38 XPO Drivers to Compete at 2025 National Truck Driving Championships in Minneapolis

GlobeNewswire Inc.

July 09, 2025 2:30PM GMT

GREENWICH, Conn., July 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- XPO (NYSE: XPO), a leading provider of freight transportation in North America, today announced its team of 38 finalists for this year’s National Truck Driving Championships (NTDC) from August 20-23 in Minneapolis.

The annual NTDC, hosted by the American Trucking Associations (ATA), is the industry’s premier safety and skills competition. Known as the “Super Bowl of Safety,” NTDC dates to 1937 and brings together hundreds of the nation’s most accomplished professional drivers to compete for the coveted title of “Grand Champion.”

Mario Harik, chief executive officer of XPO, said, “We’re proud of the 38 drivers who will represent XPO at NTDC this year. They earned their place on trucking’s biggest stage through years of hard work and commitment to safety, professionalism and service. Congratulations to our team representing us in Minneapolis and to everyone who competed in their state competitions.”

XPO’s finalists come from 25 states and have collectively appeared at NTDC over 250 times. Each qualified for nationals by winning their vehicle class at their state championships and maintaining an accident-free driving record for more than one year. 

Six of XPO’s finalists were named Grand Champions of their state competitions, achieving the highest total score among competitors across nine equipment categories. XPO also took home trophies for the highest overall team scores at the Wisconsin, Louisiana, Idaho, Delaware and South Dakota state TDCs.

XPO’s six individual state Grand Champions are:

  • Nick Farness (Minnesota): Nick, who has driven over one million consecutive accident-free miles with XPO, returns for his fifth appearance at nationals in his home state – Minnesota.
  • Joe Hicks (Rhode Island): Joe first competed at NTDC in 2010, earning the Rookie of the Year award. He won the 4-axle class at the 2024 NTDC, becoming the first-ever driver from Rhode Island to secure a national title. This will be Joe’s 11th time competing at NTDC.
  • Dan Istre (Idaho): With nearly 25 years of experience competing in state championships, Dan is checking in for this eighth NTDC, where he will represent XPO in the Twins class.
  • Chris Poynor (Washington): Chris recently achieved two million consecutive accident-free miles and is competing at nationals for the ninth time this year, in the Twins class.
  • Jeremy Steger (Wisconsin): Appearing in his sixth NTDC, Jeremy will compete in the 4-axle class after leading XPO to the highest team score at his state competition.
  • Wilbert Vano (New Jersey): The 2023 New Jersey Driver of the Year and six-time NJ Grand Champion will compete in his 14th NTDC in the 3-axle class.

XPO’s 2025 NTDC Finalists:

State

Driver

Vehicle Class

Arizona

Ina Daly

Flatbed

Arizona

Greg Ziegler

Tank Truck

Connecticut

John Brown

Twins

Connecticut

Ernie Budlowski

Tank Truck

Connecticut

Tom Griffin

4-Axle

Connecticut

Tony Orfitelli

3-Axle

Delaware

Brandon Morris

3-Axle

Delaware

Paul Grandel

Straight Truck

Idaho

Jeff Halford

4-Axle

Idaho

Dan Istre

Twins

Idaho

Ben Scholes

3-Axle

Iowa

Scott Marnin

Straight Truck

Kansas

Ken Saur

4-Axle

Louisiana

Leroy Williams

Straight Truck

Louisiana

Curt McMellon

Tank Truck

Maryland

Adam Lucas

Twins

Massachusetts

Rich Sweeney

Tank Truck

Massachusetts

Shaun McArdle

3-Axle

Minnesota

Nick Farness

Twins

Nebraska

Sam Wilson

Straight Truck

Nevada

Bill Fox

Flatbed

New Jersey

Wilbert Vano

3-Axle

New York

David May

Straight Truck

North Dakota

Brad Morrow

Twins

North Dakota

Tom Opgrand

Flatbed

Oklahoma

Bob Neese

Twins

Pennsylvania

Scott Mullen

Twins

Rhode Island

Joe Hicks

4-Axle

Rhode Island

Dominic Semedo

Straight Truck

South Dakota

Pat Schneider

4-Axle

Utah

Judd Adams

Straight Truck

Vermont

Lenny Trifaro

4-Axle

Washington

Chris Poynor

Twins

West Virginia

Mike Roberts

3-Axle

Wisconsin

Jeff Langenhahn

Tank Truck

Wisconsin

Jeremy Steger

4-Axle

Wisconsin

Andy Rynearson

3-Axle

Wyoming

Heath Holstein

4-Axle


About XPO 
XPO, Inc. (NYSE: XPO) is a leader in asset-based less-than-truckload (LTL) freight transportation in North America. The company’s customer-focused organization efficiently moves 17 billion pounds of freight per year, enabled by its proprietary technology. XPO serves approximately 55,000 customers with 606 locations and 38,000 employees in North America and Europe, and is headquartered in Greenwich, Conn., USA. Visit xpo.com for more information, and connect with XPO on LinkedInFacebookXInstagram and YouTube

Media Contact
Cole Horton
+1-203-609-6004
cole.horton@xpo.com