Home Commentary Recognizing truck drivers, vendors with a small holiday gift still matters

Recognizing truck drivers, vendors with a small holiday gift still matters

By

Karl Wadensten

-

12/19/2025

VIBCOGift — AT VIBCO Inc. in Richmond gives a small holiday gift to the truck drivers and vendors that help keep the company producing on a daily basis. /COURTESY VIBCO INC.

Every holiday season, something quietly disappears in business – recognition. Schedules tighten, volumes spike and everyone is racing to close the year strong. However, the men and women who keep goods moving, the truck drivers and delivery partners, are often treated as invisible parts of the calendar instead of people carrying real responsibility. At VIBCO Inc., we

Already a Subscriber? Log in

To Continue Reading This Article

Become a Providence Business News subscriber and get immediate access to all of our premier content and much more.

Learn More and Become a Subscriber

Critical RI business news and analysis updated daily.
1 year of print (26 issues).
Unlimited access to all subscriber only content on our website, on any device.
Free email alerts.
Annual Book of Lists Print Edition.
All special issues produced during subscription term.

Click Here to purchase a paywall bypass link for this article

PBN Branded Content

Spring Forward: Expanding Access to Health and Wellness

As winter gives way to spring, many people take the opportunity to refocus on their…

Learn More

LEAVE A REPLY Cancel reply

Every holiday season, something quietly disappears in business - recognition. Schedules tighten, volumes spike and everyone is racing to close the year strong. However, the men and women who keep goods moving, the truck drivers and delivery partners, are often treated as invisible parts of the calendar instead of people carrying real responsibility. At VIBCO Inc., we choose to pause and do something simple. We give a small holiday gift to the truck drivers and vendors who deliver to us and ship for us. Not because it’s tradition nor is it expected, it’s because it matters. That small gesture is our way of saying thank you for the extra consideration these drivers give us, especially when it helps us meet same-day and next-day commitments for our customers during the busiest time of the year. It’s a signal of respect, and a reminder that their work is seen. Because the truth is, they aren’t just delivering boxes; they are transporting an economy. They bring in the raw materials that keep factories running and people employed. They carry out finished products that help our customers, large and small, grow and compete. Without them, supply chains stall, paychecks stop and promises fall apart. Sometimes, what they’re hauling goes far beyond business. It might be a bike for a child learning to ride on Christmas morning; it might be hospital equipment headed to a facility where lives will be saved or it might be a single critical component that keeps a small company open another week. That responsibility doesn’t show up on a Bill of Lading but it’s there every mile. At VIBCO, we believe recognition reinforces responsibility. When people feel respected, they take pride in their work. When they feel seen, they care more deeply about how it’s done. That care shows up in safety, reliability and relationships that last well beyond a single delivery. This isn’t about the dollar value of a gift; it’s about intention. It’s about making it clear that the people who move our goods are part of something bigger than a route, a dock door or a delivery window. That brings us to a question worth asking, especially during the holidays. Before your products reach your customers, your hospitals, or your communities, someone drove them there. Often under pressure, or in bad weather, often giving more than the schedule requires. So, what are you doing at your company or in your business to recognize the men and women who keep your goods moving and your promises intact? Is it a thank you at the dock? A small holiday gift? A moment that says, we see you, and your work matters? It doesn’t have to be expensive, nor does it have to be intentional. At VIBCO, we choose to act on that belief, especially during the holidays. Because the holidays don’t move themselves. The economy doesn’t move itself. People do. Karl Wadensten is a member of the R.I. Commerce Corp. board and president of VIBCO Inc., a manufacturing company based in Richmond. He has spent more than 25 years helping build and retain jobs in Rhode Island’s small and mid-sized business sector.