New Mexico Teamsters Win at NMTDC 2024
On May 18, 2024, New Mexico Teamsters converged from all over the state to compete in the New Mexico Truck Driving Championship. Held at the Isleta Casino, the decades-old event encourages dedicated drivers, spread among 9 divisions, to test their skills among 98 fellow competitors for the title of State Champion in their division. The 9 winners of that title will join up to 450 of the best of the best from across the nation to vie for a shot at the gold at the National Truck Driving Championship in Indianapolis, Indiana in August.
Each of the 9 divisions are scored in 3 categories. The written test grades knowledge of the trucking industry and all that is associated with being a trucker, such as the law, first aide, fire safety and load securement. The pre-trip inspection tests the driver’s ability to proactively scan the vehicle which they are about to drive and spot problems before they happen on the road. The skills test assesses the ability to maneuver the vehicle through a course that mimics real-life situations.
Several NM Teamsters took home a trophy, and 4 Teamsters won their division: Brothers Justin Gallant, Kirk Weis, Ralph Garcia, Robert Zamora, all from ABF Freight. Kirk Weis also won the NM Grand Champion award and Robert Zamora won the 2023 Driver of the Quarter award. Below is the list of Teamster trophy winners.
3 AXLE Division
Third Place and Rookie of the Year – Chris Apodaca, UPS
4 AXLE Division
First Place – Justin Gallant, ABF Freight
Third Place – Frankie Leyba, ABF Freight
5 AXLE Division
Third Place – Christopher Johnson, UPS
FLATBED Division
First Place and Grand Champion – Kirk Weis, ABF Freight
SLEEPER BERTH Division
First Place – Ralph Garcia, ABF Freight
TANK TRUCK Division
First Place and Driver of the Quarter – Robert Zamora, ABF Freight
Second Place – Shawn Hale, ABF Freight
To see the complete list of the scores and winners, CLICK HERE. Congratulations to all our Teamster winners and thank you to all of the Teamster competitors for your time and effort. You make your union proud!
Article Written by Joseph Carrillo
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