COLUMBUS, Ohio, Aug. 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Today,
American Trucking Associations and ATA's Safety Management Council
kicked off the driving portion of competition at the 81st annual
National Truck Driving Championships and Step Van Driving
Championships, held at the Greater
Columbus Convention Center.
Some of the trucking industry's best drivers - 424 men and women
from all across the country – are putting their knowledge of the
industry, safe driving ability and skillfulness to the test to see
who will emerge as the 2018 National Truck Driving Championships
Bendix Grand Champion.
"The trucking industry's attention is turned to Ohio's capital
this week, where some of the country's best drivers are competing
for the trucking glory," said ATA President and CEO Chris Spear. "It is a true testament to the
entire trucking workforce that hundreds of truck drivers put in
thousands of hours of driving practice and study in order to
compete for the crown as grand champion. We can't wait to see which
drivers, companies and states emerge as champions on Saturday night
and are thankful for all the effort that has gone into setting up
this fun and friendly competition."
NTDC action began yesterday when drivers were escorted onto the
course for a timed walkthrough in which they saw the driving
problems for the first time. Competitors also sat down for a
written examination, which is one of the three scored phases of
competition. Over the next two days, competitors will take part in
a vehicle pre-trip inspection to test the drivers' ability to
detect vehicle malfunctions and a driving skills test where
competitors are graded on their ability to operate a truck through
a series of obstacles. The first round of competition wraps up on
Friday afternoon.
Finalists for the championship round of competition are
announced Saturday morning. After the five finalists in each of the
eight vehicle classes and one step van class are announced, the
finalists will compete on a championship course to determine the
nine class national champions and overall 2018 Bendix Grand
Champion, who will be announced Saturday night.
Over four days, 424 competitors from all 50 states, including 28
"rookies" competing at any level of truck driving championship for
the first time. The 424 competitors have a combined 693 million
accident-free driving miles.
The driving competition is the main event, but NTDC attendees
can also explore the course-side Exhibit Hall, test their driving
abilities in the ATA Interstate One truck driving simulator, shop
at the official NTDC Marketplace, and spend time with friends and
colleagues in the industry.
Members of the media are invited to attend Media Day on Friday,
when individuals can drive ATA's Share the Road Mack Anthem through
a mock driving course (with supervision from professional truck
drivers) and learn more about the competition from past
champions.
The Allied Committee for the Trucking Industry is a premiere
sponsor of the 2018 National Truck Driving Championships and
National Step Van Driving Championships, taking place August 15-18 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in
Columbus, Ohio.
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
on Facebook. Trucking Moves America
Forward.
View original content with
multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/action-begins-at-81st-national-truck-driving-championships-300698445.html
SOURCE American Trucking Associations