NTDC 2015 Champion: Wal-Mart Driver Ronald Emenheiser
ST. LOUIS — Wal-Mart Transportation driver Ronald Emenheiser Sr. won the Bendix 2015 grand championship at the National Truck Driving Championships here Aug. 15.
Emenheiser, 47, of Yorkana, Pennsylvania, who also won first place in the sleeper berth class, didn’t even know he was going to compete in the champtionships until two weeks ago.
“I was second place in sleeper berth in Pennsylvania, and the first-place driver got disqualified,” Emenheiser said after the awards banquet. “I’m still on cloud nine. I thought it was an outside shot to even be in the top five, much less to win.”
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FULL COVERAGE: Photo galleries, video, stories and more Emenheiser, also a volunteer firefighter in his hometown, dedicated the award to his deceased father, a truck driver for 35 years.
“My dad actually tried to keep me out of trucking,” Emenheiser said. “He tried to get me to do a different profession that would keep me home more.”
A 25-year veteran driver, it was his fourth trip to the national competition. He works a 6-3 schedule for Wal-Mart.
Emenheiser and his wife, Carol, have three children.
With a 6 a.m. flight home Aug. 16, he said he’ll barely have time to celebrate.
He plans to go to work as usual Monday and compete in a charity event later in the week for Children’s Miracle Network.
Andrew Tuck of FedEx Ground and Xenia, Ohio, won the National Step Van Driving Championship.
ATA also honored Brook Figgins, a professional driver for FedEx Freight, as the 2015 Rookie of the Year after competing in the sleeper berth division. The Wisconsin driving championship team won honors as the highest-scoring state.
This year’s NTDC featured 431 competitors from all 50 states, representing 85 companies.
“All the competitors who took part in the National Truck Driving Championships are champions — they are champions for safety on our highways and for our industry’s image,” American Truck Associations President Bill Graves said. “And while I applaud all of them for their achievements and dedication to safety, I want to especially congratulate Ronald for winning the Bendix Grand Champion award with his superior driving skill and commitment to safety.”
2015 National Truck Driving Championship Winners:
Grand Champion: Ronald Emenheiser, Walmart Transportation, Yorkana, Pa.
National Rookie of the Year: Brook Figgins, FedEx Freight, Trinidad, Colo.
State Team Trophy: Wisconsin
Vehicle Condition Award: Ricky Boone, Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc., Candler, N.C. — 3-Axle class
Neill Darmstadter Professional Excellence Award: Douglas Padgett, Robinson Terminal Warehouse Corp., Alexandria, Va. — Flatbed class
Life-Time Volunteer Award: Susan Webb, Wisconsin Motor Carriers Association
National Champions:
Straight Truck Class
First Place: Jeremy Steger, Con-way Freight, Plymouth, Wis.
Second Place: Loren Hatfield, ABF Freight System, Inc., Maumelle, Ark.
Third Place: Ernest Budlowski, Con-way Freight, Shelton, Conn.
3-Axle Class
First Place: Donald Logan, FedEx Freight, Eskridge, Kan.
Second Place: Dwayne Heaverin, FedEx Express, Dry Ridge, Ky.
Third Place: Paul Butkowski, FedEx Freight, Sauk Rapids, Minn.
4-Axle Class
First Place: Bradley Lester, FedEx Freight, Happy Valley, Ore.
Second Place: David Hall, ABF Freight System, Inc., Austin, Ark.
Third Place: James Quarles, Wal-Mart Transportation, Laurens, S.C.
5-Axle Class
First Place: Eric Ramsdell, Wal-Mart Transportation, Wittmann, Ariz.
Second Place: Chad Rudesill, FedEx Ground, Tickfaw, La.
Third Place: Basher Pierce, FedEx Freight, Sophia, N.C.
Flatbed Class
First Place: Scott Woodrome, FedEx Freight, Middletown, Ohio
Second Place: Roland Bolduc, FedEx Express, East Longmeadow, Mass.
Third Place: John Wiley, Wal-Mart Transportation, London, Ky.
Tank Truck Class
First Place: Brian Singelais Sr., A. Duie Pyle, Inc., Webster, Mass
Second Place: John Maddox Jr., Ergon Trucking, Inc., Stringer, Miss.
Third Place: David Magee, FedEx Freight, Huntingdon, Tenn.
Twins Class
First Place: David Mogler, FedEx Freight, Commerce City, Colo.
Second Place: Gerald Thompson, Con-way Freight, Grand Island, N.Y.
Third Place: Jeffrey Langenhahn, Con-way Freight, Plover, Wis.
Sleeper Berth Class
First Place: Ronald Emenheiser, Wal-Mart Transportation, Yorkana, Pa.
Second Place: Wayne Gootee, Wal-Mart Transportation, Brooklyn, Mich.
Third Place: Eric Courville, FedEx Freight, Breaux Bridge, La.
Step Van
First Place: Andrew Tuck, FedEx Ground, Xenia, Ohio
Second Place: Nick Frazier, FedEx Ground, Granby, Mo.
Third Place: Dean Harris, FedEx Freight, Shawnee, Kan.
