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It’s the season to get together with family and friends. This holiday season has quickly approached us, but I am very grateful and look forward to spending time with my loved ones.
This year, I am also grateful for a new role that I will take on in March 2022. As many of you may have heard, I have been chosen as the new President of the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA), and I couldn’t be more excited about this opportunity.
The association is entering 2022 in its strongest position for many years. Our membership is at an all-time high, our advocacy efforts are producing results, and we are ready to strengthen current programs while actively seeking to provide our members with new services and opportunities. What a great time to be an active and engaged member of the CAW!
Earlier this month, TCA helped wrap up a very special project in which trucking is an integral part – the 2021 US Capitol Christmas Tree program. As I shared in my November column, my company, DM Bowman, was thrilled to host this piece of history – an 84-foot-tall white fir, which made its way by truck to Northern California. at the West Lawn of the United States Capitol. If you are not involved in this program, I highly recommend that you consider it.
Wreaths Across America (WAA) is another initiative with close ties to the TCA and the trucking industry. This year’s National Wreath Laying Day is this Saturday (December 18). See participating cemeteries to find out where to lay wreaths in your community.
Since 2008, TCA has helped secure and encourage truck drivers and professional road hauliers to carry wreaths of remembrance each December on behalf of WAA. Those who carry the wreaths donate their fuel, equipment and the driver’s time to further WAA’s mission of helping communities “remember, honor and teach†the sacrifices of our country’s veterans.
Each year, TCA and its sponsor, Pilot Flying J, proudly support the WAA Arlington Wreaths Rally. The event is typically held on the Friday evening before National Wreath Laying Day at Arlington National Cemetery. This year’s event will take place this Friday (December 17th).
Through Pilot Flying J, over 75 professional truck drivers and their guests will receive a meal and driver appreciation gift during the event. I look forward to sharing the stage with Wendy Hamilton to address and personally thank the pilots, many of whom have served our country, but who have all done the essential work of moving the country forward over the past year and a half.
Just last week, Terrence “Terry” Carkeek, a professional truck driver at DM Bowman, joined TCA’s monthly Dave Nemo Show segment. “Load ’em, move’ em“where he shared how he first became involved with WAA and what this special charge for Arlington National Cemetery means to him. He was joined by WAA Director of Transportation Don Queeney. Listen to the clip via TCA’s SoundCloud page.
Be sure to follow Terry’s journey through TCA’s social media accounts, as he prepares to share photos and videos from his trip along the East Coast, documenting his trip to Arlington National Cemetery.
I wish you all a safe and happy holiday season!
Jim Ward is president of DM Bowman, a fleet of 382 trucks based in Williamsport, Maryland. Under his leadership, the company has grown from being a full-load transporter to a full-service haulage company, providing its customers with dedicated fleet, short-haul, line, brokerage, logistics and storage for dry vans, flatbed trucks, bulk and specialty services. Ward is the 2021-2022 President of the Truckload Carriers Association and the new President of TCA.
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