Champions Spotlight: XPO's Brandon Hardy
The National Truck Driving Championships has become one of the industry’s most enduring events by giving precision-driving enthusiasts a forum for their talents.
Since its humble beginnings in 1937 featuring just few competitors in a field in Kentucky, NTDC has expanded to showcase the best-of-the-best talent from every state. The Road to NTDC officially kicks off this weekend in Louisiana. The Pelican State will host its state qualifier Feb. 28-March 1. Winners in the state tournaments advance to the National Truck Driving Championships and National Step Van Driving Championship, set for Aug. 20-23 in Minneapolis.
Check out our week-by-week schedule of the 2025 state truck driving championships.
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Our Road to NTDC coverage begins with a spotlight of last year’s five-axle winner: Nevada’s Brandon Hardy with XPO.
XPO’s Hardy Reflects on 5-Axle Win
For XPO’s Brandon Hardy, and hundreds of fellow commercial precision-driving competitors, the National Truck Driving Championships is a symbol of safety.
The tournament also is a family reunion — a home for elite truckers. NTDC serves as the main forum for exhibiting one’s talents.
Over the years, Hardy, a ten-time Nevada-based national tournament qualifier, has come to embrace all-things NTDC.
“Cause without being safe, you know, if we have an accident, we're disqualified for that year. And, so, that's the foundation upon which it’s all based. And that's the whole purpose of the NTDC, of course, is to promote safety and create safer drivers,” he told Transport Topics a couple of months after winning a national title.
In August, Hardy took home top honors in the five-axle class at the industry’s supreme safety forum. His best-in-show performance in the high-profile category marked a remarkable personal achievement, which he credited to the support he received from XPO as well as his peers from Nevada.
“They still make the time to get together and practice alongside each other,” he said of his Nevada teammates, winners of NTDC’s team category in 2018. “And I think that's just great, you know. And I think that really helps drive us. And I do my own practicing in Las Vegas — and I think that just drives us all year after year.” Hardy earned grand champion status at the Silver State’s championship in 2023.
Importantly, a key to his success this past summer was having accrued competitive experience at the state and national levels. En route to his national title, Hardy said he entered the tournament’s final round possessed by a serene sense of confidence. It was the third time he had advanced to NTDC’s final run-off to determine each class’ top three finishers.
“I've been to nationals enough times, I think—When I'm driving on the course or right before driving a course, I don't get nervous anymore. I'm very calm and very focused because I kind of know I have a game plan and I know what I want to do. And so, yeah, I'm just calm and focused,” he explained. “I'm not nervous at all. And when I stepped out of the truck, I felt very good about how I drove on that course. I kind of had a feeling where I knew what I scored on and what I didn’t, and I just felt really good.”
Mario Harik, chief executive officer of XPO, praised the company’s standout performances at NTDC: “We are proud to have a team of world-class drivers who keep our roads safe while providing exceptional service for our customers. Their skill, professionalism and commitment to safety were on full display at this year’s National Truck Driving Championships and at the state competitions that led up to it. Congratulations to our drivers, and thank you to all the family members, loved ones and colleagues who supported them along the way.”
Name: Brandon Hardy
From: Las Vegas
Age: 48
Class: Five-axle
Favorite food: Chinese
Music: Classic rock
Movie: 2001: A Space Odyssey
All-time vacation spot: Caribbean
Why keep coming back to NTDC: “The thrill of competing and trying to win.”
Last word: “Safety first.”
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