Veterans Day ideas for employees and truck drivers

Veterans Day falls on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, and on Thursday, November 11, 2027. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) says it is always observed on November 11, whatever the weekday. The best Veterans Day ideas for employees are personal and voluntary: thank veterans by name, in their own words, and reach the ones on the road.

The ten ideas below are ordered from the easiest to the most planned:

1. Ask, don't assume
2. A thank-you from leadership, by name
3. A card mailed home
4. A pause at 11 a.m.
5. A newsletter spotlight, with permission
6. Time to attend a local ceremony
7. Support for a veterans organization
8. A lasting keepsake
9. A path for the next veteran driver
10. Keep Memorial Day separate

If you want a fleet-branded keepsake for veteran drivers next year, request pricing for a custom program. For this year, most of the ideas below need no shipping at all.

What Veterans Day is, and what it is not

Veterans Day is a day "to thank and honor ALL those who served honorably in the military," in wartime or peacetime, and it is "largely intended to thank LIVING veterans," according to the VA's Veterans Day facts page. Memorial Day, in May, is for remembering those who died in service.

The date comes from the armistice that ended fighting in World War I at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918. The VA's history of Veterans Day traces the rest:

Private employers decide for themselves whether to close. The VA notes that non-government businesses "are free to make their own decisions to close or remain open," regardless of government closings.

10 Veterans Day ideas for employees

1. Ask, don't assume

Honoring veteran employees starts with knowing who wants to be honored. Some veterans are glad to be named in front of the team; others would rather keep their service private. Invite people to share, with a simple message from HR or the driver manager a few weeks out, and respect a "no". Never announce someone's service without their permission.

2. A thank-you from leadership, by name

A short call or message from the owner, the president or the safety director on November 11, naming the person and thanking them for their service, takes five minutes per veteran. For drivers, call rather than text, and check the driver's schedule so the call doesn't land while they're driving.

3. A card mailed home

A handwritten card signed by the driver manager and a senior leader reaches a driver where they actually live. Mail it so it arrives on or before November 11. Our guide to thank-you messages for truck drivers has wording you can adapt. Keep it specific: the branch, the years, and what the person brings to the fleet now.

4. A pause at 11 a.m.

The VA's history says the original concept for Armistice Day included "a brief suspension of business beginning at 11:00 a.m." A one-minute pause at each terminal at 11 a.m. local time, with a few words from the terminal manager, follows that tradition. Drivers on the road can be told about it in advance and included by name.

5. A newsletter spotlight, with permission

A November driver newsletter can feature one or two veterans who agreed to it: their branch, what they did in service and how they came to trucking, in their own words. It costs nothing and reaches every remote driver at once. Our guide to recognizing remote employees covers other ways to reach people who are rarely in the building.

6. Time to attend a local ceremony

The VA notes that when Veterans Day falls on a weekday, many communities hold parades and ceremonies on the weekend before or after. If a veteran driver wants to attend, try to plan their home time around it. This is one of the few ideas that requires dispatch to plan weeks ahead.

7. Support for a veterans organization

Some companies mark the day by supporting a veterans service organization, such as a local Veterans of Foreign Wars post or American Legion post. The VA's Veterans Day page names both as veterans service organizations. Ask your veteran employees which group they want supported, so the gesture reflects their choice rather than the company's.

8. A lasting keepsake

A keepsake that a veteran keeps on a shelf or wears says more than a gift card. Driver Appreciation Solutions (DAS) can source jackets, blankets and rings for custom programs, carrying the fleet's logo and the driver's name, with no setup fee and no artwork charge. The minimum order is 10 units on all items. Order early and ask DAS for current deadlines. A custom keepsake is best planned for November 11, 2027; for 2026, the no-shipping ideas above are the practical choice.

9. A path for the next veteran driver

Veterans Day is also a good day to tell veterans in your community that trucking wants them. Under 49 CFR 383.77, a State may waive the commercial driver's license (CDL) knowledge test for certain current or former service members in listed military driving jobs, and may waive the driving skills test for applicants with qualifying military commercial motor vehicle experience, subject to conditions such as a clean recent driving record. As of October 2026 these waivers are at each State's discretion, so point applicants to their State licensing agency rather than promising a waiver.

10. Keep Memorial Day separate

Mixing the two days is the most common mistake. Veterans Day thanks the living; Memorial Day remembers the fallen. The VA also notes that wearing poppies is traditionally a Memorial Day practice, not a Veterans Day one.

A three-week plan for Veterans Day 2026

For a Wednesday, November 11, 2026 Veterans Day, this timeline works back from the date. Add the year to your year-round recognition calendar so 2027 starts earlier.

For Thursday, November 11, 2027, a custom keepsake needs a longer runway: decide in the summer, approve artwork early in the fall and confirm delivery dates with your supplier.

Veterans Day recognition for drivers on the road

Veterans Day recognition for drivers has to travel, because many drivers will be working that day. Three adjustments make the ideas above work for them:

• Reach them where they are. A call, a card mailed home and a newsletter mention all reach a driver who never sees the terminal that week.
• Respect driving time. Schedule calls for a break or the end of the shift, never while the truck is moving.
• Think about the family. A card that arrives at home is seen by the people who also carried the service years.

Mistakes to avoid when honoring veteran employees

• Spelling it wrong. The VA's answer is "Veterans Day", with no apostrophe, because the day belongs to no one and honors all veterans.
• Making it a sale. A thank-you that turns into a pitch reads as marketing. Keep the message about the person.
• Assuming who served. Ask. Not every veteran wants attention, and not every employee who looks the part served.
• Forgetting the road. If the only event is at the main office, veteran drivers miss it.
• Treating it as Memorial Day. Keep remembrance for May and thanks for November.

Start planning now

Pick three ideas you can do this year without shipping anything: the invitation, the leadership calls and the 11 a.m. pause. If you want a custom fleet-branded keepsake for veteran drivers in 2027, or recognition that reaches drivers wherever they are, explore products on our website or request a program quote. Our guide to years-of-service award ideas covers the other milestones worth marking. 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.