XPO Announces Team Finalists for Truck Driving Championships

July 25, 2024  by Karen Parrish in Business Strategy, Industry   

The annual NTDC, hosted by the American Trucking Associations, is a contest of precision driving skills and industry knowledge. Known as the “Super Bowl of Safety,” NTDC celebrates the nation’s most accomplished drivers while underscoring the importance of safety in the freight industry.

Mario Harik, chief executive officer of XPO, said, “XPO’s continued success at the National Truck Driving Championships is a testament to our unwavering commitment to safety, reliability and world-class service for our customers. Congratulations to all of our drivers who qualified for the national finals and to everyone who competed in their state competitions. We’re proud of your skill, professionalism and hard work and look forward to cheering on Team XPO in Indianapolis.”

XPO’s NTDC finalists hail from 16 states. Each qualified for nationals by winning their state truck driving championships. Every finalist also has had an accident-free driving record for at least one year.

XPO’s 2024 competitors include “Rookie of the Year” state champion Darrell Anderson from South Dakota and trailblazer Ina Daly from Arizona, who in 2013 was the first woman to be named a national NTDC Grand Champion. Daly returns this year for her 17th national finals.

Four of XPO’s finalists were named Grand Champions of their state competitions, scoring the highest total score among competitors in nine equipment categories. XPO’s four state Grand Champions are:

Ernie Budlowski (Connecticut): A 27-year veteran of XPO who has driven more than 2 million accident-free miles, Ernie Budlowski heads to the NTDC for the 12th time and will be competing in the tank truck class.

Rich Sweeney (Massachusetts): 2019 national Grand Champion Rich Sweeney returns for his 15th appearance at the NTDC, where he will compete in the tank truck class.

Wilbert Vano (New Jersey): Wilbert is a five-time state champion and the 2022 national Grand Champion in the 3-axle class. He returns for his 13th trip to the NTDC.

Larry Gorby (West Virginia): Three-time state Grand Champion Larry Gorby, who has driven more than 1 million accident-free miles, returns to the NTDC this year to compete in the 4-axle vehicle division.

XPO’s 2024 NTDC Finalists:

Arizona/Ina Daly/Flatbed
California/Alfonso Saavedra/3-Axle
Connecticut/Derrick Caro/Straight Truck
Connecticut/Ernie Budlowski/Tank Truck
Connecticut/Tony Orfitelli/3-Axle
Georgia/Tim Vogt/Tank Truck
Idaho/Ben Scholes/3-Axle
Idaho/Kolton Schultz/5-Axle
Indiana/Phil Glover/Twins
Massachusetts/Rich Sweeney/Tank Truck
Missouri/Russell Scheer/3-Axle
Nevada/Brandon Hardy/5-Axle
New Jersey/Wilbert Vano/3-Axle
Rhode Island/Joe Hicks/4-Axle
Rhode Island/Ray Nightingale/Twins
South Dakota/Darrell Anderson/3-Axle
Utah/Judd Adams/Straight Truck
Vermont/Lenny Trifaro/4-Axle
West Virginia/Larry Gorby/4-Axle
West Virginia/Mike Roberts/3-Axle
Wyoming/Aaron Hutson/4-Axle
Wyoming/Heath Holstein/5-Axle