BROWNSVILLE, Texas—The Port of Brownsville, along with the entire U.S. trucking industry, is beginning a weeklong recognition of professional truck drivers who deliver America’s freight safely and securely every day.

During National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, September 10-16, truck drivers entering the port will receive tokens of appreciation from International Shipbreaking Ltd., Cameron County Regional Mobility Authority and the port.

“This year, the Port of Brownsville is on track to see almost 90,000 truck movements,” said John Wood, Brownsville Navigation District chairman. “Our nation’s truck drivers deliver all of life’s essential goods like food and clothing as well as cargo used to build the infrastructure in our communities. And, U.S. ports are a dominant transfer point of those commodities and goods.”

According to the American Trucking Association, there are more than 3.5 million professional truck drivers nationwide. These professional men and women log close to 724 billion miles annually and last year, delivered nearly 70 percent of the U.S. freight tonnage – or 10.55 billion tons. Eighty percent of U.S. communities depend solely on the trucking industry for their goods and commodities.

In 2016, the Port of Brownsville recorded more than 81,000 truck movements in and out of the port.