The 2023 Louisiana Truck Driving Championships, presented by the LMTA Foundation, was held this weekend, March 3 - 4, 2023. The two-day competition was held at the Renaissance Baton Rouge and a specially made driving course across Highland Road from Blue Bayou and Dixie Landing amusement park.
This year’s competition saw 80 drivers participate, each completing three tests focused on testing a driver's knowledge and skills. All competitors were required to provide safe driving records, including a zero-accident report for the year.
The scored categories were as follows:
1. The written examination is an hour-long test that measures competitors' knowledge of the trucking industry, safe driving rules, first aid, and firefighting.
2. The pre-trip inspection tests the driver's ability to thoroughly investigate the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMSCA) pre-trip inspection. Each driver is tasked with finding 17 defects planted on a test vehicle within a limited time.
3. The field test course sees contestants drive a vehicle through the specially designed course with problems designed to simulate conditions they may encounter during the everyday operation of a truck.
The Louisiana competition has nine classes, each with different size commercial vehicles. The classes were 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. Scores in each class were calculated from each competition category, recognizing a first, second and third-place winner. Each winning contestant was recognized during the night’s Trucking Safety Awards Banquet with an award for their competition class.
Also awarded from the competition were the Mechanics Award, Rookie of the Year Award, Team Award, and Overall Grand Champion. The Mechanic’s Award was given to Corey Mitchell of Fed Ex Freight, with the highest pre-trip inspection score. The Rookie of the Year was awarded to Benjamin Harvey with Old Dominion Freight Line as the driver with the highest score among those participating in a truck-driving championship for the first time. XPO Logistics won the Team Award with the overall highest average score based on the scores of the competing drivers from that company. Eric Courville with Fed Ex Freight is the 2023 Grand Champion as the driver who receives the highest overall score during the competition.
All first-place winners will represent the LMTA Foundation and the State of Louisiana in the 2023 American Trucking Association (ATA) National Truck Driving Championships in Columbus, OH, on August 16 – 20, 2023.
Step Van
Straight Truck
3 Axle Van
4 Axle Van
5 Axle Van
5 Axle Tank Truck
5 Axle Flatbed
5 Axle Sleeper Cab
Twin Truck
Mechanic’s Award:
Rookie of the Year:
Team Trophy:
Grand Champion:
