Nearly 400 top professional truck drivers from across the United States soon will be heading for Minneapolis for the 2007 National Truck Driving Championships, to be held Aug. 21-25 in the Minneapolis Convention Center. The “Super Bowl of Safety” – which was last held in Minneapolis in 2001 – is sponsored annually by the American Trucking Associations.
The NTDC contestants are the state champions from all 50 states. States send winners from each class of competition – from 18-wheeled five-axle sleepers to tank trucks to twin trailers to straight trucks – eight competing classes in all. Drivers will compete for four days, challenging their driving skills, and knowledge of safety, equipment and the industry.
The test course generally includes real-world obstacles like an alley dock, a rear and/or front line stop, a scales stop, a right or left turn, parallel parking, and straight line driving through a diminishing clearance. When it is all over on Saturday, Aug. 25, the United States will have a new National Grand Champion Truck Driver, individual champions in each class, and a state champion team.
The NTDC annually attracts more than 2,000 cheering friends, family, colleagues and interested spectators. The event is held simultaneous with the North American Inspectors Championships, the annual competition of commercial vehicle inspectors. For more information, visit the 2007 National Truck Driving Championships website, www.truckline.com/2k7ntdc.
