National Truck Driving Champion

Con-Way Freight was well represented at the National Truck Driving Championships, with five drivers winning various honors. Here, a Con-Way driver works his way through the driving skills test.

Carl Krites takes first place in Super Bowl of Safety

Carl Krites, a driver sales representative based out of Con-Way Freight’s Sidney, Ohio, service center, was recently crowned Grand Champion of the 2010 National Truck Driving Championships. Krites, a 31-year industry veteran, captured the national title by outscoring 415 of the nation’s best truck drivers who competed in the 73rd annual competition, conducted by the American Trucking Associations (ATA).

Known as the Super Bowl of Safety, the event was held in August in Columbus, Ohio. To qualify for U.S. state and national competitions, drivers must have maintained an accident-free driving record for the previous year. At the national competition, drivers face testing in three areas: a timed written exam, a pre-trip inspection test and a driving skills test. Each driver competes in one of nine equipment classes: 3-Axle, 4-Axle, 5-Axle, 5-Axle Flatbed, 5-Axle Sleeper, Step Van, Straight Truck, Tankers and Twins.

A resident of Wapakoneta, Ohio, Krites has participated in state truck driving championships since 2002. This year marked his first trip to the national competition, representing Ohio as the state champion in the Tankers class. At the Nationals he took first place in the Tankers class, and based on his composite score, capturedthe overall title of Grand Champion and industry recognition as the nation’s top truck driver. Krites has been a Con-way Freight driver sales representative since 1998. He has been a professional driver for 31 years and has driven approximately three million career miles. An avid fisherman, he and his wife, Renee, have a son, Brandon, who also works at Con-way Freight as a customer service representative.

Krites brings home the national title to Con-way Freight for the second consecutive year, taking over the crown from his colleague Dale Duncan, a Con-way Freight driver from San Diego, who was last year’s Grand Champion.

“On behalf of the entire Con-way Freight organization, I want to congratulate Carl Krites on a tremendous milestone,” said John G. Labrie, president, Con-way Freight. “To go up against the best of the best and come out on top is a signature accomplishment that speaks volumes about his professionalism and commitment to excellence.”

As the 2010 Grand Champion, Con-way Freight is awarding Krites a new Ford F-150 pickup truck (or the cash equivalent). He also will receive a customized commercial tractor displaying his name and championship title, which he will drive exclusively for the next year.