TORONTO — The reporters and editors at todaystrucking.com (as well as Today’s Trucking magazine) would like to remind everyone in the trucking industry that this is the week to strike with your heads held high.

Truth be told you should be proud of your work year-round but September 5 to 12 is officially National Trucking Week; and according to the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA), hundreds of companies large and small are celebrating, in all sorts of ways, ranging from flying flags to hosting barbeques and handing out employee awards. (Want some ideas for ways to celebrate? Check here.)

We here at todaystrucking.com want to encourage you to take the shouting outside the walls of your office.

Tell everybody you meet about the immense contribution your industry makes to the well-being of this economy.

Tell them this, for instance: Trucking is responsible for more than half our trade with the U.S of A.

Or this: According to Industry Canada, trucking revenue employees almost half a million people and is estimated to be worth about $40 billion annually. For-hire trucking generates roughly $15.5 billion, more than rail, air and marine transportation combined.

Maybe even this: Recent model year trucks are also technological marvels — new engines are virtually smog-free, thanks to low-sulphur diesel fuel and stringent emission standards. Most people outside the trucking industry don’t have a clue about stuff like that.

As the president and CEO of the British Columbia Trucking Association (BCTA) Paul Landry says, "Originally it was the railroad that united us, but nowadays it’s the trucking industry that guarantees that bread and gas and appliances arrive like clockwork at the retail outlets where we shop in communities across BC and Canada."

And the CEO of the CTA David Bradley adds:

"Trucking is more than a job to most people in the industry; it is a way of life — one that gets into your blood.

So, to all those people who make the industry — drivers, mechanics, dispatchers, or if you work at any one of the hundreds of other jobs that keep our economy moving, I thank you on behalf of the Canadian Trucking Alliance and the provincial trucking associations.

It is surely a privilege and an honor for me to be associated with such a remarkable group of individuals."

Finally, if your company’s doing anything to spread the good word about Truck Week, let us know and we’ll share the good news with our audience.