Two Valdosta FedEx Freight truck drivers have made it through the long haul and will now represent Georgia in the National Truck Driving Championships this week.

Glenn Morris and Ronnie Merritt took home first place in the 2022 Georgia Truck Driving Championship for their respective divisions, Tank Truck and Straight Truck, according to event organizers.

Morris is the veteran of the pair, having been a professional truck driver for 40 years and competed at the state level 13 times. He first qualified for the NTDC in 2011 and won back-to-back state Tank Truck titles in 2017 and 2018. This is his fourth time advancing to the national competition.

“It’s a sense of pride to be able to represent your company and compete against other companies. It’s always nice to win, but it’s also nice to compete and do your best for your company. The company gives us a lot of support in everything that we do, the time, the equipment we need to practice with. It’s all very humbling,” he said.

Merritt is the rookie, winning the state Straight Truck title back in May and advancing to nationals on his first try.

“FedEx gives us so many opportunities and so much information materials to get to where we are. When I went to state, I really wasn’t expecting to go this far, I just wanted to get involved with it. I did a little better than I anticipated. I really wasn’t nervous at state, but coming in there, I really saw how competitive it was…where I’m at right now, I’m kind of nervous because I’ve never been here before,” he said.

To qualify, the driver must be accident free for one year and demonstrate an outstanding comprehension of trucking safety, knowledge, and professionalism. Many of the competitors have millions of accident-free driving miles to their credit. Morris and Merritt are no exception, with Morris accumulating more than 4 million safe-driving miles and Merritt logging in more than 1.8 million miles without an accident during his 25-year driving career.

The national competition consists of three parts: a written test about the rules and regulations of the trucking business, a hands-on pre-trip inspection which has 10 simulated defects and a skills course that consists of six different obstacles that the drivers must safely maneuver.

At Nationals, hosted in Indianapolis, Ind., Aug. 16-19, Morris and Merritt will compete against 49 other drivers in their divisions representing their respective states.

“Everybody here at the national level is a state champion, so you’re competing with the best out of every state. So you got the best of the best. Basically, this is our Super Bowl. This is an opportunity for us to show off our talents and our knowledge of the trucking industry and to be around our extended family while we’re up here,” Morris said.

Merritt echoed similar sentiments, elated that their hard work has paid off in the form of being among “the best”

“We’ve been working on this since the start of January, and to be here right now in August is a lot of pride. I’m very happy to be here,” he said.

Both drivers made it clear that no matter the outcome, they will continue to hone their craft and practice safe driving.