WALCOTT, Iowa — Iowa 80 Truckstop is thanking all truck drivers from around the country with it's 44th Walcott Truckers Jamboree.
Vice President of Operations & Marketing, Heather DeBaillie, said this event aims to honor all the sacrifices drivers make throughout their careers.
"We really appreciate everything that the men and the women, behind the 18 wheelers and what they do every day," DeBaillie said. " This is our way of thanking them for being on the road 24/7 every day."
According to the American Trucking Associations, there are nearly 3.5 million truck drivers on the road. In 2021, the industry earned more than $800 billion.
Matt Kunkle, owner of Kunkle Trucking LLC in North Dakota, said he's learned a lot about the industry over the years.
"I'm a third generation truck driver," Kunkle said. "I realized early on, in order to make money as an owner operator, you have to be diverse."
The 30 year old driver says he was losing money when traveling across the country hauling grain.
"There was just no money in that with the way fuel is," Kunkle added. "Everyone can pull grain and that's what made it difficult to make ends meet. I found it easier to work with a farmer locally, and haul direct to them."
Milos Sekulic, Vice President of Grasshopper Trans Inc., said his business started off with ten trucks but has grown to nearly 200, making it more difficult to find jobs for all of his drivers.
"We're trying to keep them on the road," Sekulic said. "We know it's not easy to be on the road, and what we do is offer bonuses to our drivers when they don't reach their mileage for work. The best thing we can do is help them get their needs and be able to cover that."
As the industry begins to slowly build back up, Kunkle said he hopes safety becomes more of a priority among his peers.
"We have seen more and more drivers be involved in accidents," Kunkle said. "Sometimes these accidents can be avoided and all of us need to make sure we are doing everything on the road correctly to prevent these accidents. I don't want to be in an accident where I take someone's life due to an accident."
Kunkle added Truckers Jamboree helps remind the public that drivers no different to everyone else.
"People are starting to see more that we're average guys," he said. "It takes a special breed to drive a big rigs, a lot of concentration. We spend long hours away from home and family and loved ones and people forget about that sometimes but this event is a friendly reminder."
Walcott's Trucker Jamboree will continue throughout Saturday. The event is free to the public.
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