A UPS driver from Indiana is this year's big winner at the national truck driving competition held last week in Pittsburgh.
The American Trucking Associations Friday announced Miguel Corral, a professional driver with UPS, the Bendix Grand Champion at the 2026 National Truck Driving & Step Van Championships.
Corral, who resides in Indiana and secured his berth to nationals at the Illinois State Truck Driving Championship, emerged victorious from a field of 429 competitors from trucking companies of every size from across the country.
“Miguel’s performance reflects a simple truth: safe roads begin with highly trained, highly qualified professional drivers,” said American Trucking Associations President & CEO Chris Spear. “The National Truck Driving Championships celebrate the very best among them, and this year's champion has earned a place among the industry's finest."
ATA’s National Truck Driving & Step Van Championships took place from August 11-14 in Pittsburgh. The competitors — who hold a combined total of nearly 775 million accident-free miles accumulated during their careers — hailed from 49 states and represented 55 motor carriers. Over four days, the drivers competed in a variety of events designed to measure their driving prowess, industry knowledge, and dedication to safety.
In addition to taking home the Bendix Grand Champion award, Corral placed first in the 4-axle vehicle class.
Corral is a veteran of the National Truck Driving Championships, clinching first place in the twins division in 2018 and second place in the 4-axle division in 2022. A resident of Crown Point, Indiana, he has more than 1.4 million safe driving miles under his belt in a career spanning almost three decades.
The top finishers in each driving class include:
3-Axle
- Chris Poynor, XPO, Washington
- Todd Loreman, Walmart Transportation LLC, Louisiana
- Jeffrey Halford, XPO, Idaho
4-Axle
- Miguel Corral, United Parcel Service Inc, Illinois
- Bryan Krol, The Martin-Brower Company LLC, Pennsylvania
- David Comings, FedEx Freight, North Dakota
5-Axle
- Andres Garcia, FedEx Freight, Texas
- Adam Heim, FedEx Freight, Idaho
- Matthew Boenisch, FedEx Freight, Wisconsin
Flatbed
- Richard Prescott, Walmart Transportation LLC, California
- Kenneth Rageth, FedEx Freight, Wyoming
- Karl Wilkerson, United Parcel Service Inc, Illinois
Sleeper
- Terry Covey, FedEx Freight, Kansas
- Erik McFarland, Fareway Stores Inc, Iowa
- Patrick Condon, Walmart Transportation LLC, Florida
Straight Truck
- Robert Cochran, Federal Express Corporation, Maine
- David May, XPO, New York
- Lynn Wilson, Walmart Transportation LLC, Utah
Tank Truck
- Eric Ramsdell, Walmart Transportation LLC, Arizona
- Allen McNeely, ABF Freight System Inc, North Carolina
- James Dixon, A. Duie Pyle Inc, Connecticut
Twins
- Ronald Ramon, H-E-B Grocery Co. Texas
- Vladyslav Piatkovskyi, FedEx Freight, Maryland
- Gary Mars, Walmart Transportation LLC, Arkansas
Step Van
- Robert Ledoux, Federal Express Corporation, Massachusetts
- Logan Stacho, Federal Express Corporation, Ohio
- Ceth Christensen, United Parcel Service Inc, Illinois
Vehicle Condition Award
- Edward Hill, FedEx Freight, Delaware
Written Exam
- David Comings, FedEx Freight, North Dakota
- Todd Gimpel, FedEx Freight, Nebraska
At Friday night's closing ceremonies, ATA also honored Todd Loreman of Louisiana, a professional driver for Walmart Transportation, with the 2026 Rookie of the Year Award, and the State of Illinois was crowned the team champion for having the highest collective score.
Jeff Davis of Kansas, a professional driver with Walmart Transportation, was recognized with the Neil Darmstadter Professional Excellence Award as the competitor “who most exemplifies all the best attributes of a professional truck driver.”
The National Truck Driving Championships are made possible by dozens of NTDC committee members and volunteers who judge the course, serve as liaisons to the drivers, conduct course walk-throughs, and perform other tasks. As such, ATA and ATA's Safety Management Council honor one volunteer. This year's Sam Gillette Volunteer of the Year Award was presented to Melissa Johnson.
