INDIANAPOLIS, Aug. 19,
2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Roland
Bolduc, a professional driver with FedEx Express, was named
Bendix Grand Champion tonight at the
conclusion of the 85th National Truck Driving and Step Van Driving
Championships.
Bolduc, competing in the sleeper berth, bested a field of 408
drivers with nearly 730 million combined accident-free miles to
claim the coveted title of Grand Champion at this year's Super Bowl
of Safety.
"Congratulations to Roland and the great team at FedEx for being
crowned Bendix Grand Champion," said
American Trucking Associations President and CEO Chris Spear. "It has been a long road for
these drivers to get here, and to emerge as the best of a truly
elite group is a tremendous honor. Roland's commitment to safety
and professionalism is an example of what this industry and this
event are truly about."
This is Bolduc's second Bendix Grand Championship, having won
the coveted title in 2017. A resident of East Longmeadow, Massachusetts, he has more
than 2.5 million safe driving miles in his more than 40-year-long
career. Bolduc was named an America's Road Team Captain in
2000.
In addition, ATA crowned Tyler
Tollefson, from FedEx Freight, as 2022 Rookie of the Year.
To compete as an NTDC rookie, a driver must be a first-time
competitor at their state competition who advanced to nationals.
This year, there were 22 rookies competing at the National Truck
Driving Championships.
ATA also recognized the state of North
Carolina with the NTDC Team Championship, placing five
drivers into the finals. New York
finished second in the team competition and Connecticut finished third.
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 Michelle Wells of the South Dakota Trucking
Association.
In addition, Anthony Spero, a
professional driver with ABF Freight System Inc., was recognized
with the Neil Darmstadter Professional Excellence Award as the
competitor "who most exemplifies all the best attributes of a
professional truck driver."
"NTDC was a tremendous success thanks to all the drivers, staff
and volunteers who made it happen," said ATA Chairman
Harold Sumerford Jr., president
of J&M Tank Lines Inc. "After two long years, it was great to
be back and see this competition in person, getting to observe the
professionalism and dedication to safety of these drivers was a
great privilege."
Champions from each of the nine vehicle classes were also
announced. Joining Bolduc on the list of national champions
are:
Three-Axle Division
- Wilbert Vano, XPO Logistics Inc.
(New Jersey)
- Chris Poynor, XPO Logistics Inc.
(Washington)
- Brian Walker, TForce Freight
(North Carolina)
Four-Axle Division
- Martin McMahon, RIST Transport
(New York)
- Miguel Corral, UPS (Illinois)
- David Rohman, FedEx Express
(North Carolina)
Five-Axle Division
- David Guinn, Publix Super
Markets Inc. (Florida)
- Timothy Banasiak, UPS
(Illinois)
- Alphonso Lewis, Yellow
(Alabama)
Flatbed Division
- Eric Ramsdell, Walmart
Transportation LLC (Arizona)
- Raymond Waage, FedEx Freight
(New York)
- Kenneth Rageth, FedEx Freight
(Wyoming)
Sleeper Berth
Division
- Roland Bolduc, FedEx Express
(Connecticut)
- Eric Courville, FedEx Freight
(Louisiana)
- Charles White, Walmart
Transportation LLC (Indiana)
Straight Truck
Division
- Christopher Shaw, FedEx Express
(New Mexico)
- Michael Bills, FedEx Express
(North Carolina)
- Jesse Benkert, FedEx Ground
(Kentucky)
Tank Truck
Division
- Michael Flippin, FedEx Freight
(Colorado)
- Heladio Fernandez, FedEx Freight
(Oregon)
- Dennis Shirar, Walmart
Transportation LLC (Indiana)
Twins
Division
- Damien Hebert, XPO Logistics
Inc. (Louisiana)
- Leslie Smyth, FedEx Freight
(Florida)
- Jeffrey Langenhahn, XPO
Logistics Inc. (Wisconsin)
Step Van Division
- Gregory Long, FedEx Express
(Maryland)
- Ceth Christensen, UPS
(Illinois)
- Jerome De La Cruz, FedEx Express
(Alaska)
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 Facebook. Trucking Moves America Forward
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/roland-bolduc-crowned-grand-champion-at-85th-national-truck-driving-championships-301609453.html
SOURCE American Trucking Associations