National Truck Driver Appreciation Week (NTDAW) was launched by the American Trucking Associations (ATA) in 1988 to recognize professional truck drivers. ATA still runs it every September. The 2026 week, September 13–19, was the 38th annual, and ATA lists the 2027 week for September 12–18, 2027. In 2025 the U.S. Senate passed a resolution designating the week.
This page sets out what ATA's own pages say about the week's origin, a year-by-year record of recent weeks from primary sources, how the dates are set and what the history means for planning the next one. For the planning itself, see our Driver Appreciation Week guide.
When did Driver Appreciation Week start?
Driver Appreciation Week started in 1988. ATA's NTDAW page describes the week as "an annual, nationwide celebration and cornerstone program launched by the American Trucking Associations in 1988 to recognize and honor the vital contributions of truck drivers to our daily lives and the economy."
That sentence is most of the public record. ATA's pages, as of October 2026, do not describe the first celebration, who proposed it or why 1988 was chosen. Any page that tells a detailed founding story should show its source.
A note on the numbering
ATA gives two facts that don't line up neatly. It says the week was launched in 1988, and it calls the 2025 week the 37th annual and the 2026 week the 38th annual. Counting back from those numbers puts the 1st annual week in 1989. As of October 2026, ATA's pages don't explain the difference, so we don't either. When writing about the week, use ATA's facts as ATA gives them: launched in 1988, and the 38th annual NTDAW in 2026. ATA had not stated a number for the 2027 week as of October 2026.
Who runs National Truck Driver Appreciation Week?
The American Trucking Associations runs NTDAW. Its press releases describe a week in which "State trucking associations, industry suppliers, and motor carriers of all sizes" host appreciation events. ATA's 2022, 2023, 2025 and 2026 releases each name the Allied Committee for the Trucking Industry (ACT 1) as a sponsor of the week. In its September 2025 release, ATA described NTDAW as "a nationwide movement to formally recognize professional truck drivers."
The recent history of NTDAW, year by year
The table below is built only from ATA's own pages and Senate documents. Years before 2022 are left out because we did not open a primary source for them.
| Year | Dates (Sun–Sat) | Annual number | What the primary source records |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | September 11–17 | Not stated | ATA cited "3.7 million truck drivers"; hashtag #ThankATrucker; ATA brought its Interstate One rolling classroom to Capitol Hill (ATA, Sept. 14, 2022) |
| 2023 | September 10–16 | Not stated | Theme "Miles of Gratitude"; ATA opened the official NTDAW Store with a new 2023 logo; ATA cited 3.5 million drivers (ATA, July 6, 2023) |
| 2024 | September 15–21 | 36th | Sens. John Boozman and Mark Kelly submitted S.Res. 827 to designate the week; its text called it the 36th annual (resolution text, Sen. Kelly's office, 2024). Congress.gov records it as referred to committee on September 18, 2024, with no further action (Congress.gov) |
| 2025 | September 14–20 | 37th | Official colors burgundy and white; ATA encouraged members to host a meal at their terminals on Tuesday (ATA, Sept. 13, 2025); the Senate agreed to S.Res. 225 by unanimous consent on September 19, 2025, designating the week (Congress.gov; ATA, Sept. 19, 2025) |
| 2026 | September 13–19 | 38th | Official colors green and yellow; a suggested activity for each weekday; tagline "For the Miles You Drive And Sacrifices You Make" on the NTDAW site (ATA, Sept. 11, 2026) |
| 2027 | September 12–18 | Not yet stated | Listed on ATA's event schedule as of October 2026 |
| 2028 | Not published | Not stated | ATA had not announced 2028 dates as of October 2026 |
What changed, and what didn't
Three things moved from year to year: the theme or tagline, the official colors, and the number of drivers ATA cites. Three things stayed the same: ATA ran it, the week ran Sunday to Saturday in mid-September, and the message was a public thank-you rather than a sales event.
The driver counts are worth a caution. ATA cited 3.7 million drivers in 2022, 3.5 million in 2023 and "nearly 3.6 million" in 2025 and 2026. These are ATA's figures and its own definition. The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts a narrower group: 2,221,200 jobs for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in 2025. Quote one or the other with its source, never a blend.
