort Manatee for Tricont Trucking Co. “I sure do appreciate the easy access at both of the port’s gates. And thanks for the free lunch.”
SeaPort Manatee
Located in Southwest Florida, at the entrance to Tampa Bay, SeaPort Manatee is a dynamic global trade hub, serving as the vibrant ships-to-shelves gateway for burgeoning Southwest and Central Florida markets, with convenient rail and roadway links, including to the distribution-center-filled Tampa/Orlando Interstate 4 corridor. The closest U.S. deepwater seaport to the expanded Panama Canal, SeaPort Manatee offers 10 deep-draft berths, proficiently fulfilling diverse demands of container, liquid and dry bulk, breakbulk, heavylift, project and general cargo customers. The self-sustaining port generates nearly $7.3 billion in annual economic impacts while providing for more than 42,000 direct and indirect jobs – all without benefit of local property tax support.
Dana Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has been featured in multiple newspapers, books and magazines across the globe. She is currently based in the Atlanta, Georgia, area.
