In an attempt to maintain Guinness Book of World Record status, law enforcement officers, truck drivers and Special Olympics supporters will join forces to hold the World’s Largest Truck Convoy (WLTC) on Saturday.

Locally, the stretch of Interstate 5 from Tacoma to Kent will be lined with an expected 300 trucks as they convoy to the Boeing Kent Space Center to celebrate their support of Special Olympics Washington athletes.

The WLTC is an international fundraising and awareness event that has created a unique partnership between law enforcement and truckers. Conceived in 2001 by Corp. Norm Schneiderhan, Special Project Coordinator for the Orange County Sheriff’s Office in Florida, the WLTC was launched for Special Olympics as a way to call attention to the organization among truckers. Schneiderhan, who drove a truck for about three years in his father’s trucking company before he entered the field of law enforcement, created the event to ensure that Special Olympics athletes could continue to train in year-round sports activities.

“Special Olympics has a way of bringing everyone together, setting aside differences and building atmospheres of acceptance,” said Officer Ted Rutt of the Tukwila Police Department. “The fact that Special Olympics can bring together law enforcement and truckers is a testament to how the athletes

of Special Olympics are a true inspiration. Every mile a trucker travels during the Truck Convoy

equals a change in attitudes towards those athletes.”

It is Washington’s seventh year in the WLTC. Last year, 1,535 international truckers in 34 states and five Canadian provinces raised nearly $600,087. On Saturday, truckers here in Washington will traverse over 20 miles to Kent where there will be a celebration event with a Truck Show, vendors

and entertainment at the Kent Boeing Space Center. The public is invited to line the route or attend

the route end event at the Kent Space Boeing Center. This year’s goal is to register over 300 trucks and raise $50,000 for local Special Olympics programs in Washington State.

Trucking companies and truckers who want to participate in this year’s event can visit the Special Olympics’ website at v for more information and a registration packet for the event. Registration is $100 per truck and includes a T-shirt, goody bag and lunch.

The BBQ celebration at the Kent Boeing Space Center is located at 20403 68th Avenue South

in Kent and is open to the general public.