Record 15 Women Will Be Among Field of NTDC Drivers
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At Maryland’s truck driving championship in June, ’s Joyce Bain took home the contest’s top prize in the 5-axle class.
A veteran of precision driving competitions, Bain surpassed the local competition to earn a trip to this month’s National Truck Driving Championship and National Step Van Driving Championships in Minneapolis. The Old Line State’s overall winner in 2022, Bain will be among a record 15 women who will compete at American Trucking Associations’ 88th annual safety showcase. The previous record of 11 female drivers at NTDC was set in 2014 and matched in 2022.
Reflecting on her qualifying performance, Bain told Transport Topics after her drive at the Maryland State Fair Grounds, “It means that you have to have a year of accident-free driving. And if I was the owner of a company, I’d be wanting all my drivers to go because that means you’re gonna have less accidents. If you haven’t done the [truck driving championships], you need to try it out.”
Winners from nine vehicle classes at state tournaments advance to the national contest. A yearlong accident-free record is a requisite to compete at the state and national events.
This year, more than 400 drivers qualified for the national precision-driving contest, which will be held at Minneapolis Convention Center on Aug. 20-23. Drivers will be tested on their knowledge of industry regulations, pre-trip vehicle inspections and their maneuvering of equipment through intricate courses.
NTDC’s eight classes are straight truck, 3-axle, 4-axle, 5-axle, sleeper berth, tanker, twins and flatbed. The event includes the .
Angela Griffin, a trucking lifestyle influencer who competed at the Maryland contest with husband Scott, trained with Bain this summer and explained the essence of NTDC.
“I do think it has a giant impact on the entire global [industry],” she said, “because it does allow you to have … a wider perspective of what’s going around.”
“It just puts you in more of a mindset to want to encourage others that are not drivers to learn about the industry and be safe around trucks,” she added.
2025 NTDC
- What: 88th annual National Truck Driving Championships and Step Van Driving Championships.
- ³:Winners from eight categories at the state level who haveadvanced to the national competition, where a Grand Champion will be crowned.
- Defending Champion: FedEx Freight tank truck driver Jackie Reed of Mississippi.
- ³:Contestants are judged on a written exam, pre-trip inspection and driving skills
- When: Aug. 20-23
- Where: Minneapolis
Arizona’s Ina Daly with XPO, a decorated captain and NTDC’s only female national title winner (tanker class, 2013), qualified this year in the flatbed division. During a recent Women In Motion forum in Washington, she told TT she is looking forward to “seeing everybody that we only get to see at the nationals, but I’m also excited about the competition and the challenge and representing my company, my state.”
“The whole joy of the NTDC program to me is that every year you’re going to make new friends,” Daly explained. “It gives you the incentive to try and come back again the next year.”
The event recognizes achievements in safety from the nation’s elite precision commercial drivers. Winners in the nine vehicle classes earn national titles. The tournament’s best-in-show will take home the Bendix NTDC Grand Champion trophy.
Grand Champions
The recognition debuted in 1987. This year, six former grand champions qualified.
Nevada’s Gragg Wilson with UPS, an ATA Road Team captain, won it all in 2023.
“I’m very honored to make it again,” he said. “I’m going to do the best I can to represent Nevada, my company and the industry in Minneapolis,” he told TT shortly after his state qualifier.
Wisconsin’s Jeffrey Langenhahn with XPO also is Minnesota-bound. The 2014 grand champion said his favorite aspect of NTDC is the camaraderie.
“Just seeing all the people; just absolute love just visiting with everybody and catching up on things,” he noted. “And I really look forward to that every single year.”
Jackie Reed of Mississippi acknowledges the awards banquet attendees after being named the Bendix NTDC Grand Champion in Indianapolis. (John Sommers II for Transport Topics)
Other grand champions back for another go-around are Ohio’s Scott Woodrome (2018, 2019), last year’s winner Jackie Reed from Mississippi, Utah’s Dale Duncan (2006, 2009) and Connecticut’s Roland Bolduc (2017, 2022).
“All these grand champions, they’re just awesome people; down to earth; part of the NTDC family,” said Bolduc, host of the “Rollin’ with Roland” segment on the official NTDC podcast and a headliner in ATA’s docuseries titled “Driven.”
Overall, about a third of the NTDC field will feature FedEx drivers. Competitors from UPS, Walmart, Pitt Ohio, Old Dominion, XPO and ABF Freight will make up most of the lineups.
“This is why we do this event, to showcase the best of the best,” Jacob Pierce, executive director of the Safety Management Council & Transportation Security Council at ATA, said on the NTDC podcast. “And that’s why we work so hard to make sure it’s driver-focused. It’s always about the driver, and it’s always about celebrating [safety].”
Prior to the competition, an introductory forum will feature keynote addresses from the leadership at the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and ATA. Representatives from Minnesota’s law enforcement and transportation agencies also are scheduled to attend the event.
NAIC
The nation’s top law enforcement traffic specialists also will meet at Minneapolis Convention Center on Aug. 19-23 for the nation’s elite safety inspectors tournament.
Scheduled alongside NTDC, the ’s annual North American Inspectors Championship will consist of 45 traffic experts from the U.S. and Canada. NAIC will evaluate competitors’ acumen specific to commercial motor vehicle rules and regulations.
In a statement to TT, CVSA President Collin Mooney explained the tournament “tests, recognizes and awards commercial motor vehicle inspector excellence.”
Nils Jaeger of Volvo Autonomous Solutions says self-driving trucks will complement the industry’s workforce as freight demand grows. Tune in above or by going to .
He emphasized, “Each NAIC competitor also receives hands-on training on the latest safety information, technologies, standards and procedures.”
This year’s competitors will receive advanced-level training on mobile driver’s licenses, electronic parking brake and light-duty vehicle inspections, hazardous materials/dangerous goods regulations and more.
The Minnesota State Patrol will assist with the tournament. Col. Christina Bogojevic, MSP chief, applauded this year’s competitors and event organizers.
“This event is an opportunity to recognize the incredible skill and dedication of the men and women who keep our roads safe, while also learning from one another and sharing best practices,” Bogojevic told TT. “We’re proud to host this year’s competition and celebrate the teamwork between inspectors and the trucking industry that helps ensure safe and reliable transportation across North America.”
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