In trucking, there’s no better symbol of unity than a slow-rolling truck convoy. There are two types of ceremonial convoys: those that celebrate a cause; and those somber rolling tributes to a fallen trucker.

We write about two such convoys in this month’s issue. In Paris, Ont., a new record was set, with $80,000 raised for Special Olympics through the Ontario leg of the World’s Largest Truck Convoy for Special Olympics. Similar events were held in other provinces, where new records were also set.

This event brings together the trucking industry, law enforcement and the Special Olympics. Talk to the drivers, and most will tell you the highlight of participating is driving with a Special Olympian riding shotgun. That experience is equally memorable for the athlete, as well.

In Lion’s Head, Ont., there was a convoy of a different sort held in late August. Marshall McCartney, a beloved trucker’s trucker was killed in an accident in Wiarton, Ont., leaving behind his fiancé and her young child.

The small town of Lion’s Head was shaken by the accident. Friends wanted to do something special for McCartney, and so they organized a 27-truck convoy, which paraded his casket through town one last time.

It was a fitting tribute, which McCartney’s friends and family say he would’ve loved.

These are two very different types of convoys, both very powerful in their own way. We’ve seen waning interest in truck shows across the country, with lower participation and trucker turnout at many events.

Yet at the same time, I don’t recall ever hearing about so many convoys for various causes. I’ve taken to calling the late summer and early fall Convoy Season. And we’re in the midst of it now. Up next, the Convoy for a Cure will raise awareness, and funds, for cancer. Out East, there’s the Convoy for Hope, also held Sept. 14. In May, a convoy in Newfoundland raised money for the local children’s hospital, and another in Miramichi was held to support a cancer-stricken driver.

The fourth annual Tony Rossi Convoy for Hope was held June 8 in Alberta.

All these convoys and I’m sure I’ve missed some. The truck convoy is a unique form of ceremony that’s really without equal in other industries.