The Log Book is a weekly rundown of human-interest stories related to the transportation industry. This week: XPO receives a 90 out of 100 score on Disability Equality Index, Shell Rotella SuperRigs announces custom rig winners and Schneider driver’s daughter brings home first U.S. female diving medal since 1988.
XPO scores high on Disability Equality Index
This time last year, XPO Logistics announced the hiring of its first chief diversity officer, LaQuenta Jacobs, to provide strategic direction for improving inclusion efforts at the global supply chain solutions provider.
Since hiring Jacobs, the company has been awarded Top Diversity Employer by DiversityJobs.com, received high ratings for LGBTQ+ inclusion on the Corporate Equality Index and created Grow at XPO to build career pathways for minority employees.
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On Wednesday, XPO (NYSE:XPO) announced that it had earned a 90 out of 100 score on the Disability Equality Index (DEI), a workplace benchmarking tool.
DEI was launched in 2015 in a joint initiative between Disability:IN and the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) to create a comprehensive tool to rate and assist businesses looking to achieve diversity excellence. It measures businesses in categories like culture and leadership, enterprise wide access, employment practices, community engagement and supplier diversity.
“The Disability Equality Index shines a spotlight on companies that believe they have a stake in creating a more equitable society for people with disabilities,” said Maria Town, president and chief executive officer of AAPD. “It’s a conduit for our work championing disability rights for the 60 million Americans with disabilities and knocking down barriers to employment, technology and health care.”
The DEI does not just rate performance. Rather, it offers solutions to become a better employer for the disabled and ways high-rated companies can improve further. With consulting offered from the nonprofit resource Disability:IN, companies can learn how to improve benefits, refine recruiting techniques and revamp infrastructure to include people with disabilities.
“Participating in the Disability Equality Index is important because it helps measure our current progress as a diverse and equitable workplace. We’re committed to continuous improvement in this area to ensure our employees thrive as their authentic selves,” said Jacobs in the release.
Shell Rotella announces SuperRigs results
Best in Show winners at Shell Rotella’s 39th annual SuperRigs Truck Beauty Contest were Kiegan Nelson and Vinnie Diorio from Richfield, Wisconsin, who showcased their custom 2020 Peterbilt 389. The pair received $10,000 and 50,000 MyMilesMatter reward points to use on gift cards and Shell-branded merchandise.
The event was held last weekend at the Love’s Travel Stop in Hampshire, Illinois.
The free event showcases custom rigs used by drivers whose resilience and dedication throughout the pandemic inspired the event’s theme, “A Time to Shine.”
The top 11 drivers and the Best of Show winner from the previous year are featured in the 2022 Shell Rotella SuperRigs calendar as well.
This year’s top drivers were Brian Dreher, Truett Novosad, Kevin Benson, Derek Joubert, Jimmy Ganske, Dil McKinney, Danny Kimball, Trevor Timblin, Tony Huttenstine II, Jason Lemberg and Ben Overton.
Daniel and Phyllis Snow were also awarded the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association Go Safely Award for their dedication to keeping fellow drivers safe during the pandemic.
Participants in the event compete for awards and prizes totalling up to $25,000, with categories including Best of Show, Best Interior, Most Hardworking Trucker and People’s Choice.
Schneider driver’s daughter wins bronze medal in Olympics
On Sunday, the daughter of Schneider National (NYSE:SNDR) driver Mitch Palmer won the bronze medal in the women’s 3-meter springboard.
After multiple knee injuries while trampolining, Krysta Palmer began her diving career at 20 years old at her community college. At the Tokyo Olympics, she became the first American female to bring home a medal in the diving event since1988.
Check out her winning dive here.
Have a transportation-related human interest story to share? If so, please contact gsharkey@freightwaves.com.
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