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A 30,000-pound flatbed semi-truck is built to haul freight across millions of highway miles—so why does the American trucking industry host a national championship decided by a few fractions of an inch? To find out, I spent 36 hours inside the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh at the National Truck Driving Championships (NTDC), often called the “Olympics of Truck Driving” or the National Truck Roadeo. Organized by the American Trucking Associations (ATA), this 87-year-old tradition brings together over 400 elite commercial drivers from carriers like FedEx, UPS, Walmart, Old Dominion, and XPO who have logged a full year without a single accident just to qualify for a shot at the Grand Champion trophy.
To understand how you pick a winner on an indoor obstacle course, I put on a media vest and teamed up with two-time National Champion Herschel Evans. I walked through the six precision driving problems—from backing a 53-foot trailer into a blind dock to stopping a front bumper within six inches of a rubber duck—before exploring the secret “Pre-Trip Inspection” zone, where judges plant hidden mechanical defects on trucks in a real-life Sherlock Holmes test. I even clamped a camera to the front of a rig and got behind the wheel myself to experience the terrifying blind spots, spatial planning, and landmark memory tricks required to maneuver an 18-wheeler with zero margin for error.
By the time finalists like Illinois UPS driver Miguel Corral faced the brand-new, top-secret finals course, I realized this competition isn’t just about trophies or commercial driver safety tests. Because there is a $0 cash prize, the National Truck Driving Championships exists as a rare opportunity for long-haul drivers to externalize a solitary, isolated profession. It’s a chance to show their families, coworkers, and the rest of the world that professional truck driving isn’t about speed or brute force—it’s an invisible masterclass in geometry, patience, and planning.
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here's my truck FAQ for some of the stuff I couldn't fit in the video (free to read/subscribe): https://www.patreon.com/philedwardsinc/posts/inside-olympics-167960284
My dad competed in the US National truck rodeo finals for his company MClane grocery distribution in 99 or 2000 I can’t remember. He placed 12th I think out of like 125 drivers. I’m so proud of him to this day. The points difference between him and first were not much.
Truck drivers rock!!!
They need a real rig in there like a W900 or a T800 and it should be a manual
They read the names of all 400 competitors?! Sounds like “a participation trophy for everyone 😉 “
Go Team Brown!
A good pre-trip is arguably the most important part of the job! It can mean the difference between a safe ride, or ending in disaster. Recently, a pretrip inspection saved my truck when I found a cracked leaf spring. If I hadn't been diligent about pre-trips, I'd have found out the hard way for sure.
16:58 I was heartbroken when my son was asked what his dad did for a living, and his answer was nothing. I was medically retired from active duty in 2012, after 10 years to the very day of service in the USAF. He wouldn’t make it into the world until 2021… We want our loved ones to be proud of what we do and understand the sacrifices we make in our own enjoyment of life to keep them safe fed and cared for. He knows I was in The Air Force and that I got hurt and have scars all over my back from surgeries, but he doesn’t know what I actually did. I tried to show him a couple pictures and even a wooden display model. I am now trying to find the nearest base to me that has a B-1b as a static display so he can see how big it actually was. One of my favorite things to learn about was Air Shows requesting an appearance for a static display and one for a few passes, then looking up if any of our guys hometown was nearby. Because I know that parents don’t have the income to make a trip down to visit, I knew there wasn’t a chance even if I bought tickets they wouldn’t get on a plane. I came close but they didn’t even pretend to try to make it. I wanted them to see me in my Uniform and working or talking to guests. I wanted to give them a tour and show them I did do something with myself and I worked my butt off… apparently a little too much leading to the need of spinal fusion’s (yes, 2). I always wanted my grandpa to be proud of me over anyone else in my family, when he passed I had to stay in my car and couldn’t go in right away at his funeral. I couldn’t bring myself to go in the viewing. I stayed back and tried to hide because I lost composure and could not stop it. I had to go outside a few times. My dad made me go up there with him and one of my sisters. I should have signed up to work with the recruiting service for a few days and then, They could see me in my Uniform at the very least. For me those Air Shows are a chance for our troops to show them I did families and locals what it is that we work on and its size! You may not win a cash prize but it could get you a bonus from some of those bigger companies. It could also mean a better business opportunity for other companies. Maybe even getting to spend more time at home.
Some people think "oh, truck drivers, not real smrt" but the proprioception some of these guys have, and they're back-and-forth all over the country hauling tons and tons of goods or bands, and they have that sniper-consistency where they put the truck going 60MPH… This country really needs to be thankful for the abilities these pros really have!
you should check out the tram championships in Europe
i think you meant to say "national cup of truck driving". its not a world cup. and its certainly not an olympics level event.
