Mooreville Resident Is State Truck Driving Champion

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Jun 21, 2010, 04:14 ET

Nine Drivers Continue on to National Competition

JACKSON, Miss., June 21 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- John Smith, Jr., of Mooreville, was named the best professional truck driver in Mississippi after winning the flatbed competition and receiving the highest overall score in the nine competing categories at the 2010 Mississippi Truck Driving Championships. The annual event is sponsored by the Mississippi Trucking Association.

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Smith, who drives for FedEx Ground, now qualifies to compete in the American Trucking Associations' National Truck Driving Championships August 3-7, 2010 in Columbus, Ohio — also known as the "Super Bowl of Safety." The winners from each of the eight other categories are also eligible to compete in the national championship.

Nearly 400 drivers from all 50 states will compete in Columbus for four days, challenging their driving skills, and knowledge of safety, equipment and the industry. From 18-wheeler five axle sleepers to tank trucks to twin trailers — they will drive a course that recreates situations truck drivers face daily. These maneuvers may include: an alley dock, a rear line stop, a side park, a scale stop, a right turn, a front line stop, and straight line driving through a diminishing clearance.

On Saturday night, August 7, one contestant will drive away as the 2010 National Grand Champion Truck Driver.

"The Truck Driving Championships represent the culmination of the industry's dedication to safety," said Mississippi Trucking Association President David Roberts. "I congratulate all the contestants and I hope Mississippi cheers for our drivers as they move on to Nationals in Columbus."

Mississippi participants at National for each category include:

Tim Walters, YRC, Grenada, Miss. (Straight Truck)

Cary Mayer, Con-way Freight, Potts Camp, Miss. (Three-Axle)

Jason Matte, FedEx Freight, Richland, Miss. (Four-Axle)

Gerald Delancey, Wal-Mart Transportation, Purvis, Miss. (Five-Axle)

Ricky Webster, Jr., Con-way Freight, Olive Branch, Miss. (Five-Axle Sleeper)

John Maddox, Jr., Ergon Trucking, Stringer, Miss. (Tankers)

John Smith, Jr., FedEx Ground, Mooreville, Miss. (Flatbed)

Don Nehring, FedEx Ground, Southaven, Miss. (Twins)

Rose Mathis, FedEx Ground, Blue Springs, Miss. (Step Van)

ATA's Truck Driving Championships include top professional truck drivers from around the nation competing at state and regional levels to make it to the national competition Aug. 3-7 in Columbus, Ohio. The NTDC annually attracts over 2,000 cheering friends, family, colleagues and spectators. For more information, visit the 2010 National Truck Driving Championships website: www.truckline.com/Federation/Councils/slpmc/NTDC/Pages/Default.aspx

The American Trucking Associations is the largest national trade association for the trucking industry. Through a federation of other trucking groups, industry-related conferences, and its 50 affiliated state trucking associations, ATA represents more than 37,000 members covering every type of motor carrier in the United States.

The American Trucking Associations, including Mississippi Trucking Association, leads the effort for safer highways, focusing on greater education, enforcement and enhancement of traffic safety laws for all drivers. ATA also supports slowing down traffic through a reinstatement of a national maximum speed limit of 65 mph for all vehicles and limiting truck speeds at the time of manufacture. www.truckline.com

SOURCE American Trucking Associations