National Truck Driving Championships

On Friday, the National Truck Driving and National Step Van Driving Championships crowned the 30th Grand Champion since the inception of the competition’s top trophy in 1987. After earning the 4-Axle National title earlier in the evening, Miguel Corral of UPS heard...

For our 80th episode of the NTDC 2026 Series, PodWheels has the distinct privilege and honor of welcoming Derek Barrs, the Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Administration, to join us for our onsite coverage in Pittsburgh. During an interview with PodWheels...

Just a little more than 25 years ago, the American Trucking Associations and the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance began holding Trucking’s National Championships concurrently with the North American Inspector’s Championship. NAIC is law enforcement’s equivalent to...

As we release the 78th episode of our series this year, we are on the eve of Finals Friday, the day all the State Champions are honored and the National Championships will be decided. One of the most personal parts of Championship morning is watching all the State...

Recorded a few weeks before the onsite start of NTDC 2026, we held this special edition Rollin’ With Roland until the driving days of the competition began during NTDC Week. Two-Time National Grand Champion Roland Bolduc sits down with New York TDC Titan Jim Kohr, who...

The Road To Pittsburgh has reached its final destination as the NTDC 2026 Podcast is onsite at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in the heart of the Steel City. PodWheels Executive Producer Greg Thompson talked with the first person to navigate the semifinal...

In this episode of the podcast, we visit with Rebecca Olyer, who is the President and CEO of the Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association. As you will hear, NTDC 2026 will be the first edition of the National Championships that Rebecca has attended since she took her post...

Terry Luthy from FedEx Freight will have two very unique experiences in tow when he arrives at NTDC 2026 this week in Pittsburgh. First of all, Terry will have the honor of representing South Dakota as the State’s Grand Champion, winning that title and the 5-Axle...

On Sunday morning, two days before the August 11th official start of NTDC 2026, Old Dominion’s Wes Herek will lead the Driving Course Committee out to the floor of the David L. Lawrence Center in Pittsburgh. The months of planning, discussion and reviewing design...

As a professional driver with more than two million safe miles to his credit, XPO’s Steve Iburg understands the important roles that patience and persistence play in his success on the road. As he shares with us in this episode of the podcast, Steve continued to be...

As a veteran volunteer at the NTDCs, Carlos Ortiz was ready when the opportunity arrived for the New Jersey-based Safety Professional with NFI Industries to lead the 2026 Pre-Trip competition that will take place in Pittsburgh. In this edition of the podcast, we take...

As the Chairman of NTDC 2026 National Organizing Committee, Heath Arnold is greatly appreciative of all the work that has been done by the committee, the volunteers, ATA staff and everyone involved in the preparation for this year’s National Truck Driving and National...

What is involved in being ready to welcome State Champions from across the country to the National Truck Driving & National Step Van Driving Championships? Our podcast asked that question and discussed a range of topics with Jacob Pierce, the Executive Director of...

By Tuesday evening of next week, NTDC 2026 will be officially underway as the state champions from across the country will have gathered for the initial driver meeting and orientation, the written test will be in the books and the walk-through of the semifinal course...

Once Don Jones got a taste of winning vehicle class championships and going to Nationals for the first time back in 2022, the FedEx Freight veteran from Montana has not stopped winning. In this episode of the podcast, Don takes some time to look back at a run that now...

In early June, Miguel Sanchez completed the circle on what has been an incredibly successful 12-month run for the veteran UPS driver. Competing in the Florida State TDCs, Miguel made a successful defense of his Twins Class title and he also brought home the Sunshine...

XPO Million Miler Joe Hicks is incredibly humble given all that he has accomplished over his career on the road and while driving at the State TDCs and in the Nationals. He’s quietly becoming a legend in his home state of Rhode Island, and Joe is one of the top...

When veteran Walmart driver Eric Ramsdell won the Tanker Class title at the Arizona State TDC earlier this year, he did not take another trip to the NTDCs for granted. Instead, as he has done every year since he first qualified for his first Nationals in 2000, he...

Even though Ernie Budlowski ventured into some new territory within a familiar place during the 2026 Connecticut State TDCs, the veteran XPO driver still found the route to a championship result. As you’ll hear in this edition of the podcast, Ernie has been a part of...

There’s no question that Kevin Lemar of FedEx Freight has established an impressive track record for winning at the Delaware State TDC. As you’ll hear in this episode of the podcast, Kevin has won a Vehicle Division title and qualified for Nationals in each of the...

A few years ago, ABF Freight veteran Darrin Kirby encountered some moments of doubt as he found himself falling back with his finishes in the Oklahoma TDC. At one point as Darrin shares with us in this episode of the podcast, he thought about stepping aside from the...

Terry Covey from FedEx Freight seems to shift into a special competitive gear when the Kansas TDC is held in even-numbered years. The State Grand Championship trophy Terry earned during the 2026 TDC can now find a place in his house next to the Kansas Grand...

To say that Tom Congrove’s first Ohio TDC State Grand Championship was a surprise would be one of the biggest understatements of the 2026 State TDC Season. A 42-year veteran professional driver who has called UPS his home for the past seven years, Tom didn’t even...

As one of six competitors from FedEx Freight to qualify for NTDC 2026 during the Missouri TDC, Mike Chatterton was not expecting to hear his name called as the Show-Me State’s Grand Champion. As he details to us in this episode of the podcast, Mike was still...

First entering the Virginia TDC in 2017, Nick Saverino from ABF Freight thought it might be fun to compete while sharpening his skills to become a better driver. As he shares with us in this episode of the podcast, Nick viewed the accomplishment of staying safe all...

Like so many TDC veterans with vehicle division titles to their credit, Curt McMellon from XPO had found the Grand Championship of his home state of Louisiana quite elusive over the years. Prior to 2026, Curt had won 10 Vehicle Class crowns and, as he shares with us...

A two-time State Grand Champion with multiple vehicle division titles, Old Dominion veteran driver Chad Williams had been counting the days until the 2026 Michigan TDC. Chad missed time with a medical issue that kept him on the sidelines during the 2025 Michigan...

Over a period of time that lasted for a decade, Chuck Pearson of ABF Freight never lost sight of the most important aspect of having the opportunity each year to compete in his State TDCs for a shot at securing his spot at the Nationals. Every day since he made his...

With All-Time NTDC legends Richard Gillespie and Ray Simon onsite at the 2026 Minnesota TDC, FedEx Freight’s Paul Butkowski stepped up to be at his best. Paul excelled on the test, the pretrip and the driving course to add an 11th State TDC vehicle championship to his...

As he shares with us in this episode of the podcast, Tony Burns from FedEx Freight was in a state of total disbelief when he heard his point total and then name called out as the State Grand Champion of Indiana. Qualifying for his third career trip to the NTDCs with...