US – The results of the 2011 Bendix National Truck Driving Championships which we wrote of last week are in and, once again, a Con-way Freight driver has been named the National Grand Champion. Paul Phillips, of Coarsegold, California won the coveted trophy against fierce opposition making it the third consecutive year, and the fourth time in five years, that one of that company’s employees has lifted the title.
In their respective classes, drivers tested their expertise in the driving skills they use daily. The competition course inside the Orange County Convention Center challenged their knowledge of safety, equipment and the industry. The skills course tested drivers’ ability to judge distances, manoeuvre tight spaces, reverse, park, and position their vehicle exactly over scales, before barriers or around curves.
The full list of winners from this the 74th annual “Super Bowl of Safety” is obtainable on line from sponsors the American Trucking Associations (ATA) web link. En route to the title, Paul logged 35 years as a professional truck driver, with over 1.6 million miles behind the wheel. He began competing in his state truck driving championships in 2004, and this year he made his second trip to the National Truck Driving Championships and collected the individual straight truck driving title as well as the main award.
Some of the statistics racked up by this years contestants are simply mind boggling, competing drivers included the state champions in nine truck types from all 50 states who collectively have driven an astonishing 595,155,665 accident-free miles. ATA President & CEO Bill Graves commented:
“The National Truck Driving Championships showcase the industry’s commitment to safety. I applaud all the competitors for their efforts in making our highways safe, and congratulate Paul for demonstrating how a dedication to safe driving skills can make you a Grand Champion.”
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