Montana Marvel Maintains Muscle Memory

A simple approach to training has paved a path for the extraordinary success Scott Lorio has recently experienced in Montana.

This year’s Big Sky Country grand champion — his third such accolade — took home top honors in the twin trailers division. The performance for the FedEx Freight standout secured his fifth trip to the National Truck Driving Championships this month in Minneapolis. 

To hear Lorio explain it, success is derived from repetition. Recall the perfect-practice-makes-perfect adage—that’s the Lorio way. As he told Transport Topics, “Like I said, looking at the same things every time in a repetitive manner, so it's more about the muscle memory of it than anything else. So I don't have to think so much as I'm going through my pre-trip at nationals or in any competition for that matter. It just comes to me.”

“That's all I do is I just try to get in a rhythm,” he emphasized further. “And that's—we all want to do better. This is all about safety. So it's not like it's a secret. That's just what I do.” 

Muscle memory (and a little luck) are virtues at the precision driving summer classic. NTDC and the National Step Van Driving Championships will be held Aug. 20-24 at the Minneapolis Convention Center.

Name: Scott Lorio 

Age: 53

From: Vaughn, Montana

Class: twins

Favorite food: Mexican

Favorite movie: ’80s comedies

Favorite vacation spot: Caribbean (Saint Thomas)

Sports hero: Denny Hamlin

Something people don’t know about me: Used to restore Volkswagens

Last word: “Take everything you've learned. Take the friendships and the enjoyment you have, share it with other drivers.”

(photo courtesy of FedEx)