Schneider recognizes military and their families with Ride of Pride trucks

Schneider’s history is steeped celebrating the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces – Schneider founder Al Schneider was a veteran, after all!

So it comes with great honor that Schneider has been selected by truck manufacturer Freightliner to receive two new editions of the Ride of Pride, a truck series designed to be rolling tributes to members of the United States and Canadian military – past and present. The new military-themed tractors, one U.S. and one Canadian, join Schneider’s existing fleet of seven Ride of Pride trucks.

This year’s Ride of Pride trucks are very special additions to our military-themed fleet. They represent our longstanding commitment to honoring those with military experience and hiring them into our ranks.

The 13th and 14th editions of the Ride of Pride were added to Schneider’s fleet Memorial Day weekend.

The U.S. truck made its traditional debut at Rolling Thunder, a motorcycle rally in Washington, D.C., honoring our nation’s veterans, (POWs) and (MIAs). Schneider’s newest tractor will spend its first 12 months traveling the county to various military-themed events before it transitions to hauling freight.

Jay Hull of Green Bay, Wis., has been selected as the driver of the 2015 Schneider Ride of Pride. Jay served in the U.S. Army for 24 years as a driver, completing tours in Iraq hauling fuel tankers. He also acted as a recruiter, career counselor and chemical nuclear biological warfare specialist. Upon completing his military career in 2005, Jay worked with several transportation companies before joining Schneider in 2012 as an Intermodal driver out of Chicago. Within a year of joining the Big Orange, Jay was promoted to a Training Engineer, a role that assists with the growth and development of new drivers.

The second edition Canadian Ride for Pride was unveiled on June 2 at Schneider’s Operating Center in Guelph, Ontario. The event included Schneider executives, Daimler Trucks North America representatives, members of the Canadian Veterans motorcycle unit and driver Darrell Esson.

Esson, a resident of Milton, Ontario, was selected in 2011 to drive the first-ever unit produced by Freightliner to honor Canadian military members. He will continue to serve as the Canadian Ride for Pride driver for the new tractor. Esson began his military career as an infantryman in the Canadian Army in 1984. He served 21 years and completed tours overseas, including Cypress, Kosovo and Afghanistan. Upon his retirement, he toured the United States on his Harley-Davidson motorcycle and was inspired to join Schneider as an over-the-road driver in 2006.