Volvo Trucks North America announced Monday, Oct. 18, that it will continue as the sole sponsor of America’s Road Team in 2011. A trucking industry safety outreach program, America’s Road Team uses professional drivers with outstanding driving records to deliver messages about highway safety and the essentiality of trucking. The continuation of Volvo’s sponsorship was announced at the American Trucking Associations’ Management Conference & Exhibition in Phoenix.
“All of us at Volvo Trucks are very proud to continue as the sole sponsor America’s Road Team,” says Ron Huibers, Volvo Trucks North America senior vice president of sales and marketing. “We believe this is one of the most important and effective highway safety efforts out there.”
America’s Road Team is a program founded by the ATA. The members of the team are known as Captains, many of whom may have millions of miles of accident-free driving in their careers. The Captains, who undergo a rigorous selection process to become part of the Road Team, frequently are referred to as ambassadors for the U.S. trucking industry. Each year, they speak to hundreds of groups of lawmakers, government officials, students, regulators and other truck drivers.
Their presentations include safe driving tips and highway safety information, much based upon their own experiences, as well as the importance of trucking to the American economy. The Captains frequently use a Volvo VN tractor, donated by Volvo Trucks, to pull a trailer extensively outfitted as a mobile presentation facility, allowing them to deliver their messages more effectively wherever they go.
“The Road Team Captains are out there every day, talking to everyone from members of Congress to school kids,” Huibers says. “Our industry couldn’t ask for better ambassadors. The Road Team Captains’ sincere commitment to making our roadways safer is directly in-line with Volvo’s own core value of safety.”
