ATA Congratulates 2018 National Truck Driving Championships Qualifiers

The American Trucking Associations congratulated the 424 professional truck drivers who qualified for the 2018 National Truck Driving Championships. The association also announced key details about the event.

“Truck drivers are passionate, highly-skilled professionals who practice safety on our nation’s highways every day,” said ATA President and CEO Chris Spear. “Our industry is proud of these men and women. For 81 years we’ve been fortunate to hold an annual competition in order to let these drivers demonstrate their skills and knowledge in a competitive environment.”

To qualify for the NTDCs, truck drivers must maintain a year of accident-free driving and win their vehicle class at the state-level truck driving championships. Professional truck drivers progress from the state championships to nationals, competing in eight classes of truck and one step van class. The competition consists of a written examination that tests drivers’ knowledge of trucking facts, rules, statistics and safety protocols; a pre-trip inspection that tests drivers’ ability to identify defects on the vehicle; and a challenging driving course.

The National Truck Driving Championships take place August 15-18 at the Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio. Professional truck drivers compete for the title of National Champion in the eight different classes, with one driver taking home the overall title of 2018 National Truck Driving Championships Bendix Grand Champion.

Last year, FedEx Express driver Roland Bolduc took home grand champion honors. In June of this year, Bolduc won the 5-axle state championship in Massachusetts, qualifying once again for the NTDCs, and will be attempting to defend his crown in August. A full recap of last year’s National Truck Driving Championships can be found on ATA’s official YouTube page.

 

Category: Driver Stuff, General Update, News