This week on Trucking Tributes, host Don Queeney welcomes Dan Welker, Navy veteran and professional truck driver for Smith Transport. 

Welker has worked for Smith Transport for 19 years and has been delivering veterans’ wreaths for the last two years. After his first year participating, Welker said he loved his experience, “I was ready to come back. I was like, I’ve got to get back up there!” When picking up his load in Maine, he was able to participate in the Remembrance Tree program, placing a dog tag for his veteran family members.

Queeney talked about the perks for drivers who haul wreaths. “How many times does a shipper offer you three meals, a pool table and the camaraderie that you get?” Queeney asked. Welker laughed and emphasized that the hospitality he experienced as part of the program was exceptional. “Everyone that I met, every visitor that I met was very appreciative, was just so exuberant and ecstatic about being there and participating and thanking us for doing this,” he said. 

Smith Transportation gives its veteran truck drivers the opportunity to haul for Wreaths Across America. He said that the experience was life-changing and encouraged others to do it. He plans to be hauling wreaths with Smith Transportation again in 2026.

Tune in to Trucking Tributes on Wreaths Across America Radio’s Trucking Tuesday at 10 a.m. and again at 4 p.m. EST to hear more about Welker’s experience hauling wreaths. You can also listen on demand on SoundCloud here.