Robert Dean, a skilled XPO driver, won first place at the Washington Truck Driving Championships in his favorite vehicle category of flatbed. This victory was his debut as the Evergreen State’s grand champion and his fifth time qualifying for the nationals, which is widely known as the “Super Bowl of Safety.”
With over 30 years of experience in commercial driving, Dean had an outstanding drive on the skills course as well as excellent performance in the written examination of rules and regulations. He also got to show off proficiency in pre-trip inspections, a particular passion of his.
Dean credits his success to his support system, which includes his employer, XPO, his spouse, Joanna, his friends and colleagues, and his training partner and mentor, Chris Poynor, an XPO driver and a consistent qualifier at the NTDC for the past several years.
Dean emphasizes the importance of prioritizing training for significant events such as state and national transportation safety competitions. He plans to resume intense training routines with Poynor to prepare for the national competition in Columbus, Ohio, featuring over 400 professional drivers from across the U.S.
“My strategy is, when, right before I practice, I take the courses that I have seen and my cousin [Poynor] has seen. And we put them together and we try to guess what problems they [will] throw at us,” Dean said recently when asked to explain his comprehensive method of training. “And we practice those,” he concluded.
Dean finds training with Poynor highly motivating, and it inspires him to improve his performance on the flatbed. This training is not only beneficial for his skills behind the wheel but also helps him adapt to high-pressure situations – a skill that is essential during nationals.
“Both him and I have won multiple times at our state level in our class and gone to nationals. So, he won last year. I won last year. So, we both went to nationals. And it’s kind of ironic we both win this year and then I win grand champion, and now we’re going to nationals together again,” Dean observed.
Dean’s secret weapon for competitions is maintaining a positive attitude and visualizing successful maneuvers and outcomes. This mental training boosts his confidence and helps him prepare for NTDC.
“I feel good going to nationals,” the driver said.
Other class champions from Washington include:
- 3-Axle: Chris Poynor, XPO
- 4-Axle: Andrey Grishchuk, XPO
- 5-Axle: Michael Dickinson, USF Reddaway
- Sleeper Berth: Joe Ryles, Walmart
- Step Van: Jaime Bautista, FedEx Express
- Straight Truck: Carl Gibson, The Boeing Co.
- Tank Truck: Aleksandr Dragonchuk, Walmart
- Twins: Josh Jenkin, Peninsula Truck Lines
Source: Transport Topics
