National Truck Driving Championships

Like so many TDC veterans with vehicle division titles to their credit, Curt McMellon from XPO had found the Grand Championship of his home state of Louisiana quite elusive over the years. Prior to 2026, Curt had won 10 Vehicle Class crowns and, as he shares with us in this episode, last year Curt thought he might finally have earned the Grand Champions’ trophy – only to once again hear a fellow c...

As one of six competitors from FedEx Freight to qualify for NTDC 2026 during the Missouri TDC, Mike Chatterton was not expecting to hear his name called as the Show-Me State’s Grand Champion. As he details to us in this episode of the podcast, Mike was still overwhelmed with the feeling of earning the 2026 Tanker title after finishing second to Walmart’s Mike Carpenter in 2025. This year, Chattert...

A two-time State Grand Champion with multiple vehicle division titles, Old Dominion veteran driver Chad Williams had been counting the days until the 2026 Michigan TDC. Chad missed time with a medical issue that kept him on the sidelines during the 2025 Michigan competition. As Chad shares with our podcast, he found an opportunity to serve as a volunteer at last year’s TDC, and he also took advant...

Over a period of time that lasted for a decade, Chuck Pearson of ABF Freight never lost sight of the most important aspect of having the opportunity each year to compete in his State TDCs for a shot at securing his spot at the Nationals. Every day since he made his first and only trip from his home state of Georgia to compete in the NTDCs in 2016, Chuck has focused on staying safe out on the roads...

With All-Time NTDC legends Richard Gillespie and Ray Simon onsite at the 2026 Minnesota TDC, FedEx Freight’s Paul Butkowski stepped up to be at his best. Paul excelled on the test, the pretrip and the driving course to add an 11th State TDC vehicle championship to his precision driving resume. A native of St. Cloud, which was also the long-time home of three-time NTDC Grand Champion Simon, Paul ha...

As he shares with us in this episode of the podcast, Tony Burns from FedEx Freight was in a state of total disbelief when he heard his point total and then name called out as the State Grand Champion of Indiana. Qualifying for his third career trip to the NTDCs with his victory in Indiana’s 5-Axle Class, Tony was thrilled and quite satisfied to be making his first trip back to Nationals since 2023...

For this episode of the podcast, we catch up with two-time National Grand Champion Roland Bolduc, just a few days after he earned his 21st trip to the NTDCs. Competing in 5-Axle at the Massachusetts TDC, Roland will be going to NTDC 2026 in Pittsburgh in grand style, having won a State Grand Champions’ trophy for the seventh time in his career. While Roland is thrilled to be heading back to what h...

Old Dominion Freight Lines veteran driver Jeremy Kasitz is the first to admit that bringing home the State Grand Championship trophy was not on his Bingo Card when the Oregon TDC took place on May 16th. As he shares with us in this episode of the podcast, Jeremy was still walking on air after winning the 4-Axle Vehicle Division title and earning his trip to NTDC 2026 in Pittsburgh. Over the course...

A Wisconsin State Grand Champion in 2024 who finished with a third-place trophy in 2025, Matthew Boenisch of FedEx Freight maintained a year-long drive to do his best to return to the Nationals in 2026. Matthew’s all-around performance in 5-Axle at the Wisconsin TDC in Appleton secured his third State Vehicle Division title in four years. Matthew’s mastery of all three disciplines was also strong...

A former firefighter, Ryan Haag understands the importance of meeting the moment and how to perform under pressure. As a veteran professional driver with Old Dominion, Ryan deeply values the attention to detail that helps him stay safe on the road year after year. The ability to embrace the moment and his keen sense for detail are two of the leading reasons that Ryan has gone three-for-three in wi...

In his previous four trips to the Nationals, David Comings of FedEx Freight did not have to carry the added pressure of being a reigning National Champion. After winning the 5-Axle National title and also earning the NTDC Grand Champion’s trophy in 2025, David knew that everyone who follows the NTDCs across the country would have their eyes on this May’s North Dakota State TDC. As you will hear in...

As the State TDC in Florida prepares to get underway in Daytona Beach this week, we want to share an interview that PodWheels Executive Producer Greg Thompson did with Miguel Sanchez in mid-March during the Safety Drive For A Cure charity event. At the time, Miguel, who won the Florida Grand Championship last year, was just a few weeks removed from having been selected as one of the new Captains o...

