Wyoming Truck Drivers Among The Best In The Nation

A team of Wyoming commercial truck drivers showed why they’re among the best in the nation over the weekend at the National Truck Driving and Step Van Driving Championship in Minnesota.

JD
Jackie Dorothy

August 26, 20256 min read

The National Truck Driving and Step Van Driving Championships was held last weekend in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Wyoming was represented by several drivers including Jessica Smith of Shoshoni. The competition is intense and drivers amp up their skills as the prepare to show off their truck driving savvy.
The National Truck Driving and Step Van Driving Championships was held last weekend in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Wyoming was represented by several drivers including Jessica Smith of Shoshoni. The competition is intense and drivers amp up their skills as the prepare to show off their truck driving savvy. (Courtesy National Truck Driving Association)

Jessica Smith, a driver for FedEx in Riverton, Wyoming, has had a perfect driving record for a year. No easy feat in Wyoming with all of its treacherous weather.

Her reward: Being one of Wyoming’s few competitors invited to the National Truck Driving and Step Van Driving Championships (NTDC), which was held this past weekend at the Minneapolis Convention Center. 

The 425 drivers competing represented 56 companies and 49 states, including Wyoming. Smith won a truck driving competition in Wyoming that, along with her clean driving record, helped her earn her way to the national competition. It was her first time.

“I went in not knowing what to expect at all,” Smith of Shoshoni told Cowboy State Daily. “It was pretty overwhelming.”

The Minneapolis Convention Center was packed and with an intense crowd, cheering for their teams driving on the floor. Truck engines roared as uniformed competitors dueled it out for the right to be named the Grand Champion Trucker. 

To reach that goal? Don’t hit the rubber ducky as drivers navigate around an indoor course with six obstacles that simulate real-world driving challenges. Drivers must make it through tight turns, reverse maneuvers, parking and other intricacies that demand precision, timing and spatial awareness without squishing a duck.

These tests reflect the everyday scenarios truck drivers face and are key to determining overall proficiency behind the wheel.  

The rubber ducks are right in the middle of the action as it becomes truck versus duck.  

“It is an obstacle they put out there,” Smith said. “A little tiny thing that you have to avoid hitting.  It's pretty funny just to see grown men getting excited about ducks.”

Smith understood the excitement once the trucks started maneuvering around the obstacles. The bright yellow ducks lined the course and the phrase "respect the duck" was thrown around by drivers. While they must get close to the duckies, the drivers also must also avoid hitting the yellow ducks to score well.

The rubber ducks were placed on the obstacle courses to test the driver's skill in precise maneuvering, as squishing a duck will result in lost points. 

According to the Association of Trucking Association, these ducks have become iconic symbols at the annual NTDC competition. The yellow duckies represent the drivers' commitment to precision and safety while showcasing their ability to navigate complex courses as close to an obstacle as possible without making contact. 

  • Jessica Smith of Shoshoni, Wyoming, drives the skills course this past weekend at the National Truck Driving and Step Van Driving Championships. She had placed first in Step-in Van Competition in Cheyenne this past June to qualify and said it was an overwhelming but awarding experience to be at the national competition with the best of the best.
    Jessica Smith of Shoshoni, Wyoming, drives the skills course this past weekend at the National Truck Driving and Step Van Driving Championships. She had placed first in Step-in Van Competition in Cheyenne this past June to qualify and said it was an overwhelming but awarding experience to be at the national competition with the best of the best. (Courtesy Jessica Smith)
  • Jessica Smith of Shoshoni, Wyoming, competed in the National Truck Driving and Step Van Driving Championships this past weekend. Part of the competition was a pretrial competition, where contestants must find all the defects on their truck before they begin their drive. Smith is pointing out a defect on the front of the truck within her allowed six minutes.
    Jessica Smith of Shoshoni, Wyoming, competed in the National Truck Driving and Step Van Driving Championships this past weekend. Part of the competition was a pretrial competition, where contestants must find all the defects on their truck before they begin their drive. Smith is pointing out a defect on the front of the truck within her allowed six minutes. (Courtesy Jessica Smith)
  • Jessica Smith of Shoshoni Wyoming walked the obstacle course before her drive around the rubber duckies. She competed this past week at the National Truck Driving and Step Van Driving Championships in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
    Jessica Smith of Shoshoni Wyoming walked the obstacle course before her drive around the rubber duckies. She competed this past week at the National Truck Driving and Step Van Driving Championships in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Courtesy Jessica Smith)
  • It’s the rubber duckies versus the truckers at the National Truck Driving and Step Van Driving Championships in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Truck drivers must get in as close as they dare without squishing the little duckies and losing valuable points during the competition. The term “respect the duck” was coined as a result.
    It’s the rubber duckies versus the truckers at the National Truck Driving and Step Van Driving Championships in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Truck drivers must get in as close as they dare without squishing the little duckies and losing valuable points during the competition. The term “respect the duck” was coined as a result. (Courtesy National Truck Driving Association)

The Rookie From Shoshoni 

The Cowboy State was represented by a team of drivers, each the Wyoming champion in one of nine competition classes: 3-axle, 4-axle, 5-axle, straight truck, twin trailers, tank truck, sleeper, flatbed or step van. 

To qualify, Smith first competed in Cheyenne at the state level. She won her division in the step van category and spent the next two months training for the national level. 

“FedEx hosts a weekend long boot camp where all of the FedEx drivers get two days of training,” Smith said. “We go to our Indianapolis hub and its basically a miniature mock competition.”

