More Than a Free Lunch: The Real Meaning of Driver Appreciation

Every September, the trucking industry does something that makes me pause. We slow down the talk about rates and freight for just a moment, and we look toward the people who make all of it possible: truck drivers.

It’s National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, a time when companies roll out banners, cookouts, hats, and social posts thanking drivers for their work. And don’t get me wrong, I love seeing drivers recognized. They deserve every bit of praise.

But if I’m being honest, a free lunch or a shiny ball cap isn’t enough. Drivers don’t sacrifice just one week out of the year. They sacrifice 52. They miss birthdays, holidays, and milestones the rest of us take for granted. They face danger on the road every day. They keep the supply chain alive even when the world feels like it’s falling apart.

So here’s the question I keep asking myself, and one I bring up often on The Rig on Wheels Show: why do we only show appreciation one week out of the year?

Drivers aren’t seasonal. Their work isn’t temporary. And our appreciation for them shouldn’t be either.

For nearly 16 years at Rig on Wheels, I’ve seen what happens when appreciation is treated like a holiday instead of a culture. Fleets lose drivers. Recruiters chase leads that never show up. Safety takes a backseat to speed. But I’ve also seen what happens when appreciation becomes the heartbeat of a company. Recruitment gets easier. Retention grows stronger. And drivers trust that their lives matter more than the freight.

That’s what I want to talk about here. Not just the hats and the cookouts, but the real meaning of appreciation. The kind that changes how we recruit, how we retain, and how we protect the very people who keep America moving.

Beyond Free Lunches and Hats

Now let’s be real for a moment. I love a cookout as much as anyone. During National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, there’s nothing wrong with setting up the grill, giving out T-shirts, or conducting giveaways. Those things bring a smile, and drivers deserve every smile they get.

But here’s the hard truth: a hamburger can’t erase a year of frustration. A hat doesn’t fix a dispatcher who only calls when something’s wrong. A raffle ticket doesn’t make up for broken promises about home time.

Drivers know the difference between a holiday and a habit.

I remember speaking to one driver who put it plainly: “I don’t mind the miles, but I do mind being invisible. If the only time you thank me is once a year, then I know where I stand.”

That hit me. Appreciation is more than just a one-week campaign; it’s not an event you check off the calendar. It’s a culture you live out loud every single day.

And when companies miss that, it shows. I’ve worked with fleets that couldn’t understand why their turnover was sky-high, even though they were throwing money at bonuses. The problem wasn’t pay; it was perception. Drivers didn’t feel valued beyond what they could haul.

On the flip side, I’ve seen smaller carriers with tighter budgets thrive because they invested in the small, daily gestures. A dispatcher who knows your kids’ names. A recruiter who says thank you before they ask about miles. A manager who calls when you’ve had a tough week, just to check in.

Those things don’t cost much. But they mean everything. One of my favorite examples is a dispatcher who knew a driver’s kids by name, and that driver stayed loyal for years. I actually shared that story on The Rig on Wheels Show, in the episode “National Driver Appreciation Week: Recruiting, Retaining & Protecting America’s Drivers,” because it perfectly captures what genuine appreciation looks like.

Drivers Want Respect First

Recruiting is often treated like a numbers game. Post the job, chase leads, and fill the trucks. But here’s the thing I’ve learned in almost 16 years of doing this work: recruiting isn’t about numbers. It’s about people.

And the one thing people want before the paycheck, before the miles, and before the sign-on bonus is respect.

I’ll never forget a driver telling me, “Kameel, I don’t mind long hours. I don’t even mind tough schedules. But I can’t stay at a place where I feel like I don’t matter.” That line stuck with me. Because it’s not about CPM or benefits, it’s about whether you feel seen.

When a recruiter treats a driver like they’re just one more phone call on a checklist, the driver knows. They’ll listen politely, maybe even accept the offer, but they won’t stick around. On the other hand, when recruiters lead with appreciation when they say, “Thank you for taking this call. Thank you for sharing your experience. We’d be proud to have you here.” That sets the tone for everything that comes after.

That’s the mindset behind The Driver Magnet Kit™. I didn’t build it because the world needed another “recruiting product.” I built it because recruiters needed tools to change the way they talk to drivers. To move from desperate to respectful. To shift from chasing to magnetizing.

And I’ve seen it work. Fleets that focus on showing appreciation during the recruiting process find that drivers don’t just say yes, they show up, and they stay because respect at the front door makes people want to walk inside.

Recruitment isn’t about convincing someone to take a job. It’s about showing them why your culture is worth joining. And that starts with respect.

Culture Keeps People, Not Contracts

Getting a driver in the door is one thing. Keeping them is another.

