From left to right: CTA Secretary Alex Gilmete, CTA Past President Dennis Firestone, CTA Treasurer Joe Giammona, CTA First Vice President Lynette Brown, Grand Champion Greg Ryan of Walmart Transportation, and CTA President Doug Britton. (Image Courtesy of California Trucking Association)Walmart driver Greg Ryan is the California Truck Driving Championship’s grand champion.
The grand champion title is awarded to the driver with the highest cumulative score. Ryan’s total score was 377, which included his courses, pre-trip and written test scores. His score was 18 points more than the second best driver. Ryan also won in the 5-axle category.
The California Trucking Association hosts two regional competitions, North and South, in the spring. The top winners from each regional competition are selected to move forward to compete in the State Finals Competition in nine categories. The 2017 California Truck Driving Championship State Finals were held in Sacramento, May 21.
The winning drivers from the state finals will go on to represent California in the American Trucking Associations’ National Step Van & Truck Driving Championships, Aug. 8-12 in Orlando, Florida.
The winners, by category, were:
Grand Champion: Greg Ryan of Walmart Transportation from Red Bluff, California
Rookie of the Year: Tim Benefield of Oak Harbor Freight from West Sacramento, California
3-Axle: Daniel Nguyen of XPO Logistics from Orange, California
4-Axle: Tim Benefield of Oak Harbor Freight Lines from West Sacramento, California
5-Axle: Greg Ryan of Walmart Transportation from Red Bluff, California
Flatbed: Sebastian Mora of Williams Tank Lines from Stockton, California
Package Van: David Costa of FedEx Ground from Anaheim, California
Sleeper: Rob Kressley of Walmart Transportation from Porterville, California
Straight Truck: Gary Cordova of FedEx Freight, Inc. from Fresno, California
Tanker: Joe Addison of Safeway from Tracy, California
Twins: Michael Elledge of Reddaway from Stockton, California
