North Carolina Truck Driving Championship
NORTH CAROLINA TRUCK DRIVER WINS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
In his first national competition, Mark Church of the Con-Way Southern Express service center in Kernersville, N.C., placed first in the 5-Axle Flatbed Class.
According to company officials, Church's win was a real family effort. On weekends his son Alex, 14, would assist his father as he practiced for the driving skills part of the competition. Daughter Danielle, 17, tutored Church to help him prepare for the written test. At the victory banquet, Danielle joined her father at the head table with all the other champions.
Church, a father of three, lives in Winston-Salem.
2005 NORTH CAROLINA TRUCK DRIVING CHAMPIONSHIP
The 2005 NC Truck Driving Championship was held May 13 - 14 at Johnston County Community College in Smithfield. Drivers competed in eight different classes. The winner of each class will go on to represent North Carolina at the National Truck Driving Championships.
Participants are given a written test, a field test, and are evaluated on their pre-trip inspection skills. The winners are as follows:
| STRAIGHT TRUCK WINNER: David Williams - Con-Way Southern Express 2nd PLACE: Steve Parham Jr. - Wal*Mart Transportation 3rd PLACE: Chesley Barnes - Family Dollar |
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| THREE-AXLE CLASS WINNER: J.C. Miller - Roadway Express 2nd PLACE: Leonard Coleman, Jr. - FedEx Freight East 3rd PLACE: David Turnipseed - Con-Way Southern Express |
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| FOUR-AXLE CLASS WINNER: Ty Bentley - Overnite Transportation 2nd PLACE: Earl E. (Gene) Downum - Watkins Motor Lines 3rd PLACE: Ronnie Kinley - Golden State Foods |
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| FIVE-AXLE CLASS WINNER: Warren (Mick) Simpson - Family Dollar Trucking 2nd PLACE: Danny S. Fisher - G&P Trucking 3rd PLACE: José A. Medina - Overnite Transportation |
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| SLEEPER BERTH CLASS WINNER: Brian K. Walker - Overnite Transportation 2nd PLACE: Travis Truelove - Wal*Mart Transportation 3rd PLACE: Kenneth C. Scott - Con-Way Southern Express |
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| TANK CLASS WINNER: Rovert F. Hindman - Con-Way Southern Express 2nd PLACE: Allen Snyder - Wilson Trucking Corp. 3rd PLACE: Kevin Eagon - Roadway Express |
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| FLATBED CLASS WINNER: Harold Snyder - Wilson Trucking Corp. 2nd PLACE: Mark Church - Conway Southern Express 3rd PLACE: Craven Calloway - UNIFI, Inc. |
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| TWIN TRAILER CLASS WINNER: Roger Divelbliss - Yellow Transportation 2nd PLACE: Charles E. Blaylock - Old Dominion Freight Line 3rd PLACE: Tony Thompson - Roadway Express |
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| 2005 NC TRUCK DRIVING CHAMPIONSHIP OVERALL WINNER Warren (Mick) Simpson - Family Dollar Trucking Corporation - Score: 358 |
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| 2005 NC TRUCK DRIVING CHAMPIONSHIP ROOKIES OF THE YEAR WINNER: David Turnipseed - Con-Way Southern Express 1st RUNNER-UP: José Medina - Overnite Transportation 2nd RUNNER-UP: Robert Hindman - Con-Way Southern Express |
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| VEHICLE INSPECTION AWARD WINNER: Milom Williams - Wal*Mart Transportation 1st RUNNER-UP: Kevin Eagon - Roadway Express 2nd RUNNER-UP: Doug Core - Jevic Transportation |