Liner Notes

For Herschel Evans and for everyone involved in this year’s Georgia Truck Driving Championships, the event was a true emotional rollercoaster. The cheers for the hard-earned victories that secured championships and positions in the NTDC 2025 field were softened by the fact that the Georgia Trucking Community had lost a champion and a friend with the passing of Matt Awbrey following the first day of the competition.

Matt and Herschel had been friends and TDC training partners for many years, and Herschel had worked with Matt again prior to this year’s Georgia TDC. As you will hear in this episode of the podcast, Herschel dedicated his Grand Championship victory to Matt and he will be carrying Matt’s memory with him as added inspiration on the road to Minneapolis.

Recorded on the Sunday following the Georgia TDC, Herschel does an amazing job of sharing the emotional ride that he and the Georgia Trucking Community went through in early May. In fact, as you’ll hear, PodWheels first learned of Matt’s passing during the interview with Herschel. What Herschel shares through this interview stands as a wonderful tribute to a friend and it speaks to the strength and sense of caring that is present within the trucking industry.

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South Carolina’s Steve Ward is no stranger to success at both the State TDC and at the Nationals. Eight years ago, Steve narrowly missed having his name called for a trophy at NTDC 2017. That experience was one of three previous trips Steve has made to the Nationals as a State Champion. At this year’s South Carolina TDC, Steve was on the top of his game, winning the 3-Axle Division title before hearing his name called as the Grand Champion of the Palmetto State. In this episode of the podcast, you’ll hear Steve look back on his State Grand Champion run with Transport Topics Senior Reporter Eugene Mulero. In addition to reviewing his run at the state, Steve talks about his preparations as he continues his journey on the Road To Minneapolis. 

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As the competitors prepare to hit the course this Saturday in the Tri-State TDCs, we saved an interview that two-time National Grand Champion Roland Bolduc recorded with Jimmy Dixon earlier this year for our Rollin’ With Roland features. Both Roland and Jimmy are slated to be a part of the field at the Tri-State as the TDCs for Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts will decide who qualifies from those respective states to go on the Road To Minneapolis for NTDC 2025. As you’ll hear, Roland gets Jimmy to look back at his run during NTDC 2024 when he earned a third place national trophy in the Sleeper class. PodWheels Executive Producer Greg Thompson talks with Roland in the opening of the podcast on his preparations for the State TDC. You’ll also hear about Roland’s participation in a documentary series on professional drivers that is being produced by the American Trucking Associations.

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One of the toughest challenges for decision makers at trucking and logistics companies is how to harness and utilize the key performance data that can increase efficiency and produce savings while also driving greater profitability. With the immense availability of data in the market today, it’s quite easy for company leaders to be overwhelmed and to feel like you are drowning in numbers and trends. In this episode of the podcast, Grawe Group Founder and CEO Doug Grawe welcomes Swan Webb, a Partner at Results From Data. With a strong background in transportation and logistics, Swan is a self-described “Data Scientist” who discusses the importance for trucking and logistics leaders to find what their single source of truth is in analyzing the metrics across a given company’s departments.

Grawe Group Executive Business Partner Gary Randall also joins the podcast, lending his many years of Operations leadership to the conversation and how harnessing the right data can make a difference with your Operations Team and your fleet. At a time in the market where it has become crucial for trucking companies – both large and small – to make the most informed decisions possible, this episode offers insights on properly working with data and implementing easily executable strategies that can drive consistent savings and position your company for growth. To learn more about the Grawe Group, visit the firm’s website, TheGraweGroup.com.

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In our debut episode for our 2025 season, Trucking Matters will be providing listeners with a preview of what you can expect when Reliance Partners hosts the eighth annual Modernization of Cross-Border Trade Conference in Laredo, Texas, on June 17th. Trucking Matters Podcast host Thom Albrecht, who is also the Chief Revenue Officer at Reliance Partners, welcomes Mark Vickers to the podcast. Mark is the Executive Vice President of International Operations at Reliance Partners.

In providing a preview of the popular conference, Thom and Mark explore the significance of modernization in cross-border trade, the growth of the annual event in Laredo and the networking opportunities it provides. The conversation also looks into the impact of tariffs on trade relations between the U.S. and Mexico, emphasizing Mexico’s continued importance as a business partner. While the news on tariffs remains an evolving story heading into the June 17th event, Mark continues to see a landscape where US-Mexico trade will experience further growth.

As Mark shares, the upcoming conference will feature speakers representing some of the largest cross-border motor carriers as well as leading cross-border customs brokers and freight brokers. Attendees will include representatives from the U.S. and Mexican governments along with a host of professionals from the private sector. If you are interested in attending the 2025 edition of the Modernization of Cross-Border Trade Conference, please click here. Trucking Matters is a production of Reliance Partners in collaboration with PodWheels. To learn more about Reliance Partners, please visit ReliancePartners.com.

