Liner Notes

In the finale of our three-part preview series, Transport Topics Senior Reporter Eugene Mulero and PodWheels Executive Producer Greg Thompson take an inside look at the competitors lining up in the Tanker, Sleeper and Twins vehicle classes. As you’ll hear, the Tanker Division alone has three previous National Grand Champions, including Jackie Reed, the 2024 Grand Champion. Sleeper is filled with accomplished veterans and newcomers seeking to grab the gold. Twins features a strong group as well, including Colorado’s Dave Mogler, who won a National Championship last year in 3-Axle.

JoyRide Logistics is focused on being a world-class, customer-focused business. JoyRide is driven by its people and their dedication to provide valuable solutions to meet the challenges of today’s supply chain. To learn more about JoyRide Logistics, visit JoyRideLogistics.com.

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Our division-by-division preview of NTDC 2025 continues with deep dives into the 4-Axle, 5-Axle and Flatbed vehicle classes. Transport Topics Senior Reporter Eugene Mulero and PodWheels Executive Producer Greg Thompson discuss the return of Joe Hicks, the defending 4-Axle National Champion and the pride of Rhode Island.

The 5-Axle Class features a pair of two-time National Grand Champions with the return to competition of Dale Duncan from Utah along with the 20th NTDC appearance of Roland Bolduc, NTDC Grand Champion in 2017 and 2022 from Connecticut. This episode also shines a spotlight on Flatbed, and among those state champions discussed are Ina Daly, the only woman to ever win a vehicle class national title, and Ramon Guzmancastro, who will be making his first appearance at the Nationals in nearly two decades.

JoyRide Logistics is focused on being a world-class, customer-focused business. JoyRide is driven by its people and their dedication to provide valuable solutions to meet the challenges of today’s supply chain. To learn more about JoyRide Logistics, visit JoyRideLogistics.com.

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As we count down the final hours to the start of NTDC 2025 in Minneapolis, Transport Topics Senior Reporter Eugene Mulero and PodWheels Executive Producer Greg Thompson introduce the first episode of a three-part series that looks at all nine vehicle class divisions. In Part One, Eugene and Greg will be focusing on Step Van, Straight and 3-Axle, talking about competitors and how things look going into the Nationals. It’s a fun conversation that places a spotlight on each of the divisions. JoyRide Logistics is serving as our Friend of the Podcast Sponsor for this episode. JoyRide Logistics is focused on being a world-class, customer-focused business. JoyRide is driven by its people and their dedication to provide valuable solutions to meet the challenges of today’s supply chain. To learn more about JoyRide Logistics, visit JoyRideLogistics.com.

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David Comings of FedEx Freight has been looking forward to making a family trip to neighboring Minnesota ever since he qualified for NTDC 2025 in Minneapolis by winning the 5-Axle vehicle class at the North Dakota Truck Driving Championships on June 21. The fourth career vehicle class state title for David opened the door to position him to earn his first State TDC Grand Championship.

A father with a family of six children, David had quite the cheering section back in June, and, as he shares with us in this edition of the podcast, David and his wife have been making plans to bring the whole Comings Crew to NTDC 2025. During the interview, David talks about the importance of the TDC and NTDC programs in his continuing efforts to stay safe on the road.

In the closing section of the podcast, Transport Topics Senior Reporter Eugene Mulero and PodWheels Executive Producer Greg Thompson take a moment to reflect on the series of interviews that they have been conducting with State TDC Champions over the course of 2025.    

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In this episode of the Grawe Pod, we are dedicating some time to place a focus on lease-purchase programs, exploring the benefits and challenges for both the independent contractors behind wheel and trucking companies providing the operating authority. Doug Grawe, the Founder and CEO of the Grawe Group, leads a comprehensive discussion on the topic that includes the legal and operational considerations for trucking organizations with lease purchase programs. Doug is joined on this episode by Greg Thompson, a podcast producer with 27 years of experience in the trucking industry that includes time working with independent contractors and lease-purchase programs

While examining some of the leading do’s and don’ts of lease-purchase programs, Doug notes the career path benefits lease purchase programs bring trucking companies, and he makes the case for third-party lease purchase program managers to help ICs succeed and ease trucking company burdens.

Doug and Greg close out this edition of the podcast by discussing some of the key takeaways from the ATA Litigation Center’s Trucking Legal Forum, which was held in Denver at the end of July. Doug served as a presenter on one of the panels at the annual event.

