Nine Arkansas Professional Drivers Head to National Truck Driving Championships

Nine Arkansas professional truck drivers will arrive in Salt Lake City today to compete in the National Truck Driving Championships at the Salt Palace Convention Center.  These elite drivers earned their way to compete in the "Super Bowl of Safety" after winning their title earlier this summer at the state level.

Over 420 drivers from all 50 states will compete in Salt Lake City for four days, challenging their driving skills, and knowledge of safety, equipment and the industry. From 18-wheeler five axle sleepers to tank trucks to twin trailers—they will drive a course that recreates situations truck drivers face daily. These maneuvers may include: an alley dock, a rear line stop, a side park, a scale stop, a right turn, a front line stop, and straight line driving through a diminishing clearance.

On August 24, one contestant will drive away as the Bendix National Truck Driving Championships Grand Champion.

"The Truck Driving Championships represent the trucking industry's commitment to safety," said Arkansas Trucking Association President Lane Kidd.  "I congratulate all the contestants and I hope Arkansas cheers for our truck drivers this week."

Arkansas participants at National Truck Driving Championships for each category include:

Brian K. Dennington, Con-way Freight – Twins Timothy Geary, FedEx Ground - Step Van David H. Hall, YRC Freight - Four-Axle Loren H. Hatfield, ABF Freight System, Inc.     - Tank Truck Gary W. Mars Jr, Walmart Transportation, LLC - Five-Axle Mark Overholt , JB Hunt Transport - Straight Truck Larry Rhein,  FedEx Freight - Flatbed James A. Sanders, Fedex Freight - Three-Axle Clark B. Welch, Walmart Transportation, LLC - Sleeper Berth