2000 NTDC Main Page | 1999 NTDC Main Page | Competition Advice | 1999 State Champions
Gary Ott | Driver/Dockworker | Billings, MT (888)
You've got what it takes
Slow down!
Slow and smooth
Develop a game plan
Don't be greedy with points
A Zero? Don't give up
Don't use a reference point
Do what comes naturally
Studying
Stress
It's all about the team
Thanks and hope to see you in Tampa!
Gary has been with Roadway for 15 years. Competing since 1990, he has attended the National Truck Driving Championships seven times. He was National Champion in the 3-Axle Class in 1998.
Gary can be reached by e-mail at gravott@aol.com.
You've got what it takes[ Top of Page ]
I feel that the drivers who are competing or even thinking of competing are already some of the most professional drivers in the industry. I feel if they have enough interest to want to get involved or even investigate what the championships are all about, they enjoy their chosen profession and that automatically leads to the desire to do it safely. Therefore, every one of these drivers has been learning from everything they read and see and every experience they have had and are putting it altogether to be better and safer. What could I possibly add that they don't already have inside?
Slow down![ Top of Page ]
There are a couple things I would recommend to drivers that will help them concentrate on using the skills they undoubtedly already have when competing at state and nationals. One thing I have seen drivers do that cost points is driving too fast. Drive through the course slow enough to feel more than comfortable. I always drive through the course at a very slow pace. With more people involved at the state and nationals, officials are concerned about getting everyone through the course without using an excessive amount of time, so most of the courses are pretty streamlined and time is rarely a factor. You need time to think about how you are going to set up for the next problem as well as paying attention to how you are doing in the problem you are in.
Slow and smooth[ Top of Page ]
The final drive last year is a good example where going slow saved me. I was driving around the barrels and thinking "What is wrong? There is way too much room here." My first impulse was to grab a gear or even two as there was so much room. I held back and was feeling pretty foolish crawling around the barrels at a snail's pace. When I got to the back side of the problem, all of a sudden there was a taped boundary line on the floor ten feet inside of the boundary cones. I had seen this in the walk-through but forgot about it. The glare from the lighting was such that I didn't see this line until it was almost too late. Had I been going at a faster speed, I am sure I would not have been able to correct in time. It took me 9 minutes and 46 seconds to get through a relatively simple course but I feel it would have cost me the whole thing had I been going as fast as I thought I should have been going. DO IT SLOW AND SMOOTH!
Develop a game plan[ Top of Page ]
After the walk-through, you will develop a "game plan" for each problem and also for the entire course. You will have a pretty good of idea how you plan to drive the course when you get in the truck at the starting line, but there is always a little extra "thinking problem" or two that is thrown into the course. Almost always, I have to change my game plan midstream because of a boundary line or some other part of the course that doesn't drive quite like it did in my head. Going slow gives me time to correct it without jeopardizing the whole problem.
Don't be greedy with points[ Top of Page ]
Another thing that has eaten up many points for me is greed. I have heard this from many drivers including the Grand Champion winner after his win last year. It would be great to win that $10,000 for the perfect score, but I think pushing every problem for a 50-point score costs a lot of wins. On the high-scoring classes of 3-Axle and Straight Truck, high scores are necessary but they don't all have to be 50's.
A Zero? Don't give up[ Top of Page ]
If you "zero" a problem, don't let frustration overcome you. I have always heard that if you "zero" a problem, it is all over. This is not necessarily true.
In 1996 I got a "zero" on my first problem, which is always a simple one, and my first inclination was to grab a gear or three and get the *&$% off the course! Just as I was thinking "pedal to the metal and shoot me out of here," I looked to the side and low and behold there (as always) was a group of Roadway cheerleaders. One of them was holding (as always) this huge Roadway camera with this gigantic lens and it was pointed straight at my face from it seemed like ten feet away. Wow! Now would be a good time to get my head back on and go for those 50 pointers, huh? I ended up in 4th. I was nine points from third place and getting in the final drive-off. I did have room to pick up those nine points that I needed to get me into the finals either in driving (even with the "zero") or in testing. So do not ever let up on the effort. Score on every problem but you don't have to have 50's to win. DON'T GET GREEDY BUT NEVER LET UP!
Don't use a reference point[ Top of Page ]
Another thing I have seen many drivers try to do that cost them a win is to pick a reference point on a vehicle and use it for a front stop or right side boundary mark. This is very difficult to do in a truck that you do not drive everyday. Even if it is the same as the truck you normally drive. If the seat is in a different position or if you are a little more stressed than you were at equipment selection and sit up a little taller, this reference point may change your mark by a long way.