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A veteran of North Carolina Truck Driving Championships since 2011, Michael Bills of FedEx has become a regular qualifier for a trip to the Nationals. In 2025, Michael navigated his way to his ninth state vehicle class title while also claiming his third Grand Championship crown competing in the Tar Heel State. In this edition of the podcast, Michael talks about his TDC and NTDC experiences with Transport Topics Senior Reporter Eugene Mulero.

In the closing section of this episode, PodWheels Executive Producer Greg Thompson discusses the long list of accomplished competitors who have qualified for this year’s 3-Axle vehicle class, which includes Michael Bills. Eugene offers some insightful observations about the 3-Axle field in a discussion that will serve as a warm-up session for the upcoming vehicle class preview episodes.  

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While Bret Woodring from Groendyke Transport was pleasantly surprised to hear his name called as the Tanker Division State Champion at the Oklahoma Truck Driving Championships in June, he was so stunned by the next announcement that a friend had to tell Bret, “It’s you, dude!” In this episode of the podcast, Bret shares the moment he realized that he had earned the Grand Championship for the state of Oklahoma, an honor Bret accomplished in only his second year of competing at the state TDC.

Transport Topics Senior Reporter Eugene Mulero and PodWheels Executive Producer Greg Thompson also talk with Bret about making his first trip to the NTDC, where he will be competing in a Tanker Class that features three past National Grand Champions, including 2024’s defending Grand Champion Jackie Reed from Mississippi. In addition to discussing his rookie trip to the Nationals, Bret shares his approach to daily safety on the road, including discussing a moment a few years ago that continues to inspire every mile he drives.

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You can understand why Scott Lorio of FedEx Freight put a special circle around the dates for NTDC 2025 in Minneapolis. Of course, Scott who has become a regular within the NTDC by winning four state titles and two State Grand Championships while competing in Montana wanted to go back to NTDC this year. But, as Scott shares with us, his victory in the Twins Class en route to securing his third Montana State Grand Championship meant he had punched his ticket to Minneapolis, which also happens to be where his father lives. Scott will indeed have a special cheering section when NTDC 2025 begins on August 20th. 

Scott was part of an amazing team performance at the Montana State TDC by Team FedEx, which won the vehicle class championships in all of the eight divisions competed. On the day, drivers with FedEx and FedEx Freight claimed 21 of the 24 division trophies earned for first, second and third. In the final section of the podcast, PodWheels Executive Producer Greg Thompson and Transport Topics Senior Producer Eugene Mulero discuss the company breakout of the NTDC 2025 field, looking at the number of competitors for this year’s top participating companies, including FedEx Freight, FedEx, Walmart, UPS, Old Dominion, ABF Freight and H-E-B Grocery. 

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There is a part of Pete Dreisbach who must still see his journey to his fourth consecutive NTDC as quite the incredible trip. In this edition of the podcast, Pete tells us how he made the most out of his full-ride NCAA Division I scholarship at VMI earning two graduate degrees. One of the degrees was in German Literature, and Pete took advantage of an opportunity to study in Germany, where he met his wife. Now, while he was in Germany, Pete also found his first job in transportation as a package handler.

Fast forward a couple of years and Pete filled one of the openings for holiday help at UPS, having just moved to Kentucky. Following the busy holiday shipping season, Pete was offered a job driving a step van and he began making deliveries for UPS. As the Spring of 2022 approached, Pete’s co-workers encouraged him to enter the Kentucky State TDC.

As a rookie, Pete won in the Step Van Division and he made the Saturday run-off at NTDC 2022. In 2024, driving in Straight Truck for the first time, Pete won his third state title and did well at Nationals. Rather than go back to Step Van this year, Pete stayed in Straight Truck and helped to mentor his friend, Eric Davidson, to the Kentucky Step Van State Title. As you will hear, precision driving now lights the competitive fire that Pete found on the football field. Most importantly, though,  the State and National competition has re-ignited the sense of team building that Pete enjoyed as a high school and college athlete.

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While he was optimistic about his chances for success at the Colorado TDC in early June, Nick Gaudette from FedEx knew from experience that he would have his hands full during all phases of the competition. Ironically, as he shares with us in this edition of the podcast, Nick’s hands were so full from the awards he claimed on his best day ever at a TDC that he almost needed a barrow trailer at the event to bring everything home.

In winning the Flatbed Division and qualifying for his third career NTDC run, Nick won the award for Best Pre-Trip and he posted the best score on the driving course. While Nick didn’t take first in the written test, his score in that phase of the competition helped him earn the state’s professional excellence award. Of course, all of those stellar performances placed Nick in the prime position to win his first State Grand Championship on a day in his trucking career that was truly unforgettable.

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