This June 6-9, Diane and I responded to the FedEx Chairman's Challenge and competed in the Minnesota State Truck Driving Championship, which is part of the American Trucking Associations National Truck Driving Championships.
In this three-day event, neither of us placed high enough to advance to national competition (first place in each division advances to national). Given the precision and intensity of the competion, and the months of preparation most competitors do, we were quite relieved to finish higher than last place. Of 15 drivers in the straight truck division, Diane placed 11th and I placed 7th.
The event includes a written examination, personal interview, pretrip inspection and six-problem skills test/field course (driving course); all of which are scored. The written test is based on the 257 page ATA Facts For Drivers handbook.
When we agreed to compete, we knew little about what we were getting into. While the info was on the web and provided by mail, we were unaware of how seriously the competitors take this event and how much work they put into it. Once we found out, we headed home and poured a focused week of our lives into book study, practice driving and conversations with past and current participants who helped us know what we needed to know.
We agreed to compete because we thought it would help us sharpen our skills as drivers and make us better and safer at what we do. It did that and more.
We have never pretripped a truck like we pretrip them now. Already safe drivers, we are even more so now. And it is quite something to rub elbows and mix thoughts with 111 truck drivers who think about the position, not of the tire, but of a particular tire tread as they pilot rigs around the course. These competitors seemed to me like a cross between NASCAR pit crew members (competitive pretrip against the clock), fighter jet pilots (driving precision and geometry) and truck drivers.
The best part of the contest was making new friends and learning more about their jobs, and thus the trucking industry. There was a lot of time to visit as we waited our turns for the events. Many of these folks are company drivers on regular routes. They were very curious about the expediting work we owner-operators do.
While these people represented a number of competing carriers, the respect drivers showed each other was profound. It felt more like a brotherhood than a contest. It was an honor to be among the likes of these. While over half of the competitors have been there at least once before, and many had been competing for five, 10 and even more years, event rookies were quickly welcomed and made to feel like part of the family. Some of those walked off with top honors.
We do not know if we will compete again. That question will be entertained when next year's Truck Driving Championships details are announced. The competiton absolutely sharpened our skills and increased our industry knowledge, and the camaradrie is fantastic; but it comes at a high price. We traveled further than any other Minnesotan to compete in this event. And as you all know, it is expensive for an owner-operator to take a week off for any reason. More than one competitor joked that he could be fishing. That is more than a passing thought. Such things must be weighed before the decision to compete is made.
We can say that while the competiton is intesnse, the challenge can be fun if you embrace it as such. If part of you thinks you might want to try this some day, our advice is to go for it. It is worth the effort to compete at least once. After that, you will know if it gets in your blood, like it does with many others, and if you will return to compete again. Contest rookies can and do win top honors in their classes. If you enter, you just might be the next one to win.
In this three-day event, neither of us placed high enough to advance to national competition (first place in each division advances to national). Given the precision and intensity of the competion, and the months of preparation most competitors do, we were quite relieved to finish higher than last place. Of 15 drivers in the straight truck division, Diane placed 11th and I placed 7th.
The event includes a written examination, personal interview, pretrip inspection and six-problem skills test/field course (driving course); all of which are scored. The written test is based on the 257 page ATA Facts For Drivers handbook.
When we agreed to compete, we knew little about what we were getting into. While the info was on the web and provided by mail, we were unaware of how seriously the competitors take this event and how much work they put into it. Once we found out, we headed home and poured a focused week of our lives into book study, practice driving and conversations with past and current participants who helped us know what we needed to know.
We agreed to compete because we thought it would help us sharpen our skills as drivers and make us better and safer at what we do. It did that and more.
We have never pretripped a truck like we pretrip them now. Already safe drivers, we are even more so now. And it is quite something to rub elbows and mix thoughts with 111 truck drivers who think about the position, not of the tire, but of a particular tire tread as they pilot rigs around the course. These competitors seemed to me like a cross between NASCAR pit crew members (competitive pretrip against the clock), fighter jet pilots (driving precision and geometry) and truck drivers.
The best part of the contest was making new friends and learning more about their jobs, and thus the trucking industry. There was a lot of time to visit as we waited our turns for the events. Many of these folks are company drivers on regular routes. They were very curious about the expediting work we owner-operators do.
While these people represented a number of competing carriers, the respect drivers showed each other was profound. It felt more like a brotherhood than a contest. It was an honor to be among the likes of these. While over half of the competitors have been there at least once before, and many had been competing for five, 10 and even more years, event rookies were quickly welcomed and made to feel like part of the family. Some of those walked off with top honors.
We do not know if we will compete again. That question will be entertained when next year's Truck Driving Championships details are announced. The competiton absolutely sharpened our skills and increased our industry knowledge, and the camaradrie is fantastic; but it comes at a high price. We traveled further than any other Minnesotan to compete in this event. And as you all know, it is expensive for an owner-operator to take a week off for any reason. More than one competitor joked that he could be fishing. That is more than a passing thought. Such things must be weighed before the decision to compete is made.
We can say that while the competiton is intesnse, the challenge can be fun if you embrace it as such. If part of you thinks you might want to try this some day, our advice is to go for it. It is worth the effort to compete at least once. After that, you will know if it gets in your blood, like it does with many others, and if you will return to compete again. Contest rookies can and do win top honors in their classes. If you enter, you just might be the next one to win.
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