Wednesday, August 17, 2016

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

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