Con-way Freight Driver Wins Driving Championship

Carl Krites, a Con-way Freight driver based in Wapakoneta, Ohio, was named the 2010 National Truck Driving Grand Champion Saturday. He triumphed over 415 other professional drivers in the 73rd annual National Truck Driving Championships, held in Columbus, Ohio, by the American Trucking Associations.

Krites has logged 31 years as a driver, with more than 3 million miles behind the wheel. He began competing in his state truck driving championships in 2002, but this is his first trip to the National Truck Driving Championships.

The contestants were the state champions in nine truck types from all 50 states. Collectively, they have driven more than 581 million accident-free miles.

In their respective classes, drivers tested their expertise in the driving skills they use daily. The competition course inside the Greater Columbus Convention Center challenged their knowledge of safety, equipment and the industry. The skills course tested drivers' ability to judge distances, maneuver tight spaces, reverse, park, and position their vehicle exactly over scales, before barriers or around curves.

Krites also won the individual tank truck driving competition. Other champions in their respective classes:

Straight Truck: Scott Watts - FedEx Express (Anchorage, Alaska)
Three-Axle: Heladio Fernandez - FedEx Freight (Portland, Ore.)
Four-Axle: Jason Matte - FedEx Freight (Richland, Miss.)
Five-Axle: Steve Elliston - Wal-Mart Transportation (Sparta, Mich.)
Sleeper Berth Class: Bruce Quaal - YRC Freight (Farmington, Minn.)
Twins: Don Logan - FedEx Freight (Eskridge, Kan.)
Flatbed Class: John Smith, Jr. - FedEx Ground (Mooreville, Miss.)
Tank Truck Class: Carl Krites - Con-way Freight (Wapakoneta, Ohio)
Step Van: Sean Saxon - FedEx Ground (Mesa, Ariz.)

Joseph Hicks, a driver for Con-way Freight from Johnston, Rhode Island, was named 2010 Rookie of the Year after competing in the Three-Axle division.

The Oregon state truck driving championship team won honors as the highest scoring state team.