COLUMBUS, Ohio — After two days of tough competition in six North American Standard Inspection categories, Jeremy Usener of the Texas Department of Public Safety was presented with the Jimmy K. Ammons Grand Champion Award at the first-ever joint awards ceremony of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) North American Inspectors Championship (NAIC) and the American Trucking Associations’ National Truck and Step Van Driving Championship (NTDC).
Fifty-two commercial motor vehicle inspectors representing jurisdictions throughout North America gathered here August 14-18 to compete at NAIC, the only event dedicated to testing, recognizing and awarding commercial motor vehicle inspector excellence. All of the inspection categories are timed events and the compilation of scores for those categories result in a Grand Champion, which is the highest honor for commercial motor vehicle roadside inspectors.
An award is given to each inspector who scores the most points representing each of the three participating countries: Canada, Mexico and the United States.
The following High Points Awards were presented during this year’s NAIC:
- Sean McAlister High Points Canada Award – Samantha Sarasin – Ontario Ministry of Transportation
- High Points Mexico Award – Luis León Merino Gómez – Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes (SCT)
- High Points United States Award – Jeremy Usener – Texas Department of Public Safety
Awards are given for first, second and third place for the following inspection categories:
The North American Standard Hazardous Materials/Dangerous Goods and Cargo Tank/Bulk Packagings Inspection includes additional inspection steps related to identifying hazardous materials/dangerous goods and markings, labeling, placarding, packaging, identification, etc.
- First Place – Jeremy Usener – Texas Department of Public Safety
- Second Place – Samantha Sarasin – Ontario Ministry of Transportation
- Third Place – Aaron Azbill – Arizona Department of Public Safety
The North American Standard Level V Passenger Carrier Vehicle Inspection is an inspection of motorcoaches and other passenger-carrying vehicles. Passenger vehicle certified inspectors are specially trained commercial motor vehicle enforcement personnel equipped to inspect both the motorcoach and driver, while also taking responsibility for the safety of passengers.
- First Place – Roberto Pinedo – Utah Department of Transportation
- Second Place – Trevor Todd – British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure
- Third Place – Jeremy Usener – Texas Department of Public Safety
The North American Standard Level I Inspection is the most commonly performed inspection. It is a 37-step procedure that includes an examination of both driver operating requirements and vehicle mechanical fitness.
- First Place – Aaron Azbill – Arizona Department of Public Safety
- Second Place – Trevor Snodden – Alberta Justice Solicitor General
- Third Place – Roberto Pinedo – Utah Department of Transportation
The Team Award is given to the team with the highest combined score. The team with the highest score this year was the Yellow Team. The Yellow Team had the following members: Trevor Todd – British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure; Jason Gregory – Missouri State Highway Patrol; Kris Hunzeker – Nebraska State Patrol, Daniel Jacquez – New Mexico Department of Public Safety, Brian Wilson – Ohio State Highway Patrol; Jeremy Usener – Texas Department of Public Safety; Roberto Pinedo – Utah Department of Transportation, Matthew Nesto – Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles Vermont; and Maxwell McGuire – Washington State Patrol
A special award, the John Youngblood Award of Excellence, is an honor NAIC contestants bestow upon a fellow NAIC inspector who exemplifies the high standards and unwavering dedication to the profession. This year, NAIC contestants voted to present the John Youngblood Award to Matt Johnson from the Illinois State Police.
“CVSA and ATA worked together to make the joint awards ceremony a reality,” said CVSA President Capt. Christopher Turner with the Kansas Highway Patrol. “This is the first time in NAIC’s 26-year history that we’ve had a combined awards ceremony with our ATA partners. Based on its success this year, we hope to continue this unified CVSA/ATA awards ceremony well into the future.”
NAIC 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 training and education. Next year’s NAIC is scheduled for August 13-17, 2019, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The Trucker News Staff produces engaging content for not only TheTrucker.com, but also The Trucker Newspaper, which has been serving the trucking industry for more than 30 years. With a focus on drivers, the Trucker News Staff aims to provide relevant, objective content pertaining to the trucking segment of the transportation industry. The Trucker News Staff is based in Little Rock, Arkansas.
