When people think about air cargo, the aircraft usually gets the attention.

It crosses oceans, connects countries and moves freight thousands of miles in a matter of hours.

But when that aircraft lands, the shipment’s journey isn’t over.

During National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, September 13–19, 2026, Air Land Delivery Solutions is recognizing the professional drivers who take that freight into its next stage — connecting cargo facilities with businesses and destinations throughout the region.

Air cargo may travel around the world in the sky.

Professional drivers make sure its journey continues on the ground.

The Ground Journey Requires Preparation

Before a driver leaves to recover a shipment, there are details to consider.

What is being picked up? How many pieces are there? What are the dimensions and weight? Has the freight been released? What equipment will be appropriate for the shipment?

Good ground transportation begins with good information.

For the professional driver, preparation helps make sure that when freight is ready to move, the right equipment and information are ready too.

Airport Transportation Has Its Own Challenges

Driving around a major cargo gateway like JFK is different from making an ordinary pickup.

Cargo facilities can be busy. Truck entrances and receiving areas have specific procedures. Traffic surrounding the airport can change quickly, and drivers may be moving between multiple cargo facilities and destinations throughout the region.

The driver has to understand more than the road ahead.

They have to understand the environment they’re operating in.

The Driver Becomes the Connection

A shipment may begin thousands of miles away.

It moves through an origin airport, travels aboard an aircraft, arrives in New York and passes through the appropriate cargo-handling process.

Eventually, it becomes ready for ground transportation.

That’s when the professional driver becomes the connection between an international transportation network and the customer waiting locally.

Once the freight is released for recovery, the responsibility shifts from one stage of transportation to another.

What Happens After JFK Matters Too

Leaving the airport isn’t the end of the driver’s responsibility.

Now there is traffic to navigate, a destination to reach and freight to deliver.

The shipment that traveled thousands of miles through an international transportation network may ultimately depend on one professional driver to complete the regional portion of its journey.

That final ground movement may not be the most visible part of air cargo.

But to the customer waiting for the shipment, it can be one of the most important.

Thank You to the Drivers Behind the Ground Journey

During National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, we recognize the professionals behind those movements.

The drivers navigating airport traffic.

The drivers waiting for freight to be released.

The drivers checking shipment information.

The drivers adapting when conditions change.

And the drivers who take freight from the cargo facility and continue its journey to the businesses waiting for it.

An aircraft can carry a shipment across an ocean.

It still takes a professional driver to carry that journey forward on the ground.

To the professional drivers at Air Land Delivery Solutions and throughout the transportation industry:

Thank you for the miles you drive, the responsibility you carry and the work you do every day.