Drivers Head to Pittsburgh for National Truck Driving Championships
More than 400 drivers will converge on the Steel City on Tuesday for the 2014 National Truck Driving Championships and National Step Van Driving Championships.
Gary Harms (left), a Walmart driver based in Olathe, Kan. was named the Grand Champion at last year's event. Photo courtesy of ATA.
Gary Harms (left), a Walmart driver based in Olathe, Kan. was named the Grand Champion at last year's event.Photo courtesy of ATA.
Known as the Super Bowl of Safety, the 2014 National Truck Driving Championships and National Step Van Driving Championships will bring together more than 400 drivers to the Steel City on Tuesday for the American Trucking Associations-hosted event.
“Safety is the trucking industry’s highest priority,” said ATA Chairman Phil Byrd, president and CEO of Bulldog Hiway Express, Charleston, S.C. “And there is no better place to see how deep our commitment is than at this annual gathering of the safest drivers on the road.”
A combined 426 drivers from all 50 states will compete in eight different classes, from 18-wheeled five-axle sleepers to tank trucks to twin trailers to straight trucks, for four days at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, ending with the awards ceremony on August 16. This year's event will include 23 first-time participants and 11 women. The eight categories include:
Straight Truck
Three-Axle Tractor-Semitrailer
Four-Axle Tractor-Semitrailer
Five-Axle Tractor-Semitrailer (Tank)
Five-Axle Tractor-Semitrailer (Van)
Five-Axle Tractor-Semitrailer (Flatbed)
Five-Axle Tractor (Sleeper Cab) -Semitrailer (Van)
Twin Trailers
Stay tuned for further coverage on this year's winners, including the 2014 Bendix National Truck Driving Championships Grand Champion.
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