Safe drivers aid school

Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman paid a visit Monday to Seymour, honoring truck drivers with one of the area's largest employers.

"We are the crossroads of the United States, and that makes Indiana important as a transportation, distribution and logistics center," Skillman said during a talk at Wal-Mart Supercenter on East Tipton Street.

Her visit came in part because of National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, which began Sunday and ends Saturday.

As part of the week, Wal-Mart Foundation plans to donate money for the purchase of equipment for new programs at Margaret R. Brown Elementary School in Seymour for every accident-free mile driven this week by the company's truckers working out of its Seymour transportation office.

The school was selected by the company's transportation office and will receive a minimum of $1,000 and as much as $5,000, based upon the safety performance of the drivers this week, Johnnie Dobbs, Wal-Mart executive vice president of logistics, said in a press release.

Tim Schumpe, general transportation manager, said the fundraising program is a just a "great" way to engage all of the company's drivers in raising money for local schools.

"This program also serves as a great reminder that children are returning to classes and all drivers need to watch carefully for school buses and schoolchildren," Schumpe said.

In 2007, the company's transportation officers nationwide contributed more than $150,000 to schools in their communities.

An America without truck drivers delivering goods would be hard to imagine, Skillman said after visiting and shaking hands with employees at Wal-Mart Supercenter.

"You may not know this, but this is where my mom and mad shop," Skillman told employees at the supercenter. Skillman said her family lives just across the Jackson County line in Lawrence County and it's just as easy to drive to Seymour as it is to Bedford.

"This is home," Skillman said.

After her talk, Wal-Mart truck driver Greg Carter of Commiskey presented Skillman with a shirt just like the ones worn by company fleet drivers and then gave her a ride in a company semitrailer from the Supercenter to the Wal-Mart Distribution Center.

At the distribution center, Skillman visited with some of the 900-plus employees, and she also visited the transportation center, where about 266 people are employed.