Arizona Trucking Association Announces Winners of the 2017 Arizona Truck Driving Championship
2017 Arizona Truck Driving Championship Winners
Phoenix, AZ – On April 22, 2017, the Arizona Trucking Association held its annual Truck Driving Championship (TDC) at Tempe Diablo Stadium.
Over 185 drivers participated in this year‘s event. Many of which have millions of miles of accident free driving.
Participants are tested in three different areas:
- A written exam that tests drivers’ knowledge of the industry, first aid, health, wellness, injury prevention, fire safety, general safety, and security;
- A pre-trip inspection, which tests competitors on their knowledge of the equipment; and
- A skills/driving test, which consists of six objectives that test their ability to maneuver the vehicle in simulations of every day driving conditions.
Steven Smalley, ABF Freight System, was awarded “Grand Champion” of the annual safe driving competition. Additional high honors included:
- Best Skills/Driving Course Score, Steven (Steve) Smalley – ABF Freight System
- Best Pre-Trip Inspection: Andres Orozco – FedEx Freight, Inc.
- David Messmer Rookie of the Year Award: Louie Barrera – Shamrock Foods Company
Eight other TDC class winners will join Mr. Smalley to represent Arizona at the National Truck Driving Championship in Orlando, Florida on August 9 – 12, 2017. Team Arizona will compete against 430 other professional drivers vying for selection as the nation’s top professional truck drivers.
First, second, and third place winners in each class are listed below.
STEP VAN/PACKAGE CAR
1st Sean Saxon – FedEx Ground
2nd Michael (Mike) Ortiz – FedEx Ground
3rd Gabriel Sosa-Rodriguez – FedEx Ground
STRAIGHT TRUCK
1st Robert Gordon – XPO Logistics
2nd Charles (Charlie) Woodland – FedEx Freight, Inc.
3rd William (Willie) Vasquez – Shamrock Foods Company
3 AXLE
1st Martin Orozco – FedEx Freight, Inc.
2nd Radulfo (Rudy) Salgado – ABF Freight System
3rd Albert Ochoa – FedEx Freight, Inc.
4 AXLE
1st David Coffel – FedEx Express
2nd Andres Orozco – FedEx Freight, Inc.
3rd Kurt Pedersen – XPO Logistics
5 AXLE TRACTOR TRAILER
1st Jose Orozco – XPO Logistics
2nd Louis (Louie) Barrera – Shamrock Foods Company
3rd Valente (Tito) Diaz – Shamrock Foods Company
FLATBEDS
1st Steven (Steve) Smalley – ABF Freight System
2nd Sam Smith – Old Dominion Freight Lines
3rd David (Dave) Budz – FedEx Freight, Inc.
TANKERS
1st Ina Daly – XPO Logistics
2nd Robert Dominquez – Western Refining Wholesale, Inc.
3rd Randy Pehrson – Walmart Transportation, LLC
5 AXLE SLEEPER
1st Tramel Caldwell – Shamrock Foods Company
2nd Arthur (Ray) Dority III – Knight Transportation, Inc.
3rd Dale Moyle – Walmart Transportation, LLC
TRACTOR TRAILER – TWINS
1st Tobias (Toby) Fierros – ABF Freight System
2nd Luis Alvarez, Jr. – ABF Freight System
3rd Mark Klun – XPO Logistics
2017 Final Scores All Competitors – Click here
The Arizona Trucking Association would like to thank all the competitors who participated in this year’s TDC.
We would also like to thank the sponsors and volunteers who make the Arizona TDC possible:
ABF Freight System
Albertsons, LLC
All City Towing
Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS)
Constructors Bonding, Inc.
Contracted Driver Services
DLD Truck Straps
FedEx
FedEx Freight
FedEx Ground
Frontier Adjusters
Good’s Insurance Agency
HDS
HomeSmart
International Excess Program Managers
JJ Keller & Associates
Knight Transportation, Inc.
Kufner Bookeeping
May Trucking Company
Meritor, Inc.
Minimizer
National Truck Services Group
Old Dominion Freight Lines
Precision Heavy Haul, Inc.
Purcell Tire and Service
Rush Truck Centers
Safeway
Shamrock Foods Co.
Shamrock Foods Company
Southwest Truck Driver Training
Stewart Transport. Inc.
Swift Transportation Co. of AZ, LLC
System Transport
TA – Petro
TCI Leasing
TransForce
Transtar Insurance Brokers
Vanguard Truck Center
Walmart Transportation, LLC
Werner Enterprises, Inc.
Western Refining Wholesale
XPO Logistics
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