Volvo Trucks announced that it will continue to serve as the exclusive sponsor of the America’s Road Team public outreach program in 2020. Peter Voorhoeve, president of Volvo Trucks North America, made the announcement at the American Trucking Associations (ATA) Management Conference & Exhibition (MC&E) in San Diego, California.
“As the Captains of America’s Road Team, these men and women set the course for best-in-class driving practices in our industry with outstanding safety records and millions of accident-free miles between them,” said Voorhoeve. “Volvo Trucks is looking forward to continuing our exclusive sponsorship of this valuable outreach program in 2020 and supporting the elite professionals who lead it.”
America’s Road Team was formed in 1986 to publicly represent America’s 3.1 million professional truck drivers and serve as a celebration of the dedication and teamwork required to deliver America’s freight safely, securely, and on time. The small group of professional truck drivers, recognized for superior driving skills, remarkable safety records, and advocacy for safety, are nominated to serve two-year terms as Captains of America’s Road Team. During that time, the Captains travel the country to bring their messages of safety and the essentiality of trucking to students, community groups, lawmakers, and government officials. Volvo Trucks has served as the exclusive sponsor since 2002.
Earlier this year, Volvo Trucks hosted the 2019-2020 America’s Road Team Captains at its New River Valley Customer Center in Dublin, Virginia, before the nationwide outreach effort began. While at Volvo’s facility, the Captains received hands-on training with the Volvo VNL 760 model, which hauls ATA’s Interstate One mobile classroom. The 53’ show trailer, which is equipped with a conference room, seven presentation screens, a truck-driving simulator, and educational displays, enables the Captains to deliver interactive trucking demonstrations on safety and the importance of trucking on daily lives.
The Captains’ new VNL 760 model is equipped with active safety technologies including Volvo Active Driver Assist, Volvo Enhanced Stability Technology, and Lane Departure Warning. It is powered by a Volvo D13 engine and is equipped with a 12-speed Volvo I-Shift automated manual transmission. Several Volvo connectivity services designed to improve uptime such as remote diagnostics and remote programming are also integrated in the truck.
“Each Captain deserves special recognition for their dedication and tireless efforts to serve as ambassadors of this industry and for all professional truck drivers,” Voorhoeve said. “Volvo Trucks thanks you for the incredible work you are doing to demonstrate the importance of safety, the growing need for sustainability and the essential service that trucking provides to society and our economy.”
