National Truck Driving Championships

On Thursday of NTDC Week, PodWheels had the opportunity to sit down and have an extended conversation with John Hausladen, who has served as the President & CEO of the Minnesota Trucking Association since 1996. As you will hear in this episode of the podcast, NTDC 2025 marked the fourth time during John’s tenure with the MTA that the Twin Cities have served as the host of the National Champion...

In this NTDC Rewind edition of the podcast, we are going to highlight the North American Inspectors Challenge, which is the annual event conducted by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance. We will hear the acceptance speech from this year’s winner of the Inspector’s Challenge, Dustin Henderson with the Texas Department of Public Safety. We will also hear an interview with Captain Robert Zak of th...

About 45 minutes after David Comings held the Bendix NTDC Grand Championship trophy for the first time while his entire family celebrated the realization of a career dream on the NTDC 2025 stage in Minneapolis, PodWheels Executive Producer Greg Thompson was able to catch up with David and all of “Team Comings.” As we continue our NTDC 2025 Rewinds, this episode brings you a very fun, in-the-moment...

Recorded on the opening day of NTDC 2025 Week, ATA Chairman Dennis Dellinger tells our podcast that he was so impressed with his visit to the National Championships in 2024 that he made plans to be onsite in Minneapolis for the entire run of NTDC 2025. As you will hear in another episode from our NTDC 2025 Rewind Series, Dennis was part of the Champions Orientation Meeting on Wednesday, taking the...

When the moment arrived for the Parade of Equipment on Championship Saturday at NTDC 2025, American Trucking Associations Chief Operating Officer Dan Horvath had the honor of driving the lead truck in this special convoy that could be seen inside the Minneapolis Convention Center. In this NTDC 2025 Rewinds edition of the podcast, you’ll hear how Dan earned his CDL years ago at his first transporta...

As we begin our NTDC 2025 Rewinds and share unreleased interviews from our onsite coverage in Minneapolis, we will start by presenting our conversation with Chris Spear, the President and CEO of the American Trucking Associations . As you will hear in this interview recorded on Friday of NTDC 2025 Week, Chris always places a special mark on his calendar and makes a point to be on the ground to sha...

Not long after the finalists had been announced on Championship Saturday, PodWheels Executive Producer Greg Thompson walked up to say hello to two of the past Grand Champions – Wayne Crowder (2004) and Gragg Wilson (2023). In addition to having their names etched forever on the Bendix Grand Champion trophy, both Wayne and Gragg have served as Captains on America’s Road Team. And, as we learn in th...

Championship Saturday at NTDC 2025 was filled with memorable moments and North Dakota’s David Comings of FedEx Freight shared the realization of a career goal with his six children and his wife Judy cheering him every step of the way. On the eve of his 23rd wedding anniversary, David was able to hand the Bendix NTDC National Championship trophy to Judy that he earned as the 2025 Grand Champion. In...

When the second day of driving and pre-trip competition got underway on Friday of NTDC 2025 Week, the annual celebration of safety welcomed Minnesota native and NTDC Legend Ray Simon as one of the spectators. Ray is the only professional driver who has won three National Grand Championships, and Ray accomplished his trifecta during the only three times he qualified for NTDC. Now retired and living...

The NTDC 2025 Podcast salutes JoyRide Logistics as a Friend of the Podcast Sponsor of our onsite coverage from Minneapolis of this year’s National Championships. JoyRide Logistics will also be joining us for our post-event coverage of all things NTDC, and we wanted to provide you an opportunity to get to know the story of JoyRide Logistics and the company’s commitment to safety. In the days prior...

The NTDC 2025 Podcast is grateful for the support of Project 61 as a Friend of the Podcast Sponsor of our onsite coverage from Minneapolis of this year’s National Championships. Project 61 will also be joining us for our post-event coverage of all things NTDC, and we would like to invite you to learn more about Project 61’s beginnings and the work the organization is doing to improve the lives of...

On Day Two of NTDC 2025, five vehicle divisions hit the course and went through the Pre-Trip phase of the National Championships, and Transport Topics Senior Reporter Eugene Mulero filled his notebook (and audio recorder) with many great conversations. With a record 15 state champions in the NTDC field, Eugene caught up with Ina Daly, Haley Ooms and Karen Roderick to get their perspectives on what...

