PARIS, Ont. — Organizers of Ontario’s 2006 edition of the World’s Longest Truck Convoy for Special Olympics knew they could improve on last year’s 65 trucks, but they were hesitant to use the “H” word before the event.

With 89 drivers pre-registered for the event, Convoy chair, Tammy Blackwell, ordered 100 commemorative T-shirts for the participating drivers. The distributor told her she could have a better price if she bought more than 100, so she bought 101 of them and got the discount — and just enough shirts for every driver in the convoy.

They topped last year’s number by 37, with three trucks arriving literally minutes before the convoy was due to depart.

No that’s not a border lineup. It’s a good cause.

Gross revenue from this year’s Convoy exceeded last year’s by an estimated $20,000. Ontario Convoy organizers reported proceeds (after expenses) last year of $30,000. Blackwell said the total dollars raised figure was $65,000, which, she explains, is before costs are accounted for and all the pledge dollars are received.

The WLTC was conceived in 2001 by Corp. Norm Schneiderhan special project coordinator for the Orange County Sheriff’s Office in Florida. Schneiderhan, who drove a truck for about three years in his father’s trucking company before he entered the field of law enforcement, launched the event for Special Olympics as a way to call attention to the organization among truckers.

Blackwell says drivers who participated in Ontario’s Special Olympics Convoy — staged again at Paris, Ont. — collected more additional sponsorship pledges this year than last, though the individual averages were smaller. “We had 29 drivers return pledge sheets in addition to the $100 entry fee,” she said. “That’s nearly double the 17 drivers who brought in additional pledges last year.”

The driver who brings in the most in additional pledges gets the honor of leading the convoy. Lead truck honors this year went to Brian Hilton of MacKinnon Transport in Guelph, Ont., who managed to collect $3,220 in sponsorships since beginning his drive for Lead Truck in late July. Clarence Martin of Liberty Linehaul brought in $2,025 for second position in the convoy, and David Nicholas of Shawn-David Truck Training claimed third spot with a contribution of $1,440 in sponsorships. For his efforts, Nicholas earned the privilege of last spot in the convoy, and got to carry the Special Olympics banner on the back of his truck.

This year’s Convoy event saw dozens of volunteers working to support the truckers who ran a 105 km course from the Paris Fairgrounds along Highways 403 and 401 to Putnam, Ont. and back again. In addition to the Convoy itself, organizers ran raffles, draws, and other contests to raise additional money for the cause.

During the post-convoy lunch — provided by Brantford’s Gavin Transportation — participants were treated to a weight lifting demonstration by two Special Olympics athletes, Betty Farr and Jason Richardson.

All the hard work and preparation the drivers did in getting ready for the convoy didn’t go unnoticed either. A group of the athletes chose three trucks as Best in Convoy. Third place went to Steven Funk of GMF Transport; second went to Angus MacCormack of Bison Transport; and Barry Vivian of Gavin Transportation Systems hauled home a first place medal. The athletes presented the drivers with their medals during lunch.

This year, Manitoba and Saskatchewan joined Ontario and Alberta in staging Convoys for Special Olympics, and we’ve heard talk that Quebec and British Columbia will be hosting events next year.

For more information, see the website link below.