A ‘family reunion’ for truck drivers

Commercial truckers are the often unsung heroes of the U.S. economy, but for two days in June they take center stage at the Iowa Truck Driving Championships.

This year’s event pulled together 105 of the best drivers from across the state to showcase their industry knowledge and skills behind the wheel. The state’s trucking industry descended upon the Prairie Meadows Casino parking lot where a driving course was laid out by the Iowa Motor Truck Association.

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In the end it was FedEx’s Mindy Rathjens who claimed the title of Grand Champion after winning the three-axle class and earning the overall highest score across the entire event. It was her sixth time competing in the state championships and has been in the industry for 30 years.

Drivers participate in eight classes at the event: three-axle, four-axle, five-axle, sleeper-berth, tank flatbed, twin trailers and straight truck. On the first day, which was June 22 this year, drivers start with a written exam followed by an interview. On day two they must identify pre-planted defects during a pre-trip inspection before taking part in the driving competition.

The competition is an opportunity to demonstrate their mastery of the road, but there is much more that makes it important for Iowa’s truck drivers.

“There’s a competition side to the event, but the comradery and friendships made at this event year after year is what makes this event so special,” said Allison Meiners, IMTA director of safety and member services. Meiners also leads the charge organizing the event.

The first state championship took place nearly 80 years ago at the Iowa State Fairgrounds. Seventy-five contestants competed in the preliminaries before the field was whittled down to 27 and then eight finalists.

That inaugural event was postponed due to an increased reliance on drivers as a railway strike began about a week prior. Drivers stepped in to deliver more perishable foods across post-war America.

Waldo Lawson, a driver for Merchants Motor Freight Inc. in Des Moines, and Don Lyall, driver for Brady Transfer and Storage in Fort Dodge won the straight truck and semi-trailer divisions respectively. They were presented gold trophies by Gov. Robert D. Blue.

Planning for the annual championship is a continuous effort but it really starts moving in January. The IMTA’s staff and planning commission meets monthly and members communicate with each other much more frequently. The commission members serve on a volunteer basis.

When the time comes to put the event on, members are joined by dozens more volunteers to ferociously assemble the driving course and lay out all that is needed to host trucking companies from every corner of the state.

“We’re actually out there with measuring tapes, measuring so it’s all within the capabilities of using the course as it lays,” said Justin Walter, planning committee member and professional services lead with Tenstreet.

Walters said after months of planning the event passes by very quickly for volunteers. This year there were 107 volunteers that signed up to help with the championship.

“It’s very heavily volunteer-based and a lot of them have been doing it for so long,” he said. “Everybody loves being a part of it.”

There are state and regional competitions held throughout the country for the opportunity to compete at the National Truck Driving Championships.

Winners of state-level competitions move on to the National Truck Driving Championships, which were held in Columbus, Ohio, Aug. 16-19. Krystin Sitzmann, a planning commission member and senior claims advocate for True North Companies, said Iowa’s championship is unlike any other.

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The main reason why Iowa’s championship stands out is the strong community. There is at least one trucking company in each of the 99 counties.

“What strikes me is the community aspect of it,” she said. “I’ve had drivers describe the event as similar to a family reunion. They go there and they don’t feel like a stranger to anyone.”

The spectatorship present for the competition is largely full of members of the industry and family and friends of the drivers. The drivers are dialed in and competitive, but it is also a fun environment, Walters said.

“I remember last year there was a woman who got the best score on a test and she just broke down and cried, she was so happy,” he said. “She was so proud of herself for accomplishing that. It’s fun but also serious in a way that they respect it.”

Don Hummer Trucking in Cedar Rapids has become embedded in the “family reunion” in recent years. The company has been hauling freight for more than 70 years. In the last four years it has become a fixture at the championship.

With about 300 drivers, choosing competitors is an unenviable task for President Chris Hummer.

“We’re very fortunate to have a very solid group of drivers,” Hummer said. “When we look at these drivers that have a million or more safe miles, 20 years accident free, the number of decisions they had to make in order to earn that record is remarkable.”

Don Hummer sent four drivers to the championships this year: Lee Block, Mark Wing, Tracy Homer and Ken Kuhn. Block, the most veteran driver of the four, has 42 years on the job with Don Hummer and more than 2.3 million safe miles recorded.

Hummer found this to be a great event to take part in because it puts the spotlight on the drivers.

“We believe in supporting and promoting the industry and professional drivers in general,” he said. “Once we got started in it a few years back we really found the value in it and that it promoted the right mindset. It celebrates drivers in a very positive light.”

On average, Hummer said drivers put about 120,000 miles behind them each year.

“Being a driver is sort of one of those jobs that’s incredibly visible yet invisible,” he said. “I would say a lot of these events or award ceremonies, you go there and there are five drivers and 50 guys in suits. In this case when you go to this event it’s predominantly drivers doing what they do.”

What they do is navigate Iowa’s roadways and the always unsteady Iowa weather year-round to ensure people have what they need. Their performances at the championships is a small sample of the talent required to do the job safely.

Don Hummer’s team won the Team Sportsmanship Award and Hummer placed second in the CEO/Board Member Challenge. It also sponsored the event and provided two trucks and trailers to be used in competition.

“This is the best event in trucking,” Hummer said. “This is absolutely the most positive, driver-focused event I’m aware of in the industry.”