January/February 2011
OmniSource gives its top drivers an opportunity to show off their skills at its Truck Rodeo, a day of competition, family, and fun.
By Diana Mota
Before dawn on Oct. 16, 2010, a group of 19 truck drivers and their friends and families gathered at an OmniSource Corp. scrapyard in Indianapolis to compete in the Truck Rodeo, an event the Fort Wayne, Ind.-based company created to promote and reward safe driving. The drivers’ goal: to win the coveted title of best driver out of the 392 drivers the company employs at its 17 locations in 10 states.
“This is what I do every day,” said Hank Wallace, a driver from the company’s Fort Wayne yard. “This is just a normal day at the shop.” Wallace has competed in four rodeos in his six years with OmniSource, winning the competition in 2008, the last year the company held the event. He was back to defend his title, he said.
The truck rodeo is more than a skills competition that lets these workers flex their driving muscles. It’s also a day to build camaraderie, to show respect, and to have fun. “It’s a reward for drivers; it brings awareness to safety; it’s just a great event to have,” said Mike Moran, OmniSource’s corporate transportation manager. Julius Oaks of Johnson City, Tenn., competing in his first rodeo, seemed to agree. “I think it’s pretty awesome.”
In past years, as many as 50 drivers have competed during the rodeo for the title, said Lisa Merkle, OmniSource’s DOT compliance manager. The company canceled the event in 2009 as a budget-cutting measure; this year it reduced the number of contestants so the event would end earlier and so the schedule would not conflict with ISRI’s Operations Forum, which took place in Indianapolis just prior to the rodeo. The company even invited Ops Forum participants to attend.
To qualify for the competition, drivers had to meet certain criteria: no roadside out-of-service violations, no more than one hours-of-service violation in the past six months, no accidents in the past year, no more than one violation on their motor vehicle report in the past three years, and no more than three total violations in the past three years. They also must have worked for OmniSource for at least a year. Out of the qualifying drivers, the company’s transportation managers selected 20 contestants, 19 of whom were able to participate. “We got the best of the best this year,” Merkle said.
The morning of the competition, the drivers walked the course with OmniSource’s driver trainer, who reviewed each of the challenges. The competition consisted of a pre-trip inspection, worth 111 points plus a bonus point, and a driving course with three right-hand turns, each worth 25 points, and five other challenges, each worth 50 points, for a maximum possible total of 437 points. Some of the events, such as parallel parking, were timed; others, such as the simulated alley dock, were not. Drivers navigated the course’s various challenges using Kenilworth day-cab tractor-trailers, and volunteers equipped with measuring tapes carefully measured and recorded the results.
The contestants with the five highest scores each ran the course a second time. The judges combined the two driving scores and the pre-trip inspection score to identify the first-prize winner, who received $1,000 and a trophy—not to mention bragging rights. The four other finalists received trophies and cash prizes as well. OmniSource engraves the winner’s name on a traveling trophy, which stays with him until the rodeo’s next winner claims it. This year’s winners were Jason Dunham of Fort Wayne, first place; Keith Parker of Spartanburg, S.C., second; Bruce Perkins of Lima, Ohio, third; Preston Seibles of Cayce, S.C., fourth; and Tracy Eineder of Jackson, Mich., fifth.
Dunham, who had competed in about seven of OmniSource’s truck rodeos, was thrilled with the win. “I’ve been in the top five a few times, but first place always eluded me. It’s pretty neat to win it.” He considered this rodeo the toughest of all the ones he’s run, which made the victory all the sweeter. “They had the course so tight, and that trailer was so small.” He pointed out that he typically drives a straight truck, whereas the competition trucks were 40-foot tractor-trailers, which he thinks are easier to maneuver. “If you make a mistake, you have more time to correct it,” he said. “With a smaller trailer, if you think it’s too late, it is.”
As much as the Truck Rodeo means to the drivers, it also means a lot to their families. “It lets our families see what we do every day,” Wallace said. “We go as a family every year,” said Sheila Dunham, Jason Dunham’s wife. “The kids love it. They have a good time seeing the trucks.” The company also plans activities and competitions for the children: Younger ones compete on a pedal-driven tractor; older ones guide a remote-controlled toy tractor-trailer. “They do a great job taking care of the kids while we’re competing,” Jason Dunham said.
OmniSource’s transportation council members are already discussing the rodeo they hope to have this year. “Every year we collect suggestions” and make changes accordingly, Moran said.
Diana Mota is associate editor of Scrap.
Contestants
This year, OmniSource’s Truck Rodeo contestants were Grant Cooper, Nashville, Tenn.; Tracy Eineder and Rusty Walz, Jackson, Mich.; Joshua Breeden, Charlotte, N.C.; John Kentnor, Athens, Ga.; Julius Oaks, Johnson City, Tenn.; Preston Seibles, Cayce, S.C.; John Clark and George Bone, Toledo, Ohio; James Kelly, Tony Powell, and Keith Parker, Spartanburg, S.C.; Ricky Borden, Charles Sams, and Mike Sneed, Indianapolis; Bruce Perkins, Lima, Ohio; and Hank Wallace, Jason Dunham, and Jerry Shoudel, Fort Wayne, Ind.
OmniSource gives its top drivers an opportunity to show off their skills at its Truck Rodeo, a day of competition, family, and fun.