ANN ARBOR, MI - July 26, 2006
Led by one returning national champion, 34 veterans and 22 first time competitors, less-than-truckload freight carrier, Con-way Freight is sending 57 professional truck drivers to the American Trucking Associations National Truck Driving Championships. The event will be held in New Orleans August 15 to 19.
Con-way drivers from 32 states will compete in all eight classes of the competition. Each driver is a state champion who won first place in his class at the state level. Dale Duncan, a 23-year trucking veteran will be going for his second national champion title. In 2003 he was national champion in the 4-axle class. This year he will compete in the Tanker class. He works for Con-way Freight in the company’s Chula Vista service center. He and the other Con-way competitors and their guests will travel to New Orleans at company expense for the four-day competition.
“Just to compete in this event is the ultimate test and compliment of these drivers’ capabilities; both mental and physical driving skills. They are masters of their profession and it shows every day on the road. As a group they have driven over 80 million miles without an accident. Their attention to both safety and their customers makes them the best of the best in our opinion,” said David S. McClimon, president of Con-way Freight. McClimon and his team of top executives from across the country will be at the event in the Con-way cheering section as they are every year.
At the competition, each driver will be tested in four areas: a personal interview, a timed written exam, a pre-trip inspection test and a driving skills test. There are eight classes of competition. The national champion of each class receives a check for $1,000, a plaque and a gold belt buckle from the American Trucking Associations. The event precedes National Truck Driver Appreciation Week scheduled for the week of August 21. Each Con-way driver qualified to compete at the state competition by having an accident-free safety record for the past year.
Since 1999 whenever a Con-way driver sales representation wins a national champion title the company gives the driver a new Ford F150 4x4 Stretch Cab pickup truck. They also create a custom decaled work tractor for the driver that displays his name and national title. Since 1999 the company has given away seven pickups.
| Name | Class | City | State |
Dennis Jackson | 5-Axle Sleeper | Bessemer | AL |
Jerry Talley | Straight Truck | Gadsden | AL |
Danny Fuller | Tanker | Jonesboro | AR |
Jerry Workman | Twins | Springdale | AR |
Mark Klun | Twins | Tucson | AZ |
Jose Orozco | 5-Axle | Tucson | AZ |
Billy Robidoux | 5-Axle Sleeper | Tucson | AZ |
Tim Taylor | Straight Truck | Tucson | AZ |
Emilio Cavazos | 3-Axle | Fresno | CA |
Dale Duncan | Tanker | Chula Vista | CA |
Hector Zermeno | Twins | Fontana | CA |
John Beach | 3-Axle | Henderson | CO |
Paul Agostin | 5-Axle | W. Palm Beach | FL |
Wayne Harnage | 3-Axle | Tampa | FL |
Jeff Halford | 3-Axle | Boise | ID |
Dennis Rafferty | 3-Axle | Rockford | IL |
Orville Abney | 4-Axle | Plainfield | IN |
Steve Gordon | 5-Axle Sleeper | Plainfield | IN |
Brent Quire | Twins | Bedford | IN |
Barry Bryant | 3-Axle | Campbellsville | KY |
Don Grace | Tanker | Louisville | KY |
Dave Haysley | Straight Truck | Louisville | KY |
Brian Laytart | 5-Axle Sleeper | Lexington | KY |
Tony Fairley | Twins | Chicopee | MA |
Richard Sweeney | 3-Axle | Chicopee | MA |
Lou Petrovia | 4-Axle | Baltimore | MD |
Jim Stichel | Twins | Middle River | MD |
Robert Gordon | Twins | Marysville | MI |
Jim Niswander | 3-Axle | Cadillac | MI |
Albert Hockett | 4-Axle | Rolla | MO |
Russell Martin | Tanker | Rolla | MO |
Davie Metzger | Twins | St. Louis | MO |
John Maddox, Jr. | Tanker | Laurel | MS |
Bryce Campbell | 5-Axle Flatbed | Missoula | MT |
Ryan Reitmeier | 3-Axle | W. Fargo | ND |
Tim Schneider | 4-Axle | W. Fargo | ND |
Jon Simonson | Straight Truck | W. Fargo | ND |
Michael Proctor | 3-Axle | Lakewood | NJ |
Carlos Sandoval | 5-Axle Flatbed | Albuquerque | NM |
Ron Henderson | 4-Axle | Sparks | NV |
Ret Tognazzini | 5-Axle Flatbed | Sparks | NV |
Bill Dusenberry | Twins | Lordstown | OH |
Dean Thompson | 5-Axle | Medford | OR |
Bill Rockel | 3-Axle | Allentown | PA |
Mike Calvitto | 4-Axle | Cranston | RI |
Les Gonsor | 4-Axle | Watertown | SD |
Terry Certain | 3-Axle | Nashville | TN |
Robert French | Twins | Wytheville | VA |
Warren Nuckols | Straight Truck | Wytheville | VA |
Michael Stickley | 4-Axle | Winchester | VA |
Jerry Charron | Twins | Welle River | VT |
Lenny Trifaro | 5-Axle | Williston | VT |
Rodney Cherry | Straight Truck | Pasco | WA |
Mike Fay | Twins | Tomah | WI |
Kevin Akers | 4-Axle | Greencastle | PA |
Randy Ferguson | 3-Axle | Casper | WY |
John Law | 4-Axle | Casper | WY |
Con-way Freight is a transportation and services company that provides day-definite less-than-truckload freight delivery services for commercial and industrial businesses in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and Mexico. All Con-way Freight operating components are ISO certified for 9001 and 14001, C-TPAT/PIP, ACE and CSA certified and FAST highway carriers.
Con-way Freight is a subsidiary of San Mateo, California-based Con-way Inc. (NYSE: CNW), a $4.2 billion freight transportation, logistics, supply chain management and trailer manufacturing company. Further information about Con-way Freight and additional press releases are available via the Internet at..... www.con-way.com
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