Share the Road Delivers Wreaths Across America to Arlington Cemetery

ARLINGTON, Va., Dec. 16, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, American Trucking Associations and ATA's Share the Road Highway Safety Program celebrated the arrival of the Wreaths Across America convoy at Arlington National Cemetery.

"The trucking industry is one of the most patriotic industries in the country, full of veterans, and we are honored to be able to pay our respects to those who sacrificed for this country and our freedom," said ATA President and CEO Chris Spear. "The Share the Road Program is grateful for this opportunity to salute the fallen heroes of America and will continue to support Wreaths Across America."

Share the Road professional truck drivers Ralph Garcia, with ABF Freight System Inc., and UPS Freight's Henry Bruster drove the program's Mack truck from the wreath loading dock in Maine to Arlington, Virginia, making many stops on the route to emphasize the importance of Wreaths Across America and were able to teach students the value of our freedoms.

"It is a great honor to be a part of this journey again and honor the great men and women who protected this country with their lives," Garcia said. "Having the opportunity to travel down the East Coast through patriotic towns and communities and being able to see all the support the nation shows to our veterans is an amazing experience for me."

This year, Wreaths Across America delivered more than one million wreaths to veterans' graves throughout the globe. Spear, alongside his family and dozens of ATA employees, distributed a portion of the 3,500 wreaths delivered by the Share the Road tractor-trailer.

The Share the Road drivers chronicled their trip with videos and photos on Share the Road's official Facebook and Twitter pages.

Wreaths Across America Day is nationally recognized this year on December 16 and offers an important time to honor the veterans of this country.

"Wreaths Across America gives us a special chance to reflect on what we stand for as a nation and unite behind our veterans," Bruster said. "Being both a veteran and a truck driver, this trip was very meaningful to me and it was a great honor to represent my fellow military servicemen and servicewomen."

Share the Road is a highway safety outreach program of the American Trucking Associations that educates all drivers about sharing the roads safely with large trucks. An elite team of professional truck drivers with millions of accident-free miles deliver life-saving messages to millions of motorists annually. The safety program is sponsored by Mack Trucks Inc., and supported by TA-Petro, Pre-Pass, Hyundai Translead, OmniTracs, SmartDrive, Mack Leasing, Bendix and Spireon. www.atastr.org. Follow the Share the Road on Twitter and Facebook.

American Trucking Associations is the largest national trade association for the trucking industry. Through a federation of 50 affiliated state trucking associations and industry-related conferences and councils, ATA is the voice of the industry America depends on most to move our nation's freight. Follow ATA on Twitter or on Facebook. Trucking Moves America Forward.

SOURCE American Trucking Associations