​Boy Scout Event at Mid-America Trucking Show a Big Success

Pelham, AL… Trucker Buddy and the Lincoln Heritage Scout Council partnered to bring over 70 Scouts, Scouting leaders and parents to the Mid-America Trucking Show, March 22-24, 2018, in Louisville, Ky. Each Scout earned his Truck Transportation and Traffic Safety Merit Badges with instruction by Scout Leader Pat Shanahan and with help from industry professionals David Hollis, Kevin Tomlinson and Chuck Lobsiger. The Scouts then took a tour of the trucking industry by visiting selected show booths from East Manufacturing and Shell Rotella. Booth personnel gave them insight into and examples of new technology as well as general information about how the trucking industry affects their everyday lives.

Trucker Buddy International is very excited to host this annual Scouting event held at MATS. Anytime you show over 70 people how innovative and responsible our industry is, that goes a long way in changing perceptions. This program fits into our primary mission which is to encourage young students to excel in life and school while improving the trucking image to the public,” says Alan Welborn Executive Director Trucker Buddy International. “Being able to add the safe driving element for future drivers makes this event dynamic and extremely important. David, Kevin and Chuck did an excellent job of teaching the material and making the session fun. We look forward to hosting this to other shows this year like the Iowa 80 Jamboree and the Great American Truck Show. Thanks to our sponsors and the Mid-America Truck Show who helped make this so successful."

Brian Weigel Program and Advancement Director for the Lincoln Heritage Council, BSA, agrees that this is an important even for the Scouts. "The Lincoln Heritage Council appreciates the support of Trucker Buddy International to help educate our Boy Scouts regarding the trucking industry by offering sessions on truck transportation and traffic safety merit badges,” Weigel says. “This annual program will help foster a partnership that can help prepare these young people for potential careers in the trucking industry and to help make our highways safer. We look forward to continuing this program in the years to come."

Trucker Buddy International, an independent, non-profit 501(c) (3) organization, often called the number one trucking image campaign in North America, has helped educate schoolchildren and introduce educators to the trucking industry. This gives them the world through the eyes of a professional truck driver. The Trucker Buddy program helps to educate and mentor schoolchildren via a pen pal relationship between professional truck drivers and children in grades K-8 as supervised by their teachers.

After an extensive screening process, the professional truck drivers are matched with a class and as directed by the teacher, drivers share news about their travels with their class. Students write letters and send pictures to their drivers. Students' skills in reading, writing, geography, mathematics, social studies, and history are enhanced and learning is made fun.

Since 1992, Trucker Buddy International has helped educate over a million schoolchildren and introduced them to caring, compassionate men and women, professional truck drivers. The on-going success of the program is due to driver volunteers, participating teachers and the contributions of sponsors. There is no cost to the drivers or teachers to participate in the program.