Logan, Woodrome Face Off as NTDC Finalists Are Named
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The stage is set for a classic clash of the giants at the finals of the 81st National Truck Driving Championships on Aug. 18.
Don Logan and Scott Woodrome, FedEx Freight teammates and the Grand Champions from Kansas and Ohio, respectively, are facing off in the finals of the Tanker Truck class for a shot at the national title in their division as well as the national Grand Champion title at an event called the “Super Bowl of Safety.”
PHOTO GALLERY: Scenes From NTDC 2018
Logan was the tournament’s overall Grand Champion in 2012, while Woodrome is the hometown favorite with several vehicle class national titles under his belt. Observers consider Logan to be among the country’s top drivers, while Woodrome’s colleague often describe him as the “LeBron James” of trucking. In interviews with Transport Topics this week, they both had expressed confidence about their performances.
The 2018 National Truck Driving Championships
Qualifiers | Map | Photos | Video
Who: Winners from nine categories at the state level have advanced to the national competition, where a grand champion will be crowned
What: Contestants are judged on a written examination and their driving skills
When: Aug. 15-18
Where: Columbus, Ohio
“I knew it would be a tough course, and I try to get points where I thought I could but just like any course, when you walk it is so much different when you’re sitting in the seat,” Logan said after his first-round course run Aug. 17.
In 5-Axle, first-time tournament competitor Dawn Cochran of Old Dominion Freight Line out of Indiana became the only woman to advance to the finals. Cochran said she had been content with her course run in the first round and was pleased with her pre-trip inspection. The written exam, she added, proved challenging.
“The test was a little tough. There’s so much information in the [Facts for Drivers] book. You just have to try and remember a lot,” she said on the first day of the tournament on Aug. 16. “But I think I did alright.”
Other notables who advanced to the finals include: Massachusetts Grand Champion Brian Singelais of Frito-Lay in 3-Axle; Louisiana Grand Champion Eric Courville of FedEx Freight, also in 3-Axle; Pennsylvania Grand Champion Terry Wood of Walmart in the Sleeper Berth class; Wisconsin’s Grand Champion and 2014 national Grand Champion Jeffrey Langenhahn of XPO Logistics in Twins; and New Jersey’s runner-up Grand Champion Wilbert Vano of XPO Logistics, also in Twins. North Carolina Grand Champion Michael Bills of FedEx Express will compete in the Straight Truck division. Bills won the national Step Van title in 2017.
Last year’s overall Grand Champion, FedEx Express’ Roland Bolduc of Massachusetts, competing in 5-Axle this year, did not advance to the finals.
3-Axle
David Mogler, FedEx Freight (Colorado)
Eric Courville, FedEx Freight (Louisiana)
Brian Singelais, Frito-Lay (Massachusetts)
Robert Roth, FedEx Freight (Missouri)
Chris Goddard, FedEx Express (Vermont)
4-Axle
Dutch Burch, FedEx Freight (Colorado)
Nick Arnold, FedEx Freight (Oklahoma)
Heladio Fernandez, FedEx Freight (Oregon)
Matthew Fletcher, The Martin-Brower Co. (Pennsylvania)
Andrew Rynearson, XPO Logistics (Wisconsin)
5-Axle
Dawn Cochran, Old Dominion Freight Line (Indiana)
Brandon Hardy, XPO Logistics (Nevada)
Bryan Krol, The Martin-Brower Co. (Pennsylvania)
Jack Hargett, AAA Cooper Transportation (Texas)
Duane Staveness, FedEx Freight (Wisconsin)
Flatbed
Thomas Garner, FedEx Freight (Alabama)
Gary Mars, Walmart Transportation (Arkansas)
Eric Flick, FedEx Freight (Nevada)
Bryan Elges, FedEx Freight (Ohio)
Steven Newsome, UPS Freight (South Carolina)
Sleeper Berth
Brook Figgins, FedEx Freight (Colorado)
Edward Pennington, FedEx Freight (Florida)
Artur Lesniowski, FedEx Ground (New Jersey)
Terry Wood, Walmart Transportation (Pennsylvania)
Brian Hall, Old Dominion Freight Line (Tennessee)
Straight Truck
Charles Woodland, FedEx Freight (Arizona)
Dale Brenaman, UPS (Kentucky)
Kirk Weis, ABF Freight System (New Mexico)
Michael Bills, FedEx Express (North Carolina)
James Sheehan, FedEx Ground (Tennessee)
Tank Truck
Anthony Spero, ABF Freight System (Connecticut)
Dave Miller, UPS Freight (Illinois)
Donald Logan, FedEx Freight (Kansas)
Paul Robichaud, FedEx Express (New Hampshire)
Scott Woodrome, FedEx Freight (Ohio)
Twins
Miguel Corral, FedEx Freight (Illinois)
Matthew Hart, FedEx Freight (Nevada)
Wilbert Vano, XPO Logistics (New Jersey)
Matt Smith, FedEx Freight (Vermont)
Darrell Shelton, FedEx Freight (Washington)
Jeffrey Langenhahn, XPO Logistics (Wisconsin)
Step Van
Samuel Brooks, J.B. Hunt Transport (Arkansas)
Eric Damon, FedEx Express (Colorado)
Robert Ledoux, FedEx Express (Massachusetts)
Grant Garwood, FedEx Ground (Missouri)
Gregory Long, FedEx Express (Virginia)
