New Penn announced that professional driver and safety superstar Rick Gagnon won the 5-axle division at the Rhode Island State Truck Driving Championships. He will now move on to compete with other national driving champions at the 2014 National Truck Driving Championships (NTDC), to be held August 12-16 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, Pa.
Rick has won the 5-axle division at the Rhode Island State Truck Driving Championships four times in his career. He won first place at the Rhode Island state competitions in 2009, 2010 and 2013 as well as in 2014. He has been driving professionally for 26 years–the last 19 of which he has spent driving for New Penn. Rick operates as a pickup and delivery driver out of the New Penn Cranston, Rhode Island terminal. He is celebrating 12 years of accident-free driving and is also the 2009 Rhode Island Grand Champion professional driver.
“Truck driving competitions are an excellent way for our drivers to hone their driving skills and promote safety,” said Shawn Nolan, New Penn Vice President of Operations. “This is an incredible accomplishment for Rick to add to his already existing list of significant safety achievements, and we applaud him for his tireless commitment to safety. World-class drivers like Rick are what make New Penn the safe, reliable quality carrier it is today.”
In order to qualify for state truck driving competitions, drivers must remain accident-free the entire year prior to competition. Competitions consist of a driven portion, pre-trip inspection, and a written exam on subjects such as laws, regulations and vehicle maintenance.
