Would you like to hear how the fire hydrant became part of the semifinal driving course at NTDC 2025? Would you like to go inside some of the processes involved when it comes to deciding the challenges that are included for the driving courses at the Nationals? Frank Ems, who oversees the work of the NTDC committee responsible for the driving course layout, joins PodWheels Executive Producer Greg Thompson as we look back at NTDC 2025. It’s a fun conversation that highlights the thought and care Frank and the Driving Course Committee take in doing their work over many months before actually arriving onsite at the Nationals.

Friend Of The Podcast: 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.

The post Course Design Chief Frank Ems Looks Back On NTDC 2025 appeared first on PodWheels.

We are thrilled to launch our NTDC 2025 Champions Series by welcoming Dan Shamrell, who met the challenge of winning a National Championship in his final appearance at an NTDC. Prior to arriving in Minneapolis for NTDC 2025, Dan had shared his plans to retire before the end of 2025 after 38 years on the road with FedEx Freight.

Dan, an 11-time State Grand Champion from Oregon, had reached the Nationals 19 times over his career. He knew the 3-Axle field would once again be a gauntlet just to make it to Championship Saturday and driving in the finals. Yet, as Dan shares on this episode of the podcast, he felt an inner peace during his time in Minneapolis that kept a sense of calm that opened the doors to his 3-Axle Championship victory. Dan looks back with us on his final NTDC and a sterling career that is marked by his daily excellence on the road and within the field of precision driving.

Our Friend of the Podcast Sponsor for this episode of the NTDC 2025 Series is PROJECT 61. Driving health. Fueling life. Supporting the heroes behind the wheel — that’s what PROJECT 61 is all about. Project-61.org is the web address where the change begins. If you’re a driver — or if you care about someone who is — head over to Project-61.org. You’ll find resources to get started, including access to a free mobile app built specifically for life on the road — plus a chance to take the Trucker Health Pledge and show your support for the men and women behind the wheel. You can even make a donation to help PROJECT 61 keep doing this important work across the industry.

The post Dan Shamrell Looks Back On His Final Champions’ Drive At NTDC appeared first on PodWheels.

David Crocker, the Tanker State Champion from Maine, had just finished his first-ever run on the driving course when our podcast caught up with him in Minneapolis during the second day of NTDC Week. David’s interview is part of the collection of chats that we recorded onsite at NTDC 2025, and it’s one we decided to save to close out our Rewind Series that is part of our ongoing post-event coverage that will extend through the end of the year.

David, part of a large rookie class at NTDC 2025, was in a vehicle class that featured the past two National Grand Champions, Gragg Wilson (2023) and Jackie Reed (2024). As you will hear in our interview, David found the experience quite memorable and inspiring.

Friend Of The Podcast: 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.

The post One More Rewind: Chatting With Maine’s David Crocker On His First NTDC appeared first on PodWheels.

Almost one month to the day that the NTDC 2025 Organizing Committee began its onsite work to prepare for the Opening Day of this year’s Championships, PodWheels caught up with NTDC 2025 Chairman Robert Foskey. In this episode of the podcast, PodWheels Executive Producer Greg Thompson asks Bob to reflect on what took place in Minneapolis during the third week of August.

As you will hear, Bob shares notes of praise for everyone who came together to make NTDC 2025 a memorable event for all who were part of this year’s National Championships. As a past State Champion and a participant in the NTDC program, Bob has a unique perspective when it comes to the experience drivers and their families have at the nationals.

The work by the Organizing Committee, the ATA staff and all the volunteers that came together in Minneapolis represented an effort that was more than a year in the making. As he shares, Bob, who now relishes holding the title of Immediate Past Chairman, is quite grateful for all the work done by the entire team responsible for NTDC 2025. Recorded on the Thursday of National Driver Appreciation Week, Greg also took a moment to ask Bob what Driver Appreciation means to him.

Our Friend of the Podcast Sponsor for this episode of the NTDC 2025 Series is PROJECT 61. Driving health. Fueling life. Supporting the heroes behind the wheel — that’s what PROJECT 61 is all about. Project-61.org is the web address where the change begins. If you’re a driver — or if you care about someone who is — head over to Project-61.org. You’ll find resources to get started, including access to a free mobile app built specifically for life on the road — plus a chance to take the Trucker Health Pledge and show your support for the men and women behind the wheel. You can even make a donation to help PROJECT 61 keep doing this important work across the industry.

