Road to NTDC Spotlight: Nate Lewis
[Stay on top of transportation news: Get TTNews in your inbox.]
Editor’s note: This is the second in a three-part series exploring the Lewis family’s connection to the National Truck Driving Championships.
In the early part of the year, Nate Lewis, a transportation executive with Tyson Foods, joined colleagues on the National Truck Driving Championships’ organizing committee to formally kick off preparations for the event.
Approaching its 87th annual iteration, which in recent decades expanded to include the step van, the precision-driving contest is a way for people, such as Lewis, to embrace family.
The “Super Bowl of Safety,” called that to emphasize its industrywide mission, is a competition as well as a family tradition for many elite commercial drivers. The Lewis family joined this demographic a couple of generations ago to showcase professionalism and to signal their identity with a beloved trucking industry.
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
Lewis admittedly appreciates the ever-present welcoming environment central to NTDC’s family atmosphere.
“It takes a lot of people to run a driving championship, and not a lot of people realize that. … I mean, it’s crazy how many people it takes to make this work,” Lewis, senior director of risk management for transportation at Tyson Foods in Arkansas, recently told Transport Topics. He first joined NTDC’s organizing committee about a decade ago.
“Just knowing all the years that my dad competed and all the years that I competed, a lot of people gave their time so that I could have the opportunity to represent my industry and my company. And to me, I feel like I owe it to them. It’s an opportunity for me to give back; give some other folks the same opportunities that I was afforded when I was driving professionally.”
Lewis competed at NTDC out of New England two decades ago, sometimes alongside his father, Warren Lewis, winner of nearly a dozen state titles as well as 2007’s national title champion in the sleeper berth class. The patriarch Lewis, based in Maine, is a family hero for his monumental NTDC achievement.
Nate Adams is shown with his father, Warren, in 1996. (Lewis family photo)
“Maine won the team award in 2006, and my dad was part of that team, too. So he’s come away with some awards at the nationals,” Nate Lewis said about his father. The Maine Motor Transport Association took home NTDC’s state award in 2006. The team trophy is given to the state with the highest average score.
Paving the way for the family’s precision-driving affinity was Lewis’ grandfather, Warren Lewis Sr., who competed in state trucking roadeos in the 1950s. As Nate emphasized, “It certainly is the family business.”
This summer, Lewis’ son, Andrew Lewis officially followed the family’s storyline by competing in Maine’s trucking tournament. Andrew, a commercial driver in his early 20s competed in flatbed. He finished second at the state contest. For Nate Lewis, his son’s performance was inspiring.
“Just because my dad and I did it doesn’t mean that, you know, you have to. But, I mean, I think he will at some point … the biggest thing that he was just really proud about is being a part of the legacy,” he said about Andrew. “I mean, he has been helping judging and helping me in the Maine state championship for years. And, you know, he used to do the golf carts and drive the drivers around. And, everybody remembers him as a kid. So this year it was kind of cool for him.”
Nate Lewis is joined by son Andrew and father Warren Jr., accounting for three branches of the Lewis trucking tree. (Lewis family photo)
Lewis always felt a connection with the “Super Bowl of Safety.” After joining NTDC’s organizing committee in the mid-2010s, he said his admiration for the championships ballooned further. He cherishes the opportunity to watch competitors respect the craft and master the industry’s safety elements. With the annual contest fast-approaching, his advice to the more than 400 competitors from around the country is: Stay focused.
“Job is not done,” he exclaimed. “We believe in them as much as they believe in themselves. But it’s one day at a time and one mile at a time. So just be safety-focused, safety-conscious, as they always are. And, it’ll be here soon enough.
Study, practice, and be prepared. You want to be a state champion and national champion, you gotta put the work in.
NTDC organizing committee member Nate Lewis
“When you’re getting ready to compete … don’t put too much pressure on yourself. You do this every day, but invest the time. And what I mean by that is: Study, practice, and be prepared. You want to be a state champion and national champion, you gotta put the work in.”
It is often hard to articulate or describe NTDC’s essence. The tournament tends to transform toward a Rorschach-esque canvas for organizers, competitors and volunteers. The demands associated with qualifying and the very visible toil linked with its production are pillars that for Lewis make everything worthwhile. Ultimately, for Lewis and others with a similar passion for the event, if you love it, it will love you back. Simply put, believe in the program.
“It gives [drivers] that one single focus, right? It’s the purpose, I guess it’s the word I’m looking for; it gives them purpose. And we all drive safely,” he explained. “And I talk to our drivers all the time about — when we drive safely we give our families that ultimate gift. That’s that gift of confidence.”
He added, “Having the ability to get to [compete] at a championship — there’s another purpose for why you want to [drive] at a high level, as well. So I just think being a part of the committee is one of those — I believe in the program.”
Want more news? Listen to today's daily briefing below or go here for more info:
