AKRON, Ohio - September 11, 2003 - Ken Epley, a professional driver/sales representative for Roadway Express, Inc., domiciled at the company's Chicago Heights, Illinois facility, placed second in the Tanker Class at the 66th National Truck Driving Championships held in Columbus, Ohio on August 19 - 23, 2003.
The American Trucking Associations sponsored the four-day competition, consisting of 353 drivers from around the country. The event tests the skills of drivers through an intense driving competition, written examination, personal interview and pre-trip inspection. It's an opportunity for professional truck drivers to demonstrate their driving skills and commitment to safety. Among other requirements, a driver must drive safely for one year before the event and place first in his or her class at the state level.
"We congratulate Ken for his outstanding performance at the national event," stated Executive Vice President of Operations for Roadway, John Bronneck. "I felt a tremendous sense of pride attending the championships. The drivers qualifying for participation in the competition have truly distinguished themselves in the arena of safety excellence."
A professional truck driver for 30 years, Ken has worked for Roadway for 10 years and is a member of Local 705 of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. He competed in the National competition in 1997, won National Champion in the Straight Truck Class in 2000 and won Illinois State Champion in 2003. His accomplishments include January 2001, Illinois Driver of the Month; 10 years of safe driving for Roadway without a preventable accident; Roadway District 12 Road Team member; trainer of pickup and delivery driving, hazardous material handling and a system of key ideas to prevent injuries; 1999-2001, incident coordinator for haz mat emergency response team; and a member of Roadway District 12 Illinois State Police commercial vehicle safe training team.
"All sports have all-star games. To me, this is our all-star game and the winner in each class gets the MVP award for that year," said Ken. "It was an honor to compete with such an elite team of professional drivers."
Ken resides in Frankfort, Illinois with his wife, Sandy. They have two children: Tina and Brad, and two grandchildren: Bailey and Kyle. Ken's hobbies include golf and woodworking.
