For National Lorry Week, The Road Haulage Association are asking the nation to go out onto their doorsteps, stand in their windows and Shine a Light to say thank you to an essential industry.
The event comes as part of National Lorry Week, which is currently taking place (16th – 22nd November) to celebrate the magnificent work of trucks and truckers around the UK.
Throughout the first wave of the virus, UK haulage operators ensured that shop shelves were stocked with essential food items and were responsible for delivering vital supplies of PPE and medicines to hospitals and care homes.
Without truckers, the Nightingale hospitals which sprang up, virtually overnight, wouldn’t exist. They relied on truckers to deliver beds, medical supplies and other equipment. This they did quickly, and with the minimum of fuss.
As the virus continues to affect everyone’s lives, these men and women are still doing an incredible job. But it’s more than just a case of doing their job and it’s not business as usual. Far from it.
On many occasions they have been denied access to toilet facilities and have been unable to buy food.
Roadside truckstops are still closed and motorway service areas are the only option. For those working in more rural areas this can prove difficult – it’s not easy finding somewhere to by a sandwich when your vehicle is over 52 feet in length.
But because these unsung heroes have, and always will, do an amazing job, they are often overlooked. People see the truck – they don’t think about the driver sitting behind the wheel.
RHA want these drivers to get the recognition, and the thanks that they deserve. So tomorrow night (Thursday 19th November), at 8pm, they want the nation to go out on their doorsteps, stand at their windows and Shine a Light for the industry.
If you don’t have a torch, even one on your phone. Turn your living room light on and off. It really doesn’t matter how you do it – what is important is that everyone comes together on this.
You can also share your messages of support via social media using the hashtags #ShineALight and #NationalLorryWeek.
The idea for Shine a Light came from one of our members, Diane Brigden. Diane is the owner and director of Central Hub Logistics.
Here’s her story https://bit.ly/2UFaVBU