The point is to take pride in what you do. It's very rare that truck drivers feel anything other than animosity and hatred in this country. It's nice to have one thing where you're not treated like trash. These competitions are important to encourage the average driver to try hard and maintain a safe record. Most of us would like to get a single minute where someone says, "you matter" or "you're appreciated". It rarely happens. We work far more than the average Joe and people in general see us as a nuisance.
The worst part of this is the millions of drivers who have no chance to compete. The vast majority of drivers cannot take the time away from work to do things like this. The large companies will foot the bill for the bragging rights, and their drivers get treated like gold if they're good enough to compete. The drivers who work for these smaller companies get to hear about it and wonder why they aren't ever recognized for anything. I have been driving for 26 years and have never competed in any of these even though I have nearly 3.5 million safe miles myself. I was never in a position where I could. I haven't gone to any of the large trade shows like MATS in Louisville even though I have driven by while it was happening. Most of us are left in the cold on these things.
Now that I am with Walmart I do plan to participate in the future events. You have to be a company driver for at least a year and for me that's next month. Hopefully in the future I'll be able to go.
This is so cool!
Automatics and day cabs … is no olympics of trucking thats a joke
I'd love to see my heavy equipment transporters compete in a thing like this. They don't drive anything like these trailers except a 40' flatbed, but watching guys compete with a 3 axle lowboy and a a D10 would be objectively cooler to watch anyway.
"All I could really think about is the friends I've made."
-that was so adorable
I think part of it is also recognizing the difference in what corporations or managers thinks makes a good driver and what drivers think makes a good driver. It’s not about if you can make a 10,000 mile delivery on time, but whether you can back a trailer down that narrow ally and stop right where you need to in one go
Very well done piece. Thank you, Phil.
I came in here expecting races, with potential for crashes and everything. This is so much better, a competition towards precision and safety. Love it.
The other thing is well, people are naturally competitive. And when you're the only person behind the wheel, it's a little hard to show that to other people – a loading bay may only have a single truck in it. It would not at all surprise me if it started with a bunch of truck drivers at a truck stop who decided to see who was best at backing up or hitting a spot and grew from there. Even at the big companies I'm willing to bet the majority of drivers only see them at the competition – if they see them on the job it's likely only ever in passing or via email.
Did lack of diversity over here bother anyone else? Actual truck drivers in America, well are significantly more diverse and from around the world too. I’m disappointed that you did not mention it.
How did they deal with exhaust fumes in that building???
I think there's something worth digging into why this is mostly corporate drivers becuase there are so many truck drivers that do the same job that are freelancers etc. Why are they not there sharing their skills? Seems like some corporate boondoggling of some sort.
7am for us drivers is late 😂
Well, I never actually knew that this existed, even though I work for a national trucking company (although I work IT, so I'm not surprised).
SHEETZ MTO!!!!
Driving Truck is exactly this. An Obstacle Course. Expect it's not in a well lit , dry space. It's pouring rain , or it's snowed recently… I was delivering in Topeka (?) to a Big Lots. Winter the Pothole had Ice in it. My front right wheel went over it. The hole swallowed my wheel and when I backed up . ripped my bumper off my Cascadea. And got a Preventable. Schneider claimed I was responsible for ALL side of the truck.
Trucking is a tough and often lonely job, and in the wrong hands, trucks can pose a serious threat to public safety. For drivers, this competition recognizes good driving and gives them a sense of pride in the work they do. For companies, it’s a low-cost way to demonstrate their commitment to driver training and road safety. And for the public, having more truckers strive to be better drivers means fewer preventable accidents. It’s a win for everyone.
My coworker took 3rd in 3 Axle 🏆🏆
Your desk clearly needs a Keyence DeskRunner…
Perfect video to watch at 2 am on a weekday
Dumb. They're good at a thing. You're not.
Should check out the European Tram Olympics some year too
Pre trip inspection is the most important thing almost nobody does
Im sure a lot of it is wanting some kind of recognition for the thousands of hours you've put into a job where nobody notices your skill, but my guess is that it's also just a really good look on your resume. Even if you aren't trying to work with a new company, it doesn't hurt as leverage when trying to get a raise. Good truck drivers are 100% a valuable asset for any company and so having a way to quantify that skill is certainly worth something.
I was a yard jockey for 6 years, moved 10's of thousands of trailers.
Would have loved to participate in something like this.
these guys and gals are nuts
It's always wholesome seeing people so passionate about something I didn't even know existed.
Thank you for showing this. I used to drive in the 1960's before power steering. We had manual transmissions, some had two gear shift levers. Most had spring suspension and rode hard. Few had air conditioning. Even with all the improvements it's still hard work.
Truck drivers keeps America rolling.
in pittsburgh… IN PITTSBURGH??? HOW HAVE I NOT HEARD OF THIS BEFORE
This is all we heard about on Walmart and Sam’s Club radio at work for awhile 😂 (I work at Wally World)
All automatic transmissions