National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, September 13–19, is the trucking industry's way of pausing to say thank you to the people who keep the economy’s engine running. It's easy to take these truck drivers for granted until you stop and think about how much of daily life depends on them doing their job safely, day after day, mile after mile. Every carton of eggs on the shelf, every package on the porch, every tank of gas at the pump got there because someone drove it there.
Why we can't function without truck drivers
The trucking industry touches nearly every American home and business. More than 3.6 million professional truck drivers move over 11 billion tons of freight across the country every year, and more than 80% of U.S. communities rely exclusively on trucks to get their goods.1 This industry is the backbone of our daily economy: grocery shelves restock, job sites get their materials, hospitals get their supplies and small businesses get their inventory. Almost none of it happens without a driver behind the wheel, and none of that driving happens without the fleets, dealerships and independent owner-operators who keep those trucks on the road in the first place.
It's a genuinely impressive machine, one made up of people showing up and doing hard, essential work most of the country never has to think about. But this work can also be dangerous. To appreciate the truck driving industry, we need to appreciate the risk.
The risks that come with the job
Trucking is also one of the most demanding, and at times dangerous, jobs in the country. In 2024, heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers accounted for 798 fatal occupational injuries — more than any other single occupation tracked by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.2 Long hours, tight schedules and unpredictable road conditions come with the territory, no matter how careful or experienced a driver is.
The financial exposure is also a risk. Cargo theft losses climbed to nearly $725 million in 2025, a 60% jump from the year before, with the average loss per incident now approaching $274,000.3 Given the heavy volume of cargo shipped on roads and highways every day, it's no surprise that large trucks were involved in roughly 503,000 police-reported crashes in 2022 alone.4 Weather, mechanical failure and other drivers add even more variables that are entirely outside any one person's control.
None of this is meant to be discouraging — it's meant to be honest. Whether it's a driver behind the wheel, a fleet owner responsible for a whole team or an owner-operator running a one-person business, the people doing this work are managing real risk every single day. Appreciating that fully means taking those risks seriously, not just admiring the work from a distance.
Appreciation for this week – and every week
For Truck Driver Appreciation Week, it’s great to show our appreciation for the drivers, fleet owners and owner-operators who keep the country moving. But they also need real protection during the other fifty-one weeks of the year. Highstreet shows our dedication by making sure that when something does go wrong, such as a stolen load, a highway accident or an on-the-job injury, the person it happens to isn't left to absorb that risk alone. Concretely, that means a driver hurt on the job doesn't lose a paycheck along with their health. It means a stolen load doesn't wipe out a fleet's margin for the month, and a wrecked rig doesn't sit in a lot for weeks while the business stalls. What that looks like in practice depends on which side of the business you're on.
For fleet and business owners
If you run a fleet or a trucking business, having your drivers' back starts with your coverage. Liability protection that scales with your fleet, cargo insurance that reflects the value of what you're hauling and workers' compensation or occupational accident coverage that kicks in the moment someone's hurt are what keep one bad day from turning into a businessending one. Highstreet's Commercial Trucking coverage closes exactly these gaps.
For owner-operators
As an owner-operator, you're the fleet, the safety department and the HR department, all in one — which means there's no employer stepping in if something goes wrong. You need something to stand between a bad break and losing everything you’ve built: primary liability, physical damage coverage for your truck, non-trucking liability for the miles you drive off the clock and occupational accident insurance to protect your income if you're hurt. Highstreet's Owner-Operator coverage answers exactly that need.
A quick coverage checklist
Appreciation Week is as good a moment as any to take stock of whether your current coverage matches your job risks.
- Does your cargo coverage match what you're hauling? A policy written for a smaller load size or lower freight value than what's currently on the road leaves the difference exposed if something happens.
- Are your liability limits keeping pace with your business? Coverage that was enough two years ago may not be enough now if your fleet, routes or freight value have grown since then.
- What happens if a driver, or you, get hurt on the job? Occupational accident and workers' comp coverage exist so an injury doesn't also mean lost income, but only if it's already in place before it's needed.
- Are you covered off the clock, too? Non-trucking liability covers you when you're driving the truck for personal use rather than under a load, a gap many owner-operators don't realize exists until it's too late.
- When did you last review your policy? Fleets grow, freight changes and routes shift. A yearly check, or one after any major change, is a small habit that heads off a much bigger surprise later.
Real appreciation for the people who keep this industry running doesn't end when the week does. The drivers, fleet owners and owner-operators moving the country's freight deserve coverage that's built for what the job asks of them, every week. That's where your local Highstreet agent comes in.
Whether it's a closer look at your Commercial Trucking coverage or your Owner-Operator policy, we're ready to help make sure the protection in place matches the risk on the road. Reach out to your Highstreet agent to get started.
1 ATA (2025). American Trucking Trends 2025.
2 BLS (2024). Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries.
3 CargoNet (2025). Cargo Theft Activity Flat, Losses Surged in 2025.
4 FMCSA (2022). Large Truck and Bus Crash Facts 2022.