On June 3rd and 4th several of our Prime drivers competed in the Missouri State Truck Driving Championship. TDC is a competition for truck drivers involving a written test, pre-trip inspection, and a driving test. These drivers compete for pride and recognition of their occupation and to bring light to safety concerns regarding truck driving. Missouri is one of the most competitive states to compete in, so winning here is a huge accomplishment.
This weekend we had four winners at state:
Duane Grimme won 1st place in tanker
Scott Fischer won 1st place in flatbed
Michael Tatum won 2nd place in tanker
Joseph Wells won rookie of the year as well as winning 2nd place in the 4-axle class
Several of these drivers have previously competed in this competition. This was Duane’s 18th year competing at state. In 2007 he got 1st in tanker and was the grand champion in Missouri, in 2008 he won 1st in tanker again, in 2010 and 2013 he got 1st in flatbed and in 2019 he won 3rd in flatbed. Duane has been at Prime for 25 years and has over 3 million safe miles. Scott Fischer has competed at state two other years, in 2018 he won 1st in flatbed in Missouri then went on to get 23rd in nationals which was held in Columbus, Ohio that year. In 2019 he got 1st in flatbed again and proceeded to get 5th in nationals held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Scott has been with Prime for 9 years and has over a million safe driving miles. Also, in 2020, he won instructor of the year in Utah! Michael Tatum has only competed once previously at state, and he has been with Prime for 7 years and has over a million safe miles.
The Truck Driving Championship holds a special place in many of our drivers’ hearts. For Duane Grimme, he met his wife, Darla, at his first Missouri State TDC in 2002 which was held in Joplin that year. He says that the people you meet and the friends you make along the way are what make this competition so special. He even goes on an annual bike trip with several of his friends through TDC! In 2007, Duane became the first Prime driver to win Grand Champion at this competition after winning his class, but this isn’t the only competition he excels in. That same year, he won first in the Pride and Polish Owner/Operator of the year! Duane suggests that all drivers come out to the Labor Day Picnic this year to see what the Truck Driving Championship is all about and hopefully compete in the future!
Interested in driving for Prime? Apply online at www.primeinc.com/?r=blog or give our recruiters a call at 888-664-9121