What do the National Truck Driving & National Step Van Driving Championships mean to the Safety Directors whose companies have drivers who qualify to reach the NTDC competition? Our NTDC 2025 Podcast asked that question and a few more about what has been called the “nation’s longest-running safety program” when we talked with Jason Ahten, who is the Senior Director of Fleet S...

The NTDC 2025 Podcast opens our onsite coverage of the National Championships in Minneapolis with a look back at Day One. PodWheels Executive Producer Greg Thompson and Transport Topics Senior Reporter Eugene Mulero share their reflections on Opening Day of NTDC 2025. You’ll hear the heartfelt speech from Jackie Reed, the 2024 NTDC Grand Champion. You’ll also hear the fun welcome to the host state...

As the champions prepare to gather in Minneapolis for today’s Driver Orientation Meeting on the Opening Day of the National Truck Driving & National Step Van Driving Championships, PodWheels Executive Producer Greg Thompson and Transport Topics Senior Reporter Eugene Mulero take some time to look back on our podcast journey on the Road To Minneapolis. They also provide a look ahead at what wil...

In the finale of our three-part preview series, Transport Topics Senior Reporter Eugene Mulero and PodWheels Executive Producer Greg Thompson take an inside look at the competitors lining up in the Tanker, Sleeper and Twins vehicle classes. As you’ll hear, the Tanker Division alone has three previous National Grand Champions, including Jackie Reed, the 2024 Grand Champion. Sleeper is filled with a...

Our division-by-division preview of NTDC 2025 continues with deep dives into the 4-Axle, 5-Axle and Flatbed vehicle classes. Transport Topics Senior Reporter Eugene Mulero and PodWheels Executive Producer Greg Thompson discuss the return of Joe Hicks, the defending 4-Axle National Champion and the pride of Rhode Island. The 5-Axle Class features a pair of two-time National Grand Champions with the...

As we count down the final hours to the start of NTDC 2025 in Minneapolis, Transport Topics Senior Reporter Eugene Mulero and PodWheels Executive Producer Greg Thompson introduce the first episode of a three-part series that looks at all nine vehicle class divisions. In Part One, Eugene and Greg will be focusing on Step Van, Straight and 3-Axle, talking about competitors and how things look going...

David Comings of FedEx Freight has been looking forward to making a family trip to neighboring Minnesota ever since he qualified for NTDC 2025 in Minneapolis by winning the 5-Axle vehicle class at the North Dakota Truck Driving Championships on June 21. The fourth career vehicle class state title for David opened the door to position him to earn his first State TDC Grand Championship. A father wit...

A veteran of North Carolina Truck Driving Championships since 2011, Michael Bills of FedEx has become a regular qualifier for a trip to the Nationals. In 2025, Michael navigated his way to his ninth state vehicle class title while also claiming his third Grand Championship crown competing in the Tar Heel State. In this edition of the podcast, Michael talks about his TDC and NTDC experiences with T...

While Bret Woodring from Groendyke Transport was pleasantly surprised to hear his name called as the Tanker Division State Champion at the Oklahoma Truck Driving Championships in June, he was so stunned by the next announcement that a friend had to tell Bret, “It’s you, dude!” In this episode of the podcast, Bret shares the moment he realized that he had earned the Grand Championship for the...

You can understand why Scott Lorio of FedEx Freight put a special circle around the dates for NTDC 2025 in Minneapolis. Of course, Scott who has become a regular within the NTDC by winning four state titles and two State Grand Championships while competing in Montana wanted to go back to NTDC this year. But, as Scott shares with us, his victory in the Twins Class en route to securing his third Mon...

There is a part of Pete Dreisbach who must still see his journey to his fourth consecutive NTDC as quite the incredible trip. In this edition of the podcast, Pete tells us how he made the most out of his full-ride NCAA Division I scholarship at VMI earning two graduate degrees. One of the degrees was in German Literature, and Pete took advantage of an opportunity to study in Germany, where he met...

While he was optimistic about his chances for success at the Colorado TDC in early June, Nick Gaudette from FedEx knew from experience that he would have his hands full during all phases of the competition. Ironically, as he shares with us in this edition of the podcast, Nick’s hands were so full from the awards he claimed on his best day ever at a TDC that he almost needed a barrow trailer at the...

Randy DeVault has never lost the perspective of what it means to go to the nationals as part of his work on the NTDC Organizing Committee and coordinating the Pre-Trip portion of the competition. A previous champion in his NTDC vehicle class, Randy valued every trip he made to the nationals from his home state of Maine. As you will hear in this edition of the podcast, Randy knows what it takes and...