Garner wins Alabama driving award

Thomas “Ross” Garner, of Hartselle, was named the best professional truck driver in Alabama after winning the three-axle competition and receiving the highest overall score in the eight competing categories at the 2010 Alabama Truck Driving Championships.

The annual event is sponsored by Alabama Trucking Association.

Garner, who drives for FedEx Freight, qualifies to compete in the American Trucking Associations’ National Truck Driving Championships Aug. 3-7 in Columbus, Ohio—also known as the “Super Bowl of Safety.” The winners from each of the seven other categories are also eligible to compete in the national championship.

Nearly 400 drivers from all 50 states will compete in Columbus for four days, challenging their driving skills, and knowledge of safety, equipment and the industry. From 18-wheeler five-axle sleepers to tank trucks to twin trailers, drivers will navigate a course that recreates situations they face daily. These maneuvers may include: an alley dock, a rear line stop, a side park, a scale stop, a right turn, a front line stop and straight line driving through a diminishing clearance.