New England Truckers Support Brian Singelais
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WINDSOR LOCKS, Conn. — The New England trucking championship frequently has been the starting point for some of the top competitors at the annual precision-driving national tournament.
The most recent contest, featuring drivers from Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut, was held earlier this month.
The event was marked by formidable performances from familiar luminaries who punched their tickets to the 87th National Truck Driving Championships and National Step Van Driving Championships.
• Richard Sweeney, with XPO representing Massachusetts, won the tanker class as well as the state grand champion title.
2024 National Truck Driving Championships
Who: Winners from nine categories at the state level who have advanced to the national competition, where a Grand Champion will be crowned
What: Contestants are judged on a written exam, pre-trip inspection and driving skills
When: Aug. 21-24
Where: Indianapolis
• XPO’s Joseph Hicks from Rhode Island, a frequent NTDC qualifier, won the 4-axle class.
• Two-time NTDC grand champion Roland Bolduc from Connecticut, with FedEx, took home top honors in the twin trailers division.
Last year, Bolduc won the sleeper berth class at nationals and was a member of a Connecticut team that captured the blue ribbon in the state category.
Sweeney
During the New England contest’s award ceremony, which recognized Bolduc, Sweeney and the other standouts, a retired Tony Spero, captain of last year’s Connecticut team, took on master of ceremonies duties.
Notably absent at the event, however, was Brian Singelais, who was emcee of last year’s tri-state event. Singelais, along with Spero and Bolduc, helped shape the current culture of excellence and safety in the New England trucking community. Earlier this year, Singelais underwent a heart transplant and is currently recovering.
Hicks
His wife, Sarah, attended this month’s state tournament to connect Brian via FaceTime with many of his friends and colleagues. She also captured on a T-shirt dozens of well-wishes from attendees. Brian received the shirt shortly after the tournament, which coincided with his 54th birthday. The “National Champion Brian Singelais needs a heart!” GoFundMe campaign by the Singelais family is accepting contributions.
Transport Topics caught up with Brian on FaceTime during the June 8 event. Speaking while en route to physical therapy, he expressed optimism about a road to recovery he described as “slow and steady.” Importantly, he expressed gratitude to many friends and peers he calls his NTDC family.
Bolduc
“I wish I was, you know, with them experiencing — I just love doing that competition. I’ve done the pre-trip for years in Connecticut, and I’m missing it, really.”
The eight-time nationals qualifier who won a national title in the tanker class in 2015 said the best advice he can offer to national competitors: Be great in the back room. NTDC’s back room disciplines consist of a written exam of industry regulations and a pre-trip vehicle inspection.
Specific to competition, he emphasized: “To be in the [NTDC] finals is the best feeling in the world, and then to walk across the stage to receive a national champion award is unreal.”
Reflecting on the meaning of NTDC: “Nationals is the best stage to be on, you know, on that course competing against the best of the best. … I’ve made a lot of friends; that’s one of the things about going to nationals — I’ve made a lot of friends.”
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