National Truck Driver Appreciation Week 2026 runs September 13 through 19. Most companies mark it with a thank-you post or a box of donuts at the terminal. Drivers appreciate the gesture, but the thing they remember is how they were treated all year long, starting the moment they pull up to a dock door.
Respect for drivers is measured in minutes at check-in, clarity at the gate, and real-time updates when a door is running behind. Appreciation Week is a good moment to say thank you, but it's an even better time to look closely at what the receiving process asks of drivers every single day.
Truck Driver Appreciation Week
Truck Driver Appreciation Week was launched by the American Trucking Associations in 1988 to recognize the roughly 3.6 million professional drivers who keep freight moving. More than 80 percent of U.S. communities depend on trucks exclusively for their goods, from groceries to medical supplies. The people behind that number spend a meaningful share of their working hours not driving, but waiting for a gate pass, door assignment, or for someone inside the warehouse to notice they've arrived.
That wait adds up. It can cost drivers directly, since idle time at a dock doesn't count toward the miles that pay them.
Creating Respect at the Dock
Ask drivers what respect means on a delivery and the answers involve basics that too many facilities still get wrong.
Every extra hour a driver sits at a facility is an hour a carrier can bill back, and a facility known for long waits starts slipping down carriers' preferred-lane lists.
Getting It Wrong Can Cost
Warehouses that let dock delays pile are paying for it, whether or not it shows up on a line item.
Detention time is the most direct cost, but driver turnover compounds the problem. Annual turnover at large truckload carriers has hovered near 90 percent for years, and shippers and receivers with a reputation for treating drivers well are the ones carriers route their best trucks and most reliable drivers toward. A bad reputation at the dock follows a facility from one broker conversation to the next.
Becoming what the industry calls a shipper of choice means being efficient in a way drivers can feel.
Building Respect into the Process
A better process can fix a slow dock. FreightSmith was built around the gate-to-gate experience precisely because so much of the disrespect drivers describe comes from information gaps, not bad intentions. Drivers using FreightSmith's remote check-in save an average of 62 minutes between arrival and release, and facilities using the platform see detention exposure drop by roughly 16 percent. On the payment side, direct integration with major carrier payment providers cuts processing time by an average of 42 minutes, so drivers aren't stuck waiting on a check or a phone call to get paid for a lumper fee.
The platform gives drivers real-time visibility into their appointment, a door assignment the moment one opens, and a way to handle payment from the cab instead of a back office. When a driver can see exactly where they stand, the wait stops feeling like being ignored and starts feeling like a system that's working for them.
Giving Drivers an Efficient Dock
Appreciation Week is a good reminder, but the drivers rolling up to your dock in October and November deserve the same respect. See how FreightSmith's check-in, scheduling, and payment tools cut wait times and give drivers the visibility they've been asking for. Request a demo and find out what a faster, more respectful dock experience looks like at your facility.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is Truck Driver Appreciation Week in 2026? National Truck Driver Appreciation Week 2026 runs from Sunday, September 13 through Saturday, September 19.
What can a warehouse do to show drivers respect during Appreciation Week? Start with the basics that matter every week of the year like accurate appointment times, clear communication about delays, clean facilities drivers can access, and fast payment processing. A thank-you gesture lands better on top of a process that already treats drivers well.
How does dock delays affect driver pay? Drivers are typically paid by the mile, not by the hour, so time spent waiting at a dock is time they aren't earning. Detention pay can offset some of that cost, but it rarely covers the full value of the lost time.
What does "shipper of choice" mean in trucking? It's a reputation carriers assign to receivers known for efficient, driver-friendly facilities. Shippers of choice get priority when carriers are deciding where to send their most reliable trucks and drivers, particularly when capacity is tight.