Bolduc, Langenhahn Lead Field of NTDC Finalists

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Two former grand champions competing in the 86th annual “Super Bowl of Safety” are among the competitors advancing to the tournament’s final round.

Roland Bolduc and Jeffrey Langenhahn, who have combined for three best-in-show honors since 2014, will vie for a shot at a national title Aug. 19. After three days of competition, the top five performers from nine classes of commercial vehicles earned a spot to maneuver through an intricate course on the last day of American Trucking Associations’ National Truck Driving Championships and National Step Van Driving Championships.

Bolduc with FedEx Express from Connecticut is competing in the 5-axle sleeper berth class. Langenhahn with XPO from Wisconsin is competing in the twin-trailers division.

During the first round of competition, Bolduc had stumbled early during his run in the skills course. An intricate layout proved challenging for the reigning NTDC grand champion, who also won the grand champion trophy in 2017.

As he put it, “It’s a very hard visual course — shiny floor. Angles that were on with the sleeper unit, you can’t see anything,” Bolduc told Transport Topics shortly after his run Aug. 18.

Langenhahn, winner of the 2014 event in Pittsburgh, pointed to the course’s not-so-impossible areas.

“You have to think your way through the course,” he said. “My favorite part of the course was probably where you got to straddle the duck on that; it’d be the left-front steer tire.”

The two standouts, however, acknowledged they had put on solid performances in the contest’s two other disciplines: a pre-trip vehicle inspection and a written exam of industry rules and regulations.

Notable competitors also advancing to the NTDC finals included four state grand champions: Rhode Island’s Joe Hicks with XPO, Massachusetts’ William Colantuone with FedEx Express, North Carolina’s Michael Bills with FedEx Express and Ohio’s Dave Schroeder with FedEx Freight. Competing in the twins division alongside Langenhahn, this year marked Schroeder’s second trip to the summer classic.

“I love being a part of it,” the hometown favorite said earlier this year. “I love promoting it with the younger drivers; just try to get them focused on the same safety-minded aspect of being able to stay safe so that you can compete at the state level and hopefully eventually at the national level.”

Bills, national winner in the step van in 2017 and competing this year in the straight truck class, explained his strategy to TT this summer.

“Ultimately, it’s just, once you do go to nationals, it’s all about staying focused on the task at hand no matter what area you’re actually competing in at that given time.”

After the completion of the final round, winners in the respective classes will be announced at an awards gala. Tournament organizers also recognize drivers for their contributions to the event, as well as their professional excellence.

At NTDC, drivers compete in step van, straight, 3-axle, 4-axle, 5-axle, tanker, twins, sleeper and flatbed.

NTDC 2023 Finalists

3-Axle:

• Ritch Fundell, FedEx Freight, Illinois

• James Niswander, UPS, Kentucky

• Joseph Hicks, XPO Rhode Island

• Jeremiah Jarvis, FedEx Freight, Vermont

• Barry Kraemer, XPO, Wisconsin

4-Axle

• Adam Heim, FedEx Freight, Idaho

• Jerry Beckman, Wal-Mart Transportation, Iowa

• Bruce Quaal, ABF Freight System, Minnesota

• Martin McMahon, RIST Transport, New York

• Andrew Rynearson, XPO, Wisconsin

5-Axle

• John Greene, FedEx Freight, Connecticut

• Humberto Carrillo, FedEx Freight, Nevada

• James Quarles,Walmart Transportation, South Carolina

• Julio Pineda, Walmart Transportation, Texas

• Michael Martin, Walmart Transportation, Virginia

Flatbed

• Ernest Wagers, Old Dominion Freight Line, Kentucky

• Robert Bramwell, ABF Freight System, Missouri

• Daryl Miller, The Cope Company Salt, Pennsylvania

• James Sowder, FedEx Freight, Tennessee

• Myron Means, Old Dominion Freight Line, Wyoming

Sleeper Berth

• Tyler Rogers, FedEx Freight, Colorado

• Roland Bolduc, FedEx Express, Connecticut

• Kevin Robinson, Publix Supermarkets, Florida

• Chris Moore, Walmart Transportation, Georgia

• David Cady, Walmart Transportation, New York

Step Van

• Jerome De La Cruz, FedEx Express, Alaska

• Matthew Futral, FedEx Express, Georgia

• Gregory Long, FedEx Express, Maryland

• Alex Lofgren, FedEx Express, Minnesota

• Jaime Bautista, FedEx Express, Washington

Straight Truck

• David Coffel, FedEx Express, Arizona

• James Fisher, UPS, Illinois

• William Colantuone, FedEx Express, Massachusetts

• James Kohr, FedEx Express, New York

• Michael Bills, FedEx Express, North Carolina

Tank Truck

• Christopher Perna, FedEx Freight, Florida

• Timothy Vogt, XPO, Georgia

• James Wilson, UPS, Nevada

• Jason Imhoff, Walmart Transportation, Ohio

• Jeremy Thomas, Oliver Fuels & Oils, West Virginia

Twins

• Alejandro Fonseca, UPS, California

• Michael Flippin FedEx Freight, Colorado

• Robert Fair, FedEx Freight, New Hampshire

• David Schroeder, FedEx Freight, Ohio

• Jeffrey Langenhahn, XPO, Wisconsin