Congress and NTDAW
The U.S. Senate has recognized the week by resolution. On September 19, 2025, the Senate agreed by unanimous consent to S.Res. 225, sponsored by Sen. John Boozman (R-AR) with Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), designating September 14–20, 2025 as National Truck Driver Appreciation Week (Congress.gov).
Not every resolution passes. The same senators' 2024 resolution, S.Res. 827, was referred to committee and Congress.gov records no further action. Its text states that the week's purposes are to "raise public awareness about the invaluable contributions of truck drivers" and to "promote greater respect for and understanding of the essential work that truck drivers do." Its operative text would have thanked professional truck drivers and encouraged the public to recognize the week. Resolutions like these do not direct employers to do anything, and NTDAW is not a federal holiday.
Who takes part in Driver Appreciation Week?
Anyone can take part. ATA's releases list state trucking associations, industry suppliers, law enforcement and motor carriers of all sizes as hosts of appreciation events. In 2023, ATA invited "carriers, shippers and the general public" to use the NTDAW logo in signage to thank drivers. That makes the week a natural moment for shippers and brokers as well as carriers: a shipper can thank the drivers who load at its docks, and a broker can thank the carriers it depends on.
The public side matters too. ATA's 2025 and 2026 releases asked the motoring public to give trucks room to maneuver and stay out of their blind spots, which is a form of appreciation every driver notices.
The federal "CMV Driver Appreciation Day"
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) marked one day inside the week in 2022 and 2023. It recognized Thursday, September 15, 2022 as CMV Driver Appreciation Day, calling it "an extension of National Truck Driver Appreciation Week" (FMCSA, 2022), and designated September 14 as CMV Driver Appreciation Day in 2023 (FMCSA, 2023). As of October 2026, FMCSA's CMV Driver Appreciation Day page still showed the 2023 observance, and its 2026 NTDAW page did not name a separate day. Our article on Driver Appreciation Day vs. Driver Appreciation Week explains the difference.
How NTDAW dates are set
ATA does not publish a rule for choosing the week. The recent pattern is visible in the dates themselves: every week from 2022 to 2027 starts on a Sunday between September 10 and September 15. In most of those years that is the second Sunday of September, but not in 2024, when the week started on the third Sunday (September 15).
That is why "the second week of September" or "the third week of September" is unreliable as a rule. Plan from the dates ATA publishes. As of October 2026, those are September 12–18, 2027. For 2028 and later, wait for ATA's announcement.
What ATA suggests fleets do during the week
ATA's 2026 release laid out a suggested activity for each weekday, and the pattern is useful for any year:
| Day | ATA's 2026 suggestion | How a fleet can adapt it |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Wear the official colors and decorate terminals | Decorate every terminal, and send a note to drivers who won't see one |
| Tuesday | Host a meal at terminals | A terminal meal, plus something delivered to drivers who are on the road |
| Wednesday | ATA's Women In Motion webinar | Share it with drivers and office staff |
| Thursday | Flood social media with messages of thanks | Post specific thank-yous with permission, and send them privately too |
| Friday | Hold an employee raffle or celebration | Close the week with leadership thanking drivers by name |
Our fleet operator's guide to Appreciation Week covers budget, logistics and timing in more detail, and our thank-you messages for truck drivers help with what to write.
What the history means for planning the next week
Four lessons come out of the record:
- Dates move. Look up ATA's dates each year rather than assuming a rule.
- The week is national, the thanks is local. ATA sets the frame; carriers, shippers and state associations do the thanking.
- Drivers on the road need reaching. In 2026, ATA staff handed out giftbags to drivers at truck and rest stops, because many drivers are not at a terminal that week.
- Start early. Fleets that want fleet-branded appreciation for every driver need to plan months ahead. Order early and ask your supplier for current deadlines.
Recognition during the week sits on top of the fundamentals. Fair pay and adequate parking are fundamental needs, and recognition is additional support. Results vary by fleet operations and program execution.
Plan Driver Appreciation Week 2027
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Explore products on our website or request a quote for September 12–18, 2027. A fleet specialist replies in writing within one business day.
This article is general information, not legal advice. Confirm requirements against the current regulation text and with your compliance counsel.
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We curate driver appreciation and handle fulfillment for U.S. fleets. The minimum order is 10 units on all items. Pricing is quoted per program. Request current pricing.