Averitt Express driver Stuart Goldberg, of Arlington Texas, has been named the August Trucker Buddy of the Month by Jocelyn Murphy-Stout, social studies chair for Egg Harbor City Community School in Egg Harbor, NJ.

According to Murphy-Stout, Trucker Buddy Goldburg helps the students learn about a different area in the United States, one that has different climate, the Texas State Fair and different Texas sports teams.  They have a huge map of Texas in their classroom where the students follow the different cities he has mailed their letters.  The students have been "introduced to the concepts of eminent domain and the effects of the droughts on the Texas ranchers," says Murphy-Stout.

"Mr. Goldberg's letters are always informative and always age-appropriate for the students. Mr. Goldberg communicates with the sixth, seventh and eighth grade social studies classes at Egg Harbor City Community School. The students love to receive his letters," remarks Murphy-Stout.  One of the students writes, "He gives a lot of effort in writing us postcards, letters and cards."  The class put Goldberg's letters on a big screen.

He has taught the students a lot about the trucking industry, including places he had driven and informing them about some of the types of goods he hauls.  "Some of the students have expressed an interest in trucking as a career.  He has given them a wider perspective on what they can do with their lives," says Murphy-Stout.

"He is always going the extra mile," one student says, "Mr. Goldberg includes pictures in his letters to explain things we wouldn't understand otherwise.  Whenever we send him letters, he takes the time to read every single one of them."

Trucker Buddy International, an independent, non-profit 501(c) (3) organization, often called the number one trucking image campaign in North America, has helped educate schoolchildren and introduce educators to the trucking industry.  This gives them the world through the eyes of a professional truck driver.  The Trucker Buddy program helps to educate and mentor schoolchildren via a pen pal relationship between professional truck drivers and children in grades K-8 as supervised by their teachers.

After an extensive screening process, the professional truck drivers are matched with a class and as directed by the teacher, drivers share news about their travels with their class. Students write letters and send pictures to their drivers. Students' skills in reading, writing, geography, mathematics, social studies, and history are enhanced and learning is made fun.

Since 1992, Trucker Buddy International has helped educate over a million schoolchildren and introduced them to caring, compassionate men and women, professional truck drivers.  The on-going success of the program is due to driver volunteers, participating teachers and the contributions of sponsors.  There is no cost to the drivers or teachers to participate in the program. The Trucker Buddy of the Month is sponsored by Daimler Truck Products and includes, Freightliner Trucks, Western Star Trucks and Detroit and Progressive Commercial Insurance. Each class of the winning TBOM receives a gift pack of snack from Frito-Lay.  The Trucker Buddy program is funded entirely by sponsorships and donations.

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