ISSUE 10
SEPTEMBER 2026
MILE MARKER MONTHLY
WELCOME MESSAGE
Special Observance this month : Sept 13-19th is National Truck Driver Appreciation Week. This year’s celebration marks the 38th annual observance that recognizes roughly 3.6 million professional truck drivers nationwide. This month, we’re proud to recognize our professional drivers and the dedication, skill and commitment they bring to the road every single day. Thank you, Trucker!
EXCELLENCE & SAFETY PROFIT, FUN & GIVING
LETTER FROM LEADERSHIP
HERE ARE SOME MOTORCOACH CHARTER STATS Motorcoa ch travelers gen erated $72 .5 billion in direc t spen din g on transpor tation, lodgin g, food, recreation, retail an d related expenses — an d an estimated $161.6 billion in total econ omic impa c t in 2025.
Motorcoa ch travel plays a signif icant
Motorcoa ch group travel — which in cludes private char ters, group tours or sightseein g excursions — gen erated $39. 8 billion in direc t traveler spen din g in on e recent year alon e.
travel gen erated an estimated $161.6
Th e in dustr y ’s m otorcoa ch es traveled roughly 2 .1 billion vehicle miles in 2025 an d 18 . 2 % in crease over th e previous year.
role in Am erica’s travel econ omy. US m otorcoa ch travelers logged approximately 41.4 billion passen ger miles in 2025, while m otorcoa ch
billion in total econ omic impa c t nationwide.
As th e leaves chan ge an d fall a dventures begin, we ’re proud to
From colorful fall folia ge tours an d football gam es, to sch ool trips, festivals, an d church outin g weeken d getaways, th e fall season gives groups plenty of reasons to ‘hit th e roa d’ togeth er.
be par t of an in dustr y that keeps people conn ec ted to th e pla ces, experien ces an d people that matter. PAGE 1
SODREL HOLDING COMPANY FAMILY OF BUSINESSES
STUDENT TRANSIT RICHMOND COMMUNITY SCHOOL TRANSPORTATION PROVIDER
SODREL TRUCK LINES FREIGHT CARRIER
FREE ENTERPRISE CHARTER MOTORCOACH SERVICE PROVIDER
Sodrel Holding Company's roots run deep. ‘Pap’ Sodrel began his work in transportation in 1915. Since then, Sodrels have worked continuously in transportation. 4 generations later, and we’re still at it. In 1976, business diversification began when Mike and Keta Sodrel founded our motorcoach charter business, Free Enterprise. Years later, another venture emerged as yet another spoke in our wheel: Student Transit, a student transportation company moving our youth.
Sodrel is still family owned and operated. We’re also veteran owned and veteran led. Our CEO, Mike Sodrel is a veteran of the Army National Guard and our new President and COO, Dave Waddle is a veteran of the US Navy, and served for 26 years! Are you a veteran of our armed forces? Please share a picture of yourself in uniform, your years of service and what branch so we can feature you in one of our subsequent newsletters. Submit to: kmorgan@sodreltrucklines.com
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NEWSWORTHY NEW ANNEX STL LOCATION IN INDY Growing ‘pains’ can oftentimes accompany growth. When something is new, even if the reason for particular change is good, it can be perceived as a ‘threat’ for the simple fact that it is an unknown. Due to positive change happening — Sodrel Truck Lines’ service radius growing into even more freight opportunities — more support roles have become necessary to accommodate this growth, which then requires more space. This is where the STL location on Director’s Row came into play. As aforementioned, change isn’t always met with enthusiasm.
As we continue to do so, the process will feel a lot less like chaos and much more like progress. This will just take some time, and the willingness of our team to come together to offer up solutions to any challenges as they come. I heard someone say once:
An organization like ours has lasted well over a century because we’ve embraced necessary change and have become adept at ‘adjusting the sails’ whenever the conditions require it.
Observe a heart monitor. It is a continual action of up and down. How do you know someone is ‘alive’? When there are peaks and valleys. The only time you’ll see that super boring and predictable ‘flat line’ is when the person being monitored is no longer in ‘play’.
With change comes adjustments along the way. A different set of circumstances requires continual evaluation during a time of transition. There will be things that will have to be addressed, things to set straight and things to iron out as we do the adjusting. That is all part of the process.
Here at STL, we are very much in ‘play’. We are relevant. We are growing. We are still driving forward. It might be challenging, but it’s never boring! Let’s continue in a unified spirit of cooperation, team work and understanding!
