--- title: "National Truck Driving Championships: Drivers Gear Up for Safety" id: "24670" type: "post" slug: "national-truck-driving-championships-drivers-gear-up-for-safety" published_at: "2014-08-18T20:00:38+00:00" modified_at: "2026-03-16T12:34:00+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2014/08/18/national-truck-driving-championships-drivers-gear-up-for-safety/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2014/08/18/national-truck-driving-championships-drivers-gear-up-for-safety.md" excerpt: "Hundreds of professional truck drivers showed off their driving skills during the National Truck Driving Championships last week. Hosted in part by the American Trucking Association, the competition serves as a platform to promote safe driving." taxonomy_category: - "Meetings / Events" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "Business" - "competition" - "Safety" - "truck driving" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "C-Level" - "For-Profit CEO / President / Owner / Partner" - "VP" taxonomy_persona: - "Industry Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » National Truck Driving Championships: Drivers Gear Up for Safety More than 400 professional truck drivers descended on Pittsburgh last week for the 77th annual National Truck Driving Championships (NTDC). Hosted by the American Trucking Association and 50 state trucking groups, the competition helps promote the industry, encourages safe driving, and serves as a vehicle to attract younger drivers to the profession. “Safety is the trucking industry’s highest priority,” ATA Chairman Phil Byrd [said in a statement (opens in a new tab)](http://www.trucking.org/article.aspx?uid=43b7307f-36bd-4dc9-b2e1-f5785a8a70de) . “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.” Originally known as the as the National Truck Roadeo and now commonly referred to as the “Super Bowl of Safety,” the competition provides a chance for drivers to show off their driving and inspection skills via a series of tests, including a written test, personal interview, pre-trip inspection test, and, finally, a driving test. To qualify for the national championships, drivers first compete at the state level in one of eight equipment categories, such as straight trucks, 18-wheeled five-axle sleepers, tank trucks, and twin trailers. Drivers must also have been accident-free for at least a year before competing. Held in conjunction with the National Step Van Driving Championships and the North American Inspectors Championship, NTDC attracts about 2,000 spectators every year. Awards include first-, second-, and third-place titles, as well as one for professional excellence, vehicle condition, rookie of the year, and grand champion. “Annually, 9 billion tons of freight are moved by trucks over nearly 400 billion miles,” ATA President Bill Graves said during NTDC’s Breakfast of Champions last Thursday, [according to Transport Topics (opens in a new tab)](http://www.ttnews.com/articles/basetemplate.aspx?storyid=35760&t=Graves-Touts-Drivers-Professionalism-at-NTDC) *.* “Every accident, every injury, every driver who weaves in and out of traffic and hugs a bumper defeats all the good that the rest of the trucking industry does. That’s why as an industry we hold the champions in this room in such high esteem.” (iStock/Thinkstock) [Katie Bascuas](https://associationsnow.com/author/katie-bascuas/) Katie Bascuas is a former associate editor at Associations Now in Washington, DC. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/katie-bascuas/) Tags: [#Business](https://associationsnow.com/tag/business/) [#competition](https://associationsnow.com/tag/competition/) [#Safety](https://associationsnow.com/tag/safety/) [#truck driving](https://associationsnow.com/tag/truck-driving/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [PodcastAssociations NOW Presents: All for the Love of Chicago: Rethinking the Destination ExperienceSeptember 10, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/10/associations-now-presents-all-for-the-love-of-chicago-rethinking-the-destination-experience/) - [VideoCharlene Lopez Shares Her Experience at the 2026 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 18, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/08/18/charlene-lopez-shares-her-experience-at-the-2026-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) - [VideoBrien Arone Shares His Experience at the 2026 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 18, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/08/18/brien-arone-shares-his-experience-at-the-2026-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) - [PodcastAssociations NOW Presents: Milwaukee’s Rise as a Meetings DestinationJune 11, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/06/11/associations-now-presents-milwaukees-rise-as-a-meetings-destination/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2014%2F08%2F18%2Fnational-truck-driving-championships-drivers-gear-up-for-safety%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !