Trucker Buddy News

Trucker Buddy news

Driver travels to Iceland to visit class

Bruce Brandon has been named the Trucker Buddy Driver of the Month for December for going above and be-yond the call of duty. In fact, he went all the way to Iceland to visit his class!

Through sending the weekly postcards and monthly letters to the sixth graders at Njardvikurskoli ( Njardvik Elementary School), Brandon has taught his Trucker Buddy class about trucking in North America and more.

“Mr. Brandon has told us all about life on the road…we’ve learned about geography and culture and have postcards and letters from places we’ve never been to,” wrote teacher Sigridur Dua Goldsworthy in her nomination. “Mr. Brandon also taught the kids a lot about the world and emphasized that we are one planet and need to stand united.”

Brandon started his Trucker Buddy volunteerism with a second-grade class in New York, which was featured in an article in the Washington Times in 2002. When his teacher retired after they worked together for a few years, he requested an older class, and the only one available at the time was the class in Iceland. Njardvik is a small fishing town near the capital of Reykjavik.

In some ways, his experience corresponding with a class in a different country is no different from Trucker Buddies who have classes in their own countries. “There is very little difference between these kids and any American teenager,” Brandon noted. However, it does take correspondence longer to get back and forth, and it is a little more expensive.

Despite the geographic difference, Brandon was still able to make a class visit in conjunction with an annual trip he makes to Ireland.

“I go back to where my grandparents lived every St. Patrick’s Day,” he said, “so when I got the class in Iceland, it was a no-brainer for me to go there too.”

“He has made all our lives richer and taught us about friendship, helpfulness and similarities and differences of our great countries,” Goldsworthy said. “Thank you for the learning experience of having a Trucker Buddy.”

Brandon, from Chattanooga, TN, has been with the Acklie family of trucking companies for almost 10 years. He started with C.R. Eng-land and is now driving for Crete Carrier Corp.

Each Trucker Buddy Driver of the Month receives a personalized jacket, along with a check for $300 to spend on the class and $200 in Trucker Buddy merchandise, compliments of ACS MultiMedia Advertising. To find out more about the program visit www.truckerbuddy.org or call 1-800-MY BUDDY.

Teacher Sigridur Dua Goldsworthy (far left) and Bruce Brandon (far right) with the 6th grade class at Njardvik Elementary School in Iceland.