I have seen judges conference over whether or not to give a 25-point deduction because they felt the driver ran over one whole side of the straight line balls on purpose to guarantee a score of 25 rather than try to go between them and risk hitting all of them. The driver ran over the left side of the balls with the left drive tires. The driver said he didn't know how that could happen because he had his reference point perfect and the right side should have gone between the balls perfectly. He had practiced using that reference point every time.
It is real easy to be perfect using a reference point when using the same tractor and doing it over the same course every time, but different trucks and different lighting and different course conditions make a reference point very difficult to use. Many times the markings on the floor are lost entirely because of the lighting and if a driver has to look back and forth from reference point to course markings, there is a very good chance of losing track of the marks and never find it in time to stop. You need to get sight of that scoring mark and keep your eye on it so that if it disappears you still have your eye on the area of floor where it was in order to have the best chance of picking it up again.
When making your equipment selection, sit in the truck and look where the front stopline is. Most always, the trucks are sitting with the front bumper on a seal in the floor so you can see where the frontline is. Pay attention to this so that you know if it was 6 or 8 inches further or closer than your instincts were telling you when sitting in that truck. Then you have to remember that perception when you are driving that truck and adjust your stopping accordingly. This seems to work better for me than trying a reference point. DO IT LIKE YOU DO EVERYDAY. That is, what got you this far and I bet you don't use a reference point on the front fender to know when to stop everyday.
Do what comes naturally[ Top of Page ]
The knowledge and skill needed to win is already inside each driver that has the urge to compete. If you have the desire and pride to be a bigger part of the Roadway team, then you have already demonstrated the most important part. The rest comes naturally. Do what is there naturally and try not to bring something into the picture that is out of routine, such as a reference point.
Studying[ Top of Page ]
As far as studying goes, just read and read and read. The first time I read my book I highlight everything that doesn't seem to be etched permanently in my brain. Then I try to go through the book a few more times reading a little here and a little there, but concentrating only on those highlighted parts. Then I go through the entire book again and highlight, in a different color, everything that still may not be etched in by now. This keeps me from having to read the things that I don't need to study and lets me concentrate on the parts I need to learn. Then just prior to testing, I read the entire book again at least once.
Stress[ Top of Page ]
I feel like I have learned from every championship. The biggest thing that I have not been able to learn is how to keep the stress level in line. It seems that the pressure gets bigger every time. Not pressure from anyone at Roadway or anyone involved in the championships, but self-inflicted stress. If I don't do well I feel like I should quit trying to be part of the team, as I am not helping or doing what is expected of me. But one of the first things I learned when I got involved in the championships was that this is a team event and that it really doesn't matter who wins. Everybody just wants the winner to be someone from Team Roadway.
It's all about the team[ Top of Page ]
Ironically enough, the "team" part of the championships was really reinforced for me in 1998. Every one of our drivers at Long Beach seemed to be as excited that I had attained 1st place as they would have been if they had won themselves. I received quite a few pictures in the mail from Roadway and the ATA and about anyone else who came across a good one. I started noticing that in many of these pictures the drivers around me looked like they were yelling louder and jumping higher than I was over my win (which may have a little bit to do with me getting older and slower!). This was definitely a group of team players, I was lucky enough to be associated with. The support and first-class treatment we receive from Roadway and all the work that goes on behind the scenes by so many people shows how certain everyone is that they are supporting the best team in the industry. So if it is just not your day, don't give up. Everyone has good days and bad days. There is not a driver involved that does not have the ability to win. We just need to get enough of us there, have a good day, and show that the Big R team is capable of dominating these championships. With everyone's help we can do just that.
Thanks and hope to see you in Tampa![ Top of Page ]
I want to thank Mike Wickham, Jim Staley, John Bronneck, Dennis McMickens, Mary Berry, Amy Polk and many that I haven't named for all the work and support they have given us through all the championships. Without all their efforts and the efforts of everyone involved, these Championships would not be successful in promoting safe driving and the proud image that goes along with it. I also want to thank all the drivers who have been with me at many of the Championships for their advice and encouragement. I did miss seeing some acquaintances from previous Championships last year. I hope I get the chance to see you ALL in Tampa this year. I am sure you will all be there and I will certainly give my best effort to be there.
1999 NTDC Main Page | Competition Advice | 1999 State Champions
