National Truck Driver Appreciation Week: Recognizing the People Behind MSP’s Deliveries

Every day, Mansfield Service Partners drivers are on the road and at customer sites helping keep businesses and critical operations supplied. During National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, MSP recognizes the people behind those deliveries and the impact they make on customers, coworkers, and operations every day. 

More Than a Delivery

MSP drivers can spend 12 hours on the job and cover hundreds of miles a day. Depending on the customer and location, drivers may deliver fuels, lubricants, diesel exhaust fluid (DEF), and other fluids needed to keep vehicles, equipment, and operations running. Along the way, they navigate traffic, weather, delivery windows, site requirements, and changing conditions. 

Making those deliveries also requires preparation and attention to detail. Before reaching a customer, drivers must confirm they have the correct product and fittings, complete required pre-trip inspections, and make sure their trucks and equipment are ready for the road. These checks help identify potential issues before a delivery begins and ensure drivers arrive prepared for each stop. 

Once on site, drivers must understand and follow the safety procedures and operating requirements unique to each customer’s location. MSP drivers work within strict safety and DOT standards throughout the delivery process while remaining attentive to site conditions, equipment, and the safe transfer of product. 

Jeremiah Blackston, MSP Terminal Manager for the Ohio Valley market, sees the responsibility drivers carry firsthand. “Customers see and interact with our drivers more than they see anyone else from MSP. The way our drivers conduct themselves, communicate with customers, and handle each delivery has a direct impact on how customers view our company.” 

What Our Team Appreciates

When MSP employees were asked what they appreciate most about the company’s drivers, one theme came through consistently: dependability. 

Kevin McNierney, MSP Terminal Manager for the Colorado markets, pointed to the long hours and changing conditions drivers regularly work through. 

“They work 10 to 12 hours per day, up to 60 hours per week. They do this day in and day out. Rain, snow, heat, and cold, they just keep going. It’s a tough job.” 

That commitment can also require sacrifices outside of work. Noe Robledo, MSP Terminal Manager for West Texas, sees it among drivers in the region, where demanding schedules can mean missing birthdays, school events, and other important moments with family. 

He also sees drivers step in when their team needs additional support. 

“When we are short-handed, our drivers consistently volunteer to work additional shifts and put in extra hours. That willingness to step up says a lot about the character and commitment of our drivers.” 

That dependability matters across the organization. Terminal teams, operations employees, dispatchers, and sales teams all rely on drivers to carry the final part of the operation through to the customer. 

Showing Up When It Matters

Reliable deliveries become especially important when customers are facing conditions outside of normal operations. 

Joe Hangge, MSP Senior Director of Sales and Operations leading the Minnesota market, works with the teams responsible for keeping those deliveries moving. Whether drivers are working through 100-degree heat, subzero temperatures, strong winds, snow, or other difficult conditions, the customers waiting on those deliveries may be relying on the products to support critical operations. 

That can mean keeping hospital generators fueled during an outage, making sure municipal snowplows have the fuel they need to clear roads during a winter storm, or supporting businesses that cannot simply stop operating when conditions become difficult. 

Drivers also need to make decisions throughout the day as road conditions, delivery schedules, and customer needs change. An unexpected situation may require them to adjust quickly while continuing to prioritize safety and service. 

That ability to adapt helps keep deliveries moving, and customers supplied when the day does not go exactly as planned. 

The Face of MSP

For many customers, an MSP driver is one of the people from the company they see most often. 

McNierney said drivers have more direct contact with customers than anyone else and take significant pride in the service they provide. Regular visits to the same locations can turn those interactions into familiar working relationships over time. 

Robledo echoed that point, noting that drivers become a familiar part of customers’ day-to-day operating environments. How they communicate, respond to customer needs, and conduct themselves on site helps shape the customer experience and build trust through consistent service. 

Drivers are not simply completing the last step of delivery. They represent MSP every time they arrive at a customer location. 

Thank You to Our Drivers

National Truck Driver Appreciation Week gives us an opportunity to recognize work that happens every day of the year. 

To MSP’s drivers, thank you for the early mornings, long days, time away from your families, and the care you put into your work. Your commitment makes a difference to the coworkers who depend on you and the customers you serve. 

Your work is an important part of MSP every day, and we appreciate everything you do.