Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance Announces the Winners of its 22nd Annual North American Inspectors Championship
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (PRWEB) August 18, 2014 -- Forty nine roadside inspectors representing jurisdictions across North America gathered in Pittsburgh, PA, on August 11-15, to compete in the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) North American Inspectors Championship (NAIC).
Each year, CVSA recognizes the best of the best by inviting member jurisdictions throughout North America to participate in NAIC, the only event dedicated to recognizing and awarding commercial vehicle inspector excellence.
The Jimmy K. Ammons Grand Champion Award is the highest NAIC honor for roadside inspectors. This year, the Grand Champion Award was awarded to JW Watlington of the Arizona Department of Public Safety for his combined performances in six competition elements:
1. North American Standard Level I Inspection
2. North American Standard Level I Inspection Procedures
3. North American Standard Hazmat/Transportation of Dangerous Goods Inspection
4. North American Standard Cargo Tank/Other Bulk Packagings Inspection
5. North American Standard Level V Passenger Vehicle (Motorcoach) Inspection
6. North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria Exam
The John Youngblood Award of Excellence is a special award NAIC contestants bestow on a fellow NAIC inspector who exemplifies the high standards and unwavering dedication to the profession. This year, the John Youngblood Award was awarded to Roderick Dykeman of Nova Scotia Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal.
The following additional awards were presented:
High Points: United States – JW Watlington of the Arizona Department of Public Safety
High Points: Canada – Rick Smith of the Alberta Justice and Solicitor General
North American Standard Level I Inspection:
First Place – Bryce Ivie of the Utah Highway Patrol
Second place – Erick McGuire of the Florida Highway Patrol
Third Place – Josh Anderson of the North Dakota Highway Patrol
North American Standard Hazardous Materials/Transportation of Dangerous Goods and Cargo Tank/Bulk Packagings Inspection:
First Place – Michael Byrne of the Ohio State Highway Patrol
Second Place – Benjamin Schropfer of the Nebraska State Patrol
Third Place – JW Watlington of the Arizona Department of Public Safety
North American Standard Level V Passenger Vehicle (Motorcoach) Inspection:
First Place – Miguel Galindo of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
Second Place – Tim Gushing of the Arkansas Highway Police
Third Place – Rick Smith of the Alberta Department of Transportation
Team Award – Green Team:
JW Watlington of Arizona Department of Public Safety
Erick McGuire of the Florida Highway Patrol
Nicholas Wright of the Kansas Highway Patrol
Stevie Browing of the Massachusetts State Police
John Hibschman of the New Jersey State Police
Bud Kneller of the Ontario Ministry of Transportation
Tommy Torok of the South Dakota Highway Patrol
Cory Shilts of the Wisconsin State Patrol
Team leader: James Murray of the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission
“We applaud the participants of this year’s North American Inspectors Championship. Each inspector leaves this competition as a winner,” said CVSA President Sgt. Thomas Fuller of the New York State Police. “NAIC helps guide, educate and develop our industry’s future leaders. And the information, techniques and experiences participants will share with others when they return to their home jurisdictions will help improve consistency and reciprocity in highway safety enforcement."
Roadside inspectors are highly trained professionals who save lives every day by keeping unsafe commercial vehicles and drivers off our roads. The work of a commercial vehicle inspector is not easy, but it is vital in ensuring public safety on North American roadways. The North American Inspectors Championship was created to recognize inspectors and officers – the backbone of the commercial vehicle safety program in North America – and to promote uniformity of inspections through education.
“NAIC contestants not only test and sharpen their skills as participants in the competition, they also learn the latest CMV safety trends, technologies standards and inspection procedures,” said CVSA Executive Director, Stephen A. Keppler. “As a result, this competition helps strengthen the industry as a whole, promotes partnerships and cooperation among inspectors, jurisdictions and countries, and improves uniformity and consistency in enforcement throughout North America.
“Excellence doesn’t just happen,” said FMCSA Administrator Anne S. Ferro. “It comes directly from a daily commitment to safety and years of practice. The dedication of these NAIC competitors is what gives us the safest roads anywhere and the most accurate data on roadside activities.”
NAIC is sponsored by CVSA and many of its valued associate members. For the past 22 years, the championship event has been held in partnership with the American Trucking Associations’ (ATA) National Truck Driving Championships (NTDC). NAIC has been recognized by the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) as an event that "Advances America."
To learn more about NAIC and to view photos from this year’s Championship, visit http://www.cvsa.org/programs/naic_program_overview.
About the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance
CVSA is an international not-for-profit organization comprised of local, state, provincial, territorial, and federal motor carrier safety officials and industry representatives from the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Our mission is to promote commercial motor vehicle safety and security by providing leadership to enforcement, industry and policy-makers. The Alliance actively monitors, evaluates, and identifies solutions to potentially unsafe transportation processes and procedures related to driver and vehicle safety requirements most often associated with commercial motor vehicle crashes. In addition, CVSA has several hundred associate members who are committed to helping the Alliance achieve its goals: uniformity, compatibility and reciprocity of commercial vehicle inspections, and enforcement activities throughout North America by individuals dedicated to highway safety and security. For more on CVSA, visit http://www.cvsa.org.
Steve Keppler, Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, http://www.cvsa.org, +1 301-830-6145, [email protected]
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