Dave Hall and Loren Hatfield, both of ABF Freight, each placed second in their respective divisions at the 2015 National Truck Driving Championships. Hall and Hatfield joined 429 other professional truck drivers in St. Louis, Mo., August 11–14 to compete in the annual “Super Bowl of Safety” sponsored by the American Trucking Associations.
The 431 contestants represented all 50 states and 85 different companies.Arkansas sent 9 competitors, each representing an Arkansas Trucking Championship winner from 7 different companies. The event spanned four days with contestants tested on their knowledge of safety, equipment and the industry. The championship includes an obstacle course testing competitors’ skill of real life driving situations.
According to David O’ Neal, director of safety services at the Arkansas Trucking Association, “Arkansas should be very proud of Dave and Loren. They represented their company, state and industry professionally and positively all week. They both worked really hard for this accomplishment and are deserving of this national honor.”
Hall won the grand champion title at the 2015 Arkansas Trucking Championship in June, finishing with the highest score in the 4-Axle class. He has worked in the industry for 28 years with over 2 million lifetime safe driving miles. He resides in Austin, Ark. with his wife Eileen and children David (17), Zachary (16) and Madison (13). A two- time winner, Hall also placed 6th at the national championships in 2008.
Hatfield has worked for ABF Freight for 16 years and holds a no-accident record over the course of 21 years in the industry. He has received a 10 year safety award and numerous other safety and performance awards from his employer. Hatfield volunteers for the Jr. League of Little Rock and currently serves as a Captain on the America’s Road Team as well as on the ABF Road Team. He and his wife Tammy live in Maumelle, Ark. They have two children: Jeff (25) and Skylar (20). Hatfield has competed in the state-level truck driving event since 2004, finishing 1st in the Flatbed division in both 2013 and 2014. Over his years of competition he has also placed in Twins and Tank divisions, earning the state grand champion title in 2009 and 2013.
“The industry is safer than it has ever been because of the professional drivers who commit to safety and take such pride in their jobs. All the competitors who took part in the National Truck Driving Championships are the best of what truck driving has to offer,” Arkansas Trucking Association President Shannon Newton said. “And it is an honor to have so much Arkansas talent, skill and professionalism representing the industry.
