Arkansas Motor Carrier's Association 1997 Truck Rodeo

Arkansas driving champs have their day in the sun
By Ronald Sitton
Trucker Staff

USA Truck's Ozzie Beeler stops a little short of the dock barricade but nails the side strip. This alley backing maneuver measured a driver's accuracy while docking. Beeler placed second in the new Sleeper Berth division. (Trucker staff photo by Ronald Sitton)

   The 1997 Arkansas Truck Driving Championships at Little Rock's War Memorial Stadium drew 84 competitors from 20 companies across the state May 30 - 31.

   Almost half of the drivers competed for the first time, said Wendy Sharp, Arkansas Motor Carrier Association's executive assistant of administrative services. Drivers competed in seven divisions including the new Sleeper Berth division; the 5-axle tank, flatbed and van divisions; the 4-axle van division and the 3-axle van division.

   "I thought it went really smooth," Sharp said. "All of the judges were really well prepared. It went as smooth as possible from our end."

   Approximately 500 people watched the event and another 350 people attended the awards banquet held at the Double Tree Hotel in downtown Little Rock.

Drivers had to make right-handed turns around a tire, using only their sideview mirrors. The closer to the tire, the more points they got. If the truck touched the tire, the driver received no score. (Trucker staff photo by Ronald Sitton)

The 1997 Arkansas Truck Driving Championship winners included:

Twin Trailer Division
1st — Aaron Frisby of Con-Way Southern Express
2nd — Tim Hess of American Freightways
3rd — Carl Silas of Wal-Mart Stores

5-Axle Tank Division
1st — Jimmy Harris of Wal-Mart Stores
2nd — Bill Webb of Virco Mfg. Corporation
3rd — Eric Coursey of Seahawk Transport

3-Axle Van Division
1st — Dale Dunn of Maverick Transportation
2nd — Randy Lovell of Arkansas Aluminum Alloys
3rd — Calvin Crutchfield of Con-Way Southern Express

4-Axle Van Division
1st — J.R. Wicker of JD & Billy Hines Trucking
2nd — Lee Worthington of Cal-Ark, Inc.
3rd — Jimmy Willis of Arkansas Aluminum Alloys

American Freightways' Tim Hess of Conway tackles the tennis balls. Tennis balls started two feet wider than the truck tires and tapered to two inches. Hess placed second in twin-trailer. (Trucker staff photo by Ronald Sitton)

5-Axle Flatbed Division
1st — David Oliver of Dupre' Transport
2nd — Michael Gaines of Harold Ives Trucking Company
3rd — Charles Prather of Maverick Transportation

5-Axle Van Division
1st — Billy Rowell of Arkansas Aluminum Alloys
2nd — Billy O'Dell of Wal-Mart Stores
3rd — Tim Blasingame of Harold Ives Trucking Company

Sleeper Berth
1st — Ron Wolf of Maverick Transportation
2nd — Ozzie Beeler of USA Truck
3rd — Roney Loveless of Virco Mfg. Corporation

Rookie of the Year — Ron Wolf of Maverick Transportation

Grand Champion with a score of 325.5 — Jimmy Harris of Wal-Mart Stores
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This story appeared in the June 9-22, 1997 issue of The Trucker.