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Just before the State Trucking Driving Championships got rolling again on May 31, PodWheels Executive Producer Greg Thompson sat down with Transport Topics Senior Reporter Eugene Mulero to dedicate an episode of the podcast to looking back at the state TDCs that are already in the books on the Road To Minneapolis. Recorded on May 30th, Greg and Eugene discuss the fact the NTDC 2025 field will feature four previous National Grand Champions with the prospect of even more legends joining an all-star national championships field. Will Minneapolis be an NTDC where the experience of the Old Guard shines through? Or, will NTDC feature breakthrough performances by competitors who are new or relatively new to the nationals?

Greg and Eugene also look back at their favorite moments they have seen so far in covering this year’s State TDCs, including the return of Ramon Guzman to the NTDC as the California State Flatbed Champ after 17 years away from the nationals. Eugene provides us with an update as the Second Edition of the NTDC History Book, From Roadeo To TDC, which will be available for purchase in Minneapolis at NTDC 2025. As we get ready for the final pieces of the State TDC puzzle to fill out the national field, we hope you’ll enjoy this opportunity to take stock of what’s happened so far on our 25th episode release of this podcast in 2025. 

The post Taking Stock Of The Journey So Far On The Road To Minneapolis appeared first on PodWheels.

Despite having won two national championships, multiple state championships and claiming three previous state grand championships, Chris Poynor was not expecting to hear his name called when the Washington Trucking Associations announced its 2025 State Grand Champion in mid-April. As you’ll hear in this super-sized state grand champion edition of the podcast, Chris holds a deep appreciation for his victories in the 2025 Washington State TDC.

Chris, who recently surpassed two million safe driving miles in his career that spans more than 25 years, takes us inside his approach to road safety and his preparations for the state and national driving championships. This episode features two interviews with Chris as he chatted with both Transport Topics Senior Reporter Eugene Mulero and with PodWheels Executive Producer Greg Thompson. As you’ll hear, Chris is quick to credit the practice sessions he has done over the years with his cousin, Robert Dean, who is a fellow XPO driver and a past Washington State TDC Grand Champion.

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In listening to what Rickey Oliver shared in this edition of the podcast, he was quite surprised to hear his name was called as the Grand Champion of the Mississippi Truck Driving Championships. In fact, despite earning 10 previous berths to compete at the NTDCs, Rickey still had a moment of doubt when the Mississippi Trucking Association officials announced the top three finishers in the 5-Axle Class. The announcement of Rickey as the 5-axle champion erased any doubts as the veteran Walmart driver earned his 11th vehicle class state title. The 2025 Mississippi State Grand Championship was the third overall for Rickey, whose professional driving career now spans over 40 years.

In punching his ticket to NTDC 2025, Rickey’s Road To Minneapolis is one marked by humility and service to others. In this interview with PodWheels Executive Producer Greg Thompson, Rickey offers a look into his long, successful and safe career as a second-generation professional driver. As you’ll hear, Rickey not only saw his father as an inspiration to enter the industry, but he followed his father’s advice at key moments in his career.   

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The countdown to the New Jersey Truck Driving Championships is down to a matter of days as May 31 approaches. It should be no surprise that five-time Garden State Grand Champion Wilbert Vano has his sights set on making his 14th NTDC trip. The 2023 New Jersey Driver of the Year, Wilbert earned his first National Championship at NTDC 2022, winning the top trophy in the 3-Axle Division. For this episode of the podcast, Transport Topics Senior Reporter Eugene Mulero had an opportunity to talk to Wilbert a few weeks ago, just as the weather was warming up and Wilbert was beginning the last phases of his preparations for the state TDC. As you’ll hear, it’s a great conversation between Eugene and Wilbert, who both share strong ties to trucking and to the state of New Jersey.

The Road To Minneapolis is honored to be named by the American Trucking Associations as the Official Podcast of NTDC 2025. PodWheels is also proud that our NTDC Podcast Series has been chosen by FeedSpot.com as a member of FeedSpot’s Top 100 Trucking Podcasts List.

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In this State Grand Champion episode, we get to know Chad Rudesill, who claimed the top title at the nation’s first State TDC on the schedule. Chad closed out February with a performance that earned him the honor of becoming the Grand Champion of Louisiana. Chad’s victory in the 3-Axle Division set the stage for his first Grand Champion title. Chad’s father, Patrick, who inspired his son to join the trucking industry and eventually enter the TDC arena, brought home the third-place trophy this year in the 5-Axle Division. As Chad shares with Transport Topics Senior Reporter Eugene Mulero, Patrick’s past performances at both the state TDC and at NTDC showed Chad what was possible and bar that could be reached through a dedication to safety and overall professional excellence. 

The Road To Minneapolis is honored to be named by the American Trucking Associations as the Official Podcast of NTDC 2025. PodWheels is also proud that our NTDC Podcast Series has been chosen by FeedSpot.com as a member of FeedSpot’s Top 100 Trucking Podcasts List.

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