Full of the Pipe 2025 supporting Trucking for Cancer 

10/07/2025

Full of the Pipe has pledged its full support to Trucking for Cancer, a novel and worthwhile event which takes place in September to raise awareness of cancer in the trucking community and also to hopefully raise funds with a novel truck drive around all of Ireland’s cancer centres within a 48-hour period. 

With the dual aim of raising both awareness and funds, beginning with a truck run around Ireland’s cancer centres in September, Trucking for Cancer was founded by two men with a combined 70-plus years of involvement in the trucking industry – Gerry Grennan from Mayo and Roscommon trucker James Morris – and will be officially launched at FOTP 2025. 

Always willing to go out of their way to promote worthy causes, Full of the Pipe have generously given Trucking for Cancer a platform to help promote their activities, which Gerry greatly appreciates: “James and myself are just two normal guys, who have unfortunately been touched by cancer and we decided to do this to give something back to the cancer centres,” the Mayo man told Irish Trucker. “We talked about a way of raising some money. 

“My friend has a cannonball car and we were going to do something in that and then I said to James that because we are in transport all our lives that we should use a truck. Once we came up with the idea, it was a no-brainer. 

“There’s not a home in Ireland that cancer hasn’t touched. The transport industry here is very close-knit, although a lot of people today tend to keep to themselves, whereas in my day we’d have met up quite frequently. This is a way of trying to reach out to everybody and ask them to get themselves checked.” 

The thinking behind Trucking for Cancer is pretty straightforward: “If through our activities we can get even one guy or girl to turn around and say ‘I haven’t been feeling the best and I might get a check-up’, then it will all have been worthwhile,” says Gerry. “Just one early detection could make all the difference. 

“At the same time, we also wanted to give something back to these amazing cancer centres for the incredible work they do every day to help people who have been diagnosed with cancer. They are not affiliated to the Irish Cancer Society and rely on fundraising to keep them going.” 

The event itself will take place across September 18th, 19th and 20th followed by a truck run on the Saturday. Over a 48-hour period on the Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Gerry and James will double-drive the truck around 19 local cancer centres. “We’re going to be departing Roscommon at 9am on the Thursday and will finish in Portlaoise that night at around 1-2am,” Gerry reveals. “On the Friday we’ll be covering the southern part of the country, finishing in Tralee at around 11pm. The Saturday will take in Limerick, Ballinasloe and end back in Athlone, and we’ll finish off that afternoon with a small truck run from Athlone back to Roscommon.” 

Wouldn’t it be great if this special convoy could break the Guinness record for the number of trucks in a run between Athlone and Roscommon?! Let’s beat 485! 

The backing of Full of the Pipe has been invaluable to Trucking for Cancer and Gerry can’t thank them enough: “We have been absolutely blessed with the support we’ve got from the guys at Full of the Pipe. I initially made contact once we came up with the idea and they rang back straight away to say they were fully on board. Nobody has done this before and it’s amazing that Full of the Pipe is on board. We will be launching the fundraising truck drive at Full of the Pipe and can’t thank them enough for the publicity we’ll get. 

“The feedback has already been unbelievable since they put us on the Full of the Pipe posters and another truck show has contacted us to say they also want to get involved. It has gained a lot of momentum thanks to Full of the Pipe and going forward we could set it up as a charity to raise awareness and to give something back to the community and to these cancer centres, which provide so much help to people free of charge.” 

Speaking from experience, Gerry can’t stress enough how important it is that anybody with even the slightest concern about a potential health issue should go for a check-up. It’s the raising awareness part of Trucking for Cancer that could ultimately prove to be the most effective: 

“We all know what men are like. Because we are men, we tend to think ‘sure I’m grand’ but the reality is that if we can get even one man in a truck to go and get himself checked then we might save his life. Because with cancer, early detection is everything. For anyone in this world to be able to pass through into the next world and say they saved a life, that must be a wonderful thing. That’s what Trucking for Cancer is all about – we want to raise awareness and encourage men and women in trucks with even a minor ailment to get checked. 

“We’re just two ordinary Joe Soaps but anybody can make a difference. The trucking community is a big part of our lives. I’ve worked in the industry down through the years managing companies and James had been driving for 30 years. He still drives for a living today and I was in the industry for 40+ years up until three years ago, having left school at 12. 

“Sadly, cancer is creeping in everywhere and touching everybody. It’s all about raising awareness as well as funds, which are both equally important.” 

Gerry has always had a special place in his heart for Full of the Pipe: “I go to all the shows and Full of the Pipe motivated me to get back on the road after I was involved in a very serious road accident. I couldn’t compliment the guys highly enough. They have been totally on board from the first call and when I said to them that we want to try to make the trucking industry more aware they said they could identify with that desire to reach out and touch people because that’s in a way what Full of the Pipe is all about. 

“Full of the Pipe is an invaluable launch platform for Trucking for Cancer. At the show we will get to meet the people we need to meet and thanks to them we’ll be able to get our message out to a huge audience.” 

Full of the Pipe Truck Show Ireland is on July 12 & 13 in Mondello Park