It’s a milestone edition of the NTDC Podcast as we take some time to thank our listeners for inspiring us to reach 250 total episodes for our series. PodWheels Executive Producer Greg Thompson is joined by NTDC Historian Eugene Mulero as they look back on the journey to 250, discussing what has made the series continue to grow at a remarkable pace over the past three-plus years. As you will hear,...

On May 9th, Scott Meyers of FedEx Freight heard his name called as the Sleeper Class Champion at the North Dakota TDC. As Scott shares with us during this episode of the podcast, this moment at the North Dakota Championship banquet went beyond earning another state title and securing a spot at NTDC 2026 in Pittsburgh. For Scott, this year’s Sleeper Class TDC crown completed his quest to capture al...

A veteran of State TDC competitions since 2007 who has brought home NTDC trophies in recent years, Adam Heim from FedEx Freight has established a standard of success that now includes multiple Grand Champion crowns from the state of Idaho. Adam followed up his second-place finish at NTDC 2025 in the Flatbed Division by winning his second Idaho Grand Championship in three years after earning the 20...

Jamie Sowder from FedEx Freight was not expecting to hear his name called as the Grand Champion of the Tennessee State TDC. As Jamie shares with us in this edition of the podcast, he was thrilled to be returning to the NTDCs as Tennessee’s Flatbed Division title winner. For Jamie, the victory in Flatbed represented his third career trip to the Nationals. Jamie was last part of the NTDCs in 2023 wh...

In this episode of the podcast recorded on May 15th, PodWheels Executive Producer Greg Thompson and NTDC Historian Eugene Mulero open up their reporter’s notebooks to review the State TDC Results from the first completed event in Arizona through the State Championships in North Dakota and Kentucky in early May. Greg and Eugene spend some time reviewing the results and what they have learned as the...

Over the last few years, Darius Uible of UPS has become a familiar presence at the National Truck Driving and National Step Van Driving Championships. As the man behind the camera with the UPS Media Team at NTDC, Darius has gained a unique perspective and position of respect while covering his UPS teammates. As a competitor at the Kentucky State TDC for the past several years, Darius has dreamed o...

At this year’s South Carolina State TDC, veteran Walmart driver J.B. Quarles cemented his place as a true legend within the NTDC Community. By winning the state title in the Step Van Division, J.B. completed his quest to win South Carolina State Championships in all nine vehicle classifications that make up the NTDC field. J.B.’s run of excellence now includes six straight state titles in a differ...

In one of the five best episodes within the catalog of nearly 250 shows that we have presented in the past three years of this series, 2025 NTDC Grand Champion David Comings took some time in mid-March to have an extended conversation with Roland Bolduc, a two-time NTDC Grand Champion. Last year in Minneapolis, David and Roland finished first and second respectively in the 5-Axle Class, setting th...

This edition of the podcast takes a flight out to the state of Washington to visit with XPO veteran driver Robert Dean. After earning the State Grand Champion’s crown in 2023, Robert brought home two second-place finishes in the vehicle division competition in both 2024 and 2025. Meanwhile, Robert’s cousin and fellow XPO teammate Chris Poynor has claimed back-to-back State Grand Champion titles in...

Over the past 17 years, Ramon Guzman of FedEx Freight and Mike Middleton of Old Dominion Freight Lines have become the very definition of why the National Truck Driving and National Step Van Driving Championships stand as the longest running safety program in the history of trucking. While they have each dreamed of competing at the nationals (Ramon earned a spot at NTDC 2025 as California’s Flatbe...

When veteran Frito-Lay driver Tony Johnson heard his name announced as the Grand Champion at the Georgia State TDC Banquet on April 24th, he admittedly did a double take. Tony was still basking in the glow of winning back-to-back state titles in 5-Axle. He knew that he had punched his ticket to the NTDCs for the third time in the last four years. Being Georgia’s Grand Champion was not something th...

Veteran UPS driver Nate Voss carried a sense of purpose and determination into the Arizona TDC in Tempe on March 28th. Having qualified for the Nationals as a State Champion in 2024 and then finishing second in the Arizona TDC in 2025, Nate knew what it was like to be part of the NTDCs and what it felt like to have to wait until next year. When Nate heard his name called as the 2026 5-Axle Arizona...

With our first State Grand Champion interview of 2026, the podcast heads west to the Evergreen State to talk with XPO’s Chris Poynor, who won the top title in the Washington Trucking Associations’ TDC. Chris has now gone back-to-back in earning the state’s Grand Championship and this year’s crown represents his fifth career State GC.  Chris, a two-time National Champion in Twins, qualified fo...