{"id":2650,"date":"2021-08-10T16:21:45","date_gmt":"2021-08-10T16:21:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hiremaster.com\/trucking-news\/?p=2650"},"modified":"2021-08-10T16:27:00","modified_gmt":"2021-08-10T16:27:00","slug":"z-honors-veterans-with-eye-catching-truck-wrap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hiremaster.com\/trucking-news\/other-news\/2021\/08\/10\/z-honors-veterans-with-eye-catching-truck-wrap\/2650\/","title":{"rendered":"Z Honors Veterans with Eye-Catching Truck Wrap"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Al Muskewitz
<\/strong>
Willie Fulton was hanging out at the terminal one day when he got called into the office. It wasn\u2019t\u00a0like one of those called to the principal\u2019s office kind of things.\u00a0In fact, his managers at Z Transportation<\/a> wanted his thoughts on truck designs because they were thinking of changing the profile of some of their trucks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Fulton\u00a0was happy to be included in the process, but that\u2019s not\u00a0out of the ordinary\u00a0for the way Z does things.\u00a0Over the next few months, he had kind of forgotten about it.\u00a0Then around Christmas 2018, he got called to the office again and this time he learned what that brainstorming session was all about.

The managers sent him\u00a0out\u00a0to get his truck from the yard. When he got\u00a0there, they surprised him\u00a0with\u00a0a new Volvo 860 sporting a stylish military-themed wrap honoring the South Carolina National Guardsman\u2019s service to his country and all those who have served in the nation\u2019s Armed Services.

\u201cJust paying our respect to the saviors of our country,\u201d Z Transportation owner Trajce Ristovski explained.

Veterans have\u00a0always been a valued asset at Z Transportation and it\u2019s reflected in its roster of drivers. About 20 percent of the New Jersey-based carrier\u2019s roughly 100 drivers are veterans representing all branches of the service.

Fulton, a 20-year driving veteran who serves in the South Carolina Guard\u2019s 1052nd Transportation Unit, proudly drove his truck for the rest of the time he\u00a0was with\u00a0the company. He considered it an honor and responsibility.

\u201cIt\u2019s not just a regular ol\u2019 truck,\u201d he said. \u201cYou already have to represent the company, that\u2019s one thing, but when you\u2019re representing the military on top of it, it makes a big difference. I knew people knew who I was. I\u2019m not just this random guy who wanted to be a truck driver.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Here are the driver and rider side views of Z Transportation’s veterans-themed truck. It has been a popular sight among drivers and the public alike.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The wrap depicts scenes representing all of the armed forces. The driver\u2019s side panel is dominated by the silhouette of a soldier lifting a child and the Great Seal of the United States. On the passenger side, there\u2019s an image of the flag-raising on Iwo Jima, planes on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier as well as flying in formation, troops marching in the field, and the seal of the President of the United States. The Stars and Stripes draped the bottom panels and across the hood.\u00a0

The carrier added a second military-themed Volvo 860 in early 2019 and has plans to wrap one of its 20 new Peterbilt 579s later this summer.

\u201cIt was a great thing they did,\u201d Fulton said. \u201cThere are so many of us that you\u2019ll never know about. That truck represented everybody; it had the Navy, the Army, the Marines, the Air Force \u2013 everybody who was there.”

The original truck was an instant hit and\u00a0both of those in service continue to be\u00a0popular\u00a0whenever and wherever they\u2019re seen on the road.\u00a0And make no mistake, these aren\u2019t just for show; they\u2019re actually working in the field.

All of their drivers wanted to be in it,\u00a0many remarking in the orientation they\u2019ve seen it on Facebook or YouTube,\u00a0but company policy states it has to be\u00a0driven by\u00a0a veteran with a clean driving record and at least one year OTR experience.

\u201cDriving it down the road I got so many compliments; I took more pictures than I did driving half the time,\u201d Fulton said. \u201cPeople just pulling over at the truck stop, running to the fuel island and asking if they could take a picture of the truck, or me and the truck.

\u201cI\u2019d pull into Walmart or the mall to grab a few things and I\u2019d just stand back and watch people stop and take pictures. It was amazing. Everybody was watching.\u201d

Fulton even took\u00a0the truck\u00a0to his Guard unit and it got the VIP treatment.

\u201cMy sergeant major came down, my lieutenant colonel came down, the colonel came down, they all came and watched the truck,\u201d he said. \u201cThe first time I took it home, we had this little pad where we had an armory tank they took away a long time ago, they said put it on the pad right in front. I left it there for a couple days and people stopped by. It was a big boost to everybody.\u201d

Fulton\u00a0drove the truck for a couple of years then left during the height of the pandemic but has stayed in the trucking industry. He\u00a0hasn\u2019t seen his old truck on the road yet, but he\u2019s got his eye out for it.

\u201cEventually I will catch it,\u201d he said. \u201cI have no doubt.\u201d

And that will be another proud day \u2013 for a lot of people.

Al Muskewitz is the editor at Wright Media.

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