This week FedEx really had something to celebrate when it came to their truck drivers. A number of drivers representing the company placed among the top finishers at the 2012 Kansas State Truck Driving Championship. The competition was recently held in Topeka.
Topeka-based FedEx Freight driver Don Logan won his sixth Kansas state title “ this time in the flatbed class. Don has accumulated just under 2 million accident-free miles. He and his wife Pam are the parents of four children: Dayne, Daylee, Dayton and Dawson. The Logan family lives in Eskridge, Kansas.
FedEx Freight driver Jason Taylor of Wichita captured the top spot in the 3-axle class and also posted the highest score in the Pre-Trip Inspection portion of the competition. A 15-year FedEx Freight driver based in Wichita, he has accumulated more than 124,000 accident-free miles. Jason became a professional driver while attending college because he enjoyed being out and meeting people. His team mate Jan Keith of Great Bend finished second in the flatbed portion of the competition.
Daniel Stapleton, a driver for Q.I.C. Corp. in Lenexa, won the Straight Truck class.
Other winners in the competition included Jay Miller of Wichita, third in tank truck class, and Mike Gilstrap, owner of Fine Line Transportation in Coffeyville, who took third place in the 5-Axle Sleeper Class.
As of 2012, a total of 107 Team FedEx drivers have now qualified for the NTDC”breaking the previous mark of 98 set last year. Logan, Thompson, Taylor and Stapleton will go on to compete at the American Trucking Associations’ 2012 National Truck Driving Championships (NTDC), known as the Super Bowl of Safety, August 7-11 in Minneapolis, Minn. In addition, each state winner will be recognized by FedEx as part of its safe driving initiative, The Chairman’s Challenge.
The entire team of drivers representing FedEx is dedicated to safety. It is an integral part of everything they do, said Frederick W. Smith, chairman, president and CEO, FedEx Corp. The performance of these participants at the Kansas championship is a testament to their commitment to safety excellence.
Driver Participants | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Custom Critical | Express | Freight | Ground | Supply Chain | |
| 2012 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 2 | 0 |
| 2011 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 4 | 0 |
| 2010 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 5 | 0 |
| 2009 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 3 | 0 |
| 2008 | 0 | 3 | 13 | 11 | 0 |
| 2007 | 0 | 3 | 20 | 10 | 0 |
| 2006 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 6 | 0 |
| 2005 | 0 | 2 | 15 | 9 | 0 |
| 2004 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 15 | 0 |
Competition Results | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Opco | Placement / Special Awards | Class | Domicile | Job Title/ Business Relationship |
 | ||||
 | ||||
 | 1st – Don Logan | Flatbed | Topeka | Driver |
| 1st – Jason Taylor | 3-Axle | Wichita | Driver | |
| 1st – Jeff Thompson | 5-Axle Sleeper | Kansas City | Driver | |
| 2nd – Jan Keith | Flatbed | Great Bend | Driver | |
| 3rd – Dean Harris | 5-Axle | Kansas City | Driver | |
| 3rd – Jay Miller | Tank | Wichita | Driver | |
| Best Pre-Trip Inspection – Jason Taylor | Wichita | Driver | ||
| 2nd Place Written Exam – Don Logan | Topeka | Driver | ||
| 3rd Place Written Exam – Jeff Thompson | Kansas City | Driver | ||
| 3rd Place Cours Score – Jeff Thompson | Kanas City | Driver | ||
| Team Trophy | ||||
 | 1st – Daniel Stapleton | Straight Truck | Lenexa | Owner’s Driver |
| 3rd – Mike Gilstrap | 5-Axle Sleeper | Coffeyville | Owner | |