Interstate's School Business Partnership, Trucker Buddy Program

The program was started in 1998 as a geography lesson for students, to enhance the students' learning through correspondence with an Interstate long-distance driver as he travels across the country. The school donates a stuffed animal to one of Interstate's long distance drivers; it then accompanies the driver throughout his cross-country journey. Students develop and refine their writing skills by corresponding through postcards while the driver is out on the road. They also enhance their geography and math skills by mapping the routes, calculating the miles and learning about the country's various time zones.

The lessons learned from the Trucker Buddy program are not ones that the students will soon forget; rather they have become ongoing learning experiences for students, teachers, and even the drivers.

Established in 1943, the Interstate family of companies today comprises a worldwide group of relocation management, transportation and logistic entities that will facilitate more than 20,000 relocations over the next year. For more than half a century, the Interstate team has been learning and building on its reputation for providing "Top Hat Service." The experience and attention to details led to Interstate being designated as ISO 9002 certified for all entities and facilities in August 2000, an accomplishment achieved by less than one percent of companies within its industry.