This holiday season, Rosenau Transport is back with their 20th annual 18 Wheels of Christmas campaign that delivers food to those in need.

“18 Wheels of Christmas began as a concept brought forth by two Rosenau team members in 2001 with the intent of supporting local food banks in the communities that we call home,” says Jude Groves, Director of Safety and Training at Rosenau Transport. “They saw a need and we knew we had the ability to make their dream a reality.”

18 Wheels of Christmas is an annual fundraiser that aims to stock the Food Banks of Western Canada at Christmas. The campaign starts off at local grocery markets and collection points in host communities who collect groceries from donors wanting to contribute. Then volunteers roll up their sleeves to help collect donations at the various collection points and load those groceries into the Rosenau 18-Wheeler.

“Our team comes together to do what needs to be done to make it happen. We all recognize that we need to support the less fortunate in our communities and 18 Wheels is a great way to give back,” says Jude. “Across our network, where there’s a need, we’ll work to provide support through our local operations. We pull our resources to handle the logistics of food hampers at local grocery stores, in our customers locations, and find new ways to support [those in need].”

According to the 18 Wheels of Christmas Facebook page, the initiative has long-lasting effects on communities. Though collection efforts are centered around the Christmas season, much of what the campaign collects lasts through the entire year. Rosenau Transport is passionate about ensuring that every single item or dollar that collected in a community stays in that community, with the largest 18 Wheels of Christmas campaigns being in the Edmonton and Calgary areas.

“At Rosenau, we pride ourselves on not only lending monetary support to those communities and social initiatives that we serve, but also by providing hands-on logistics services to help them accomplish their goals,” says Jude. “We are fortunate to have the reach we do across the west, and feel it’s our responsibility to provide value to all customers – for profit and non-profit alike.”

Chris Nash, President of the Alberta Motor Transport Association, is honoured that the AMTA has the opportunity to participate in and support Rosenau Transport’s 18 Wheels of Christmas initiative.

“So many of our members have amazing initiatives in support of others. AMTA has been proud to participate and promote 18 Wheels of Christmas for the last 20 years and will continue to do so for such a great cause. This event allows those who may not have the means to have a happy holiday season in their community,” says Chris.

Rosenau Transport started as a one-truck operation in 1957 and is now Western Canada’s largest freight transportation is warehouse services provider. The company, which started with founders Gus and Colleen Rosenau working out of their kitchen, now employs more than 750 skilled transportation professionals. Today, under the banner of Rosenau Transport and Acropolis Warehousing, the company serves customers across 28 Rosenau Transport terminals and seven Acropolis warehouse and distribution centres throughout Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba.

Rosenau Transport’s primary focus is the less-than-load (LTL) market, which is the transportation of many different small items in one load. Though they are known for their excellent LTL services, the company’s customer service has also earned them a solid reputation, as has their reliable transportation and supply chain services in the region. With an experienced team who have the skills and ability to solve complicated logistics challenges, customers can be sure to find a solution, no matter the size and scope of a shipment or supply chain issue.

“We have amazing people as part of our team that deliver our built-on service promise and most importantly the customers that trust us with their needs,” says Jude, adding that so many things make him proud to be part of the Rosenau Transport team, “from support through the Fort McMurray fires and floods to just being part of serving the needs of our next generations through our support of Sports Central or the Calgary Flames Sports Equipment Bank, which supports access to sports equipment across rural communities in Alberta.”

He adds: “We’re pleased to be able to support communities that we serve in doing our part to develop future generations. When parts of Western Canada were experiencing drought we hauled hay across our network. When our provincial associations ask for help with anything from moving hand sanitizer in early days of the pandemic to helping with the logistics and staffing for driver appreciation events, we’re always there. The moments I look back on with pride are our organization’s commitment to the communities we call home – it’s not just that we do business in the community, we’re here to be part of the community.”

In October, Rosenau Transport announced that they were joining General Logistics Systems (GLS) family. This will allow for Rosenau Transport to align with an industry-leading organization and will open new opportunities and markets for the company on a global scale.

“We’ve been fortunate and grateful to be a part of the success of Western Canada over the last six decades and more-so the communities that we’ve called home since 1957,” says Jude. “We’ve built the bench strength in an industry-leading team and most importantly, have had the opportunity to grow with our customers. The combined networks of GLS and Rosenau Transport will allow us to offer a comprehensive Canadian solution to better serve our clients.”

To learn more about Rosenau Transport or their 18 Wheels of Christmas campaign, visit www.rosenau.ca or check out the company’s Facebook page.