National Truck Driving Championships

In this supersized edition of the podcast, you will hear an interview with the 2024 Grand Champion from Nevada, Matt Hart.  Podcast co-host Eugene Mulero, a Senior Reporter with Transport Topics, talks with Matt about earning the top prize in the Silver State, and...

Recorded on April 3, the second episode of 2024 edition of our NTDC series takes you inside this year’s first state championship, which was held in Louisiana, and we also discuss the approaches the past two National Grand Champions are taking to prepare for their...

PodWheels Powered By RadioNemo is thrilled to once again rev up our podcast series dedicated to the National Truck Driving & National Step Van Driving Championships. We plan to have at least one episode per month leading up to NTDC 2024 this August in...

As we bring our coverage of NTDC 2023 to a conclusion, we asked Eugene Mulero to give us his final thoughts on this year's national championships. A Senior Reporter with Transport Topics, Eugene is also the co-author of a book covering the 86-year history of the NTDC....

In the second segment of our three-part series with Transport Topics Senior Reporter Eugene Mulero, we discuss the incredible accomplishments and dedication to professional excellence by the competitors who were a part of the National Truck Driving and National Step...

Eugene Mulero, Senior Reporter for Transport Topics, joins us for Part 1 of our NTDC Rewind as we look back on the memorable moments and performances during the 2023 National Truck Driving & National Step Van Driving Championships. In this episode, we spend some...

As we round the corner toward the final episodes of our NTDC 2023 Series, we wanted to provide our listeners with an episode that takes you inside Championship Saturday, which includes the traditional Walk Of Champions. In this segment, you'll hear from some of the...

Roland Bolduc and Tony Spero have become living legends with their repeated appearances in the National Truck Driving and National Step Van Driving Championships. Both these veteran professional drivers have collected a truckload of state championships en route to...

Prior to NTDC 2023, Gragg Wilson, a veteran driver from UPS, had made 13 trips to the National Championships as a state champion from Nevada. But, in all those runs to the NTDC, Gragg had never made it beyond the preliminary round of the national competition. NTDC...

Barry Kraemer knows that all the miles he covers each week as a a professional driver would be much tougher to navigate without the support of his family. Winning his first National Championship this year at NTDC 2023, Barry was thrilled to be able to celebrate his...

Lisa Steed has a unique perspective when it comes to the road and the opportunities that you can find behind the wheel. After spending a decade as a State Trooper in Utah, Lisa took her career in a new direction when she discovered an opportunity to start a Step Van...

Ina Daly is a true pioneer in the trucking industry, hitting the road over 40 years ago at a time when few women were behind the wheel. Ina excelled in her job, striving for the highest levels of professional excellence as she compiled decade-upon-decade of safe...

Mike Barnes is a 34-year veteran professional driver who has been competing through the state of Arkansas to reach the NTDCs for the past few years. Following a third-place finish in his classification this year at the Arkansas Truck Driving Championships, Mike...

Ron Round and Ken Duncan have made multiple trips to the National Truck Driving and National Step Van Driving Championships, earning State Championships in their respective classifications in the state of Maine. For NTDC 2023, Ron and Ken returned to the national...

2023 marks 50 years in the trucking industry for Kevin Burch, and one the highlights of this golden anniversary year for Kevin happened at NTDC 2023. On the final day of the competition, Kevin part of the ATA's dignitary group that shook the hands of the 419 state...

Last year, Antoine Sadler posted the high score on the NTDC 2022 driving course with a 220. At NTDC 2023, Antoine focused his dedication to excellence to champion the important work of Truckers Against Trafficking (TAT). Antoine, who is a member of the Board of...

Mindy Rathjens had worked hard through the years to break through the highly competitive field in her home state of Iowa, always seeking to reach the National Championships. In 2023, Mindy not only won the state championship in her classification, but she also claimed...

As the second day of the driving competition began rolling, ATA Chairman Dan Van Alstine sat down with Jimmy Mac. Dan, who is the President and Chief Operating Officer at Ruan Transportation Management Systems, will be concluding his one-year term as ATA Chairman in...

Considered by his fellow competitors as one of the greats in the history of NTDCs, Tony Spero talks with Jimmy Mac about his upcoming retirement from truck driving and the emotional ride he has experienced on his road back to the NTDCs. While looking back at his time...

As he looked out over the road course one day before he would be driving on it, Tim Blair, a State Champion from Tennessee, was all smiles. Tim, who first competed at the state level in 2019, tells Greg Thompson from PodWheels about his journey to reach the NTDCs....

A trailblazer who became the first woman to claim a National Title at the NTDCs with her trophy run in 2013, Ina Daly talks with Jimmy Mac about her trucking career that now spans more than 40 years. As you’ll hear, Ina shares the important role her father played to...

Richard Gillespie is considered by most who know the history of the NTDCs as the G-O-A-T, the Greatest of All Time. From his first NTDC trip in 1965 through 1991, Richard claimed two Grand Championships and he won National Championships in seven different divisions...

While ATA President & CEO Chris Spear joins Jimmy Mac in the celebration of safety and driving excellence that are seen through the annual NTDC event, Chris also shares how the national championships have become a yearly trip that he has taken with his son,...

Some 22 years after Eddie Pennington began his trucking career in 1976, he won his first of 12 State Championships in Florida. The 2023 edition of the NTDCs will be his last run at the nationals as Eddie plans to retire at some point in the next year. Tim Taylor, a...