Friday, July 13, 2012

New Penn Professional Drivers Win State Driving Competitions in Rhode Island and Pennsylvania

Two New Penn professional drivers have won top honors for safe-driving skills in the states of Rhode Island and Pennsylvania. Marc Ditomasso placed first in the 4-axle class at the Rhode Island Truck Driving Championships. Rich Walton placed first in the 3-axle class at the Pennsylvania Truck Driving Championships.

Ditomasso and Walton will go on to compete in the 2012 National Truck Driving Championships in Minneapolis on August 7-11.

Ditomasso, who is based at the New Penn facility in Providence, is a city driver who currently has more than half a million consecutive safe-driving miles. He has worked in the transportation industry for 15 years, the last 12 years with New Penn. This will be his second time to compete at the national championships. He won a state title in the 4-axle class to qualify for nationals in 2009.

Ditomasso's inspiration is his father, Steve, a driver who retired after 27 years with Yellow Transportation and YRC Freight. The senior Ditomasso often participated in state contests and competed at the national championships five times. "I compete to follow in the footsteps of my father. He's the reason I drive safely every day. I know it makes him proud," said Ditomasso.

Walton has worked in the transportation industry for 31 years, the last 10 years with New Penn. He has been accident-free his entire New Penn career. Walton is a road driver and is based at the New Penn facility in Camp Hill. This will be Walton's third time at the national championships. He won state titles in the twin trailers class to qualify for the nationals in 2009 and 2010.

Walton has been participating in truck driving competitions since 1985. "I compete to improve my driving skills, keep up with the industry, and make friendships with drivers from other companies. The competitions make me a better driver. I think of my family, and I want everybody to be safer," Walton said.
"Working and driving safely every day takes practice, determination and focus. Competing at driving championships requires that same level of concentration. Professionals like Marc and Rich who lead through safety demonstrate the high quality service we provide to our customers each and every day," said Steve Gast, New Penn president.

New Penn drivers also competed at state driving championships in New York and Vermont in June. Top finishers in the New York contest were Pete Glogowski, who placed first in the pre-trip inspection contest and second in the 4-axle class, and Eric Consaul, who scored highest in the course driving portion of the competition. Both Glogowski and Consaul are based at the New Penn terminal in Rochester. In Vermont, Matt Ketcham placed third in the 4-axle class. He is based at the New Penn facility in Burlington.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

YRC Freight Announces 24 Professional Drivers Qualify For The National Truck Driving Championships


YRC Freight, a subsidiary of YRC Worldwide Inc, announced today that 24 of its professional drivers have qualified for the 2012 National Truck Driving Championships. The competition will be held August 7 – 11 at the Minneapolis Convention Center in Minneapolis, MN.

To qualify for the national championships, each driver placed first in his respective class -- one of nine categories -- at their state competition. Both the state and national competitions include challenging driving skills and maneuvering tests, a pre-trip inspection, and a written examination covering vehicle operation and federal safety regulations. To participate, drivers must be accident-free, regardless of fault, for one year and through the national championships.

"We are extremely proud of all of our drivers -- their commitment to safety reflects on our dedication to providing the highest level of service to our customers with each and every delivery we make," said Jeff Rogers, president of YRC Freight. "We congratulate this remarkable team and look forward to this premier competition."

The NTDC and affiliated state TDCs are considered one of the industry's largest and most effective safety programs. Known to many as the "Super Bowl of Safety," these annual competitions inspire tens of thousands of drivers to operate accident-free for the right to compete.


The YRC Freight team of qualifiers for the 2012 National Truck Driving Championships:
Driver          
State  
Class             
Tim Brochue 
Michigan
Tank Truck
Jim Bryant 
Nevada
3-Axle
Mike Coakley        
New Hampshire
5-Axle Sleeper
Clint Colson
Oklahoma
5-Axle Sleeper
Casey Dubbs*
Montana
3-Axle                   
Larry Dumont   
New Hampshire
5-Axle
Randy Ebinger
Virginia        
4-Axle
Mike Erick       
Rhode Island  
Twins
Philip Garcia*  
Utah          
Straight Truck    
Robbie Granstrom
Oklahoma 
3-Axle
Jerry Kraetsch 
Minnesota
4-Axle
Duane Maroney 
Minnesota  
Twins
Tim McNamee 
Minnesota
5-Axle
Wilson Meier  
New York 
5-Axle
Kevin Miskiewicz*
Pennsylvania
4-Axle                   
Tom Nestler*   
Illinois                          
5-Axle                   
William Rabya 
Maryland
4-Axle
Dale Reed     
Ohio   
Flatbed
Scott Stroup* 
Nebraska 
4-Axle
Ron Vanbibber* 
Utah    
Tank Truck
Wade Wageman 
South Dakota 
Twins
Marty Warfield 
Illinois   
5-Axle Sleeper
Mike Weir
Delaware
Tank Truck
Jimmy Wisley  
Kansas  
Twins



*Casey Dubbs, Kevin Miskiewicz, Tom Nestler and Ron Vanbibber were Grand Champion winners in their state competitions. Phillip Garcia won the Rookie of the Year award and Scott Stroup received the Professional Excellence and Vehicle Condition Award in their states.