The post One Month Later, NTDC 2025 Chairman Robert Foskey Looks Back On The Championships appeared first on PodWheels.

The NTDC 2025 Podcast dedicates this episode to spotlighting the importance of National Truck Driver Appreciation Week by looking back at the achievements at NTDC 2025 and on the highways by the 425 state champions who gathered in Minneapolis for this year’s edition of the National Championships. PodWheels Executive Producer Greg Thompson and Transport Topics Senior Reporter Eugene Mulero also discuss the contributions that members of this year’s NTDC field made within their communities, their states and across the country.

In this edition of the podcast, you will hear the reading of the proclamation presented on the floor of the Rhode Island State House of Representatives honoring Rhode Island native Joe Hicks of XPO. Eugene and Greg also share a number of other notes of appreciation for the mile-by-mile work and the dedication to safety embraced each day by professional drivers across the country.

Friend Of The Podcast: 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.

The post Celebrating Professional Drivers’ Dedication To Safety, Service & Community appeared first on PodWheels.

As we continue to celebrate National Truck Driver Appreciation Week on the NTDC 2025 Podcast, we are thrilled to bring you a Champions Appreciation edition with a special Rollin’ With Roland episode of the series. About one month prior to the NTDC 2025 competition in Minneapolis, two-time National Grand Champion Roland Bolduc had an opportunity to sit down with Dan Shamrell, a highly accomplished previous national champion who has claimed the State Grand Championship of Oregon 11 times during his storied career.

Before they both competed in their respective vehicle divisions in Minneapolis, Roland wanted a chance to interview Dan, who would be making his 19th and final appearance at an NTDC. Roland, who qualified for his 20th NTDC in going to Minneapolis, knew that Dan would be retiring from trucking before the end of the year. With Dan winning the 2025 3-Axle National Championship on his final drive at NTDC, PodWheels made the decision to hold this great conversation between FedEx Teammates and fellow champions until we reached Driver Appreciation Week. We hope you enjoy what is now a wonderful time capsule as Dan looks back on his career is this memorable Rollin’ with Roland episode.

Our Friend of the Podcast Sponsor for this episode of the NTDC 2025 Series is PROJECT 61. Driving health. Fueling life. Supporting the heroes behind the wheel — that’s what PROJECT 61 is all about. Project-61.org is the web address where the change begins. If you’re a driver — or if you care about someone who is — head over to Project-61.org. You’ll find resources to get started, including access to a free mobile app built specifically for life on the road — plus a chance to take the Trucker Health Pledge and show your support for the men and women behind the wheel. You can even make a donation to help PROJECT 61 keep doing this important work across the industry.

The post Champions’ Chat: Dan Shamrell Reflects On NTDC Career While Rollin’ With Roland appeared first on PodWheels.

As this year’s celebration of National Truck Driver Appreciation Week begins, the NTDC 2025 Podcast dedicates our 80th episode release of the year to take an initial look back at a number of the top performances across the nine vehicle divisions in the competition that brought together 425 state champions from across the country. Recorded on September 3, PodWheels Executive Producer Greg Thompson and Transport Topics Senior Reporter Eugene Mulero spend some time going inside the final results from NTDC 2025 in Minneapolis.

You’ll hear Eugene and Greg share some tidbits that they learned while talking with some of the competitors and NTDC organizers during NTDC Week. You’ll also hear Eugene look back on the initial reaction he received from folks at NTDC 2025 and others following the release of the second edition of the NTDC History Book that Eugene co-authored with Jacob Pierce, who is the ATA liaison for NTDC.

Friend Of The Podcast: 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.

The post Appreciating The Performances and Achievements By Nation’s Top Drivers at NTDC 2025 appeared first on PodWheels.

As we continue our NTDC 2025 Rewind Series from our time onsite in Minneapolis, PodWheels is rolling it back to Wednesday of NTDC Week when we caught up with a friend we met in Columbus two years ago. In 2023, PodWheels Executive Producer was introduced to Alex Ayala, who serves as a Safety Consultant for H-E-B Grocery. As you will hear in this edition of the podcast, Alex works with the H-E-B drivers who qualify for the NTDCs. And, in 2025, while competing in the state of Texas, Alex and H-E-B experienced the joy of seeing six of their drivers win their vehicle divisions and qualify for the nationals.

