TOP
DRIVERS TEST SKILLS IN
WISCONSIN
STATE
TRUCK DRIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS
90 of the top fleet truck drivers in the state from 25 companies put
their driving skills to a grueling test June 25th & 26th
in the 2004
Wisconsin
State
Truck
Driving Championships at
Chippewa
Valley
Technical
College
in
Eau
Claire.
The Truck Driving Championships, sponsored annually by the Wisconsin
Council of Safety Supervisors, an affiliate of the Wisconsin Motor Carriers
Association, to promote highway safety; is the toughest test of a truck driver's
knowledge and job performance. The
most dramatic competition is the field course beginning at
7:00
a.m.
on Saturday, June 26th. There
were six parking and maneuvering exercises requiring precision driving and
steady nerves.
In
one test, the driver of a typical 60-foot tractor-trailer must make a right turn
coming as close to a curb (tire) without hitting it.
In
addition to the field course, competitors are required to make a typical
pre-trip inspection for the trucks, looking for a series of safety defects
planted by officials. Each also
undergoes an hour-long written examination, testing knowledge of the trucking
industry, safe driving rules, first aid, and fire-fighting.
"The contestant making the highest total score in each of the
events is designated the Champion of the Class," said Dale Henderson,
Marten Transport, LTD, Chairman of the 2004 Wisconsin State Truck Driving
Championships. Trophies were awarded to
the top three competitors in each class of competition at the awards banquet
held at the Ramada
Inn
Convention
Center,
Eau
Claire.
In addition to the best driver awards in each truck category, a
Vehicle Condition Award is given to the driver with the best score for a
pre-trip inspection. Also presented is a
Rookie-of-the-Year Award, for the best score by a new contestant.
To be eligible for competition, a driver must have been employed for
at least one year by a fleet trucking company and have a one-year accident-free
driving record. These are some of the best
drivers in the state.
The following were the champions in this year’s
competition: (name, company, & hometown)
| Three-Axle Tractor – Semi-trailer |
Gary Reimer, FedEx Freight East,
Loganville,
WI |
| Four-Axle Tractor – Semi-trailer |
David Schmidt, N & M Transfer
Co., Inc., Wild Rose,
WI |
| Five-Axle Tractor – Semi-trailer |
Scott Troyk, Roadway Express,
Sussex
,
WI |
| Five-Axle Flatbed |
Carl Ziehlke, Wal*Mart,
Menomonee,
WI |
| Five-Axle Tank Truck |
Michael Beich, Klemm Tank Lines, Madison
,
WI |
| Five-Axle Sleeper Birth |
Gerald Head, Trac, Inc., Leesville
,
SC |
| Straight Truck |
Steve Smith, Roadway Express,
Salem,
WI |
| Twin Trailers |
Regnald Ansbach, Roadway Express,
Cudahy,
WI |
These Champions will be competing at the ATA National Truck Driving
Championships at the Salt
Palace
Convention
Center,
Salt
Lake City
,
Utah,
on
August 18 – 21, 2004
.
They will compete against drivers from all 50 states in their class of
competition.
Other awards presented were:
The person with the highest overall score was Regnald
Ansbach, Roadway
Express,
Cudahy, WI
|
