The 2026 Louisiana Truck Driving Championships, presented by the LMTA Foundation, was held this weekend, June 19 - 20. The two-day competition was held at the Lafayette Cajundome, its inaugural year indoors.

This year’s competition saw 81 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:

• The written examination is an hour-long test that measures competitors' knowledge of the trucking industry, safe driving rules, first aid, and firefighting.
• 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 defects planted on a test vehicle within a limited time.
• 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.

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 FedEx Freight, with the highest pre-trip inspection score. The Rookie of the Year was awarded to Todd Loreman with Walmart Transportation, as the driver with the highest score among those participating in a truck-driving championship for the first time. FedEx Freight won the Team Award with the overall highest average score based on the scores of the competing drivers from that company. Curtis McMellon with XPO is the 2026 Grand Champion as the driver who receives the highest overall score during the competition.

All first-place winners will represent the LMTA Foundation and the State of Louisiana in the 2026 American Trucking Association (ATA) National Truck Driving Championships in Pittsburgh, PA, August 11 - 14, 2026. 

Winners of the LMTA competition are as follows:

Flatbed
1st Place: Mark Collins - Walmart
2nd Place: Warren Little - FedEx Freight
3rd Place: Christopher Schoonover - Walmart

Step Van
1st Place: Nicholas Burgess - Walmart
2nd Place: Mario Powell - FedEx
3rd Place: Kanisha Houston – FedEx

Straight Truck
1st Place: Corey Mitchell - FedEx Freight
2nd Place: Steven Jensen - Walmart
3rd Place: Leroy Williams - XPO

3-Axle
1st Place: Todd Loreman - Walmart
2nd Place: Joseph Cook - Old Dominion
3rd Place: Vincent Cooper - FedEx Freight

4-Axle
1st Place: Brian Landry - FedEx Freight
2nd Place: Lysander Williams - Old Dominion
3rd Place: James Maxwell - FedEx Freight

5-Axle
1st Place: Johnnie Fisher - Walmart
2nd Place: Christopher Colomb - Walmart
3rd Place: Chris Roy - Martin Brower

Sleeper Berth
1st Place: Gary Hull - Walmart
2nd Place: Todd Uren - Ergon Trucking
3rd Place: Tyler Davis - Martin Brower

Tank Truck
1st Place: Curtis McMellon - XPO
2nd Place: Johnnie Long - Walmart
3rd Place: Kyle Mitchell - FedEx Freight

Twins
1st Place: William Sansom - FedEx Freight
2nd Place: Damien Hebert - XPO
3rd Place: Demond Washington - Old Dominion

Mechanic’s Award:
Corey Mitchell – FedEx Freight

Rookie of the Year:
Todd Loreman – Walmart

Team Trophy:
FedEx Freight

Grand Champion:
Curtis McMellon – XPO

About the LMTA Foundation

The LMTA Foundation was established in 2013 as a non-profit organization to fund education, public relations, and research projects for the Louisiana trucking industry. The Foundation is governed by a board of directors and is an all-volunteer organization. The mission is to enhance the understanding of and image of the Louisiana trucking industry, increase highway safety and pursue workforce solutions for the industry. To learn more about the Foundation, visit www.lmta.foundation.