Nebraska Truck Driving Championships

Competition gives drivers chance to exercise a keen eye in searching for defects

Crawling around on the ground looking at tires, axles and lug nuts isn't your idea of a good time?

How about searching through a truck cab for fire extinguishers and testing the brakes?

Toss in a timer set at five to seven minutes and you've got one round of the Nebraska Truck Driving Championships.

On Friday, 116 truck drivers took part in the pre-trip inspections competition at Fonner Park. They crawled underneath big rigs, climbed in the cabs and walked around the trucks looking for 10 planted "defects," including low tires, loose lug nuts, missing crankshafts, improperly stored fire extinguishers, foreign items stuck in the axle and trash in the cab.

This year's competition is the third one for Gary Kensel, an ABF Freight driver from Omaha.

"I like to represent the company and I like to meet the other drivers," he said.

He also admitted to enjoying the annual dinners and social gatherings.

Each year, Kensel has competed in a different class. There are eight classes, such as straight trucks and tankers, in the competition.

Kensel has switched because there are nine ABF drivers competing and they don't all want to be in the same class.

Michelle Drahota, director of communications for the Nebraska Trucking Association, said the drivers can pick the class they want to compete in when they register. All the competitors have to be accident free for 12 months and must work for a Nebraska-based trucking company, she said.

The drivers also completed written tests and interviews Friday, and will take part in a driving competition today. The driving involves six situations designed to simulated conditions encountered in actual truck operations, such as short turns and backing into tight spaces, she said.

The overall winner of the event can go to Nationals Aug. 19-23 in Houston, she said.

On Friday, 10 trucks sat in two rows near the Heartland Events Center as drivers quickly and carefully inspected them. The drivers were awarded points for each defect found, said Jim Hill, who was recording discoveries at a tanker truck.

He said the average number of defects found at his truck was five. All the trucks had the same defects.

"It's a tough year," he said.

As each driver made his or her way around the trucks, they called out problems and declared them to be defects.

They were allowed to use the tools they would have on hand during the pre-trip inspections they do on the job, such as a mallet, gloves, flashlights and tire pressure gauges.

Last year's grand champion, Randy McDonald, pulled on thick gloves as he stood with his back turned to the tanker and listened to Hill's instructions. He then moved quickly around the rig, thumping tires with a mallet, noting an open cabinet door, twisting a loose fuel cap and picking up a misplaced fire extinguisher.

McDonald found seven of the 10 defects before running out of time. After his inspection, he was rushed off to the Bosselman's Conference Center for his interview.

Drahota said the interviews were being done by the Nebraska State Patrol's carrier enforcement troopers, who are also having a competition at Fonner Park this weekend.