FedEx Freight’s Courville Claims Louisiana Title
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State qualifiers for the country’s premier safety tournament for commercial drivers are officially underway.
Eric Courville’s victory in the sleeper vehicle division at this month’s Louisiana Truck Driving Championships marked the beginning of the road to the National Truck Driving Championships. A longtime driver with FedEx Freight, Courville and fellow top performers in various truck classes from the Pelican State punched their tickets to the industry’s annual Super Bowl of Safety.
The tournament, which celebrates the contributions of commercial drivers nationwide, is scheduled for Aug. 16-19 in Columbus, Ohio.
Courville’s blue ribbon performance marked his 10th overall state-level best-in-show and 13th qualifier for NTDC. In 2018, he earned national top honors in the 3-axle class.
Getting to Know You
Name: Eric Courville
Company: FedEx Freight
Vehicle class: sleeper
Favorite food: crawfish etouffee
Sports hero: “I really haven’t focused on a sports hero.”
Something people don’t know about you: “I built my own home. My wife and I built it from the bottom up. That’s one thing that some people may not know about.”
When do you find time to practice: “I find time every day.”
Pressed on his ability to perform at a high level for several years, he told Transport Topics on March 10, “Striving to do our best. There’s no secret. It’s just working hard at it.
“Start right away. Every day is training, whether you’re in your automobile or actually on the job.”
Remarking about his latest state win, Courville said: “You have to earn it. It takes all the drivers that are there. [They] are well-deserving of awards.”
For him, the highlight of the state tournament was spending time with family and friends. As he put it, “The award is being with the people, the drivers and the trucking industry personnel.”
His advice to fellow competitors: “Stay safe on the highway. Be vigilant. Of course, prep on the books and practice your pre-trip and also have that opportunity to practice running the course.”
Joel Morrow of Alpha Drivers Testing & Consulting traveled across America asking one simple question: What if a trucker designed a truck? Hear the program above and at RoadSigns.TTNews.com.
Rick Cates, a lifetime member of NTDC’s organizing committee and a consultant with JMJ Associates, praised Courville’s success and longevity. “Congratulations to [Courville] and very much so. I know that Eric came in second last year [nationally, in the sleeper class] and he has been practicing since then. And I know Eric has put in a lot of time and effort and we certainly appreciate, from the industry, the support that he gets from his family, his company and the industry. We’re proud of him,” Cates told Transport Topics.
Turning his focus to the road to NTDC, he added: “Even though there are a lot of people competing in the truck driving championships, all truck drivers are professional and hopefully they drive safely.”
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