THE CHARITY CHALLENGE (Please Read!)

Here you'll find everything you need to know about the Charity Challenge and participating in the event. Please fill out the Online Registration form on the Register Now! page, hit SUBMIT and then download the Sponsor Sheet (under Forms).

This event is a truck driving skills competition similar to the ATA State and National truck driving championships. It is also a fund raiser for the kids at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. A minimum donation of $75.00 is required to participate. It is our job as the Committee to raise as much company and corporate funds to cover the approximately $14,000 expense of the event with our goal being to donate all driver fund raising efforts to St. Jude. Please make every effort to raise above the $75.00 minimum. All checks to St. Jude are fully tax deductible, and many companies will match your fund raising efforts for selected charities. It never hurts to ask. The average donation over the years has been $150, and trophies are awarded for exceptional fund raising efforts. Last year there were two drivers who raised $1000 or more, and two drivers who raised over $3000!

You do not need to bring a truck to compete; all trucks are provided for the contestants. You must have a valid CDL license and be an active or retired truck driver. First time participants will need to show their license at the sign-in on Sunday. If you have competed in the past, then this is not necessary.

This is a family affair. We have activities planned for the kids that include a craft area, magician, animal show, face painting, etc. There is a large grass area next to the event area for activities. We will also have a food tent set up with refreshments, hot dogs and meatball subs, ice cream, chips at 10am. The food tent will open at 6:30am with Dunkin' Donuts coffee, donuts, pastries, cereal, juice. Please note that no alcohol is allowed at this event.

On-site registration begins at 7:30am on Sunday. If you are pre-registered, it will only take a minute at the sign-in table to hand in your sponsor sheet and fund raising efforts and to receive your name tag, program book/driver manual and t-shirt. We will accept entries right up until Sunday morning, but it will take a little longer to register since you will have to fill out the application. Two of the eight events have drawn over 160 participants! The limit for the event is 180 drivers as that is the most drivers we can run through the course in one day. Please register ASAP. It makes the morning of the Charity Challenge much easier and smoother if the bulk of the paperwork is taken care of before the event. If you are not sure if you will be able to attend, please register anyway. You can always email us if you change your mind, and we will gladly accept a donation in your absence.

Please please please help us out by pre-registering online. For those drivers who may be working Saturday night and cannot make the sign-in, please email us ahead of time and we can make the necessary arrangements for a late arrival.

After the sign in, drivers will be allowed to walk the course from approximately 8am to 9am. All equipment will be on the course for the drivers to examine. Trucks cannot be started or driven prior to the competition. A description of the course will be included in the Driver Program that will be handed out at sign-in, and a walk through of the course will be given.

This year there are nine classes available at the Charity Challenge: Straight Truck, 3 Axle Van, 4 Axle Van, 5 Axle Van, 5 Axle Sleeper, 5 Axle Tank, 5 Axle Flatbed, Twin Trailer, and Step Van. Every driver in a particular class will drive the same vehicle, and a truck leaves the start line every two minutes. There will be ten problems, each worth a maximum of 50 points. There will also be a tie-breaker problem. This problem has been needed at least once per year since we included the tie-breaker problem in the Charity Challenge.

There will be a Pre-Trip inspection and a written test for separate trophies. Both are optional.

At any one time there will be five trucks on the course. A minimum of 20 judges is needed to score the drivers. If you are scheduled to drive in the morning, you can volunteer to judge in the afternoon. If you are scheduled to drive in the afternoon, you can volunteer to judge in the morning. Helping is not mandatory, but we sure could use the help! Only judges and committee members are allowed on the course at any time and are required to wear safety vests (supplied by event staff).

For those that are arriving on Saturday night, we will have music, refreshments and light sanwiches set up under the tent on site. Join old friends and new friends for a relaxing evening.

Again this year we will have a contingent from the Natick Massachusetts Marine Corps League Metrowest Detachment 1037 Color Guard on hand for the national anthem. We have been asked and have agreed to collect any of the following five items for the troops overseas: white t-shirts, boot socks, disposable cameras, powered drink mixes and packaged snacks. Please bring any items to the sign-in on Sunday morning. They will be collected by the Marines and sent to the troops. Click here to view the detailed letter from Jim Dolliver and the Marine Corp League.