2023 California Truck Driving Championships
California Truck Driving Championships - State Winners
The California Truck Driving Championships, held last Sunday, June 4, witnessed an impressive display of skill, professionalism and precision as the state's finest truck drivers competed for the opportunity to represent the Golden State at the National Championships on August 16 -19.
After a fierce day of competition, the winners have emerged securing their spots at Nationals including Trino Moreno with Old Dominion Freight Line - who received first place in the four-axle division - took home the coveted 2023 Grand Champion Award.
We had a lot of first time competitors come out on top this year, including the 2023 Rookie of the Year Gabriel Baca with Dependable Highway Express.
These exceptional drivers will now represent California and compete against the nation's best in a bid to claim the national titles:
Grand Champion, Trino Moreno with CTA President Devon Ades and CTA CEO Eric Sauer
Rookie of the Year, Gabriel Baca with CTA President Devon Ades and CTA CEO Eric Sauer
"We wanted to reach out to send a quick note thanking you for an excellent event this weekend. There was great camaraderie and sportsmanship displayed. We greatly appreciate the partnership and are already looking forward to next year! Thank you! 😊"- Walmart
"It was a pleasure meeting you and getting to participate again. Awesome experience and we really couldn’t have hoped for a better outcome!
We will definitely be there again next year!"- Shamrock Foods
California Truck Driving Championships - Northern Regional Winners
3 Axle Northern Winners:
1st Ramon Ibarra, FedEx Freight
2nd Jasmesh Singh, XPO
3rd Alfonso Saavedra, XPO
4 Axle Northern Winners:
1st Kristan Pimentel, Fed Ex Ground
2nd Felix Hernandez, ABF Freight
3rd Ty Wheeler, Yellow
5 Axle Van Northern Winners:
1st Gustavo Martinez, Plus
2nd John Owensby, J.B. Hunt Transport
3rd Sean Castro, Yellow
Flatbed Northern Winners:
1st Ellis Michael, Elite HR Logistics
2nd Daniel Babayev, Old Dominion Freight Line
3rd Tony Pellerin, FedEx Freight
Sleeper Northern Winners:
1st Chris Graham, Walmart
2nd Wayne Baracz, FedEx Ground
3rd Daren Yunt, Walmart
Straight Truck Northern Winners:
1st Jose Chitica, FedEx Freight
2nd Mark Underwood, FedEx Freight
3rd Christopher Blystra, FedEx Freight
Tanker Northern Winners:
1st Brandon Scott Hirst, Walmart
2nd Jose Gastelum, Cox Petroleum
3rd Caylen Scoggins, Cox Petroleum
Twins Northern Winners:
1st Lance Jackson, FedEx Freight
2nd James "Eric" Guerra, ODFL
3rd Joel Parra, FedEx Freight
Package Van Northern Winners:
1st Sergey Kashchenko, FedEx Ground
2nd Luis Farias, FedEx Ground
3rd Paulo Marques, FedEx Ground
California Truck Driving Championships - Southern Regional Winners
3-Axle Southern Winners:
1st Juan Hernandez, Old Dominion Freight Line
2nd Jesse Badillo, FedEx Express
3rd Laura Gallardo, UPS
Package Van Southern Winners:
1st Jose Lopez, FedEx Ground
2nd Michael Lorenzo, FedEx Ground
3rd Jaime Alfaro, FedEx Ground
4-Axle Southern Winners:
1st Daniel Leasau, Old Dominion Freight Line
2nd Gabriel Baca, Dependable Highway Express
3rd Trino Moreno, Old Dominion Freight Line
5-Axle Van Southern Winners:
1st Alfonso Pedregon, UPS
2nd Jose Ibarra, McLane
3rd Carlos Diaz Leal, McLane
Straight Truck Southern Winners:
1st Ryan Ybarra, UPS
2nd Augie Lopez, FedEx Express
3rd Ruben Tinajero, XPO
Sleeper Southern Winners:
1st Luis Garcia, FedEx Ground
2nd Enrique Cervantes, J.B. Hunt Transport
3rd Mathew Aguirre, KKW Trucking
Twins Southern Winners:
1st Alejandro Fonseca, UPS
2nd Luis Garcia, FedEx Freight
3rd Michael Ogg, Titan Bulk Inc.
Flatbed Southern Winners:
1st Gilbert Cotto, Yellow
2nd Louie Loera, McLane
3rd Johny Pearson, Martin Brower
Tanker Southern Winners:
1st Ryan Bustos, Downs Fuel Transport
2nd Ronald Barco, Cox Petroleum Transport
3rd Sebastian Mora, Mulberry Motor Freight
Photo Slideshow
Driver Recognition Program
The California Professional Truck Driving Championships are organized to recognize and promote safe driving and professionalism in the transportation industry. This competitive event is designed to give drivers a chance to test their job skills under standardized conditions using vehicles that are the tools of their trade. Truck driving championships afford a safe, accurate check of the driver's ability to handle his/her unit in close quarters.
Two regional competitions are held within the state - North and South. The winners from each class of competition and region, come together to compete in the State Finals Competition.
The state finals winners will compete with other states’ winners at the National Truck Driving Championships. The National Truck Driving Championships are held by ATA in various cities throughout the nation. The 2023 competition will be held August 16-19, 2023 in Columbus, OH.
The CTA Truck Driving Championship Committee organizes this yearly event. A dedicated group of volunteers participate on the Committee and, along with more volunteers, facilitate and judge this annual competition.
If you are interested on the Truck Driving Championships committee or want more information on the Truck Driving Championships, please contact us at membership@caltrux.org or (916) 373-3500.
