MEMPHIS, Tenn., August 28, 2024 – FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) today announced that five drivers representing the global transportation company received top honors at the 2024 National Truck Driving Championships (NTDC) and National Step Van Driving Championships (NSVDC) held August 21-24 in Indianapolis.
FedEx Freight Driver Jackie Reed (Hattiesburg, Mississippi) won the tanker class and took home the Bendix NTDC Grand Champion Award for the best overall performance by a competitor.
At the NTDC, drivers completed a written exam that included material from the American Trucking Associations’ book “Facts for Drivers,” received a pre-trip equipment evaluation, and earned skill points on a driving course. To compete at the state level and qualify for Nationals, competitors had to be accident-free for at least one year prior to the championships.
In addition to winning five national championships, FedEx achieved a total of 18 top-three finishes at this year’s championships, accounting for two-thirds of all awards in the driver class.
“At FedEx, safety above all else is one of our founding principles and our highest priority,” said John A. Smith, Chief Operating Officer, US and Canada Ground Operations at FedEx. “I couldn’t be prouder of the FedEx team’s accomplishments at this year’s National Championships.”
FedEx has built an excellent reputation with the NTDC and this year had the honor of sending a total of 167 drivers from across the country to the championships. In total, the team represented 610 national titles, nearly 4,000 years of professional driving experience and 280 million miles of safe driving.
Drivers who won their respective classes include:
· Connor Dent (Mauston, Wis.) won the Twins National Championship after qualifying for his first NTDC. Dent has logged more than 260,000 miles of accident-free driving in his nearly three years as a professional driver with FedEx Freight.
· James Kohr (Rochester, NY) won the Straight Truck National Championship. Kohr, a nine-time state champion and national qualifier, has logged 1.55 million accident-free miles during his 38 years as a driver for Federal Express Corporation.
· Dave Mogler (Denver, Colorado) won the 3-Axle National Championship, his second national title. He was also the 2015 National Twins Champion. In the 18 years he has competed in the NTDC, he has now finished in the top five in his class eight times. Mogler has been a team member with FedEx Freight for 37 years and has safely logged more than 4.9 million miles during his 42-year career.
· Logan Montandon (Tyler, Texas) won the Step Van National Championship as a driver for contract service provider Grant Leigh Services Inc. Montandon was also the 2024 Texas Grand Champion. In four years as a service driver for FedEx, he has driven more than 50,000 miles without driving.
· Reed won the Tank Truck National Championship in his third appearance at NTDC. He was the 2022 Mississippi Grand Champion. Reed is a 34-year-old professional truck driver who has logged more than three million miles without an accident. He has been a member of the FedEx Freight team for 32 years.
“Jackie demonstrated the precision and professionalism we expect from NTDC champions,” said Chris Spear, president and CEO of the American Trucking Associations. “Although all of our competitors are champions, he separated himself even from this elite field and demonstrated the skills that have enabled him to drive three million miles without an accident in his 34-year career. Congratulations to him and to all of our NTDC competitors.”
In addition to five national champions, 13 drivers representing FedEx also took first place in their respective driving classes at this year’s championships:
· Jeff Cochran, FedEx Freight (Texarkana, Arkansas), 3rd Location, Gemini
· Eric Courville, FedEx Freight (Lafayette, Louisiana), 2and Place, 5-axle
· Terry Covey, FedEx Freight (Wichita, Kansas), 3rd Location, tanker
· Todd Flippin, FedEx Freight (Springfield, Colo.), 2and Location, Gemini
· Ritch Fundell, FedEx Freight (Joliet, Ill.), 2and Place, 3-axle and highest score in the written test (tie)
· Nick Gaudette, FedEx Freight (Denver), 3rd Place, 5-axle
· Travis Hutchinson, Service Provider, Blazer Blue Logistics Inc. (Sherwood, Oregon), 3rd Location, Step Van
· Corey Mitchell, FedEx Freight (Shreveport, Louisiana), 3rd Space, straight truck
· Larry Rhine, FedEx Freight (Harrison, Arkansas), 2and Place, flatbed
· Daniel Shamrell, FedEx Freight (Portland, Oregon), 3rd Location, 3-axle
· Chris Shaw, Federal Express Corporation (Albuquerque, NM), 2and Space, straight truck
· Paul Swann, FedEx Freight (Denver), 3rd Place, 4-axle
· Scott Wickstrom, Federal Express Corporation (Bangor, Maine), 2and Location, Step Van
Competing in the Twins class, FedEx Freight driver Todd Gimpel (Aurora, Nebraska) was named National Rookie of the Year.
In addition, seven FedEx drivers were members of the Colorado Team Champions:
· Dutch Burch, FedEx Freight (Denver), tanker
· Todd Flippin
· Nick Gaudette
· Brian Hoy, FedEx Freight (Denver), delivery truck
· Dave Mogler
· Tyler Rogers, FedEx Freight (Grand Junction), sleeper
· Paul Swan
About FedEx Corp.
FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) provides a broad portfolio of transportation, e-commerce and business services to customers and businesses worldwide. With annual revenue of $88 billion, the company delivers integrated business solutions leveraging its flexible, efficient and intelligent global network. Consistently ranked among the world’s most admired and trusted employers, FedEx inspires its more than 500,000 employees to remain focused on safety, the highest ethical and professional standards, and the needs of its customers and communities. FedEx is committed to responsibly and imaginatively connecting people and opportunities around the world, with the goal of achieving net-zero carbon operations by 2040. For more information, visit fedex.com/about.
