Rhode Island Trucking Association Foundation

09/21/2026

Thanks very much to Carla Manni, Trans-Link, Colettas and all of the guests who made the Foundation event at the Aurora Club last week a resounding success!

09/08/2026

Thanks very much to Carla Manni and her company, Translink, for sponsoring the event next week at the Aurora Club to benefit the RITA Foundation.

- Logistics Services -Nationwide Dry, Refrigerated, and Frozen Transportation Solutions

06/22/2026

Congratulations to the recipient of the Spring, 2026 Lena Daly/Women In Trucking Foundation Scholarship, Melanie Lapaz!

Melanie is studying for her CDL at New England Tractor Trailer Training School. From her scholarship application:

"In five years, I see myself as a successful truck driver with a clean driving record and financial stability. One of my goals is to prove that with some grit and determination, women can succeed and thrive in male-dominated professions. To get there, I am taking the steps now by earning my CDL, staying focused, and learning as much as I can about the trucking industry."

Best wishes on your education and career path, Melanie!

12/16/2025

And XPO professional truck driver and ATA Road Captain finalist Selwin Ramirez assists students into an Ocean State Job Lot "Sleeper" tractor as part of the truck "tour" at JA Inspire 2025 which included his sharing career experiences about life on the road.

12/16/2025

The RITA Foundation continued to deliver on its mission to 'Move Minds' and inspire the next generation of trucking professionals as it brought a group of front line drivers, technicians, industry recruiters and their equipment face to face with approximately 5000 Rhode Island 8th graders as part of this year's Junior Achievement Inspire program. This is the third year of participation by the Foundation and RITA.

Here, Penske Trucks Diesel Technician David Slade explains the technology under the hood of a Freightliner Cascadia. Slade also demonstrated the use of a tablet as a key tool in the Preventative Maintenance (PM)and diagnostic processes.

12/10/2025

Day Two of the RITA Foundation's participation in the 2025 JA Inspire Career Exploration Fair at the Convention Center finds professional drivers like William Hicks of Ocean State Job Lot and Ray Nightingale of XPO engaging with and answering the questions of students. Great job, guys!

12/03/2025

The RITA Foundation looks forward to partnering with Penske Trucks, New England Tractor Trailer Training School and Ocean State Job Lot to inform Rhode Island middle-schoolers about career paths in trucking December 9th-11th at Junior Achievement R.I.'s 2025 "JA Inspire Career Exploration Fair" at the R.I. Convention Center.

Last year, thousands of students came through the Convention Center. Hundreds "got behind the wheel" of ATA's Interstate One CDL-simulator. This year, 'Transportation Row' will feature a diesel tech demonstration using the latest maintenance technology in addition to truck driving.