Arizona Truck Driving Championship (TDC)

On April 1, 2023 the Arizona Trucking Association held its annual Truck Driving Championship (TDC) at Tempe Diablo Stadium.

Over 160 drivers participated in this year‘s event, many of whom 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 everyday driving conditions.

Ms. Ina Daly, XPO Logistics, was awarded “Grand Champion” of the annual safe driving competition. Additional high honors included:

• Best Skills/Driving Course Score: Luis Tellezduarte – FedEx Freight
• Best Pre-Trip Inspection: Robert Cound, Walmart Supply Chain
• David Messmer Rookie of the Year Award: Marc Anthony Ahumada – Shamrock Foods Co

Eight other TDC class winners will join Ms. Ina Daly to represent Arizona at the National Truck Driving Championship in Columbus, OH on August 16-19, 2023. 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
1: Robert Carchedi – FedEx Express
2: Luis Antonio Mireles M – FedEx Ground
3: Humberto Gonzalez – United Parcel Services (UPS)

STRAIGHT TRUCK
1: David Coffel – FedEx Express
2: David A Zdanek – FedEx Freight
3: Gregory N. Ziegler – XPO Logistics Freight

3 AXLE
1: Christopher Finn  – XPO Logistics Freight
2: Chase Peterson – Shamrock Foods Co
3: Sergio Rivas – Shamrock Foods Co

4 AXLE
1: Marc Anthony Ahumada – Shamrock Foods Co
2: Reynaldo Murrieta – FedEx Freight
3: Luis Tellezduarte – FedEx Freight

5 AXLE TRACTOR TRAILER
1: Terry L. Bartels – United Parcel Service (UPS)
2: Wesley Bauer – Walmart Supply Chain
3: Sergio Cruz – Shamrock Foods Co

FLATBEDS
1: Eric Ramsdell – Walmart Supply Chain
2: Steven E. Gardner II – Shamrock Foods Co
3: John C. Housley – Freeport Transportation

TANKERS
1: Ina Daly – XPO Logistics Freight
2: Robert Cound – Walmart Supply Chain
3: Valente Diaz – Shamrock Foods Co

5 AXLE SLEEPER
1: Greg Ryan – Walmart Supply Chain
2: Mario Urias – FedEx Ground
3: Luis A. Blancas – Swift Transportation

TRACTOR TRAILER – TWINS
1: Mike Alpine ABF Freight System
2: Mohammed Khan – FedEx Freight
3: Ramon Estavillo – Shamrock Foods Co

2023 Final Scores for 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.

Financial Sponsors:

• Commercial Metals Company (CMC)
• F|Staff
• FedEx Corporation
• Great West Casualty Co., Inc.
• Knight Transportation, Inc.
• One Distribution LLC
• PrePass Safety Alliance
• Shamrock Foods Co.
• Transtar Insurance Brokers, Inc.
• Walmart Supply Chain
• WSP, Inc.