Episode Details

To highlight the return of the NTDC to Pittsburgh this year, we continue our look back at NTDC 2019, the first time that PodWheels had the opportunity to cover the National Truck Driving and National Step Van Driving Championships. This edition of the podcast revisits the 2019 retrospective that we produced from our time at NTDC 2019. The rewind portion of the show opens with PodWheels Executive Producer Greg Thompson recalling the contributions that John Lex made to the coverage by the podcast in Pittsburgh. This section of the show is highlighted by the interview that Greg did with John, a little more than three years before John passed away following his battle with cancer. A Captain with America’s Road Team, John, who had more than three million accident-free miles during his 32-year career, was the recipient of the Mike Russell Trucking Image Award in 2016 and he earned the Trucking Cares Foundation Premier Achievement Award in 2021.

For this return to 2019, Greg is joined once again by Barry Courter, the co-founder and co-host of The What Podcast, which covers Bonnaroo and other music festivals. Along with sharing highlights from Championship Saturday, Greg and Barry share their thoughts about being onsite for the Parade of Champions and the Awards Ceremony. The retrospective also features interviews with back-to-back NTDC Grand Champion Scott Woodrome as well as the family of Nebraska State Patrol Sergeant Benjamin Schropfer, the CVSA’s North America Inspectors Challenge Grand Champion.

SAFETY DRIVE 2026 VOLUNTEER SIGN-UP: As we mentioned in this episode, the 15th Annual Safety Drive For A Cure 2026 is coming up on March 14th in Atlanta. While all 250 spots for competitors are filled for this event that benefits the