Trucking industry names 2026 National Truck Driving Champion

The American Trucking Associations (ATA) recently named Miguel Corral, a UPS driver, the Bendix Grand Champion at the 2026 National Truck Driving & Step Van Championships.  

Corral, who resides in Indiana and secured his berth to nationals at the Illinois State Truck Driving Championship, emerged victorious from a field of 429 competitors. Competitors qualified for the national championship after advancing through state truck driving championships.  

“Miguel’s performance reflects a simple truth: Safe roads begin with highly trained, highly qualified professional drivers,” Chris Spear, president and CEO of ATA, said. “The National Truck Driving Championships celebrate the very best among them, and this year's champion has earned a place among the industry's finest. We congratulate Miguel on this extraordinary accomplishment and thank all of this year's competitors for setting an example of professionalism and safety for the entire nation.”

ATA’s National Truck Driving & Step Van Championships took place August 11-14 in Pittsburgh. The competitors—who hold a combined total of nearly 775 million accident-free miles accumulated during their careers—hailed from 49 states and represented 55 motor carriers. Over the past four days, the drivers competed in events designed to measure their driving prowess, industry knowledge, and dedication to safety.  

Corral also placed first in the 4-axle vehicle class. He is a veteran of the National Truck Driving Championships, winning first place in the twins division in 2018 and second place in the 4-axle division in 2022. A resident of Crown Point, Indiana, he has more than 1.4 million safe driving miles under his belt in a career spanning almost three decades.

You can read the full list of award winners here. 

Fleet Advantage distributes record 1,155 backpacks and 100 pairs of sneakers to South Florida children

More than 1,200 children across South Florida are heading into this new school year with back-to-school resources, thanks to Fleet Advantage and its charitable division, the Kids Around the Corner (KATC) Foundation. Through partnerships with the Broward Education Foundation and the Foot Forward Foundation, Fleet Advantage distributed a record 1,155 backpacks filled with school supplies to Broward County students. It provided 100 pairs of brand-new sneakers to children in Miami.

The 1,155 backpacks represent the largest backpack distribution in Kids Around the Corner Foundation history, surpassing the organization’s 2025 record of 1,068 backpacks. Each backpack was filled with essential school supplies to help students begin the school year prepared with the tools they need for success.

“Every child deserves the resources and support they need to start the school year with confidence,” Elizabeth Gomez, director of marketing and community outreach for Fleet Advantage, said. “Our Kids Around the Corner Foundation was created to give back to the communities where our employees and clients live and work, and we’re proud to partner with organizations like the Broward Education Foundation and the Foot Forward Foundation to make a tangible difference for more than 1,200 children this year.”

The 2026 effort builds on the continued growth of Fleet Advantage’s community outreach through Kids Around the Corner. The Broward Education Foundation’s annual supply drive has become a countywide initiative. Last year, the program benefited more than 130,000 students across 195 schools and provided essential supplies to more than 12,000 teachers throughout Broward County.

Kaleb Rains earns the 2026 CVSA North American Inspectors Championship Grand Champion Award

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) recently announced that Kaleb Rains with the Texas Department of Public Safety has earned this year’s North American Inspectors Championship (NAIC) Jimmy K. Ammons Grand Champion Award, which is the highest honor for a commercial motor vehicle roadside inspector.

As NAIC Grand Champion, Rains secured the highest overall score among the field of commercial motor vehicle inspectors representing jurisdictions across North America.

Forty-seven commercial motor vehicle inspectors gathered in Pittsburgh to compete at NAIC, the only North American event dedicated to testing, recognizing, and awarding commercial motor vehicle inspector excellence. NAIC promotes uniformity and excellence in commercial motor vehicle inspections while recognizing the role inspectors play in preventing crashes, saving lives, and ensuring the safe movement of people and goods throughout Canada, Mexico, and the U.S.

You can read the full list of award winners here. 

For the competition, each contestant competed in six inspection categories over two days. Contestants conducted mock inspections and identified regulatory violations and critical vehicle inspection item out-of-service conditions—all while being timed. They were tested on real-world vehicle and driver inspection scenarios, evaluating situations and identifying violations within recreated roadside inspection scenarios.

As this year’s NAIC Grand Champion, Rains will attend the CVSA Annual Conference and Exhibition in Orlando and will address the alliance’s membership at the annual conference awards luncheon on Sept. 23.

Next year’s NAIC is scheduled for August 9-13, 2027, in Columbus, Ohio.

Netradyne celebrates inaugural Driver Awards Program, honoring elite professional drivers across six industry verticals 

Netradyne recently announced the inaugural winners of the Netradyne Driver Awards, recognizing drivers who exemplify exceptional safety performance, professionalism, and improvement across North America.

The Driver Awards Program celebrates three categories: 

• Top Driver, for exceptional GreenZone scores and sustained safe-driving streaks; 
• Rising Star, for greatest improvement; and 
• Rookie, for outstanding early-career performance. 

Winners were selected across six industry verticals: trucking, distribution, home and commercial services, infrastructure and construction services, waste and sanitation, and passenger transit.

"These drivers demonstrate what excellence looks like every single day,"  Heather Engen, CCO at Netradyne, said. "The Driver Awards celebrate the habits and leadership that create safer roads and stronger safety cultures. We're proud to recognize drivers who lead by example and the fleets that invest in coaching and continuous improvement."

You can read the full list of winners here. 

All winners are celebrated with on-site recognition events, personalized trophies and jackets, and stories spotlighting their achievements across Netradyne channels.

Patrick Fluegel recognized as TCA Highway Angel for rescuing trapped driver 

The Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) has named Crosslin Trucking driver Patrick Fluegel a TCA Highway Angel for his rescue of a fellow truck driver trapped inside an overturned dump truck following a crash on Interstate 65 in Tennessee.

The incident occurred on July 6, south of the Interstate 840 interchange near Franklin, Tennessee. Fluegel was returning to a lumber yard after making a delivery when he noticed two dump trucks traveling ahead of him.

“Right before I got to 840, the white one—something broke, or he blew a tire—and it just shot off onto the right into the embankment,” Fluegel recalled. “It basically landed on its side.”

His reaction was immediate. Fluegel sprinted to the wrecked truck and found the driver conscious but suspended by his seat belt inside the overturned cab.

“He was hanging there by the seat belt, but he couldn’t get his seat belt off,” Fluegel said.

Unable to reach the driver through the top of the truck, Fluegel made a split-second decision. He kicked out a window, climbed inside the overturned cab, lifted the driver to relieve pressure on the seat belt, released the buckle, and helped pull him safely from the wreckage.

After helping the driver to another motorist’s vehicle so he could sit down, Fluegel remained on scene until the Tennessee Highway Patrol arrived. Later that day, Fluegel learned the driver had survived but suffered multiple fractures to his pelvis and hip.

“It was my first instinct,” Fluegel said. “Somebody was going to have to stop, and I stopped that day.”