Honks and horn blasts from semi trailers and vehicles alike filled the air along Main St. in Morris last Thursday for Rempel Insurance’s hour-long Honk Challenge.
Now in its fourth year, the initiative honoured National Trucking Week Sept. 1-7, recognizing the contributions made by the men and women who keep our economy running smoothly.
“In the past, Rempel Insurance employees paired into teams and went out onto Main St. to encourage the most honks from passing truckers,” said owner Janice Graydon. “It is the first year that we’ve included the community in this event.”
Over 200 students from Morris School, residents and employees of the Red River Valley Lodge, children and staff from Busy Nest daycare, and Rempel Insurance employees gathered outside the business along Highway 75, the main thoroughfare between Winnipeg and the US border, to encourage honks from passing vehicles.
Employees waved large signs from the median and children gave the universal honk fist pump, cheered, and waved flags. Safety measures were in place, with the Morris Fire Department aiding with pedestrian safety.
In the first year of the Honk Challenge in 2021, the Rempel employees’ goal was 60 honks in 60 minutes. They received 73. The numbers have increased exponentially since then, with 146, 493, and 1,139 heard in subsequent years.
“At Rempel Insurance, we are community minded,” said Graydon. “This year we focused on collaborating and making the Honk Challenge a community event. We want to teach children about the industry because truckers drive our business. The look on a truckers face [when they see the thank-you signs] is incredibly warming. They are getting recognized for what they do for the economy.”
Rempel Insurance was excited to unveil their brand new, custom-made truck inflatable bouncy structure during the event.
For the first time this year, several local businesses, including Access Credit Union, Morris Tim Hortons, Valley Super Thrifty Pharmacy, Morris Build All Centre, Fehr’s Cabinet Warehouse & Showroom, Morris Bigway, and Big Rig Truck Wash, came together to create Truck Appreciation Packs to hand out to truckers during the challenge. Truckers were encouraged to pick up a pack handed out by Bigway employees in a parking lot on the south side of town.
“It was our first time [handing them out],” said Pat Schmitke, owner of Bigway. “We had a hard time convincing truckers to pull over and pick up their packs, so changes will have to be made for next time.”
The packs included a notepad and pen, a package of tissues, healthy snacks, hand sanitizer, wet wipes, and a nail clipper.
Thirteen packs were accepted by truckers.
Photos by Siobhan Maas/Voice
