
CHARITY
CONVOY BEST EVER
TRUCKERS UNITE ONCE AGAIN FOR SPECIAL OLYMPICS

About 80 big rig trucks and 20 motorcycles
gathered at Madera Speedway in Madera, CA on Saturday, September 15, for
the Central California edition of the World’s Largest Truck Convoy. This
event, held annually since 2000, raises money for Special Olympics. Convoys
are held across the country and in Canada, simultaneously (for the most
part), to raise money for the cause. Because of scheduling conflicts,
some convoys are held sooner and some are held later, but most happen
on the same day. Last year more than 1,800 trucks participated in 45 convoys
in 32 states, raising more than $544,000 for Special Olympics. Event organizers
are hoping to exceed that number this year.
The trucks and motorcycles left Madera
Speedway at 10:30 in the morning, heading south on Highway 99. With a
police escort leading the way and setting the pace, the long line of trucks
made themselves known, as they caused a small traffic jam wherever they
went. But that is what an event like this is supposed to do – not only
raise money, but awareness, too. The parade of vehicles, all marked with
special placards, made their way to their final destination, the SaveMart
Center at Fresno State, where a fun post-convoy celebration took place.
As the trucks filed into the parking lot of the SaveMart Center, scores
of Special Olympic athletes and their families greeted them with signs
of affirmation and thanks, and a lot of clapping and cheering.
Once
parked, participants made their way to a large tent where tables and chairs
were set up and Applebee’s provided a delicious hot lunch for all in attendance.
The band “Undercover” provided live music throughout the entire event
as participants, vendors, sponsors and Special Olympic athletes relaxed
and enjoyed the perfect weather. A few vendors set up small booths including
Westar Transport (which featured free hand painting), Aflac Insurance,
the CHP, a company that sold remote-controlled cars, boats, airplanes
and helicopters (they also did some cool demonstrations), Papé
Trucks (Kenworth of Central CA) and, of course, 10-4 Magazine. Sponsors
and vendors also provided prizes that were raffled off during the event,
helping to raise even more money for the cause.
But the best part of the post-convoy
party was the truck pull. This year, event coordinator Courtney Shapiro
got Papé Trucks to bring out two identical brand new 2008 Kenworth
T660s, one painted red and the other blue, and teams of five pulled the
18,000 lb. trucks with a rope over a predetermined distance. The event
was timed, and when it was all said and done, the winning team was the
tough group from Westar Transport. Papé Trucks was also nice enough
to bring out another truck with a flatbed trailer which was used as the
stage for the band.
Although
there is no formal truck beauty competition at this event, organizers
let the Special Olympic athletes pick their favorite trucks and hand out
plaques. Our friends at Tally Transportation in Madera got a plaque for
having the most trucks in the convoy (12), and Pete Dykstra’s yellow and
black 1952 GMC was awarded Best Antique. Colton Pounds of Central Valley
Transport and his uncle Keith brought out Mark Pound’s flamed Freightliner
Classic XL which was named Best of Show. The Tulare Chapter of the ATHS
had six trucks in the convoy, including Willem DeBoer’s rust-colored Peterbilt
cabover which was the lead truck. Westar Transport out of Selma, CA made
a pretty good showing as well, bringing out eight trucks to the event.
This
event started seven years ago as a single convoy in Florida by Norm Schneiderhan
and has grown every year since. Five years ago they started having multiple
convoys in several different states. Norm hopes to one day have at least
one convoy in every state. To learn more about this event, visit www.worldslargesttruckconvoy.com.
We’d like to thank everyone who participated in this year’s convoy and
invite them to make it an annual event that they attend with their family
and friends. The 2008 convoys are scheduled for September 20th, so mark
your calendars now and stay tuned for more details as that date approaches.
Copyright
© 2007 10-4 Magazine and Tenfourmagazine.com
PO Box 7377 Huntington Beach, CA, 92615 tel. (714) 378-9990 fax
(714) 962-8506
|