Registrations for the Louisiana Truck Driving Championships are now closed, we thank everyone who showed interest in this year's competition.
If you have any issues or concerns, please email Communications Director Allison Strahan (allison@lmta.la).
The TDC is made possible by our volunteers and the experience they bring! We ask that anyone interested in volunteering in this year's TDC.
The 2022 Louisiana Truck Driving Championships will be held at the L'Auberge Baton Rouge. The LMTA has reserved a special rate for contestants, only available by phone.
For hotel reservations, we ask that you directly call the L'Auberge Hotel at 866-261-7777 to secure your room.
Group Code: RLMTA22
The Louisiana Truck Driving Championships (TDC) is a competition of professional truck drivers hosted each year by the Louisiana Motor Transport Association (LMTA) and acts as the regional qualifications for the National Truck Driving Championships hosted by the American Trucking Associations (ATA). This year's competition is being presented by the LMTA Foundation - with all registration fees waived due to funding allocated by the Louisiana Trucking Research & Education Council (LATREC).
The TDC has a long history within the LMTA, and was previously known as the Louisiana Truck Rodeo. The TDC competitors are comprised from eight driving classes and feature drivers throughout the state. During the TDC competition, each driver has a chance to demonstrate his or her driving and inspection skills, knowledge and professionalism through a series of tests.
The LMTA in partnership with Great West Casualty Company and the LMTA Foundation are proud to offer the following awards programs to those throughout Louisiana's trucking industry. These awards are dedicated to safety professionals and professional drivers for improving safety and the image of our industry every day. Registration must be completed by Tuesday, February 8, 2022.
Award Programs
The Fleet Safety Awards are an annual recognition for carriers operating in the State of Louisiana with the best safety record in its class. This is an opportunity to reward the professional efforts of our trucking members who help make our state’s highways safe. Also, this award offers you a chance to let your drivers know the importance of their contribution to your company’s safety accomplishments. This competition stresses the importance of safety, recognizes professionalism, and focuses on principles behind safety driving.
Safety Professional of the Year is awarded to a deserving person responsible for supervising the safety activities of a truck fleet. This person is of high moral character and has devoted his/her career to the field of highway and industrial safety. The Safety Professional Information Form must be filled out completely and the nomination should be supported by information regarding the nominee’s experience, training, activities, recognition and achievements. Fleet information pertaining to the type of fleet, safety program and safety records should also be included. Emphasis should be placed on the most recent years.
A driver may be nominated for a long record of safe and courteous driving, an outstanding deed of heroism or highway courtesy, and/or for an outstanding contribution to highway safety. It is preferable that the driving record be used in conjunction with one of the other acts mentioned.
Competition for truck drivers testing safety & technical skills, winners to contend nationally.
Baton Rouge, Louisiana: The 2022 Louisiana Truck Driving Championships were held at the L’Auberge Baton Rouge, March 4 - 5. 2022. This year's competition marks the return of Louisiana’s Trucking Driving Championships after the COVID-19 pandemic, with the last event held in 2019. This year 68 drivers participated, each completing three trials focused on testing a driver's knowledge and skills.
The tests are as followed:
(1.) The WRITTEN EXAMINATION is an hour-long, four-part test that measures their knowledge of the trucking industry, safe driving rules, first aid, and firefighting.
(2.) The PRE-TRIP INSPECTION tests the driver's ability to make a thorough pre-trip inspection by requiring him to find seventeen defects planted on a test vehicle within a limited time.
(3.) Finally, on the FIELD TEST COURSE, contestants must drive a vehicle through a course with problems designed to simulate conditions they may encounter during the everyday operation of a truck.
There were nine classes of competition in the Louisiana competition: 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. Trophies were awarded to the First, Second and Third Place winners in each class as listed below. Also awarded during the competition was a Mechanics Award, Rookie of the Year Award, Team Award, and Overall Grand Champion.
All first-place winners will represent the LMTA Foundation and the State of Louisiana in the 2022 American Trucking Association (ATA) National Truck Driving Championships in Indianapolis, Indiana on August 16 – 20, 2022.
Winners of the LMTA competition are as follows:
Step Van
· 1st Place - Donald Williams, Monroe (FedEx Ground)
· 2nd Place - Trina Plummer, Baton Rouge (Trim & Trim of Louisiana)
· 3rd Place - Gary W. Tyler, Monroe (Walmart Transportation)
Straight Truck
· 1st Place - Corey Mitchell, Shreveport (FedEx Freight)
· 2nd Place - Leroy Williams, Zachary (XPO Logistics)
· 3rd Place - Gary P Lubag, Harvey (Walmart Transportation)
3 Axle Van
· 1st Place - James Maxwell, Shreveport (FedEx Freight)
· 2nd Place - Chad Rudesill, Hammond (FedEx Ground)
· 3rd Place - Michael Bass, Monroe (FedEx Freight)
4 Axle Van
· 1st Place - Jerry R. Farmer, Shreveport (XPO Logistics)
· 2nd Place - Louis Barry James, New Orleans (FedEx Express)
· 3rd Place - Malcolm Taylor, Baton Rouge (FedEx Freight)
5 Axle Van
· 1st Place - Glen P Winston, New Orleans (C & S Wholesale Services)
· 2nd Place - Joseph Vital, Baton Rouge (FedEx Freight)
· 3rd Place - John St. Pierre, New Orleans (C & S Wholesale Services)
5 Axle Tank Truck
· 1st Place - Johnnie Long, West Monroe (Walmart Transportation)
· 2nd Place - Curtis McMellon, Baton Rouge (XPO Logistics)
· 3rd Place - Patrick Rudesill, Tickfaw (FedEx Ground)
5 Axle Flatbed
· 1st Place - Larry Smith, Baton Rouge (XPO Logistics)
· 2nd Place - Warren Little, Shreveport (FedEx Freight)
· 3rd Place - Christopher Colomb, Lafayette (Walmart Transportation)
5 Axle Sleeper Cab
· 1st Place - Eric Courville, Breaux Bridge (FedEx Freight)
· 2nd Place - Joshua Smith, Baton Rouge (Walmart Transportation)
Twin Truck
· 1st Place - Damien Hebert, Lafayette (XPO Logistics)
· 2nd Place - Richard Gibbs, Shreveport (FedEx Freight)
· 3rd Place - Dennis Jameson, Pineville (FedEx Freight)
Mechanic's Award:
· Cody Bailey, Alexandria – (FedEx Ground)
Rookie of the Year:
· Cody Bailey, Alexandria – (FedEx Ground)
Team Trophy:
· FedEx Freight
Grand Champion:
· Eric Courville, Breaux Bridge – (FedEx Freight)
The winners in each class are determined by totaling the scores of all tests. The Mechanic's Award is given to the person who has the highest score on the Pre-trip Inspection. The Rookie of the Year is the driver with the highest score among those who are participating in a truck driving championship for the first time. The Team Award is given to the company that has the overall highest average score based on the scores of the competing drivers from that company. The Grand Champion is the driver who receives the highest overall score during the competition.
Also honored were the LMTA Foundation’s 2022 Personal Safety Awards winners. They are as followed:
2022 Weight Enforcement Officer of the Year:
Officer Tyler Latiolas
2022 Louisiana State Police Trooper of the Year:
Master Trooper Timothy Guinn
2022 Louisiana Truck Driver of the Year:
Christie Swicegood, Frisard Companies
2022 Louisiana Safety Professional of the Year:
Wallace Simien III, Walmart Transportation
