R EGIO N A L NE W S
REGION II
West Virginia Motor Carrier Enforcement Division Officers Serve as Judges at West Virginia Truck Driving Championships By Reggie Bunner, Special Operations Manager, West Virginia Public Service Commission On June 17, 2017, the 61st annual West Virginia Truck Driving Championships were held on the grounds of HWM Truck Lines, a trucking company located in Buckhannon, West Virginia. This year, the West Virginia Public Service Commission Motor Carrier Enforcement Division supplied nine officers for the event. These nine officers served as judges in the pre-trip portion of the competition. “This event is very educational for our enforcement officers,” said Enforcement Ofr. A.W. Ryan. “It gives us insight into how drivers conduct their pre- and post-trip inspections and to why mechanical defects are frequently missed. These are some of the best and most knowledgeable drivers the state has to offer and it’s a pleasure for the enforcement division to have a part in this competition.” Other portions of this competition included a written test and driving competence. Professional truck driver Larry Gorby, a driver for XPO Logistics, was named Grand Champion of the West Virginia Trucking Association’s Truck Driving Championship.
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2018 COHMED Conference Jan. 29-Feb. 2, 2018 Hyatt Regency Orange County Garden Grove, California
Gorby, who has been a professional truck driver for 27 years and driven more than 2.4 million miles, took the top honor after competing in a variety of skill and safety tests. He has competed in 15 West Virginia Truck Driving Championships, winning his class of competition three times. In addition, Tony Sutherland, a driver with XPO Logistics and Scott Depot, West Virginia, resident, earned West Virginia Public Service Commission Driver of the Year Award. Sutherland has driven for 25 years and has logged more than 2.6 million miles with no incidents. Other winners include: • First place straight truck, Larry Gorby Jr. of Charleston • First place three-axle tractor semi-trailer, Matt Meadows of Culloden • First place four-axle tractor semi-trailer, Randy Thomas of Cross Lanes • First place five-axle van, Jason Smith of Valley Bend • First place tank truck, Kenneth Grimmett of Fayetteville • First place flatbed, Jim Beall of Summersville • First place twin trailers, Greg Brooks of Barboursville • First place sleeper berth, William Adkins of South Point, Ohio • First place step van, Robert Vance of Chapmanville • Pre-trip inspection award, Kenneth Tresselt of Charleston • Rookie of Year, Jeremy Thomas of Cross Lanes • Team Champion Award, XPO Logistics All first place drivers competed in the American Trucking Association’s National Truck and Step Van Driving Championship, also known as the Super Bowl of Safety, which took place Aug. 9-12, 2017, in Orlando, Florida. The West Virginia Truck Driving Championship is just one of many public outreach activities and educational events throughout the state.
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