During his conversation with Greg, Alex also shares his history with the State TDCs and the Nationals, including serving as a volunteer while he was part of the Safety Department at H-E-B. Alex has actually been involved with the state and national competitions in various roles since 1966. Following his retirement from H-E-B, Alex began serving as a Safety Consultant for the company with a primary focus on the Texas State TDC and the NTDC. As Alex tells Greg, one of his most important roles at the nationals is to secure his place in line on Wednesday of NTDC Week to hang the H-E-B banner that honors all of the company’s competitors in this field of champions. As you will hear, Alex was onsite at the Minneapolis Convention Center as the doors opened on Wednesday of NTDC Week to be the first line to enter the competition hall.

Our Friend of the Podcast Sponsor for this episode of the NTDC 2025 Series is PROJECT 61. Driving health. Fueling life. Supporting the heroes behind the wheel — that’s what PROJECT 61 is all about. Project-61.org is the web address where the change begins. If you’re a driver — or if you care about someone who is — head over to Project-61.org. You’ll find resources to get started, including access to a free mobile app built specifically for life on the road — plus a chance to take the Trucker Health Pledge and show your support for the men and women behind the wheel. You can even make a donation to help PROJECT 61 keep doing this important work across the industry.

The post NTDC Wednesday Rewind: Alex Ayala Values Carrying H-E-B’s Banner and Promoting Safety appeared first on PodWheels.

Not long after the finalists had been announced and the vehicle parade ended on Championship Saturday in Minneapolis, PodWheels witnessed a moment that we will be featuring with this rewind episode which truly embodies the full spectrum of competition and respect that takes place each year at the NTDCs. Wilbert Vano, a six-time State Grand Champion and true legend from New Jersey with XPO, had struck up a conversation with Matt Lamielle, a General Manager with DHL Supply Chain. Matt is part of the DHL Team looking to grow his company’s participation and success in both the State TDCs and the Nationals.

While Wilbert, with a Top 20 finish in 2025, was disappointed to not be part of the runoff field in 3-Axle, Matt had seen Wilbert drive in New Jersey and he held him in the highest regard. Matt knew Wilbert’s reputation as a great competitor and a true professional. Wilbert, who has made 14 trips to the nationals and won the 3-Axle National title in 2022, was more than happy to chat with Matt, answering questions and sharing some insights that Matt could share in the future with the folks seeking to be a part of NTDC 2026.

For this episode of the podcast, PodWheels Executive Producer Greg Thompson talked with Wilbert and Matt about their respective weeks at NTDC 2025 and what they learned. We hope our listeners will find this to be another fun conversation that covers some interesting ground, including Wilbert’s work during basketball season as a high school referee. As a quick side note, DHL did advance one driver to the finals and Merle Ashbaugh from Ohio broke through and claimed the National Championship in the Sleeper Berth Class.

Our Friend of the Podcast Sponsor for this episode of the NTDC 2025 Series is PROJECT 61. Driving health. Fueling life. Supporting the heroes behind the wheel — that’s what PROJECT 61 is all about. Project-61.org is the web address where the change begins. If you’re a driver — or if you care about someone who is — head over to Project-61.org. You’ll find resources to get started, including access to a free mobile app built specifically for life on the road — plus a chance to take the Trucker Health Pledge and show your support for the men and women behind the wheel. You can even make a donation to help PROJECT 61 keep doing this important work across the industry.

The post Championship Saturday Moment Rewind: Jersey Legend Wilbert Vano Continues To Inspire appeared first on PodWheels.

Recorded four days after the closing night of NTDC 2025, PodWheels Executive Producer Greg Thompson and Transport Topics Senior Reporter Eugene Mulero sit down for an extended look at what took place in Minneapolis during NTDC Week for 2025. As you will hear, Greg is actually still onsite in the Twin Cities at the time of the recording. This episode touches on many topics and a number of award winners from the competition, including going behind the scenes to hear about Eugene’s conversations with the participants in the championship round after they had finished their drives.

You will also hear Greg share his conversation with Dan and Kathy Shamrell a couple of hours after Dan had won the 3 Axle National Championship in his final NTDC run as he moves toward his retirement. It’s a fun episode that shares a number of great stories from our time onsite in Minneapolis and it also sets up some of what we will be doing on the series as we move toward October and plan our content releases through the end of the year.

Friend Of The Podcast: 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.

The post Rewinding To Two Weeks Ago, Looking Deeper Into NTDC 2025 appeared first on PodWheels.