Theodore Learns About Truck Drivers in Brazil

Theodore the turtle was crawling along a busy road when he saw a big truck zoom by. He wondered about the person driving it. Just then, his friend Rita the rabbit hopped over.

"Did you see that big truck, Rita?" Theodore asked.

"I sure did!" said Rita. "Did you know there's a special group for truck drivers in Brazil?"

Theodore's eyes widened. "Really? Tell me more!"

Rita explained, "It's called ABCAM. That stands for Associação Brasileira dos Caminhoneiros. In English, that means Brazilian Association of Truck Drivers."

"Wow!" exclaimed Theodore. "How many drivers are in it?"

"About 500,000 truck drivers belong to ABCAM," Rita replied. "They're all independent drivers, which means they work for themselves."

Theodore was fascinated. "When did ABCAM start?"

"A man named José da Fonseca Lopes created it in 1983," said Rita. "That's 40 years ago!"

"What does ABCAM do?" Theodore asked curiously.

Rita explained, "They help truck drivers with their jobs. Sometimes, they even organize big events. In 2018, they planned a huge strike where lots of truck drivers stopped working for a while."

Theodore nodded thoughtfully. "Truck drivers must be very important in Brazil."

"They sure are," Rita agreed. "They carry food, clothes, and other things people need all across the country."

Theodore smiled. "I learned so much today! Thanks, Rita. Next time I see a truck, I'll think about all the hard-working drivers in Brazil."