John Rust is thinking about Blacksburg Middle School students every time his truck carries him away from home, whether the destination is Indiana or Nebraska.

The Anderson Trucking Company driver recently had a graphic design company paint a picture of eighth grade students from Linda Ross’s class on his truck. Above the students’ faces, an artist has painted the message, “Pulling for Blacksburg Middle School. God Bless You.”

Based in Manning, Rust is in his second year as the “trucker buddy” for Ross’ class.

Trucker Buddy Internation-al is a nonprofit organization pairing professional truck drivers and students in grades 2-8 in a pen pal relationship. The truck drivers and students exchange letters on a monthly basis.

Ross became interested in the trucker buddy program while working as a teacher in Union County. She enrolled in the program and has seen her students form a relationship with Rust over the past two years.

When the truck driver visited the school last May, students signed their names on permanent marker on the side of Rust’s truck.

“He got a new truck so some of our students had their parents sign a release form allowing their picture to be taken and painted on the side of his truck,” Ross said. “My kids type letters to him on the computer once a month. He sends us postcards telling us about where he travels.”

The students use a road atlas to track the truck driver’s movements.

In a recent span of several days Rust drove his truck from Richburg to Gary, Ind., to Richmond, Kent., and Wayne, Neb. He drives 10,000 miles in a typical month.

“My kids look forward to his letters. The one question they always ask is when he’s coming to visit,” Ross said. “We hope to have him visit at the end of the school year.”