TMC Driver Richard Padilla Competes in Iowa Truck Driving Championships
on Friday, June 28, 2024
in
Awards & Recognition
The Iowa Truck Driving Championships—which took place June 13 and 14—are an annual opportunity for the best truck drivers in Iowa to compete in tests of their driving knowledge and skill. TMC was represented in the competition by one of our exceptional drivers, Richard Padilla.
Richard Padilla: A Driver Dedicated to Excellence
Richard has been a TMC driver for nearly five years. He has achieved almost 500,000 safe miles, with no accidents or claims. During that time, he has also trained 12 drivers.
Ops manager Josh Kintz says that Richard was an easy choice to represent TMC in the competition. “Richard is an important and valuable part of the team,” Josh says. “He is a company guy, and he always goes above and beyond to meet the customer and company needs and does it with enthusiasm. He has a great attitude towards his work.”
The Competition
As part of the Truck Driving Championships, Richard was tested on all aspects of truck driving. He took a written test of trucking knowledge, completed an interview, did a pre-trip inspection, and demonstrated his driving skills in a truck.
Richard spent more than a week preparing, brushing up on his knowledge of truck driving history and watching videos of past years’ competitions to get a sense of what would be expected of him. Richard says he was excited to represent TMC in the Championships and grateful for the opportunity. “I want to thank TMC and my ops manager, Josh Kintz, who put my name in for the competition,” Richard says.
While he may have competed as an individual, Richard certainly wasn’t alone at the Iowa Truck Driving Championships. Richard’s partner, Desirae, and their two children, Sadie and Graysen, were there to cheer him on, along with Josh Kintz, fleet manager Zach Mulder, and Senior VP of Safety Josh Perry.
TMC is proud to be represented in this prestigious competition by such an outstanding driver. Congratulations to Richard for a great performance in the Iowa Truck Driving Championships!