The drivers of the Daseke group of open-deck haulers routinely handle some of the biggest and heaviest cargos on the road today.
But no cargo carries as much emotional weight as the boxes of wreaths that drivers from five Daseke companies hauled from a small town in Maine to cemeteries and memorial sites across the country. The wreaths were to honor those who have served their country. The Daseke companies that participated were Boyd Bros. Transportation, Lone Star Transportation, J. Grady Randolph, Central Oregon Truck Co. and Smokey Point Distributing.
Wreaths Across America, started in 1992 as a project to decorate graves of veterans at Arlington National Cemetery, has grown into a national endeavor in which more than 900,000 wreaths were laid this year.
About a quarter of those wreaths went to Arlington for National Wreaths Across America Day ceremonies on Dec. 12, but the rest went to 1,100 veterans’ cemeteries. Getting the wreaths to the cemeteries required the participation of 169 carriers, trucking and moving and storage companies, according to Marli D. Riggs, development coordinator with the Truckload Carriers Association, which handles the logistics for loading and delivering the wreaths.
Those companies and their drivers handled 299 loads in all. Some picked up wreaths from transfer points around the country, and a handful made two trips to Maine. That state is the home of Worcester Wreath Co., whose owner, Morrill Worcester, started the annual event and donates wreaths to the project.
Boyd Brothers has participated in Wreaths Across America for four years. Wade Gunter, Birmingham terminal manager for Boyd Brothers, was introduced to the program while attending a conference on employee retention.
“It struck a chord with me,” Wade says.
So he took the information back to his company and signed up.
Boyd Brothers actually had two drivers hauling wreaths, Mike Usery and Robert Hayes, each with more than 3 million miles and 25 years with the company. Mike drove from Maine to Arlington, while Robert picked up a load at a transfer point in Mississippi and delivered wreaths to five locations in Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia.
Word of the program spread to other Daseke companies. For J. Grady Randolph, this was the second year of participation. Driver Bill Correll, a Marine veteran, drove to Maine, attended the ceremonies for the drivers including a send-off dinner, and then delivered wreaths to points in Georgia and South Carolina. J. Grady Randolph plans to have two drivers participating next year.
Rob Forrest was the driver from Central Oregon Truck Company who participated this year. Lone Star’s participating drivers were Kyle and Cheryl Gooch, while Smokey Point’s was Willis Jordan.
Involvement in Wreaths Across America helps reaffirm the Daseke companies’ commitment to veterans, who make up a sizable portion of their workforces. J. Grady Randolph did a count for Veterans Day and learned that 35 out of its 156 drivers are vets.
For the public, Wreaths Across America’s mission is summed up in its motto, “Remember. Honor. Teach.” The wreaths, laid on gravestones and markers, honor those who served and sacrificed. It serves as a reminder to those still living that “every stone tells a story.”
“A lot of guys will come up to me and talk about seeing the Wreaths Across America trailer, thank us for being involved, and talk about their service,” Wade says.
Participating in Wreaths Across America is “the right thing to do to thank veterans for their service and honor those who have sacrificed for us,” he adds. “It’s a small but important thing for us to do to honor the sacrifice that others have made.”
This year’s event had added meaning for Wade, who has family members currently serving. He attends the Arlington ceremony each year; this year he was accompanied by his father, an Army veteran.
“My father is a Vietnam Veteran and after watching all the volunteers at Arlington, he said to me that with all the tragic events in the news lately, it reaffirmed his faith in the goodness of the American people,” Wade said.