Smith was taught to hone her skills and was put through different courses each day. The employees were all required to conduct inspections and answered test questions that they might encounter on the national level.

In addition, Smith spent the two weekends prior to the national competition in Colorado learning to drive bigger trucks than the one she typically drives in Riverton.

“They helped me out a lot,” Smith said. “A lot of these guys have been at the national level for years and they were super helpful.”

Hitting The Big Time

After answering test questions and being interviewed by judges, Smith was required to walk the obstacle course before being able to ‘meet’ her truck she would be competing with.

“You get 10 minutes to walk the course and check out the obstacles,” Smith said. “And then afterwards, you get 10 minutes to look at the vehicle that you're driving”

The first test is to inspect the truck. Smith had six minutes to find anything wrong, from a cracked windshield to any minor defect. The six minutes flew by and then it was time to drive the obstacle course. 

Unfortunately for Smith, and the yellow duckies, she ran over a couple of the ducks on the obstacle course which deducted points from her total score. 

“You don't even know you were running over them,” she admitted. “They are so small.”

The truck Smith was driving was much wider and longer than she was used to but she enjoyed the challenge. 

“It was fun trying to figure that truck out without ever being behind the wheel of it,” Smith said. “The truck that we have here in Riverton is not anywhere close to the style of trucks that they use on the national level.”

Smith ended up placing 20th out of 47 competitors.  

  • Only the best from each state compete at the National Truck Driving and Step Van Driving Championships and the winner is proclaimed the Grand Champion trucker. To qualify, competitors must have one year accident free and win at their state level.
    Only the best from each state compete at the National Truck Driving and Step Van Driving Championships and the winner is proclaimed the Grand Champion trucker. To qualify, competitors must have one year accident free and win at their state level. (Courtesy National Truck Driving Association)
  • Only the best from each state compete at the National Truck Driving and Step Van Driving Championships and the winner is proclaimed the Grand Champion trucker. To qualify, competitors must have one year accident free and win at their state level.
    Only the best from each state compete at the National Truck Driving and Step Van Driving Championships and the winner is proclaimed the Grand Champion trucker. To qualify, competitors must have one year accident free and win at their state level. (Courtesy National Truck Driving Association)
  • Jessica Smith of Shoshoni, Wyoming, showed off her truck driving skills in the annual National Truck Driving and Step Van Driving Championships. It was her first time competing and she qualified by first competing in Wyoming and winning a first-place buckle in the Step-in Van Competition in Cheyenne this past June.
    Jessica Smith of Shoshoni, Wyoming, showed off her truck driving skills in the annual National Truck Driving and Step Van Driving Championships. It was her first time competing and she qualified by first competing in Wyoming and winning a first-place buckle in the Step-in Van Competition in Cheyenne this past June.
  • The National Truck Driving and Step Van Driving Championships was held this past weekend at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Jessica Smith of Shoshoni, Wyoming represented Wyoming’s FedEx and had her moment on the big screen. She won first place in Wyoming in the Step-In Van Competition.
    The National Truck Driving and Step Van Driving Championships was held this past weekend at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Jessica Smith of Shoshoni, Wyoming represented Wyoming’s FedEx and had her moment on the big screen. She won first place in Wyoming in the Step-In Van Competition.
  • The Wyoming FedEx team represented the Cowboy State at the National Truck Driving and Step Van Driving Championships in Minneapolis, Minnesota last weekend.
    The Wyoming FedEx team represented the Cowboy State at the National Truck Driving and Step Van Driving Championships in Minneapolis, Minnesota last weekend. (Courtesy Jessica Smith)

Finalist From Wyoming

Smith’s FedEx coworker, Kenneth Rageth of Casper, placed third in the nation in the flatbed competition. It was his third time competing on the national level and his second third place win. 

"It's very intense because everybody's there to win,” Rageth told Cowboy State Daily. “You have to remember, all 47 drivers you are competing with all placed first in their state so the competition is very tight. Very tight."

Rageth said that each driver practicing and are the best in the nation and it's not about speed.

"It's about safety and doing obstacles you don't normally do every day,” Rageth said. “In your everyday driving, you don't try to get close to things."

He explained that he won by driving at the slowest speed possible and getting really close to the ducks, poles and barricades.

“You're really concentrating on scoring points and just getting close to not hitting anything,” he said. “If you strike a duck or barrier, you lose all your points for that problem."

The Best Of The Best

“Over the past few days, we have witnessed extraordinary feats of skill, precision, and determination as the nation’s finest professional truck drivers tackled complex courses and rose to the challenge,” Robert Foskey, NTDC Chairman, said.  “Their mastery of their profession and commitment to safety have been nothing short of inspiring.”  

According to the NTDC press release, these annual competitions date back to 1937 and are used to inspire tens of thousands of drivers to operate accident-free just to have the right to compete. 

This year’s competitors have driven a combined 756 million accident-free miles throughout their careers.

Foskey said in his official statement that every competitor like Smith exemplifies the highest standards of the trucking industry. The top champion for 2025 was David Comings of North Dakota.

However, the Championships go beyond just a mere competition and is about each driver improving their skill for everyday driving. 

“I want to go back, I'm ready for the challenge,” Smith said. “I’m going to focus on getting even better with my driving so that I can compete again at nationals.”

Jackie Dorothy can be reached at jackie@cowboystatedaily.com.

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JD

Jackie Dorothy

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Jackie Dorothy is a reporter for Cowboy State Daily based in central Wyoming.