Saturday, May 16th is the 30th Annual Professional Truck Driving Competition in Rockford, Illinois. Sponsored by the Rock River Valley Traffic Club, and supported by JX, the event is a regional competition where local drivers have the chance to qualify for state and national levels.
JX Truck Center – Rockford plans to bring three Peterbilt trucks to this year’s event: two brand new 2016 Peterbilt 567s for use in the driving competition and one 2015 Peterbilt 579 sleeper truck for display at the show. It is the second year JX has supplied the trucks for the driving portion of the competition.
Brad Adams, General Manager at JX Truck Center – Rockford, takes every chance he can to get involved in the local community and sees this event as the perfect venue.
“This event gives us the chance to gain visibility, make connections, and show support for our industry on the local level” says Adams. A member of the Rock River Valley Traffic Club, Adams hopes with successful events like this, club membership will continue to grow.
Each year, the driving competition brings local drivers from companies like Con-way, UPS, and FedEx, but the event is open to all Class A and B drivers with a valid license. Entries are limited, however, to the first 75 drivers.
“I love seeing the passion the drivers have for what they do,” says Corrie Confer, Sales Executive at JX Truck Center – Rockford. This year is Confer’s third year assisting the show. Last year, she served as a judge for the driving competition.
“I think it’s essential for us to support the drivers out there and show that we recognize their hard work,” says Confer. The driving competition includes a road obstacle course where drivers have to weave around cones, backup to a loading dock, stop before a crosswalk, and make a left hand turn around a tire. Drivers can choose from three classes of truck: 3 axle, 5 axle, and twin trailer.
Event spectators can view over 50 trucks among the three different classes in the “Best of Show” portion of the event. The different classes include: Tanker, Tow Truck, and Big and Small Roll Back. The competition portion of the day starts at 9 a.m. with an antique truck show parade beginning around noon.
About JX
JX is a family-owned, locally-operated group of more than 24 truck dealerships and support services in the upper midwest. JX Truck Center, JX Financial, Alltrux Capital, JX Rental, JX Leasing, JX Graphics, and Alltrux Truck & Trailer Parts are all subsidiaries. JX prides itself in their ability to help customers by providing transportation solutions to fit their long- and short-term goals. JX was founded in 1970 and is headquartered in Hartland, Wisconsin proudly representing the Peterbilt, Volvo, Hino & Kalmar Ottawa brands. To learn more,http://www.jxe.com
