More than 400 of the top professional truck drivers in the U.S. are converging the Minneapolis Convention Center this week for the American Trucking Associations' 2001 National Truck Driving Championships, Aug. 22-25.

The contestants are the state champs (in nine truck types) from all 50 states. In their respective classes - ranging from 18-wheeled five-axle sleepers to tank trucks to twin trailers to straight trucks - they'll compare their expertise in the driving skills they use daily. The tests include an alley dock, a rear line stop, a side park, a scales stop, a right turn, a front line stop, and straight line driving through a diminishing clearance.
As part of the opening ceremonies on Aug. 22, local media and celebrity teams will try to win a trucking industry donation to their charity of choice by competing a shorter version of the actual contest course (with an experienced driver from ATA's America's Road Team riding shotgun).