Mike White Named Bendix Grand Champion at 2016 National Truck Driving Championships

Richard Merich Awarded Rookie of the Year

American Trucking Associations announced Mike White as the Bendix Grand Champion of the 2016 National Truck Driving Championships in Indianapolis.

“After an impressive showing throughout the week, Mike White emerged as the most skilled and knowledgeable truck driver in the country,” said ATA President and CEO Chris Spear. “On behalf of the ATA and the trucking community, I want to congratulate Mike and thank the entire field of competitors for participating in these championships. Your commitment to excellence has made the nation’s highways a safer place for everyone.”

To clinch the prestigious title of 2016 Bendix Grand Champion, White’s driving skills and knowledge of transportation and truck safety surpassed the over 430 other professional truck drivers competing in Indianapolis this week.

White, who also took home the 3-axle class title, lives in nearby Nineveh, Indiana and drives professionally for Walmart Transportation.

ATA also recognized Richard Merich as the 2016 Rookie of the Year. Merich took home the honor after a strong performance in the flatbed division. The team of drivers from South Carolina produced the best collective score, with an average of 278.13, and were honored as the top state delegation.

Professionalism and dedication to the trucking industry were key themes during the National Truck Driving Championships. Charles Woodland was honored during the awards banquet with the Neill Darmstadter Professional Excellence Award and Chris Ignowski, CDS was chosen as the Lifetime Volunteer Award recipient.

ACT 1 served as a premier sponsor of the 2016 National Truck Driving Championships and National Step Van Driving Championships, which took place Aug. 10-13 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis.

Since 2011, Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems has been the sole sponsor of the Bendix National Truck Driving Championships Grand Champion.

Collectively, this week’s competitors have accumulated more than 600 million safe-driving miles during their careers as professional truck drivers.

Champions from each of the 9 classes and the top state delegation were also announced. Joining Mike White on the list of national champions are:

3-Axle: Mike White, Nineveh, Indiana, Walmart Transportation

4-Axle: Ronald Metternick, Lowell, Michigan, FedEx Freight

5-Axle: Toby Kort, Aurora, Nebraska, FedEx Freight

Flatbed: Jay Love, Davis, South Dakota, FedEx Freight

Sleeper Berth: Larry Breen, Bushnell, Florida, Walmart Transportation

Straight Truck: Charles Randolph, Belle, West Virginia, PITT OHIO

Tank Truck: Jeffrey Langenhahn, Plover, Wisconsin, XPO Logistics

Twins: Chris Poynor, Richland, Washington, XPO Logistics

Step Van: Frank Woods, Shawsville, Virginia, FedEx Express

Other Awards

Rookie of the Year: Richard Merich, Lochbuie, Colorado, FedEx Freight

Team Champions: South Carolina

Vehicle Condition: William Pudney, Minneapolis, Minnesota, FedEx Express

Neill Darmstadter Professional Excellence: Charles Woodland, Surprise, Arizona, FedEx Freight

Lifetime Volunteer Award: Chris Ignowski, CDS, FedEx Ground

Lifetime Volunteer Award: Chris Ignowski, CDS, FedEx Ground

Full results from today’s final competitiom

3-Axle
	1	Charles White	Walmart Transportation, LLC	Indiana
	2	Jimmie Wisley	YRC Freight	Kansas
	3	Robin Sams	FedEx Freight	Arkansas
	4	Robert Fernald	Wal-Mart Transportation, LLC	Maine
	5	Cedric Pack	FedEx Freight	Washington
4-Axle
	1	Ronald Metternick	FedEx Freight	Michigan
	2	Eduardo Camacho	H-E-B Grocery Co.	Texas
	3	Allen Sohn	FedEx Freight	Iowa
	4	Andres Orozco	FedEx Freight	Arizona
	5	Aslaiyi Wilkes	Reddaway	Oregon
5-Axle
	1	Toby Kort	FedEx Freight	Nebraska
	2	Larry Warr	Wal-Mart Transportation, LLC	Florida
	3	Daniel Bruch	FedEx Freight	New Mexico
	4	Christopher Novak	FedEx Express	Vermont
	5	Darren Bogart	Wal-Mart Transportation, LLC	Kansas
Flatbed
	1	Jay Love	FedEx Freight	South Dakota
	2	William Hill	Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc.	Idaho
	3	Donald Logan	FedEx Freight	Kansas
	4	Robert Dean	XPO Logistics, Inc.	Washington
	5	Curtis McMellon	XPO Logistics, Inc.	Louisiana
Sleeper Berth
	1	Larry Breen	Walmart Transportation, LLC	Florida
	2	Bryan Elges	FedEx Freight	Ohio
	3	Ron Marker	Walmart Transportation, LLC	Indiana
	4	Roland Bolduc	FedEx Express	Massachusetts
	5	Barry Geck	Wal-Mart Transportation, LLC	Utah
Straight Truck
	1	Charles Randolph	PITT OHIO	West Virginia
	2	Glendon Buzzell	Wal-Mart Transportation, LLC	Maine
	3	Wilbur Johnson	FedEx Freight	Florida
	4	James Carver	Safeway, Inc.	Maryland
	5	Jesse Benkert	Fedex Ground	Kentucky
Tank Truck
	1	Jeffrey Langenhahn	XPO Logistics, Inc.	Wisconsin
	2	Kenneth Painter	XPO Logistics, Inc.	Montana
	3	Allen Byrne	Wal-Mart Transportation, LLC	Utah
	4	Steve Elliston	Wal-Mart Transportation, LLC	Michigan
	5	Nickolas Backes	PITT OHIO	West Virginia
Twins
	1	Chris Poynor	XPO Logistics, Inc.	Washington
	2	Andrew Kelly	ABF Freight System, Inc.	Wyoming
	3	James Luckadoo	UPS Freight	South Carolina
	4	James McNeill	FedEx Freight	Mississippi
	5	Stephen Black	Golub Corp/PriceChopper Supermarkets	New York
Step Van
	1	Frank Woods	FedEx Express	Virginia
	2	Jeff Evans	FedEx Ground	New York
	3	Curtis Harpole	FedEx Ground	Oklahoma
	4	Jason Imhoff	Wal-Mart Transportation, LLC	Ohio
	5	Matthew Allison	FedEx Ground	Colorado

