Sometimes, the smallest things mean the most to the drivers of the biggest vehicles on the road.

National Truck Driver Appreciation Week begins Sept. 10, an opportunity for anyone who knows or works with truckers to show gratitude for the men and women who keep the country rolling.

Often maligned, stereotyped and unappreciated, drivers too often feel taken for granted. Fortunately, it doesn’t take much to let them know their efforts aren’t unnoticed.

RoadPro Pro Driver Council member Tom Kyrk still talks about the church members who paid a visit to a Pennsylvania truck stop one Christmas Day.

“They were going around knocking on trucks, giving the drivers small care packages. It was a shoebox decorated with Christmas paper. Inside were personal care items, some snacks and other items a driver would find useful. In all my years of driving that was the first time anything like that had ever happened to me. It was a year when I needed a little pick me up while away from home and it provided just that,” he said.

Sometimes, that appreciation can be a little more dramatic. Pro Driver Council member Joanne Fatta knew she was being followed on her route by a man in a pickup truck, but she didn’t know why. Then, at a red light, the pickup driver ran up to her window, shook her hand and praised her for how she handled being cut off by rude drivers earlier. The man also called Fatta’s boss to compliment her.

“Normally, we drivers do not hear or get much appreciation for the struggles we deal with daily,” she said. “It was very kind of this gentleman to thank me personally and contact my boss.”

In 2006, Brita Nowak had her 11-year-son in the truck while making a delivery in New York City. A baseball fan, he realized they were near Yankee Stadium, which was hosting an afternoon game and begged her to go. The customer let her park her truck out front while she and her son enjoyed the game.

However, while gestures like that are nice, all truckers really want from the four-wheelers that surround them is a little courtesy and a lot of space.

“There are countless times we have to slam on our brakes to avoid an accident because of careless drivers on the road,” said Ryan Sexton.

“One of the best ways you can show appreciation for a driver is to drive safely around them,” Kyrk said. “Use your turn signals, give them plenty of room when changing lanes. Don't cut them off, or run around them to get to your exit five seconds faster. The vast majority of drivers take the safety of other motorists seriously and it would make our jobs much easier if everyone on the road took their safety seriously.”

Remember, Truck Driver Appreciation Week is Sept. 10-16. Let the drivers know you’re thinking of them – even if that only means not tailgating them.