History Book Sequel to Arrive at NTDC 2025 

The NTDC’s oral history project is getting an upgrade. 

Jacob Pierce, the tournament’s executive director and this author, plan to deliver a comprehensive update about the National Truck Driving Championships and National Step Van Driving Championships. 

The second edition of “From Roadeo to TDC: A History of the National Truck Driving Championships and National Step Van Driving Championships” will aim to dive deeper into the origins and meanings of the prestigious tournament. Central to capturing its oral history are dozens of interviews featuring grand champions, volunteers, organizers and champions in other categories. 

These myriad anecdotes and memorable moments are expected to further advance the living narrative about what has become America’s super bowl of trucking safety. 

Specifically, the update to the 2023 chronicle will seek to expand on the details and nuances that have occurred since the event kicked off in Kentucky in 1937. This second edition will take another step toward capturing elucidation. A next-level approach to inform also is anchored on an aggregate from two years of NTDC coverage. During those years (2023, 2024), UPS’s Gragg Wilson and FedEx Freight’s Jackie Reed took home grand champion trophies at Columbus, Ohio and Indianapolis, Indiana, respectively. New winners also were announced in the nine vehicle classes and other awards (professional excellence, volunteer of the year, state team). 

In an exclusive interview with Transport Topics in October, Reed reflected on his blue ribbon accomplishment: “It's a very hard thing to do. I'm very proud that I was able to make it happen. You know, everything has to be perfect. It still amazes me that we're at this point.” 

Notably: The first edition sought to be foundational; it aimed to capture an exploration of the tournament’s genesis and evolution. The original book took the reader through each decade to explain moments-in-time. National updates in culture as well as technology are explained within its chapters. A section specific to the women who have qualified and competed in the prestigious tournament served as its poignant coda. 

(The book’s first edition is available on NTDC’s website: https://www.atabusinesssolutions.com/Shopping/Product/viewproduct/10002520/NTDCFrom%20Roadeo%20to%20TDC) 

\ FedEx Freight’s Jackie Reed from Mississippi at 2024’s NTDC (photo by E. Mulero)