OOIDA life member brings awareness to Special Olympics

An OOIDA life member is being recognized for her numerous accomplishments in the trucking industry and her community.

On May 3, Carmen Anderson was given the keys to a new custom-wrapped Volvo VNL760. Special Olympics, an organization that Anderson has a close connection with, is the theme of the wrap.

Anderson has been involved with Special Olympics for 12 years. She says it’s the athletes that drive her to want to help.

“They’re just so loving,” Anderson said. “They always have a smile on their face and you always get the sweetest hugs from them.”

A company driver with Green Bay, Wis.-based America’s Service Line, Anderson started driving in 1980. After taking a break to have a child, she got back on the road in 1999. She said a desire to see the country was her motivation to start a career in trucking.

“I always wanted to see the country, and I never got to travel as a child, really. We didn’t go on family vacations,” Anderson told Land Line Now. “I thought, what better way to learn the country than to drive a truck and get paid for it?”

It’s safe to say that goal has been accomplished.

With over two decades of experience behind the wheel – and more than 2 million accident-free miles – Anderson has traveled to all 48 contiguous states, as well as Canada and Mexico.

Her trucking career has been filled with accolades. In 2019, Anderson was named Driver of the Year by the Wisconsin Motor Carriers Association. It was the first time that a woman had won the award in any state. Anderson was named to Women in Trucking’s Top Women to Watch in Transportation in 2021.

The specially wrapped truck – which Anderson had a hand in designing – prominently features South Dakota. Also represented are the various competitive events the athletes participate on one side of the truck. Additionally, a torch is part of the wrap to represent the Law Enforcement Torch Run, an annual event that spreads awareness and raises money for the Special Olympics.

Anderson told Land Line Now that she didn’t get a chance to see the finished truck until the day it was presented to her. She said it was certainly worth the wait.

“It was more than I had ever imagined,” she said. “I was so excited.”

Convoy Season

The custom-wrapped truck will be driven by Anderson in Special Olympics Wisconsin’s 18th annual Truck Convoy. The convoy is scheduled Sept. 17 in Fond du Lac, Wis. According to the organization’s website, 100 trucks participated in the 2021 convoy, raising nearly $100,000 for Special Olympics Wisconsin.

But it won’t just be Anderson working to help Special Olympians. That same day, around 460 miles away at the W.H. Lyon Fairgrounds in Sioux Falls, S.D., Special Olympics South Dakota plans to host its 19th annual Truck Convoy. In 2021, over $47,000 was raised by the 118 trucks that took part in the event.

Since its inception in 2003, a total of 1,971 trucks have participated in the South Dakota convoys. In total, the convoys have raised over $729,000 for the South Dakota Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics.

Jill Kvanli, Law Enforcement Torch Run Event Manager with Special Olympics South Dakota, said the convoy has a huge impact on the fundraising efforts of their organization.

“The truck convoy is one of the biggest fundraising events for Law Enforcement Torch Run and Special Olympics South Dakota,” Kvanli told Land Line. “Having drivers from not only around the state but across the country advocating for our more than 2,750 Special Olympics athletes is truly a blessing.”

Both convoys are an important part of raising funds for Special Olympic athletes in their states. Started in Florida in 2001, truck convoys for Special Olympics are now held annually in 24 states. Kvanli said it’s the dedication of truckers that have made the convoys a success.

“We feel the convoy has been so successful due to the support and love the drivers have for our Special Olympics athletes,” she said. “We appreciate the drivers so much for continuing to come out for this event.” LL