Military vet trucker’s Cascadia options 500 veterans‘ signatures

In November 2021, Crete Service Company driver Craig Daniels acquired the keys to one of many fleet’s few „Patriot Fleet“ veterans-support vans, outfitted with a particular wrap.

Daniels, a U.S. Military veteran himself and who drives for Crete’s Shaffer Trucking refrigerated division hauling refrigerated items throughout the Decrease 48, has been with the corporate for 11 years. He introduced his unit, a 2022 Freightliner Cascadia, to the Stars, Stripes and White Traces Truck Present, hosted by the Bennett Household of Corporations, held final fall at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The present, itself themed round patriotism, benefited Wreaths Throughout America.

[Related: What Wreaths Across America means to trucking, and all of us]

Annually, Crete awards 5 Patriot Fleet vans to army veterans driving for the corporate round Veterans Day celebrations. „So out of the fleet of 6,000, there is not any extra than 15 or 20 of them out at anyone time,“ Daniels stated.

Craig DanielsDaniels‘ ’22 Cascadia brings extra distinctive qualities to the fleet, although. His is the one Patriot Fleet truck that options the signatures of army veterans from across the nation.

„It has been very humbling as a result of everyone that has signed the truck, I spend 5, 10, quarter-hour relying on the place I am at, and I discuss to them about their story, their time within the service or no matter,“ Daniels stated. „Simply to listen to their tales whereas they signed the truck and whereas I talked to them, it is simply been extremely humbling.“

Crete’s Patriot Fleet emblem atop the hood is roofed in signatures from veterans Daniels has encountered throughout his travels.

After receiving the truck in November 2021, Daniels received the thought for the signatures the next March. He stated he was in Nashville, getting off the interstate to get gas, „and a panhandler was standing on the nook and he stood up and saluted the truck,“ he stated. „I knew he had a narrative, however I simply whipped proper by way of and I could not discuss to him, could not do something, could not discover out about him, could not do something with him. Then I figured I must have a option to bear in mind these tales. So that is what I do. That is once I began doing this.“

Throughout his work throughout the nation, in addition to his volunteer work with the veterans-support Joshua Chamberlain Society group (adopting veterans and their households for long-term help), Daniels has collected greater than 500 signatures on the rig.

On the motive force’s aspect door, in purple marker, Purple Coronary heart recipients have made their mark.

The driving force’s aspect cab extender „has the names of mates that we misplaced in fight,“ Daniels stated. „And I met up with one man that wrote seven names down on there. And he was the only survivor of a squad that received worn out in Fallujah.“

The passenger aspect cab extender has a listing of the names of the 13 service members who misplaced their lives in the course of the U.S.‘ exit from Afghanistan in 2021.

Daniels stated that, for him, whereas the tales from veterans who have been wounded in fight are extraordinarily humbling, he retains a particular place in his coronary heart for the veterans with „imposter syndrome,“ he stated, who did not serve in fight roles, and „they do not really feel like they should name themselves a veteran.

„To me, that is simply as humbling as working throughout anyone that had a leg blown off.“

Daniels has been documenting his journey of getting signatures on the truck on his Instagram and TikTok accounts, with the hashtag „SignTheTruck.“

[Related: Longtime custom builder Rethwisch Transport’s comeback 2023 Peterbilt 389]

Discover lots extra views of the rig within the video up prime, and for extra movies and custom-equipment options delivered to your electronic mail inbox, subscribe to Overdrive‚s weekly Customized Rigs e-newsletter by way of this hyperlink.