Combating ‘Drowsy Driving’ Requires Keeping Trucker Standards

The Teamsters have been leaders in standing up for proper rest breaks for truck drivers. After all, union drivers know all-to-well what can happen when forced to work too many hours on the road. But now a new report shows the true dangers that come from “drowsy driving.”

The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) document notes that some 83.6 million sleep-deprived Americans are taking to the roads every day. As a result, the report states, an estimated 5,000 people died in related crashes last year. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates the annual societal costs of fatigue-related fatal and injury crashes is $109 billion.

“Drowsy driving is a serious safety issue on America’s roadways,” said Chris Mullen, Director of Technology Research at State Farm, which funded the report. “We encourage drivers to remember the role that rest plays in safe driving, and to prioritize getting enough sleep before getting behind the wheel.”

For truckers, however, some have repeatedly sought to make getting the rest they need harder. The trucking industry and its friends in Congress have wanted to lengthen the hours truck drivers can legally be on the road while trying to do away with state laws that set rest and meal break requirements.

The consequences of eliminating breaks could be quite real. Already, nearly 4,000 lives are claimed each year on U.S. highways in accidents involving tractor trailers. And in the most recent available numbers from 2013, 97 percent of vehicle occupants killed in two-vehicle crashes involving a passenger vehicle and a large truck were occupants of passenger vehicles.

It is great that NHTSA and the GHSA report have recognized the issue of drowsy driving and want to raise awareness so that it is thought of in the same way drunk, drugged and distracting driving is. But authorities must also recognize the importance of existing federal Hours of Service regulations as well as meal and rest breaks at the state level.

Taken together, officials can make a difference and make U.S. highways safer.

Teamsters, Labor Win Injunction Suspending Right-to-Work in West Virginia

Court Places Injunction on "Workplace Freedom Act" Following Testimony From Teamsters International General Secretary-Treasurer Ken Hall

Today, all of labor and the middle class working families of West Virginia won a major victory after the Kanawha County Circuit Court granted a request for an injunction that would suspend the destructive right-to-work legislation that was passed earlier this year. The court ruled that the injunction should be granted pending a full review of the merit of the lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the "Workplace Freedom Act" filed by labor unions across West Virginia.

International Brotherhood of Teamsters General Secretary-Treasurer Ken Hall, who also serves as President of Teamster Local 175 in South Charleston, testified before the Kanawha County Circuit Court today to challenge the law. Speaking on behalf of the West Virginia labor movement, Hall noted there are several technical and constitutional issues of the enacted legislation.

"We applaud Judge Bailey's ruling. This legislation deserves careful consideration by the court. The language of the bill–as it was written, amended and enacted into law–has significant issues that are in violation of the West Virginia Constitution," Hall said.

The Teamsters and the West Virginia AFL-CIO, along with several other labor unions across the state, filed petitions in Kanawha County Circuit Court challenging the Workplace Freedom Act on June 27, contending that the right-to-work law is intended to discourage union membership by "enabling nonmembers of unions to get union services for free"— an illegal taking of union property and resources.

Earlier this year, a circuit court judge in Wisconsin overturned the state's right-to-work law over similar challenges in a case that argued the unconstitutional taking of union property and resources.

"The Workplace Freedom Act will not bring freedom to the workplace, as the name deceitfully suggests. Rather, it will deny hardworking West Virginians the rights and protections they need to survive," Hall said. "If this becomes the law of the land, it will not only be in violation of our state's very own constitution—it will cause workers' wages to go down and workplace injuries to go up. This legislation is unconstitutional, unethical and unacceptable for West Virginia."