What Are the National Truck Driving Championships?
Every August, the safest professional drivers in America meet to settle who is the best behind the wheel. The event is the National Truck Driving Championships, or NTDC, and drivers who have been there will tell you it is the most nerve-racking day of their careers.
In 2026, the 89th running of the championships comes to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, August 11 through 14, at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. More than 400 drivers are expected to compete.
Here is what the event is, how drivers earn a spot, and what they are actually judged on.
What is the NTDC?
The National Truck Driving Championships is the trucking industry’s premier safety and skills competition, hosted each year by the American Trucking Associations. It is widely known as the Super Bowl of Safety, and the nickname is earned: this is not a race, and it is not about speed. It is a test of precision, inspection knowledge, and safe vehicle handling.
The championships are held alongside the National Step Van Driving Championships, and the top overall finisher earns the title of National Grand Champion.
A competition dating back to 1937
The event traces back to 1937, when it was called the National Truck Rodeo. Nearly nine decades later, it remains the sport of professional driving, and the standards have only gotten tighter as equipment and traffic have changed.
How drivers qualify
You cannot enter the NTDC by signing up. Drivers have to earn their way in:
- Win at the state level. The national field is made up of class winners from the 50 State Trucking Associations’ own truck driving championships.
- Drive accident-free. A clean safety record is the price of admission. The championships inspire tens of thousands of drivers to run accident-free for the right to compete.
That is what makes the field so strong. Every competitor in Pittsburgh is already the best in their class in their home state.
The three parts of the competition
Drivers are scored across three separate tests, and the Grand Champion has to perform in all of them.
1. The written examination
A test on safety knowledge, regulations, and industry practice. It rewards the drivers who actually know the rulebook, not just the road.
2. The pre-trip inspection
Judges plant defects on a vehicle, and the driver has to find them within a time limit. Miss a defect and you lose points; call out something that is not wrong and you lose points too.
3. The driving skills test
The part spectators come to see. Drivers navigate a course of precision maneuvers, placing their equipment within inches of barriers and markers. In a full-size tractor-trailer, the margin for error is brutal.
The eight competition classes
Drivers compete against others running the same equipment. The eight classes are:
- Straight truck
- 3-axle
- 4-axle
- 5-axle
- Sleeper berth
- Tanker
- Twin trailers
- Flatbed
The awards
Beyond first, second, and third in each class, drivers compete for:
- National Grand Champion — the ultimate designation, awarded to the top overall performer
- Professional Excellence Award
- Vehicle Condition Award
- Rookie of the Year
Who to watch in Pittsburgh
The 2026 field includes several familiar names. David Comings of FedEx Freight, the 2025 grand champion, returns to defend his title in the 4-axle class. Jackie Reed of FedEx Freight, the 2024 grand champion, competes in the tanker division. Two-time grand champion Roland Bolduc is also in the mix.
This year also marks a milestone off the course: Rick Cates, a lifetime member of the NTDC organizing committee, makes his final appearance after more than five decades with the event. His advice to competitors is the same thing that makes a driver safe the other 51 weeks of the year: practice, applied to the everyday situations you meet on a real freight route.
Why a safety competition matters beyond the trophy
The reason NTDC has lasted 89 years is that it makes safety competitive. Drivers train for the pre-trip inspection and the skills course, and that habit follows them back onto the highway.
Safety on the road, though, is not only about what happens while the truck is moving. It is also about where the truck stops. A driver running out of hours with nowhere legal to park is a safety problem no amount of skill can fix, which is why the parking shortage keeps turning up in the same conversations as driver safety. Giving drivers a secure, reserved place to shut down is the unglamorous half of the safety equation.
To the more than 400 drivers competing in Pittsburgh: good luck, and thank you for setting the standard.
Truck Parking Club helps drivers and fleets find and reserve safe, legal parking across thousands of locations nationwide. Find truck parking →
Frequently asked questions
When and where is NTDC 2026?
The 2026 National Truck Driving Championships run August 11 through 14, 2026, at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is the 89th annual event.
How do drivers qualify for the National Truck Driving Championships?
Drivers must first win their class at their State Trucking Association’s truck driving championship, and they must have an accident-free driving record to be eligible.
What do drivers have to do to compete?
Competitors are scored on three components: a written examination on safety and regulations, a pre-trip inspection where they must find planted defects, and a precision driving skills course.
What are the eight NTDC classes?
Straight truck, 3-axle, 4-axle, 5-axle, sleeper berth, tanker, twin trailers, and flatbed.
How old is the NTDC?
The competition dates back to 1937, when it was known as the National Truck Rodeo. The 2026 championships are the 89th annual event.
Why is NTDC called the Super Bowl of Safety?
Because it is not a race. Every element rewards safe, precise, knowledgeable operation, and only drivers with clean safety records can compete.
