Co-organiser Greg Inch said yesterday’s event was remarkable in terms of the turnout and also the way it adhered to the spirit of the original event 34 years ago.
"When we started, we had a simple idea: team up a special needs child with a giant rig for an afternoon ride.
"It’s now become one of the biggest events on the Dunedin social calendar."
The event helped build confidence in the children, Mr Inch said.
One example was Vanessa Hutchison, who volunteered as a photographer for yesterday’s event, having first been involved in the day as a truck-fascinated 4-year-old.
Ms Hutchison, now 27, said she remembered her parents taking her to some of the earlier Special Rigs for Special Kids events.
"I grew up going on special rigs for kids and being able to volunteer in my adulthood brings me so much joy.
"It’s like I am able to re-create with the young kids what I enjoyed."
She said she really improved her social skills through events such as this.
"For me, I was not a very sociable person, so to be able to get inside one of those big trucks and meet some awesome people and make friends was really great."
She was volunteering in the event for the first time and loved giving something back, she said.
"It’s quite something to witness all the smiles and see all the people come out and watch the rigs go about their route yesterday.
"The community loves what Greg [Inch] and the rest of his team does."
The truck drivers met near the Edgar Centre and then went on a roundabout trip with their young passengers all the way out to Fairfield and Green Island.
Sometimes the convoy of trucks stretched further than 12km, Mr Inch said.
"I couldn’t be more humbled for all the firms and people who gave up their time of day for this event.
"You’ve got the overall cost of the rigs and high road-user charges, so the drivers are really doing a service for these families and children.
Although planning for next year’s event "began yesterday", they were mostly unaware of the number of drivers and families participating until the day before the event.
"People keep turning up — it’s so exciting."
About 250 trucks participated in the event yesterday and they could have "easily" had more.
