Pictured above from left to right, K&J's Don Ihler, Jan Ihler (Don's wife), Sarah Hoffman (Bob's wife), and K&J's Bob Hoffman.
Taking on Nationals
When Bob Hoffman decided to go to the National Truck Driving Championship he knew it would be a hard competition. He also knew that there were some big names in trucking that were bringing the best of the best; truckers who had trained professionally all year for tasks like those at the NTDC. But he was prepared to show that a little Sioux Falls trucking company can give the big boys a run for their money. And he did just that.
Bob managed to place 22nd out of 49 participants in his class. "My biggest downfall was the written exam, unfortunately," Bob mentioned.
The NTDC consists of 3 parts that all garner points based on performance. "My lower written score was enough to push me down a bit, but I still did better than several other times I have competed," Bob said. In K&J's eyes, we call that a win!
A Great Time for South Dakota Trucking
The participants from South Dakota all represented well! See their final results below.
Straight Truck - Dan Norgaard (Old Dominion) - 18th
3-axle - Matthew Manor (XPO Logistics) - 39th
4-axle - Seth Sigafoos (MCT) - 10th
5-axle Van - Robert Hoffman (K&J Trucking) - 22nd
Tanker - Troy Swenson (Fed Ex) - 12th
Flatbed - Andrew Hanson (TBI) - 43rd
5-axle Sleeper - Mike Whitehead (Fed Ex) - 27th
Twin Trailer - Wade Wagemann (YRC) - 28th
Thanks, Bob
We are incredibly proud of Bob and the hard work he put into studying, training, and traveling for the NTDC. It was a stiff competition this year. We may be a small trucking company, but Bob's success just goes to show that hard work and passion can get you all the way to nationals.
This Could Be You!
If you are interested in participating in South Dakota Truck Driving Championship for 2018, contact Jennifer Raddatz for more information. As for coaching? Bob is ready and willing to help out any K&J driver who wants to take on the challenge. As Bob said, "I would love to see some younger K&J drivers take on this challenge. It is a really meaningful experience."