Holland professional drivers head to national truck driving championships
Holland announced that professional drivers Rickey Tate and James Looks have won division titles at their individual state truck driving competitions. They will compete with the best of the best state champions at the 2014 National Truck Driving Championships (NTDC), to be held August 12-16 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, Pa.
Rickey Tate took first place in the Straight Truck category at the Georgia competitions held May 8-10. Rickey was one of five Holland professionals to compete at the Georgia State Truck Driving Championships. Collectively, the Holland competitors were named the 2014 Small Team Champions. The Small Team award is given to the 3-to-5 person group with the highest overall score at the close of the competitions.
Rickey has been driving professionally for 39 years–the last 17 of which he has spent with Holland. Rickey first began competing in truck driving competitions in 2009. He won the 2011 championship in the Straight Truck category in Georgia as well. Rickey operates as a pickup and delivery driver out of the Holland Atlanta, Ga. terminal.
James Looks won first in the Tanker category at the 2014 Michigan State Truck Driving Championships held June 6-7. This marks the second year in a row that James has earned the Tanker championship and a trip to the NTDC.
James has been driving with Holland for 19 years and currently operates as a linehaul driver out of the Holland Grand Rapids, Mich. terminal. James first began participating in truck driving competitions in 2010.
“No matter what the skill, talent, craft or trade may be, true greatness is only reached by those who always strive for continuous improvement,” said Scott Ware, Holland President. “Rickey and James are shining examples of this. I would like to congratulate and thank them, as well as all of our hard-working Holland professional drivers, for their strong commitment to safety. Their efforts and dedication make our nation’s highways safer for all of us.”
In total, Holland had 55 professional drivers compete at 11 different state truck driving competitions this year including Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Georgia, Minnesota, Ohio, Kansas, Tennessee, North Carolina, New York and South Carolina. To simply qualify for state truck driving competitions, drivers must remain accident-free the entire year prior to competition. Competitions consist of a driven portion, pre-trip inspection, and a written exam on subjects such as laws, regulations and vehicle maintenance.
