Yellow Driver Wins Third National Grand Champion Title at National Truck Driving Championship
OVERLAND PARK, KS –August 28, 2001– Ray Simon, a driver for Yellow Freight System out of St. Cloud, MN, was named National Grand Champion for an unprecedented third time in his career at the 64th Annual National Truck Driving Championships held Aug. 22-25 in Minneapolis, MN. Simon also received National Grand Champion honors in 1992 and 1997. There has never been a three-time National Grand Champion in the history of the competition. Simon won National Championship honors in the 4 Axle Van Class by posting the best composite scores for an obstacle course, written test, personal interview and pre-trip inspection. There were 40 other drivers competing against Simon in the 4 Axle competition and approximately 350 drivers overall in the national championships. Each driver who competed in the National Championships had already placed first in their respective state driving competitions.
In addition, Gerald Cudmore, a Yellow Freight driver from Castlewood, South Dakota, won National Championship honors in the 3 Axle Class. Cudmore is a 1991 member of America’s Road Team.
“In the world of professional truck driving, this is the equivalent of winning the golf or tennis Grand Slams three times in a career,” said Yellow Freight President James Welch, who was present at the championships. “This is an unbelievable accomplishment.”
“We’re very proud of all our professional drivers who competed in the state and national championships. They are outstanding individuals who represent the pride, professionalism and commitment to safety demonstrated on a daily basis by all 12,000 Yellow Freight System drivers.”
“My goal was never to see how many awards or trophies I could get,” said Simon in an Aug. 25 acceptance speech in Minneapolis. “My goal is to leave this world and be judged worthy of the next.”
Other drivers representing Yellow Freight in this year’s competition included:
- Dave Baker, of Oregon, MO - Straight Truck Class Champion
- Dave Bowers, of Clarksburg, WV – 4 Axle State Champion - Named to America’s Road Team in 2001
- Dave Church, of Blue Springs, MO – 5 Axle Van Class Champion
- Frank DeGeorge, of Suffield, CT – 3 Axle Van Class Champion
- Bruce Green, of Kansas City, KS – Flatbed State Champion
- Eric Halchishak, of Tecumseh, MI – Straight Truck Class Champion
- Rick Herbert, of Villa Park, IL – 4 Axle Van Class Champion
The National Truck Driving Championships are sponsored by the American Trucking Associations. The annual events are organized nationwide as a competition designed to encourage and promote safe driving skills and to increase the visibility and recognition of professional drivers.
About Yellow Freight System
Yellow Freight System is a national, regional and international carrier based in Overland Park, KS offering the widest range of services for transportation of industrial, commercial and retail goods and materials. Services include: Standard Groundä, featuring the most comprehensive service and broadest coverage in North America; Standard Ground Regional Advantage, a high-speed short distance service that emphasizes direct, point-to-point coverage throughout most of North America; Definite Deliveryä, a guaranteed on-time service with 24-by-7 monitoring; Exact Expressä, a time-definite, expedited, guaranteed air and ground delivery service and Yellow Globalä, an international ocean and air forwarding service. Based in Overland Park, KS, Yellow Freight System is a subsidiary of Yellow Corporation (Nasdaq: YELL) and employs 25,000.