EARNED MEDIA FROM TDC

• Truckers News: FedEx Freight driver repeats as grand champion in Louisiana competition
• Transport Topics: 2023 State Truck Driving Championships Schedule
• Truckers News: Louisiana's Driver of the Year now teaches next crop of truckers

The 2023 Louisiana Truck Driving Championships, presented by the LMTA Foundation, was held this weekend, March 3 - 4, 2023. The two-day competition was held at the Renaissance Baton Rouge and a specially made driving course across Highland Road from Blue Bayou and Dixie Landing amusement park.  

This year’s competition saw 80 drivers participate, each completing three tests focused on testing a driver's knowledge and skills. All competitors were required to provide safe driving records, including a zero-accident report for the year.

The scored categories were as follows:

1. The written examination is an hour-long test that measures competitors' knowledge of the trucking industry, safe driving rules, first aid, and firefighting.
2. The pre-trip inspection tests the driver's ability to thoroughly investigate the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMSCA) pre-trip inspection. Each driver is tasked with finding 17 defects planted on a test vehicle within a limited time.
3. The field test course sees contestants drive a vehicle through the specially designed course with problems designed to simulate conditions they may encounter during the everyday operation of a truck.  

The Louisiana competition has nine classes, each with different size commercial vehicles. The classes were Step-Van, Straight Truck, 3-Axle Van, 4-Axle Van, 5-Axle Van, 5-Axle Tank, 5-Axle Flatbed, 5-Axle Sleeper Cab and Twin-Trailers. Scores in each class were calculated from each competition category, recognizing a first, second and third-place winner. Each winning contestant was recognized during the night’s Trucking Safety Awards Banquet with an award for their competition class. 

All first-place winners will represent the LMTA Foundation and the State of Louisiana in the 2023 American Trucking Association (ATA) National Truck Driving Championships in Columbus, OH, on August 16 – 20, 2023.  

Also awarded from the competition were the Mechanics Award, Rookie of the Year Award, Team Award, and Overall Grand Champion. The Mechanic’s Award was given to Corey Mitchell of Fed Ex Freight, with the highest pre-trip inspection score. The Rookie of the Year was awarded to Benjamin Harvey with Old Dominion Freight Line as the driver with the highest score among those participating in a truck-driving championship for the first time. XPO Logistics won the Team Award with the overall highest average score based on the scores of the competing drivers from that company. Eric Courville with Fed Ex Freight is the 2023 Grand Champion as the driver who receives the highest overall score during the competition.

Along with our 2023 TDC winners, the LMTA Foundation recognized the following winners as part of the Trucking Safety Awards. These awards are part of the LMTA Foundation's mission to highlight industry safety professionals and professional drivers for improving safety and the image of trucking every day.  

The LMTA Foundation, in partnership with Great West Casualty Company, named 19 division winners in the 2023 Louisiana Fleet Safety Awards. These awards stress the importance of safety, recognize professionalism, and focus on the principles behind safe driving programs, according to the LMTA.

Each year, this award recognizes officers for outstanding commitment to safety, willingness to work with the trucking industry, exceptional work record, and personal work ethics.  

LMTA's Safety Management Council members are nominated as the Safety Professional of the Year for their outstanding contributions to advancing their company’s fleet safety. Nominees are selected based on their outstanding commitment to safety, willingness to work with the trucking industry, exceptional work record, and personal work ethics.   

The Louisiana Truck Driver of the Year award nominees are current commercial driver’s license holders who have established a long record of safe and courteous driving while displaying highway heroism and have made an outstanding contribution to the industry.