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HEALTH & HEADSPACE SEPTEMBER: WORLD ALZHEIMER’S MONTH Ever y September, Alzh eim er ’s Disease International unites people f rom all over th e globe to raise awaren ess an d challen ge th e stigma aroun d Alzh eim er ’s disease an d all types of dem entia. Research sh ows that h eal thy habits may h elp reduce th e risk of cognitive declin e. Th e Alzh eim er ’s Association’ s 6 -step (re)Think Your Brain program can h elp you challen ge yourself to a dopt h eal thy habits an d prom ote cognitive lon gevity. Resul ts f rom th e U. S . POINTER (a two -year clinical trial fun ded by th e Alzh eim er ’s Association) foun d that a combination of physical a c tivity, improvin g nutrition, cognitive an d social challen ge, an d h eal th m onitorin g, improved cognition in older a dul ts at risk of cognitive declin e This is th e “ recipe” th ey followed: Physical exercise: 30 -35 minutes of m oderate - to -intense a erobic a c tivity four tim es a week , plus stren gth an d flexibility exercises twice a week . Cognitive exercise: Computer-based brain trainin g program three tim es a week for 30 minutes, plus regular en ga gem ent in oth er intellec tually challen gin g an d social a c tivities. Nutrition: Adh eren ce to th e MIND diet , which emphasizes dark leaf y greens, berries, nuts, wh ole grains, olive oil an d f ish, an d limits sugar an d unh eal thy fats. Heal th m onitorin g: Regular ch eck-ins on blood pressure, weight an d lab resul ts. Take steps today to preser ve your cognitive h eal th! PAGE 4
SEASONAL SAFETY Now that school is back in session, it’s especially important to slow down and pay attention to your surroundings. 1. Take extra care to look for children in school zones, near playgrounds and parks, and in all residential areas. 2. If you're driving behind a bus, allow a greater following distance than if you were driving behind a car. Remember, it is illegal to pass a stopped school bus. 3. Be alert for children being unpredictable and running into the road.
TRY THIS FALL FOOD Ingredients: Frozen puff pastry Apples Sugar Cinnamon Butter
Directions:
PUFF PA S APPLE R TRY INGS
Core apples and slice into rings about 1/4-inch thick. Wrap apple slices in strips of thawed puff pastry, then brush generously with melted butter. Sprinkle with mixture of cinnamon and sugar. Bake at 400° for 15-20 minutes. Let cool, then serve as-is, or with your choice of ice cream or sauce!
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COMPANY CREATURES Mile Marker Monthly has featured many feline and canine friends and can’t wait to see more of our team’s pets in future editions! I f yo u d o n’ t h ave a p e t , h e re a re s o m e s t a t s o n t h e h ea l t h b e n e f i t s o f p e t ow n e rs h i p : Acco rd i n g to t h e U. S . D e pa r t m e n t o f H ea l t h a n d H u m a n S e r v i ce s ’ m o n t h l y n ews l e tte r, h av i n g a p e t c a n d e c rea s e s tre s s , i m p rove h ea r t h ea l th , a n d eve n h e l p ch i l d re n w i th th e i r e m o ti o n a l a n d s o c i a l s ki l l s .
S t u d i e s h ave s h ow n t h a t i n te ra c ti n g w i th a n i m a l s c a n d e c rea s e co r tis o l (a s t re s s - re l a te d h o rm o n e ), l owe r b l o o d p re s s u re , re d u ce l o n e li n es s , i n c rea s e fe e l i n g s o f s o c i a l s up p o r t , a n d b o o s t yo u r m o o d ! We’d l ove to s e e p i c s o f yo u r a n i m a l fa m i l y m e m b e r ! S e n d s n a ps h ot s a n d d e s c ri p t i o n s to : km cc u e @ s o d re l h o l d i n g co m p any.co m
PRAYER & SYMPATHY REQUESTS Send your prayer request to kmccue@sodrelholdingcompany.com and we’ll be sure to lift it up. Please specify whether your request is private or can be shared in our newsletter for others to join in prayer. If you’ve experienced the loss of a loved one recently and would like to honor their memory, send an email with their name, how they’re related to you, and a 200-character limit description of them to kmccue@sodrelholdingcompany.com, and we’ll include it in our next issue. PAGE 6
“WHATEVER YOU ARE, BE A GOOD ONE” – ABRAHAM LINCOLN
Dear Sodrel Holding Company Team, We hope you've enjoyed this issue of Mile Marker Monthly. Take advantage of how you can connect with us through group activity outreach, prayer and sympathy requests, and Company Creatures: Mascot Mutt & Feline Friends submissions! We love learning more about our Sodrel team and hope this newsletter becomes a way for employees from all Sodrel businesses and divisions to continue to connect.
Let’s keep going, together!