Scott Woodrome of FedEx freight continued his dominant run at the Ohio Trucking Association Truck Driving Championships, winning the Grand Champion eagle award for the third year in a row. Woodrome will be looking to continue building on his Ohio dynasty at the national stage and defend his 2018 Grand Champion title at the American Trucking Associations National Truck Driving Championship.
Woodrome won this year's Twin-Trailer class to add to his streak of 14 straight class titles. He also won this years Chairmans Award for scoring the highest Written Test and Pre-Trip score for the first time in his career. The Woodrome Trophy Case is growing to full capacity, as these new awards sit next to his 2015 Ohio Trucking Association Driver of the Year and his first Ohio TDC Grand Champion eagle award from 2012. Scott has been driving for FedEx Freight for 12 years and has driven over 25 years with a safety record of over 2 million miles. He has also served as an America’s Road Team Captain with the American Trucking Associations.
It was a two man race in the Technician Competition, with Michael Slovely edging out Aaron Bieber to take home the Grand Champion trophy. Both men of Travel Centers of America won three stations along the way. Slovely won the Engine Diagnostics, Electrical and Written stations with Bieber earning the trophy at the Tire & Wheel, PMI and HVAC. Both Slovely and Bieber have been mainstays at the podium.
Ohio has a strong reputation for a course as tough as the national competition. Jim Murphy of Walmart Transportation has been the Course Chairman for over 10 years and takes much pride in creating the ‘best darn’ course there is. In his last year as the Course Chairman before taking his talents to Indiana, Jim earned the Charles Mefford Volunteer of the Year Award Winner.
The 2019 Truck Driving Championship was a record year for the Ohio Trucking Association with 234 participants. The two day event at Kalahari Resort in Sandusky, Ohio has proven to be a great family atmosphere and a wonderful weekend get-away for the competitors. The participants’ children spend their weekend competing on the waterslides as their parents join them in-between competition events. There were 74 rookies in the Truck Driving Championship this year, many of whom came from companies sending a driver for the first time in their history. Trucking Executives are realizing the two days off the road is a well earned reward for their top drivers. Drivers don’t leave companies that invest in them. The two days of lost revenue is made up in retaining the best of your fleet and encouraging defensive driving with a great reward. The three-time Grand Champion Scott Woodrome told me “every year I walk away learning something new from another driver. You can always get better and this competition encourages that.” Companies who are serious about investing in safety and retention are realizing that the Truck Driving Championship and Technician Competition is a great tool in the arsenal in solving their driver and technician problem.
Eight other drivers will join Woodrome at the National Truck Driving Championship in Pittsburgh August 14-17.
- 3-Axle: Richard Thatcher, YRC Freight
- 4-Axle: Bryan Aukerman, FedEx Freight
- 5-Axle: Junior Allen, Martin-Brower
- Flatbed: Bryan Elges, FedEx Freight
- Sleeper Berth: Eugene Pierce, Old Dominion Freight Line
- Tank Truck: Jeffrey Goblirsch, FedEx Freight
- Twins: Scott Woodrome, FedEx Freight
- Straight Truck: Jason Imhoff, Walmart Transportation
- Step Van: Aaron Snyder, FedEx Ground
You can view a complete list of winners on the Ohio Trucking Association website: https://www.ohiotrucking.org/truck-driving-championships-and-technician-competition/
