Philadelphia, PA – FASTPORT was honored this week as a recipient of a 2015 American Trucking Associations’ (ATA) Mike Russell Trucking Image Award in recognition of the campaign to educate Veterans about trucking and inspire them to enter the industry in commercial driving roles.

The Mike Russell Trucking Image Award celebrates companies, organizations and individuals who creatively generate positive awareness of the trucking industry. “We are humbled by this recognition and proud to be a part of its vital movement to improve the trucking industry’s image, particularly by highlighting the high skill level and critical role of professional truck drivers within the Veteran community” said FASTPORT  CEO Bill McLennan. “Veterans are safety-conscious leaders. They are mentally and physically fit, and the training instilled during their military service makes them hard-wired for success in the trucking industry.”

To inspire Veterans into the industry’s great careers with great employers, FASTPORT created an image campaign strategy that embraced the ATA’s Trucking Moves America Forward movement that would resonate with America’s 150,000 transitioning service members who exit service each year. Commercial drivers are responsible for the safety and security of America’s highways and roadways, and the message that drivers help protect, feed, clothe, build, move and heal the nation has been a powerful inspiration to attract Veterans to the industry because many still want to serve our country. This message culminated in FASTPORT’s short inspirational film Imagine. Watch and learn more about Imagine here.

“Every person working in the trucking industry has the responsibility to advocate on its behalf and demonstrate the safety-first mentality of the trucking industry to the public” said ATA Second Vice Chairman Kevin Burch, president of Jet Express Inc., Dayton, Ohio. “The awards we presented today celebrate a company, organization or individual who over the past year has gone above and beyond to establish positive awareness of the trucking industry.”

In addition to FASTPORT, this year’s winners include:

• Con-way Inc. for their involvement in the community, on social media and their aggressive media outreach that changes the way people think about trucking
• The Tennessee Trucking Association Foundation for their organization’s publishing of the children’s book Papa Doug Hauls Strawberries & Smiles and inspiring kids to dream about becoming a truck driver
• The late Russell Gerdin, Heartland Express Inc., for his involvement and service to his community and for generating positive awareness about trucking by demonstrating professionalism throughout his illustrious career and
• Ralph Garcia, ABF Freight System Inc., for representing the industry through his role as an America’s Road Team Captain, competing at an elite level in state and national truck driving competitions, and his commitment to safety resulting in over 3.5 million accident-free miles