Retention is where so many fleets stumble. They put all their energy into the recruiting process, with big promises, sign-on bonuses, and fast hiring. But once the driver’s inside, the energy fades. Suddenly, the only calls they get are when something’s wrong or when the load is late. And drivers notice.

I think about a driver I’ll call Tony. Solid record, dependable, never caused trouble. But he quit after less than a year. When I asked why, his answer was simple: “Nobody cared if I stayed. Nobody even called unless I was late.” That kind of silence eats away at people.

Then there’s Maria. She’s been with her fleet for over a decade. She’s missed holidays, birthdays, and plenty of family moments, but she stayed because her company made her feel like part of something bigger. Her dispatcher checked on her kids. Leadership recognized her accident-free streak. They celebrated her work anniversary.

Maria stayed because she felt seen. Tony left because he didn’t.

This is what I mean when I say culture keeps people, not contracts. Drivers don’t stay because of a policy manual. They stay because of how you make them feel on the hard days.

I talk about this in my book, Competing with Giants. Smaller fleets may not always have the budget to match the mega-carriers dollar for dollar. But what they do have is the power to create an authentic culture, a driver-first culture that makes people want to stay. That’s how you win, not just with higher paychecks, but with higher trust.

Retention isn’t about trapping drivers. It’s about building a culture that keeps them coming back.

Safety Is the Greatest Thank You

If there’s one thing I want every carrier to remember during Driver Appreciation Week, it’s this: the greatest form of appreciation isn’t a cookout or a T-shirt. It’s safety.

I once had a driver tell me flat out, “I don’t need pizza parties. I need my truck fixed.” That hit me hard because it was the raw truth. You can hand out free lunches all day long, but if your equipment isn’t safe, or your schedules push people past their limits, drivers will see through it.

Safety is appreciation in action.

I’ve worked with fleets where drivers refused loads because trailers weren’t roadworthy. Some left companies altogether because their safety concerns were brushed aside. And I’ve seen the opposite, too: drivers who stayed loyal for years because the first time they raised a red flag, their company backed them up and said, “Don’t move that truck until it’s cleared.”

That kind of response tells drivers their lives matter more than the freight. And when you make safety the standard, you build trust that no paycheck can buy.

At Rig on Wheels, when we partner with carriers, one of the first questions I ask is simple: “How do your drivers know you care about their safety?” If a leader can’t answer that, it’s not just a compliance issue; it’s a culture issue. Safety is more than meeting DOT standards. It’s about creating an environment where drivers know they can speak up, be heard, and go home in one piece.

Because here’s the truth: if you really want to say “thank you” to a driver, don’t give them pizza; give them the peace of mind that they’ll make it home safe. That’s appreciation that lasts.

Telling Drivers’ Stories

When I think about what appreciation really looks like, it always comes back to the stories. The dispatcher who knows a driver’s kids by name. The manager who makes a call just to say thank you. The company that pulls a truck off the road instead of risking a life. Those are the stories that stick.

And that’s precisely why I launched The Rig on Wheels Show. Not because the world needed another podcast, but because this industry needs a platform where drivers are heard, where recruiters and leaders can have real conversations, and where appreciation isn’t a slogan, it’s a practice.

On the show, I’ve shared stories from drivers who stayed loyal for years because they felt valued and from others who walked away when they didn’t. I’ve talked with leaders who admit they had to change the way they treated their teams. And I’ve used it as a space to challenge all of us, myself included, to do better.

Because storytelling is more than entertainment, it’s accountability. When drivers hear their experiences reflected back to them, they realize they are not alone. And when leaders hear those same stories, they’re forced to confront whether their appreciation is real or performative.

So as we close out another National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, here’s my challenge to every fleet, every recruiter, and every leader reading this: Don’t let appreciation stop with a cookout or a hashtag. Carry it forward in your recruiting conversations, in your retention practices, and in the way you prioritize safety.

And tell the stories. Tell the stories of the drivers who built your company, who sacrificed time with family, and who showed up day after day to keep America moving.

Because drivers aren’t just part of trucking’s past, they are shaping its future. Their stories will shape the future of trucking. Let’s make sure those stories are ones of respect, loyalty, safety, and genuine appreciation.

That’s the kind of legacy I want to be part of. And that’s the legacy I believe we can build together.

💡 Final Word

Appreciation can’t be a holiday. It has to be a culture. Drivers don’t give us just one week a year; they give us 52. Let’s build an industry where that commitment is honored every single day.

👉 I’d love to hear from you: How does your company show drivers they’re valued beyond Driver Appreciation Week? Drop a comment; I want to highlight the best practices.

And if you’re passionate about these conversations, keep an eye out for new episodes of The Rig on Wheels Show, where trucking gets heard, seen, and understood.  

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