197 medium and heavy-duty trucks travelled along a 53-mile route in support of Special Olympic Athletes. The trucks were escorted by law officials along US Highway 41, starting at the Pioneer Travel Plaza in Richfield and finsihed at the EAA Grounds in Oshkosh. In addition to supporting Special Olympic Athletes, the event also brought awareness to truckers across America.
“Supporting Special Olympics ensures that people with intellectual disabilities are able to maximize their full potential through the power of sports. We’re happy to be a part of that,” explained Rick Smith, General Manager for JX Peterbilt-Waukesha.
This year’s event beat previous years, with more than $135,000 raised for Special Olympics Wisconsin. In 2014, the event broke a record with more than $135,000 raised and 165 trucks in the convoy. The event has been held annually since 2005, and has raised over $955,500 to benefit those with intellectual disabilities and garner support for the nation’s truck drivers.
“This year was utterly amazing. We were all pleasantly surprised by the large increase,” says Julie Drake of Special Olympics Wisconsin.
The JX Chuck Wagon, Peterbilt’s popular food truck, was also at the event serving coffee and donuts to participants during registration and staging.
This year’s event was sponsored by EH Wolf & Sons and founding partners, EAA, the Wisconsin Motor Carriers Association the Pioneer Travel Plaza, the Waupun Truck-N-Show and Convoy hosts, and JX Peterbilt.
