Here Are the 46 NTDC Finalists
ORLANDO, Fla. — The field of drivers competing to become the 2017 National Truck Driving Championships Bendix Grand Champion has been narrowed to 46 with the naming of five finalists in each of nine classes. (The four-axle class has six finalists, due to a tie.)
The final round is underway Saturday morning and the finalists are competing for the title of national champion in eight different classes.
The awards ceremony will be held Saturday evening after the final event, recognizing the Bendix Grand Champion, Rookie of the Year and top state delegation, among several other highly-respected trucking industry honors.
Complete 2017 NTDC Coverage
LISTS OF DRIVERS: By company | By state | Finalists
PHOTO GALLERY: All of the pageantry from Orlando | Winners
VIDEO: Day One | Day Two | Championship Day | Bumper Cam | Sights and Sounds | ELD update
NAIC: Inspectors test their mettle | Houston's Rommel Garcia wins title
“With all these great competitors showing off their knowledge and skills in the trucking industry, we are now down to 46 drivers who have set themselves apart over the last two days,” said ATA President and CEO Chris Spear. “We thank everyone who came out to compete and support the National Truck Driving Championships and commend your efforts throughout this year. We look forward to seeing how the field of finalists finish off the weekend and are excited to see who emerges as the 2017 National Truck Driving Championships Bendix Grand Champion.”
Competition at the National Truck Driving Championships began Aug. 9 at the Orange County Convention Center. More than 420 of the nation’s best truck drivers qualified for the opening round of competition after winning their individual vehicle classes at the state level and maintaining accident-free driving throughout the year.
Professional truck drivers are competing in eight classes of truck and one step van class. After going through a series of tests on their knowledge of trucking facts, rules, statistics and safety protocols, drivers looked for defects as part of their pretrip inspection, and completed a difficult driving course. The top drivers from each class moved on to the final round of the competition.
Step Van
Bartholomew Masciulli, FedEx Express (Levittown, Pa.)
Ceth Christensen, UPS (Manhattan, Ill.)
Jason Imhoff, Wal-Mart Transportation (Ashland, Ohio)
Kailen Bronson, FedEx Ground (Milwaukie, Ore.)
Michael Bills, FedEx Express (Fuquay Varina, N.C.)
Straight Truck
David Hawk, FedEx Freight (Gardendale, Ala)
Dale Brenaman, UPS (Stamping Ground, Ky.)
Richard Bailey, FedEx Freight (Macomb, Mich.)
Christopher Shaw, FedEx Express (Albuquerque, N.M.)
Brent Glasenapp, FedEx Express (Franklin, Wis.)
3-Axle
Sam Wilson, XPO Logistics (Grand Island, Neb.)
David Murphy, YRC Freight (Meridian, Idaho)
Glen Kirk, Old Dominion Freight Line (Franklin, Ind.)
Walter McGuire, Wal-Mart Transportation (LaGrange, Ga.)
David Rohman, FedEx Express (Charlotte, N.C.)
4-Axle
James Duffy, FedEx Freight (Marshall, Wis.)
Bruce Quaal, YRC Freight (Farmington, Minn.)
Darrell Shelton, FedEx Freight (Richland, Wash.)
Daniel Shamrell, FedEx Freight (Portland, Ore.)
Steven Ward, FedEx Express (Woodruff, S.C.)
Tony Archambault, Wal-Mart Transportation (Jefferson, Maine)
5-Axle
Artur Lesniowski, FedEx Ground (Hasbrouck Heights, N.J.)
Jose Orozco, XPO Logistics (Tucson, Ariz.)
Michael Miltenberger, PITT OHIO (Cumberland, Md.)
Nicholas Jones, FedEx Freight (Troutdale, Ore.)
Tom Hopkins, Wal-Mart Transportation (North Platte, Neb.)
Flatbed
Edward Mikan, UPS (Romeoville, Ill.)
Dennis Shirar, Wal-Mart Transportation (Indianapolis)
Donald Logan, FedEx Freight (Eskridge, Kan.)
Wayne Crowder, FedEx Freight (Louisville, Ky.)
Brian Walker, UPS Freight (Randleman, N.C.)
Tank Truck
Gerald Wrinkle, Wal-Mart Transportation (Hopkinsville, Ky.)
Scott Woodrome, FedEx Freight (Middletown, Ohio)
Anthony Spero, ABF Freight System (Stratford, Conn.)
Daniel Bartelson, XPO Logistics (West Fargo, N.D.)
Thomas Garner, FedEx Freight (Hartselle, Ala.)
Twins
Esteban Perez, AAA Cooper (Weslaco, Texas)
Michael Flippin, FedEx Freight (Lamar, Colo.)
Chris Poynor, XPO Logistics (Richland, Wash.)
Marcus Byrd, FedEx Freight (Florence, Miss.)
Jeffrey Rose, YRC Freight (Creston, Ohio)
Sleeper Berth
Brian Hall , Old Dominion Freight Line (Morristown, Tenn.)
Gary Mars, Wal-Mart Transportation (Fayetteville, Ark)
Heladio Fernandez, FedEx Freight (Portland, Ore.)
Rick Pledger, Wal-Mart Transportation (Denison, Texas)
Roland Bolduc, FedEx Express (East Longmeadow, Mass.)
