38 XPO Drivers to Compete at 2025 National Truck Driving Championships in Minneapolis

GREENWICH, Conn., July 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- XPO (NYSE: XPO), a leading provider of freight transportation in North America, today announced its team of 38 finalists for this year’s National Truck Driving Championships (NTDC) from August 20-23 in Minneapolis.

The annual NTDC, hosted by the American Trucking Associations (ATA), is the industry’s premier safety and skills competition. Known as the “Super Bowl of Safety,” NTDC dates to 1937 and brings together hundreds of the nation’s most accomplished professional drivers to compete for the coveted title of “Grand Champion.”

Mario Harik, chief executive officer of XPO, said, “We’re proud of the 38 drivers who will represent XPO at NTDC this year. They earned their place on trucking’s biggest stage through years of hard work and commitment to safety, professionalism and service. Congratulations to our team representing us in Minneapolis and to everyone who competed in their state competitions.”

XPO’s finalists come from 25 states and have collectively appeared at NTDC over 250 times. Each qualified for nationals by winning their vehicle class at their state championships and maintaining an accident-free driving record for more than one year. 

Six of XPO’s finalists were named Grand Champions of their state competitions, achieving the highest total score among competitors across nine equipment categories. XPO also took home trophies for the highest overall team scores at the Wisconsin, Louisiana, Idaho, Delaware and South Dakota state TDCs.

XPO’s six individual state Grand Champions are:

• Nick Farness (Minnesota): Nick, who has driven over one million consecutive accident-free miles with XPO, returns for his fifth appearance at nationals in his home state – Minnesota.
• Joe Hicks (Rhode Island): Joe first competed at NTDC in 2010, earning the Rookie of the Year award. He won the 4-axle class at the 2024 NTDC, becoming the first-ever driver from Rhode Island to secure a national title. This will be Joe’s 11^th time competing at NTDC.
• Dan Istre (Idaho): With nearly 25 years of experience competing in state championships, Dan is checking in for this eighth NTDC, where he will represent XPO in the Twins class.
• Chris Poynor (Washington): Chris recently achieved two million consecutive accident-free miles and is competing at nationals for the ninth time this year, in the Twins class.
• Jeremy Steger (Wisconsin): Appearing in his sixth NTDC, Jeremy will compete in the 4-axle class after leading XPO to the highest team score at his state competition.
• Wilbert Vano (New Jersey): The 2023 New Jersey Driver of the Year and six-time NJ Grand Champion will compete in his 14^th NTDC in the 3-axle class.

XPO’s 2025 NTDC Finalists:

State	Driver	Vehicle Class
Arizona	Ina Daly	Flatbed
Arizona	Greg Ziegler	Tank Truck
Connecticut	John Brown	Twins
Connecticut	Ernie Budlowski	Tank Truck
Connecticut	Tom Griffin	4-Axle
Connecticut	Tony Orfitelli	3-Axle
Delaware	Brandon Morris	3-Axle
Delaware	Paul Grandel	Straight Truck
Idaho	Jeff Halford	4-Axle
Idaho	Dan Istre	Twins
Idaho	Ben Scholes	3-Axle
Iowa	Scott Marnin	Straight Truck
Kansas	Ken Saur	4-Axle
Louisiana	Leroy Williams	Straight Truck
Louisiana	Curt McMellon	Tank Truck
Maryland	Adam Lucas	Twins
Massachusetts	Rich Sweeney	Tank Truck
Massachusetts	Shaun McArdle	3-Axle
Minnesota	Nick Farness	Twins
Nebraska	Sam Wilson	Straight Truck
Nevada	Bill Fox	Flatbed
New Jersey	Wilbert Vano	3-Axle
New York	David May	Straight Truck
North Dakota	Brad Morrow	Twins
North Dakota	Tom Opgrand	Flatbed
Oklahoma	Bob Neese	Twins
Pennsylvania	Scott Mullen	Twins
Rhode Island	Joe Hicks	4-Axle
Rhode Island	Dominic Semedo	Straight Truck
South Dakota	Pat Schneider	4-Axle
Utah	Judd Adams	Straight Truck
Vermont	Lenny Trifaro	4-Axle
Washington	Chris Poynor	Twins
West Virginia	Mike Roberts	3-Axle
Wisconsin	Jeff Langenhahn	Tank Truck
Wisconsin	Jeremy Steger	4-Axle
Wisconsin	Andy Rynearson	3-Axle
Wyoming	Heath Holstein	4-Axle

About XPO 
XPO, Inc. (NYSE: XPO) is a leader in asset-based less-than-truckload (LTL) freight transportation in North America. The company’s customer-focused organization efficiently moves 17 billion pounds of freight per year, enabled by its proprietary technology. XPO serves approximately 55,000 customers with 606 locations and 38,000 employees in North America and Europe, and is headquartered in Greenwich, Conn., USA. Visit xpo.com for more information, and connect with XPO on LinkedIn, Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube. 

Media Contact
Cole Horton
+1-203-609-6004
cole.horton@xpo.com