PrinceCharming and the 11Dwarves


Roger Duering and Special Olympics Convoy to benefit CASA for kids


BY TODD TRAUB Contributing Writer


It takes more than one truck to form a


convoy. So when Roger Duering is asked about


his efforts on behalf of the Special Olympics World’s Largest Convoy, he doesn’t hesitate to point out the group effort. “When I say convoy it’s not just my convoy,”


Duering said, praising the 12-member convoy committee, volunteers, police and highway patrol, participants, and, most important, the athletes. Te Nebraska leg of the World’s Largest


Convoy is in its 12th year, 11 of which Duering has served as coordinator. Held in multiple states, the convoy is a one-day celebration of trucking and its support of Special Olympics and also serves as a Special Olympics fundraiser. “It helps send an athlete to the state games,


the world games and to the nationals,” Duering said.


Te World’s Largest Convoy concept is the


inspiration of Norm Schneiderhan, a Corporal with the Orange County (Fla.) Sheriff’s Department, who drew on his experiences with the Law Enforcement Torch Run and his family’s involvement with the trucking industry. At $100 an entry, truckers gather at a


staging area and, with police and highway patrol escorts, proceed along a 50-mile route. Tere are a number of related events, depending on the state; Duering noted the Nebraska convoy, which travels from Hastings


16


THE DRIVER-ATHLETE INTERACTION IS ONE OF THE MOST SPECIAL THINGS ABOUT THE NEBRASKA LEG OF THE WORLD’S


FUN TO PLAY WITH THE ATHLETES ON THE SOFTBALL FIELD. YOU’VE GOT TO SEE IT TO BELIEVE IT.”


LARGEST CONVOY. ONCE YOU COME TO IT YOU’LL BE BACK NEXT YEAR. IT IS SO


—ROGER DUERING


to Grand Island, includes a softball game, cookout, live music, silent auction or other prize giveaways and plenty of participation by the athletes the event is designed to help. “Tat makes me feel good to see the drivers


communicate with the athletes,” Duering said. Tere was a time in his own truck driving


career, perhaps, when Duering, 60, didn’t feel so good. He had driven on and off, mostly on, since


graduating high school in Hastings in 1972. But after undergoing a knee replacement in 1999, Duering, who was driving for Becker Transportation at the time, developed a staph infection that caused a whole host of


related problems: another knee replacement, ear trouble, glaucoma and diabetes, which required insulin and eventually disqualified him from driving. To this day, Duering has trouble with his


right foot, which sometimes lacks feeling and keeps him from standing too long at a stretch. “I fought it,” Duering said. “I took


antibiotics. Had my knee removed.” But through his Special Olympics efforts


Duering has found a way to stay involved. And he’s not the lone representative from the Duering family; his wife Andie, 61, son Bob, 40 (also known as “Buddah”), and grandson Skyler, 7, all take part.


NEBRASKA TRUCKER — ISSUE 3, 2015 — www.nebtrucking.com


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