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Meet The 45 Finalists Competing At NTDC 2026
One of the most anticipated moments of Championship Day at the National Truck Driving & National Step Van Driving Championships is the announcement of the five finalists in each of the nine vehicle divisions. On the morning of August 14, the brackets for Finals...
FMCSA Administrator Derek Barrs Making The Most Of His Week At NTDC 2026
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...
Placing Our Spotlight On The North American Inspector’s Championship
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...
FMCSA Administrator Derek Barrs Values Every Moment Spent at NTDC 2026
The August 14th edition of TheTrucker.com carried a front-and-center story that detailed the NTDC 2026 experience of Derek Barrs, the Administrator for the Federal Motor Carrier Administration. PodWheels Executive Producer Greg Thompson had the honor of sitting down...
Was NTDC 2026 The Last National Run For An All-Time Great?
Roland Bolduc, with two NTDC Grand Championships on his mantle, was the main feature on the front page of TheTrucker.com on August 13th. Driving in the 5-Axle division where he finished second last year to eventual NTDC Grand Champion David Comings, Roland bumped into...
Honoring Rick Cates: Forever ‘The Senator’ Of NTDC
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...
Roland With Jim Kohr: Looking Back, Looking Ahead and Talking About The Heart Of NTDC
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...
NTDC 2026 Opens As Semifinal Driving Course Revealed
For the August 12 edition of TheTrucker.com's coverage of NTDC 2026, PodWheels Executive Producer Greg Thompson developed a feature story around the annual Driver Meeting that took place on Tuesday, featuring the reveal of the semifinals driving course. While Greg...
Day One of NTDC 2026: Semifinal Driving Course Revealed
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...
Looking Back At The Return of a Mentor and a Grand Champion
In addition to hosting our onsite coverage of NTDC 2026 through the Official Podcast of the National Truck Driving and National Step Van Driving Championships, PodWheels Executive Producer Greg Thompson also developed a series of feature stories from Pittsburgh in his...
PMTA’s Rebecca Oyler Is Ready For NTDC’s Return To Pittsburgh
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...
No Bull: South Dakota’s Terry Luthy Riding To NTDC 2026 As Rookie State Grand Champion
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...
Driving Course Chairman Wes Herek Is Following Some Big Footsteps
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...
XPO’s Steve Iburg Cherishes Return To NTDCs As Iowa Grand Champ
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...
NTDC Veteran Volunteer Carlos Ortiz Embraces Pre-Trip Lead Role
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...
Driving for Excellence Award Coverage Launches With In-Depth Look At The Program
With this episode of Destinations, PodWheels begins our coverage for the 2026 edition of the Transition Trucking: Driving For Excellence Award. Launched in 2015 as a collaborative initiative from Kenworth, Fastport and the US Chamber of Commerce's Hiring Our Heroes...
Final Countdown: NTDC 2026 Chair Heath Arnold Placing Spotlight On 429 State Champions
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...
Final Countdown: ATA’s Jacob Pierce Checking His List Twice
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...
First Vice Chair Scott Dewey Counting The Days Until NTDC 2026
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...
Don Jones’ Big TDC Run Now Includes Montana’s Grand Championship
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...
Florida’s Miguel Sanchez of UPS Returns To Nationals In Grand Fashion
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...




















