MISSISSAUGA, Ont. (Jan. 26) — When John Head and Sharon Black signed up to become Trucker Buddies — the pen-pal style program that matches classrooms with truck drivers — the team drivers with Mississauga, Ont.-based J.S. Crawford & Son wanted to take the program to new heights.

And they’re doing it with some high-tech help.

Working with a fifth-grade class at Munn’s School in Oakville, Ont., Head and Black are sending messages to the kids every day via satellite, using the OmniTRACS tracking equipment on their truck to beam notes to a computer installed in the classroom by Cancom Tracking Solutions, J.S. Crawford’s satellite communications provider.

The drivers send messages like, “We’re leaving Montreal and heading for Salt Lake City, Utah. We’ll fuel in Dexter, Mich., then go to Lake Station, Ind., to sleep.” The class then figures out how long it will take for the pair to reach each destination, the amount and cost of fuel the truck will consume, and how much the drivers earned for hauling the load, says teacher Susan Hamilton.

Along with providing the kids with information that will help them improve their math, writing, geography and computer skills, the students are being exposed to an industry that’s vital to this country and basically have a great time seeing the world through the eyes of a truck driver, Hamilton says.

Typically, Trucker Buddies give schoolkids an eye-opening introduction to the world of trucking through the exchange of letters and postcards.

Cancom is currently looking at implementing the program at other schools throughout Canada. If you’re interested, call Krista Hutchins-Deering at 905/272-6621. For more information about becoming a Trucker Buddy, call 1-800-MY-BUDDY.