Arkansas sent nine drivers representing five different carriers to compete at the 2014 National Truck Driving Championships (NTDC) in Pittsburgh, Aug. 12-16.
The American Trucking Associations (ATA) sponsors the annual championships, known as the “Super Bowl of Safety,” to recognize industry leadership in safety and to promote professionalism among truck drivers.
This year, 426 drivers from all 50 states competed in nine competition classes in Pittsburgh after qualifying in their state championships.
Con-way Freight driver from Plover, Wisc., Jeffrey Langenhahn, won the Bendix 2014 Grand Championship at the National Truck Driving Championships on Aug. 16.
Christopher Shaw, a FedEx Express driver from Albuquerque, New Mexico, took the top honors in the sixth annual National Step Van Driving Championships, also held each year at the NTDC.
Arkansas team member Loren Hatfield of ABF Freight placed fifth in the flatbed division.
This was Hatfield’s fifth year to compete at the national competition. He has competed in Arkansas’s truck driving event since 2004, finishing first in the Flatbed division in both 2013 and 2014.
ATA President Bill Graves said, “I applaud all the competitors for their achievements and dedication to safety, and congratulate Jeffrey on his grand champion award which showcases his superior driving skill and commitment to safety.”
The annual event, this year in Pittsburgh, has never in its 77-year history had more than eight women competing, but eleven female drivers qualified for nationals this year.
NTDC is a “great opportunity to show the non-trucking public the advances the industry has made” in becoming more diverse and driver friendly for anyone interested in a driving career, said Ellen Voie, president of Women In Trucking, a national organization that seeks to get more women behind the wheel.
