Yellow Transportation Drivers Capture Top Two Awards at National Truck Driving Championship
Yellow Transportation Drivers Capture Top Two Awards at National Truck Driving Championship
OVERLAND PARK, Kan., Aug. 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Yellow Transportation, a subsidiary of Yellow Roadway Corporation (Nasdaq: YELL), is proud to announce that Yellow Transportation professional drivers captured the two highest honors at the 2005 National Truck Driving Championships (NTDC). Rick Herbert, a driver at the Yellow Transportation service center in Chicago Ridge, Illinois, was named the National Grand Champion after competing with over 360 other drivers from across the United States. Gerald Cudmore, a driver at the Yellow Transportation service center in Watertown, South Dakota, won the Professional Excellence Award.Herbert was named National Grand Champion at the NTDC in Tampa, Florida August 20 for achieving the highest score among the winners of all eight classes in the competition for driving skills and knowledge of transportation and truck safety information through a written exam, personal interview and a pre-trip inspection. Herbert also took home the first place in the four-axle truck class.
Cudmore, a twin trailers driver, received the Professional Excellence Award. The award goes to the driver considered by contest officials to exemplify the highest level of professionalism, strong commitment to safety and mentor to rookie drivers.
This year also marked the first female driving competitor from Yellow Transportation. Shirley White, a professional driver at the Yellow Transportation service center in Kansas City, Missouri, placed 12th in the straight truck class.
"I am excited and extremely proud and want to congratulate all of our 26 participating drivers and particularly Rick Herbert, whose professionalism and safe driving skills have earned him the title of National Grand Champion," said James L. Welch, president and chief executive officer of Yellow Transportation. "Our drivers are the heart and soul of the company and by embracing a focus on safety into their daily responsibilities it assures the communities in which we work, our employees, and their families that our drivers can be counted on to be safe on the road."
The American Trucking Associations (ATA) sponsored the event which is known as the "Super Bowl of Safety". A record of 26 professional drivers from Yellow Transportation qualified for the national event by winning their respective state truck driving championship and driving accident-free for at least one year.
The other drivers representing Yellow Transportation this year at the NTDC
are:
Driver Class Service Center
Tim Ahern twin trailers Denver, CO
Doug Baize four axle Louisville, KY
Karl Bolton five-axle van Salt Lake City, UT
Charlie Brown flatbed Kansas City, MO
Roger Divelbliss twin trailers High Point, NC
Robin Echard three axle Indianapolis, IN
John Estep tanker Chicago North, IL
Bruce Green five-axle Kansas City, MO
Eric Halchishak four-axle Coldwater, MI
David Hanslick flatbed St. Louis, MO
Mark Hassemer four-axle Green Bay, WI
Paul Hebert tanker Manchester, NH
Jim March twin trailers Lancaster, PA
Dan Medley three axle Albuquerque, NM
Ken Meyer flatbed Maybrook, NY
Dave Murphy three axle Boise, ID
Neil Nogues straight truck Manchester, NH
J.R. Patton straight truck Oklahoma City, OK
Fernald Richard straight truck Portland, ME
Frank Sandoval twin trailers Albuquerque, NM
Larry Tucker straight truck Louisville, KY
Paul Unser flatbed Boise, ID
Don Welsted five-axle sleeper Buffalo, NY
About Yellow Transportation
Yellow Transportation offers a full range of national, regional and international services for the movement of industrial, commercial and retail goods. Through a broad array of innovative customer solutions including Exact Express, Definite Delivery, Standard Ground, and Standard Ground Regional Advantage, Yellow provides customers with best-in-class service. Yellow Transportation is a subsidiary of Yellow Roadway Corporation (Nasdaq: YELL), one of the largest transportation service providers in the world. For more information please visit http://myyellow.com .
SOURCE: Yellow Roadway Corporation
CONTACT: Suzanne Dawson of Linden Alschuler & Kaplan, +1-212-329-1420,
sdawson@lakpr.com
Web site: http://myyellow.com
http://www.yellowroadway.com