07/10/2024
Annual Ready Mix Driver Competition -
Knife River in Sioux Falls, SD recently hosted our 1 st Annual Ready Mix Driver Competition. The competition included 3 separate events which began with an online Knowledge Test in April, followed by a Pre-Trip Inspection Challenge on June 1 st and concluded with a Driving Skills Competition on June 29 th. We began with 9 drivers that volunteered to participate in the competition and finished with 5 individuals that competed in the Skills Competition. The Knowledge Test assessed each driver’s understanding of concrete related topics pulled from the NRMCA training course. The Pre-Trip Inspection focused on each driver performing a visual inspection of a ready mix truck with the goal of identifying all items that should be inspected prior to use. Rick Devries, Driver Supervisor, secured 2 officers from the SD Highway Patrol to do the scoring on this test. The driver's skill competition was held in the Howard Wood Field parking lot and was made up of 10 different stations designed to test each driver's skills. The drivers had to maneuver tight corners, parallel park next to a curb, driver through a tight lane lined with tennis balls, maneuver the truck into position over visible targets, etc. The scores from all 3 competitions were combined to determine who the Driver Champion would be. Congratulations to this year’s champion Mike Mullins who will be representing SD for a chance to compete in the NRMCA’s National Mixer Driver Championship in Aurora, CO.