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8 • September 1-14, 2018 Nation
THE TRUCKER NEWS SERVICES
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Scott Woodrome
of FedEx Freight August 18 was crowned
Bendix Grand Champion at the American
Trucking Associations 2018 National Truck
Driving Championships.
“Congratulations to Scott Woodrome and
his team at FedEx Freight for winning this
year’s Bendix Grand Champion Award,” said
ATA President and CEO Chris Spear. “This
process began with thousands of drivers competing
at the state level, but only one driver
can emerge as overall grand champion, and
it’s a testament to Scott’s commitment to safety
and his craft that he was able to take home
top honors this year.”
Woodrome, a longtime competitor in
truck driving championships with more than
1.8 million lifetime safe driving miles, competed
last month in the Tank Truck division.
He has been in the trucking industry for 25
years, spending 12 of those years with his
current employer, FedEx Freight. While this
is the first Bendix Grand Champion award for
Woodrome, he has won his state championship
a perfect 12 times in 12 attempts.
“What an honor it’s been to host hundreds
of the nation’s elite truck drivers this week
and showcase their skills as safe professionals,”
said ATA COO and EVP of Industry Affairs
Elisabeth Barna. “From start to finish,
Columbus was a great location and we were
excited to see such great support from the
families and friends who came out to support
these drivers.”
Woodrome, an America’s Road Team Captain,
also took home the Tank Truck class
national title. He lives in Middletown, Ohio,
with his wife Lorraine.
ATA also recognized Ronald Zieser as
the 2018 Rookie of the Year. Zeiser claimed
the title after an outstanding performance in
the 3-Axle division. To be a “rookie,” drivers
must be first-time competitors at the state
level who advanced to nationals. This year,
there were 28 rookies competing.
In addition to the individual awards, the
team of drivers from the Silver State, Nevada,
is going home with the Team Championship.
The state of Pennsylvania took home second
place honors, with Colorado coming in third.
Several individuals excelled outside the
driving course throughout the competition,
demonstrating their professionalism, knowledge
and dedication to the trucking industry.
Truck driver Neil Nogues of YRC Freight was
recognized with the coveted Neill Darmstadter
Professional Excellence award. Michael Flippin
and Eric Courville of FedEx Freight and
Tony Spero of ABF Freight achieved perfect
scores on the written exam phase of the championships
and are receiving the Highest Written
Exam Award for their efforts. Additionally,
Michael Whitehead of FedEx Freight is taking
home the Vehicle Condition Award for his performance
during the pre-trip inspections.
The National Truck Driving Championships
are made possible by dozens of NTDC
committee members and volunteers who judge
the course, serve as liaisons to the drivers, conduct
course walk-throughs and perform a number
of other key tasks. As such, ATA and ATA’s
Safety Management Council honor one volunteer
each year with the Sam Gillette Volunteer
of the Year Award. This year’s Sam Gillette
Volunteer of the Year Award was presented to
Jerry Waddell of Cargo Transporters.
ACT 1 served as a premier sponsor of the
2018 National Truck Driving Championships
and National Step Van Driving Championships,
which took place Aug. 15-18 at the Greater Columbus
Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio.
Since 2011, Bendix Commercial Vehicle
Systems has been the sole sponsor of the Bendix
National Truck Driving Championships
Grand Champion. Bendix Director of Government
Affairs and Marketing Fred Andersky
presented the Grand Champion Award.
Champions from each of the 9 vehicle
classes were also announced. Joining Scott
Woodrome on the list of national champions
are:
• 3-Axle: Eric Courville, FedEx Freight,
Louisiana
• 4-Axle: Nick Arnold, FedEx Freight,
Oklahoma
• 5-Axle: Duane Staveness, FedEx Freight,
Wisconsin
• Flatbed: Steven Newsome, UPS Freight,
South Carolina
• Sleeper Berth: Artur Lesniowski, FedEx
Ground, New Jersey
• Straight Truck: Dale Brenaman, UPS,
THETRUCKER.COM
Scott Woodrome named Bendix Grand Champion of truck driving contest
Courtesy: ATA/JOHN SOMMERS II
The National Truck Driving Championships have become more than a competition. They
have become a spectator sport as evidenced by the full bleachers.
Courtesy: ATA/JOHN SOMMERS II
Tony Spero, left, of ABF Freight hugs Bendix National Truck Driving Champion Scott Woodrome
of FedEx Freight. Spero competed against Woodrome in the Tank Truck division at the
National Truck Driving Championships.
Kentucky
• Tank Truck: Scott Woodrome, FedEx
Freight, Ohio
• Twins: Miguel Corral, FedEx Freight, Illinois
• Step Van: Eric Damon, FedEx Express,
Colorado
Other Awards
• Rookie of the Year: Ronald Zieser, FedEx
Freight, Oregon
• Team Champions: Nevada
• Vehicle Condition: Michael Whitehead,
FedEx Freight in the 3-Axle division
• Highest Written Exam Award: Three
perfect scores: Michael Flippin, FedEx Freight
in the Twins division; Tony Spero, ABF Freight
in the Tank Truck division; and Eric Courville,
FedEx Freight in the 3-Axle division
• Neill Darmstadter Professional Excellence:
Neil P. Nogues, YRC Freight, New
Hampshire in the Straight Truck division
• Sam Gillette Volunteer of the Year
Award: Jerry Waddell, Cargo Transporters
Full results from the final competition are
listed below.
3-Axle Class
(1) Eric Courville; FedEx Freight, Louisiana;
(2) David Mogler, FedEx Freight, Colorado;
(3) Brian Singelais, Frito-Lay, Massachusetts.
4-Axle Class
(1) Nick Arnold, FedEx Freight, Oklahoma;
(2) Andrew Rynearson, XPO Logistics, Wisconsin;
(3) Heladio Fernandez, FedEx Freight,
Oregon.
5-Axle Class
(1) Duane Staveness, FedEx Freight, Wisconsin;
(2) Jack Hargett, AAA Cooper, Texas;
(3) Bryan Krol, The Martin-Brower Co., Pennsylvania.
Flatbed
(1) Steven Newsome, UPS Freight, South
Carolina; (2) Thomas Garner, FedEx Freight,
Alabama; (3) Gary Mars, Walmart Transportation,
Arkansas.
Sleeper Berth
(1) Artur Lesniowski, FedEx Ground, New
Jersey; (2) Brian Hall, Old Dominion Freight
Line, Tennessee; (3) Edward Pennington, FedEx
Freight, Florida.
Straight Truck
(1) Dale Brenaman, UPS, Kentucky; (2)
Michael Bills, FedEx Express, North Carolina;
(3) James Sheehan, FedEx Ground, Tennessee.
Tank Truck
(1) Scott Woodrome, FedEx Freight, Ohio;
(2) Don Logan FedEx Freight, Kansas; (3)
Dave Miller, UPS Freight, Illinois.
Twins
(1) Miguel Corral, FedEx Freight, Illinois;
(2) Wilbert Vano, XPO Logistics, New Jersey;
(3) Darrell Shelton, FedEx Freight, Washington.
Step Van
(1) Eric Damon, FedEx Express, Colorado;
(2) Robert Ledoux, FedEx Express, Massachusetts;
(3) Gregory Long, FedEx Express, Virginia
The American Trucking Associations is
the largest national trade association in trucking.
Through a federation of 50 affiliated state
trucking associations and industry-related
conferences and councils, ATA helps represent
the industry. Follow ATA on Twitter or
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