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September 16, 2024 News Release

PA Turnpike Honors Truckers for 2024 National Truck Driver Appreciation Week


PA Turnpike Honors Truckers for 2024 National Truck Driver Appreciation Week

Middletown, Pa. — The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PA Turnpike) and the Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association (PMTA) are partnering to celebrate National Truck Driver Appreciation Week (NTDAW) from September 15-21, 2024. This nationwide program highlights the crucial role professional truck drivers play in safely and securely delivering America’s freight. 

“Professional drivers are the front line of this nation’s economy. Without them, as we saw so clearly during the COVID-19 pandemic, daily life comes to a halt. This week, we’re proudly honoring their commitment to delivering for America,” said PA Turnpike CEO Mark Compton. “The PA Turnpike is a safe, reliable and efficient link, connecting our Commonwealth’s economy to the rest of the country and beyond.  We are proud of the thousands of truckers who choose our roadway daily for their travel and look forward to partnering with organizations like the PMTA to enhance their traveling experience.”  

Truck Driver Appreciation Week events will be held along the PA Turnpike from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the following days and service plaza locations: 

At participating plazas, truck drivers can enjoy a free beverage and donut, as well as the chance to enter a raffle for a 30 oz. Yeti tumbler. 

“88% of Pennsylvania communities would be totally without goods if it weren’t for truck drivers,” said Rebecca Oyler, President and CEO of the Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association. “These men and women play a critical role not only in our economy and supply chain, but in the lives of every Pennsylvanian, ensuring grocery store shelves are stocked and packages are delivered on time. We are grateful for the support of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission in thanking and supporting truck drivers, as well as their commitment to looking for long-term solutions to better accommodate truck drivers on the road every day.” 

All visitors can stop by the event’s tent and table outside of the service plaza to learn more about the commercial trucking industry and how to best share the road with these critical vehicles. 

The PA Turnpike Commission has been working with PMTA to help address one of the industry’s top issues – a lack of truck parking. In 2024, the PA Turnpike increased tractor-trailer parking spaces at Sideling Hill, Lawn and Highspire service plazas. Up-to-the-minute lot availability – full, low or open – is advertised daily between 5 p.m. and 2 a.m. on existing digital message boards near nine service plazas. 

The PA Turnpike also teamed up with Drivewyze’s Smart Roadway program and INRIX to provide commercial truck drivers with real-time traffic alerts for slowdowns, congestion and incidents.  

Additionally, commercial customer services include: 

  • A dedicated commercial section, including site drone footage, on the PA Turnpike website  
  • Digital message boards for emergency and weather condition communication  
  • Commercial resources, such as 511PA 
  • Round-the-clock driver assistance, including towing and road debris removal, via *11 
  • Service plazas with increased overnight parking spots, food 
  • On-system bathroom, fuel and food amenities with easy on/off ramps 
  • All-electronic tolling for cashless, non-stop travel 
  • A Toll Calculator for improved trip planning Toll Calculator | PA Turnpike 

According to the American Trucking Associations (ATA), truck drivers transport more than 11 billion tons of freight each year — about 70% of all freight moved in the U.S. On the Pennsylvania Turnpike, commercial traffic increased 15% over the last five years. 

A national transportation leader, the Pennsylvania Turnpike (PA Turnpike) is the second largest tolling facility in the United States with the most miles. The PA Turnpike proudly supports safety and convenience for its more than 550,000 daily customers through 24-7 roadside assistance, round-the-clock food and fuel at 17 service plazas and a dedicated maintenance force and State Police Troop. The PA Turnpike’s approximately 1,400-person local workforce is unified in its mission; to operate a safe, reliable, customer-valued toll road system that supports national mobility and commerce. For more information about the PA Turnpike’s mission, vision and values, please visit Home | PA Turnpike.

 

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Media Contacts:

Marissa Orbanek, Press Secretary: (267) 408-5151, morbanek@paturnpike.com 

Crispin Havener, Assistant Press Secretary: (717) 870-2841, chavener@paturnpike.com

Megan Magensky, Director of Communications, PMTA, mmagensky@pmta.org, 330-607-7837