MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. (SNN) — SeaPort Manatee honored truck drivers with their annual Trucker Appreciation Day event.
The event is took place in the parking lot of SeaPort Manatee’s Access Control Center (1705 Piney Point Road, Palmetto) from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 15.
They teamed up with the Florida Department of Transportation and many other event sponsors to celebrate the hard work and commitment of professional truck drivers.
The event, in conjunction with American Trucking Associations’ National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, served complimentary lunches and goody bags to professional truck drivers.
“Less than 1% of Americans are responsible for delivering the cargo for the rest of the population. And so, at the port we recognize how important truck drivers are. They come through here 365 days here at the port and when we stand out there, they think that we want something from them, but we just want to say thank you,” said SeaPort Manatee Director of Planning and Project Development Dan Fitz-Patrick.
On a daily basis, about 2,000 drivers pass through SeaPort Manatee. They say they’re expecting at least 1,000 truck drivers to pass through the event.