Drivers Battle for America’s Road Team

This story appears in the Jan. 7 print edition of Transport Topics.

Dozens of truck drivers will undergo a rigorous two-day test this week in hopes of qualifying for America’s Road Team.

While 32 drivers are set to compete for a spot on the team, only slightly more than half will be chosen as ambassadors for the industry by American Trucking Associations judges.

Update (Jan. 9): ATA Names 2013-2014 America’s Road Team

“We’re shooting for around 18,” Elisabeth Barna, vice president of outreach for ATA, told Transport Topics about the selection process that begins Jan. 7 at ATA’s Arlington, Va.-based headquarters.

“It’s an intense process but an opportunity for the judges to learn about the finalists and to see their passion and dedication,” she added.

Those chosen for the team will tour the country promoting the trucking industry and truck safety.

Candidates hail from various sectors of the industry.

“We’ve got a wide variety of city, over-the-road, all types of drivers. I’m excited that we’ve got a good mix to look at,” said Barna, who oversees the program for ATA.

There are also two women vying for positions, which could give the Road Team its first woman member in years.

Barna received about 2,000 applications for the Road Team after asking ATA member companies to nominate drivers. She and her staff then whittled down the applicants to the 32 finalists.

Those selected for the Road Team are called “captains” and are charged with telling the trucking industry’s story about a week each month for the next two years to everyone from politicians to schoolchildren.

They also will continue to drive for carriers.

Road Team candidates are put through a series of tests involving their knowledge of trucking, dedication to the industry and speaking skills. They will be selected by a panel of five judges that include representatives of the trucking industry, the news media and Volvo Trucks, which has been the sole sponsor of the Road Team program since 2002, Barna said.

Their communications skills also will be evaluated, based on their performance in personal interviews, mock media interviews and prepared speeches, Barna said.

“You sort of can weed out who’s fast on their feet and who’s genuine,” she said.

The drivers will learn whether they earned a spot on the team on Jan. 8, when Phil Byrd, ATA’s first vice chairman and president of Bulldog Hiway Express, discloses the selections.

After the 2013-2014 Road Team is chosen, its members will spend the rest of the week training in everything from the electronic logging systems in the two trucks the program uses to interview with media.

Meanwhile, the 2011-2012 Road Team of 18 captains will shift to a less-active role. They considered their selection an opportunity of a lifetime.

“It’s made a better man out of me, and a better driver,” said David Boyer, who drives for ABF Freight System Inc. out of Wytheville, Va. “You learn a lot.”

Added Alphonso Lewis, a YRC Freight Inc. driver from Birmingham, Ala., “I’ll tell you what, it went by fast.”

He said he loves to travel and that the Road Team sent him to a variety of interesting cities. He grew to enjoy spreading the trucking industry’s safety message as well, especially the personal connection drivers have with highway safety.

“You see a lot of professional drivers out there, and these guys want to just get out there and operate on the road safely. They want to get home safely,” Lewis said. “And not only do we want to get home safely, we want the rest of the driving public to get home safely.”

Along with other members of past years’ teams, the captains will continue to participate in industry and safety events but on a less-frequent basis than the newest members.

Allen Boyd, another captain from the 2011-2012 team, took particular interest in events at schools often related to drivers’ education classes.

“I guess I have a soft spot for kids,” said Boyd, who drives for Wal-Mart Transportation and is based in Hollidaysburg, Pa. “My favorite part was being able to share my experiences,” he said. “It was kind of refreshing to have people who truly want to hear your opinion.”