Five Truckers Named Alberta’s Best Drivers
RED DEER, AB — Dozens of Alberta’s best and safest professional truck drivers gathered recently at Red Deer’s Westerner Park for the Alberta Professional Truck Driving Championship to determine who was tops.
Each competitor completed a written exam to test their knowledge of regulations, legislation, safety, security, and first aid and then they participated in a pre-trip inspection conducted under the watchful eye of an examiner.
Contestants also had a turn behind the wheel as the driving portion of the event got underway. Each entrant demonstrated their driving skill as they completed seven obstacles that tested their ability to maneuver the vehicle in simulations of some of the toughest conditions drivers’ cope with on the road.
When it was all over the winners were announced during the awards banquet attended by 250 guests:
Straight Truck Division
First Place: Keith Franklin – Canadian Freightways
Second Place: Kevin Pasini – Sokil Express Lines
Third Place: Alex Smith – H&R Transport
Single, Single Division
First Place: Darren Tychkowsky – Fed-Ex Freight
Second Place: Shaun Thompson – Grimshaw Trucking LP
Third Place: Daren Hodgkins – Bison Transport
Single Tandem Division
First Place: Rick Limoges – Merry Shack Trucking
Second Place: Dave Lowe – Bison Transport
Third Place: Dan Arych – H&R Transport
Tandem, Tandem Division
First Place: Rod Harrison – Canadian Freightways
Second Place: Curt Phillips – Safeway Sobeys West
Third Place: Tim Bingley – Lac La Biche Transport
B-Train Division
First Place: Ron Johnstone – Canadian Freightways
Second Place: Curtis Mann – Bison Transport
Third Place: Brenda Stewart – H&R Transport
Grand Champion
Rod Harrison – Canadian Freightways
Rookie of the Year
Daren Hodgkins – Bison Transport
Team Award
Bison Transport
Participants who clinched first place in their respective competition category now form Team Alberta and will head to the National Truck Driving Championships in Regina, SK on Sept. 11 and 12, where they will face off against teams from other provinces.
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