f e a t u r e  s t o r y

Best Of The Best

The nation’s top truck drivers tested their skills.

Deborah Whistler
Managing Editor

They came from all 50 states, after winning grueling competitions there, some of them traveling thousands of miles, most of them accumulating millions of safe miles behind the wheel of a big rig in their careers. And now it was down to a game of inches.
     The country’s 388 most skilled truck drivers met in Long Beach, CA, Aug. 12-15 during National Truck Driver Appreciation Week to compete head to head for national titles in the American Trucking Assns.’ National Truck Driving Championships.
      Established by ATA in 1937, the contest brings together winners of employer and state-sponsored truck driving championships held throughout the year. Competitors showcase their skills in several areas:
     • A field course that requires intricate and precise driving maneuvers, which simulate conditions encountered in actual truck operation on streets and highways.
     • A test of safety rules and regulations, and ability to inspect vehicles to determine if they are safe to operate.
     • An interview that judges attitude and character.
     “The ATA National Truck Driving Championships are a demonstration of the safe driving skills of the nation’s more than 3 million drivers of heavy duty trucks,” said Walter McCormick, ATA president and CEO. “It recognizes their professional knowledge, positive attitude and responsibility for safety on America’s highways.”
     To be eligible, drivers must maintain an accident-free record for at least one year and meet other qualifications relating to physical health and employment.
     Kicking off the event was a media roundtable addressing safety and other industry-related issues. Speakers at the press conference included Ed Trout, American Trucking Assns. chairman and president of Cornhusker Motor Lines; Scott Bishop, safety director of Viking Freight Systems; Robert Wolf, California Driver of the Year; and Paggie Peterson and Mark Stamper, of Roadway Express and ConWay Express, respectively, both America Road Team captains.
     The truckers sitting at the table had accumulated more than 6.5 million accident-free miles between them.
     “We are celebrating the best professional drivers in America. Their experience is unparalleled,” Trout told reporters. “How we are perceived as an industry is one of the most important aspects of staging this event. It is one of the most important trucking events of the year.”
     The challenges of the skills test closely parallel problems truckers face daily in the course of their jobs.
     “It’s not easy to put a big truck into a tight space or back up close to a curb. This skills test teaches drivers intricate techniques to maneuver a big rig,” said Stamper. “Practicing the skills enforces the behavior on the road. Each one pertains to everyday driving, even in the car. It helps me concentrate.”
     The national winners are selected in nine categories:
     • Straight truck.
     • Three-axle.
     • Four-axle.
     • Five-axle.
     • Five-axle sleeper berth.
     • Tank truck.
     • Flatbed.
     • Twin trailers.
     • Auto transporters.
     Harley-Davidson Transportation Co. driver Marty H. Lawson Jr. was named Grand Champion in this year’s competition. Competing in the twin-trailer class, Lawson was awarded the competition’s highest honor through a handicapping system that compensates for inherent differences in the operating characteristics of equipment in the various classes.
     Winners by class were:
     • Gary L. Ott, three-axle, Roadway Express, Montana.
     • Everett S. Macmaster Jr., four-axle, Federal Express Corp., Maine.
     • Jason K. Frey, five-axle, Overnite Transportation Co., Massachusetts.
     • James P. Hines, five-axle sleeper berth, Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Virginia.
     • Frederick H. Schenk, tank truck, DeMoulas/Market Basket, Massachusetts.
     • Michael S. Hanson, flatbed, Sysco Food Services, Minnesota.
     • Marty H. Lawson, twin trailers, Harley-Davidson Transportation Co., Pennsylvania.
     • Alan D. Platfoot, auto transporters, Cassens Transport Co., Ohio/West Virginia.
     Drivers who competed in both state and national championships for the first year were eligible to be named Rookie of the Year. The winner was selected based upon the average of his/her semifinal score and the input of interview judges and pre-trip judges.
     1998 Rookie of the Year honors went to Raymond A. Thielenhouse, ConWay Central Express.
     “With drivers such as Marty Lawson and Raymond Thielenhouse representing the trucking industry, Americans around the country can be proud of the professional knowledge, positive attitude and safety responsibility our truck drivers possess,” said ATA’s McCormick.