Job well done, Mike Berndt! Mike represented Upper Lakes Foods at the 32nd Annual IFDA Truck Driving Championship in Florida earlier this month.
Mike was photographed during his pre-trip inspection, in which each driver works to find planted defects that could affect safety. On the job, drivers inspect their vehicle in a similar manner before taking their vehicle out on the road.
Mike Berndt conducts a pre-trip inspection. Photo credit: IFDA
From IFDA News
The competition consisted of three parts. On Friday evening, drivers took a written exam that included 40 questions ranging from road laws to vehicle safety. On Saturday, they performed a pre-trip inspection and navigated through a challenging field course. During the pre-trip, each driver inspected a vehicle in their class of competition to find ten planted defects that could affect driving safety. This type of inspection is an exercise they do each working day before they take their vehicle out on deliveries. During the field course, drivers navigated six challenges that simulated situations they face on the road.
“The IFDA Truck Driving Championship reinforces those aspects of safety that professional drivers do each and every day to keep America’s roads safe,” said Mark S. Allen, president and CEO of the International Foodservice Distributors Association. “This competition brings together the best drivers in the food distribution industry to test their skills and knowledge. There is an amazing amount of comradery at the event.”
The competition concluded with an awards banquet on Sunday evening to recognize top finishers in each category, as well as the top performing team of drivers and the highest score of a driver competing in the championship for the first time.
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