ATA Truck Driving Championships

**Bruno** · 06-10-2008, 06:04 PM

Maybe we can talk to Lawrence about having a Expediter Truck Driving Championship at the Expo next year. Being in this type of business it seems we get the raw deal on the truck driving championships. The ATA Truck Driving Championship doesn't have any real class's for people that do expedited freight. I did the ATA Truck Driving Championship for the state of Ohio a few years back. I had a great time but had to drive a different truck from everyone else because I was a driver for Fedex Custom Critical. The truck that everyone else used was a FedEx Ground truck and because I was part of the Fedex family I was not able to drive the same truck as everyone else.

**juliewray60** · 06-10-2008, 06:33 PM

Originally Posted by Bruno

I did the ATA Truck Driving Championship for the state of Ohio a few years back.

but had to drive a different truck from everyone else because I was a driver for Fedex Custom Critical.

Very interesting Bruno. When exactly
was this event held and where ?
I wasnt aware of any midwest ata
events held near us. I know fedex didnt
notify us as drivers at that time.
And what vehicle did they supply you
with ? Would be weird competing with
equipment you dont normally drive. No ?
So how did you do in the competition ?

**ATeam** · 06-10-2008, 06:35 PM

Truck selection may vary from state to state. That was one of the toughest parts of the course for us, driving an unfamiliar truck on an unfamiliar course. Had we been able to drive our own truck, we would have done better.

But that is not the way it works in Minnesota. No one gets to drive his or her own truck. In the straight truck class, you choose a straight truck from several available and drive it. No contestant knows what trucks will be available until the day of the contest.

I am told that last year, International trucks were available. No Internationals were available this year. This year, there was one Freightliner M2, a couple of Kenworths and one or two others that I do not recall. None of the trucks had sleepers on them and box sizes, bumpers and deck extensions varied. You choose a truck, get your marks (navigation reference points on the truck) and do your best.

We did not consider that a raw deal as everyone was in the same boat. Even for those who may drive a particular box truck every day on a delivery route, the contest trucks will not match their truck. And if by chance it did, even that would not guarantee a strong performance. Many veteran competitors told us of the course, "It's your day or it isn't."

They had the scores to prove it. One year they may place first, advance to national competiton and do well there. The next year, they may totally blow the course.

We know that to be true from our own experience. There are days when we can get into a tight dock in a way that surprises us. But try the same manuever the next day and it may take a couple tries. On the contest course, you only get one try and it's your day or it isn't.

I think that explains part of the respect drivers showed each other in the competition. No winner would say he (she) won because he is a better driver than the others. Everyone knows that if the course was run twice, each driver's scores would be different each time; and sometimes greatly different. On the course, it's your day or it isn't. Or, as Tiger Woods might say, you are in the zone or you are not.

**cheri1122** · 06-10-2008, 07:33 PM

I second Bruno's suggestion: having a skills challenge as part of the Expedite Expo. Not to take anything away from the 'Pride & Polish' competitions, a skills challenge is one I think we should have an opportunity to enter, no matter whom we drive for.
As I said when Linder Caffee won the FedEx skills challenge last year: it's a win-win competition.
Oh, and congratulations to the Madsens, for participating, too.

**Scuba** · 06-11-2008, 10:12 AM

While I think the competitions are a good thing i for one couldn't be part of anything the ata is part of. I see them as the enemy of the American trucker. I can’t think of the last good thing they did that was for the good of a driver.

**juliewray60** · 06-11-2008, 01:34 PM

Originally Posted by cheri1122

I second Bruno's suggestion:

Make that a third vote !!!!!!

Id love for us girls to get the chance
to kick some big boys behind.
Maybe we could borrow or rent the
RL training course across the street.

**ATeam** · 06-11-2008, 01:43 PM

The Truck Driving Championships can be good for drivers, if they choose to participate.

ATA has a fair amount of political clout and has used it to oppose tolls, a position I agree with.

ATA's Share the Road program helps drivers by educating the public about how to operate safely around trucks.

There are more items I could list.

ATA is not a driver organization. It is a carrier organization that operates with carrier best interests in mind. But that does not keep ATA from taking up causes that may sometimes benefit drivers too.

Also, with the stroke of a pen, an expediter may one day become a carrier by getting one's own authority. The ATA and its member benefits are not so distant from individual expediters and small fleet owners as you may think.

OOIDA is a driver organization and I am a lifetime member. But that does not mean I agree with everything OOIDA does. Still, I get behind the things I can support. So too with ATA. Neither organization lines up 100% with my beliefs. That is not a reason to avoid either one. Common interests and worthy initiatiaves can be found in both.

**TeamCaffee** · 06-11-2008, 08:04 PM

Bob and I went to the skills challenge last year to have fun which we did! The exciting part was how well we placed. It was nice taking the test in our own truck as we know what to look for in the mirrors. A skills challenge would be a lot of fun to have at the Expo as long as it was looked at as a fun event not as serious as the ATA event. It would take a lot of organization though to get this going and with the fuel the way it is how many will commit to really being at the Expo no matter what? We are not going to be able to say that this year if we are too far away we will not be able to attend.

If this even was going to happen it would be fun to set the challenge up as fun things to do not your normal back into a dock, turn close to a barrel and stop close to a line. What about a serpentine back to a cone? What about get as close to the darn cars on the driver’s side while missing the curb with your passenger side tires? Of course you would maybe want to use cones as I would not be willing to let my car be used for this event. There could really be some fun ideas here of some of the goofy things we end up having to do to get the load to its destination.