Volvo Trucks celebrated the American Trucking Associations’ (ATA) new trucking ambassadors at its New River Valley Customer Experience Center in Dublin, Virginia, while providing training on its VNL 760 long-haul tractor model, which America’s Road Team Captains will use to haul the ATA Interstate One mobile classroom for their nationwide outreach effort.
“It is an honor to collaborate with the ATA and help spread the trucking industry’s key messages of safety, professionalism, and the necessity of trucking to lawmakers and society as a whole,” said Peter Voorhoeve, president of Volvo Trucks North America. “We congratulate the new America’s Road Team Captains on their selection to the industry’s premier safety outreach program and look forward to working together to continually enhance the public’s perception of the trucking industry.”
While at Volvo’s interactive Customer Experience Center, the America’s Road Team Captains received hands-on training with the VNL760 model that will haul ATA’s Image Trailer, featuring exhibits and displays used during presentations. Volvo’s latest active safety technologies including Volvo Active Driver Assist, Volvo Enhanced Stability Technology and Lane Departure Warning system are included on the new VNL 760 tractor. Powered by a Volvo D13 engine, the truck is equipped with Volvo’s automated manual transmission, Volvo I-Shift. Several Volvo connectivity services that improve overall uptime such as Remote Diagnostics and Remote Programming are also integrated in the tractor.
Captains also learned how to set-up and operate the Interstate One mobile classroom. While meeting with a variety of stakeholders including students, lawmakers, community groups and government officials across the country, the trucking ambassadors will utilize the specially equipped 53-foot trailer to showcase presentations, exhibitions and displays demonstrating the importance of safety and influential impact of the trucking industry on the American economy. The unique show trailer features a truck driving simulator, seven presentation screens, educational displays and a conference room.
“Volvo Trucks has been proud to serve as the exclusive sponsor for America’s Road Team since 2002, and have long championed their critical role in the delivery of goods and services,” said Voorhoeve. “With e-commerce flourishing and an increase in shipping demands, the importance of driver safety, comfort and retention are at an all-time high in the industry. America’s Road Team Captains are shining examples of the profession with exceptional safety records and we are pleased to equip them with the tools to complete a safe and comfortable journey.”
The America's Road Team program is a national public outreach effort led by expert professional truck drivers who have logged millions of accident-free miles. The 2019-2020 Captains include 18 professional drivers from a wide array of companies, with anywhere from six years to more than four decades of professional driving experience.
Volvo Trucks’ New River Valley Assembly Plant is the largest Volvo truck manufacturing facility in the world and produces all Volvo trucks sold in North America. The Customer Center, located next to the plant, includes a product showroom, two exhibit rooms, two pilot review rooms and a theater-in the-round at the center of the building. Additionally, it hosts a 1.1 mile Customer Experience Track enabling drivers to experience challenging road conditions in an off-highway area with banked corners facilitating highway speeds and various surfaces and grades.
CAPTION: America’s Road Team Captains gather at Volvo’s state-of-the-art, Customer Experience Center in Dublin, Va for hands-on training with the VNL 760 long-haul tractor model which they will showcase during their nationwide outreach in 2019 and 2020.
CAPTION: The 2019-20 America’s Road Team Captains pose for a photo in front of a VNL 760 long-haul tractor at the Customer Experience Center in Dublin, Va