Press Release

2019 National Truck Driving Championships Finalists Announced

Aug 16, 2019

Pittsburgh – This morning, American Trucking Associations and ATA’s Safety Management Council announced finalists in nine vehicle classes at the 2019 National Truck Driving Championships, finishing today in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

“Highly skilled professional truck drivers have spent the past three days demonstrating their precision and knowledge of the industry at the 82nd National Truck Driving Championships,” said ATA Chairman Barry Pottle, president of Pottle’s Transportation. “We narrowed the field from 427 truck drivers to just 45 finalists who are now vying for the title of national champion in their driving class as well as the overall Bendix Grand Champion title. ATA and the entire trucking industry are waiting anxiously to see who will emerge today to take home top honors.”

This year’s finalists represent 15 companies and 26 states.

Competition at the NTDCs began August 14 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center with state champions from all 50 states taking the written examination – one of three scored phases of the competition. Over the past two days, competitors also tackled the difficult driving course and competed in the pre-trip inspection segments of the competition.

The NTDCs conclude today with the top five competitors in nine vehicle classes competing on the championship round driving course.

“Every driver who competed this week is a champion and a standout representative of their company and our industry,” said ATA President and CEO Chris Spear. “Now we get to see which drivers can take their performance to the next level to win trucking’s biggest prize. Our industry is excited to follow today’s action.”

The awards ceremony will be held tonight, recognizing the Bendix Grand Champion, Rookie of the Year and top state delegation, among several other highly-respected trucking industry honors. ATA will broadcast the awards banquet via Facebook Live on the official ATA Facebook Page.

ATA’s Safety Management Council is hosting this year’s National Truck Driving Championships with Premiere Sponsor ACT 1.

Finalists for this year’s National Truck Driving Championships are as follows:

Class

Name

Employer

State

3-Axle

     
 

Paul Swan

FedEx Freight

Colorado

 

Jeffrey Slaten

YRC Freight

Florida

 

Ritch Fundell

FedEx Freight

Illinois

 

Brian Walker

UPS Freight

North Carolina

 

John Sanderson

FedEx Express

Oregon

       

4-Axle

     
 

Jottyn Santos

Fedex Express

Florida

 

Adam Heim

FedEx Freight

Idaho

 

David Rohman

FedEx Express

North Carolina

 

James Plaxco

Old Dominion Freight Line Inc.

Oregon

 

Walter Ebinger

YRC Freight

Virginia

       

5-Axle

     
 

Alphonso Lewis

YRC Freight

Alabama

 

Ina Daly

XPO Logistics

Arizona

 

David Hall

ABF Freight

Arkansas

 

Steven Johnson

XPO Logistics

North Dakota

 

Bryan Krol

The Martin-Brower Company L.L.C.

Pennsylvania

       

Flatbed

   
 

Scott Osborne

FedEx Freight

Mississippi

 

Scott Fischer

Prime, Inc.

Missouri

 

Eric Flick

FedEx Freight

Nevada

 

Basher Pierce

FedEx Freight

North Carolina

 

Robert Lilly

FedEx Freight

Virginia

       

Sleeper Berth

   
 

Gregory Ryan

Walmart Transportation LLC

Arizona

 

Luke Yoakum

Southeastern Freight Lines

Georgia

 

Charles White

Walmart Transportation LLC

Indiana

 

Terry Wood

Walmart Transportation LLC

Pennsylvania

 

Michael Barnes

Walmart Transportation LLC

Virginia

       

Straight Truck

   
 

Matthew Hart

FedEx Freight

Nevada

 

Neil Nogues

YRC Freight

New Hampshire

 

James Kohr

FedEx Express

New York

 

Jason Imhoff

Walmart Transportation LLC

Ohio

 

Robert Dolan

XPO Logistics

Pennsylvania

       

Tank Truck

   
 

George Wells

Shamrock Foods Company

Arizona

 

Cecil Hicks

FedEx Freight

North Carolina

 

Paul Brandon

FedEx Freight

Connecticut

 

Edward Pennington

FedEx Freight

Florida

 

George Foster

Casey's General Stores

Iowa

       

Twins

     
 

Mark Knight

AAA Cooper Transportation

Alabama

 

David Mogler

FedEx Freight

Colorado

 

Donald Lynch

United Parcel Service Inc.

Indiana

 

Scott Woodrome

FedEx Freight

Ohio

 

James Belcher

UPS Freight

South Carolina

       

Step Van

   
 

Eric Damon

FedEx Express

Colorado

 

Robert Ledoux

FedEx Express

Massachusetts

 

Adam Stroup

FedEx Express

Nebraska

 

James Sheehan

FedEx Ground

Tennessee

 

Gregory Long

FedEx Express

Virginia

 

 

 

 ATA continues to develop relationships with key industry partners looking to promote the elite, dedicated drivers who lead the trucking workforce. As such, ATA thanks NTDC Corporate Sponsors AAA Cooper Transportation, ABF Freight System, Inc., FedEx, FedEx Express, FedEx Freight, FedEx Ground, Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc., PITT OHIO, PrePass Safety Alliance, UPS Freight, and Walmart Transportation LLC. ATA also recognizes Bendix as the Grand Champion award sponsor. 

American Trucking Associations is the largest national trade association for the trucking industry. Through a federation of 50 affiliated state trucking associations and industry-related conferences and councils, ATA is the voice of the industry America depends on most to move our nation’s freight. Follow ATA on Twitter or FacebookTrucking Moves America Forward

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