There are always a countless number of memorable moments during each edition of the National Truck Driving and National Step Van Driving Championships, which are hosted annually by the American Trucking Associations. After all, the competition has a history and a tradition that spans almost 90 years.
Looking back at NTDC 2025, which took place last August in Minneapolis, one of the more indelible moments belonged to eventual Twins National Champ Miguel Sanchez as he heard his name called to be part of the group competing the final runoff in his vehicle division on Championship Saturday.
Second run at the championship
Sanchez, a veteran driver with UPS from the Jacksonville area, reached the National Championships for the second time in his career by winning the Twins Division and earning the Grand Championship in the state of Florida back in June. He was part of a company record of 30 drivers from UPS who qualified for the nationals in 2025 by winning state championships from events held across the country in the spring and early summer.
Just like the other 425 competitors who assembled at NTDC 2025 and who had participated in the Parade of Champions on the Saturday morning of the competition weekend, Sanchez hoped he would be announced as one of the five finalists who earned a spot in the championship runoff portion of the event.
Once the time arrived for the Twins Final Five to be announced, Sanchez was going through a range of emotions. He knew that he had driven well on the semifinals course, but he also knew that scores in the first round are based on a competitor’s performance on the written test and the pre-trip inspection along with the points collected behind the wheel.
“The test for me was particularly hard, but I just gave it my all, and, once the test was done, I was able to relax. I started focusing on my pre-trip and then the course,” said Sanchez, who was keenly aware he had some ground to make up before his drive in the semifinals.
“I knew that I was deficient in the test and the pre-trip, but it was the driving that really, really brought me along,” he continued. “I ended up coming away with a 250-point course drive (out of possible 300) and that really put me back in the mix.”
FedEx Freight’s Chris Flippin, the Grand Champion from the state of Texas, was the first of five finalists to hear his name called in the Twins Class. While still hopeful for his moment in the spotlight, Sanchez naturally began to wonder if he had indeed done enough to reach the national runoff for the first time in his career.
Called as a finalist
Though it felt like an eternity, the next name to be announced over the PA in the Minneapolis Conventional for the Twin Class Finalists was none other than Miguel Sanchez.
As he walked across the stage as a member of the Twins Final Five, a tearful Sanchez paused and turned to look into the packed stands. He spotted his family and then lifted up both his hands, making a heart symbol.
“I knew that if I’m going to get called, I’m going to look up there and I’m going to give them a heart to let them know that we’re one team,” he said. “This is the Sanchez family; it’s not me as a competitor.
“We put in all this work and I made the stage,” he continued. “I just had to look for them and just tell them, ‘Hey, I love you. I love you so much.’ It wasn’t like me going to the finals. It was us — Sandy, Michaela and Alyssa — all of us going into the finals as one team.”
Inspired by his family and the opportunity to win his first national championship, Sanchez put together a drive in the final round that was second best among the top 45 professional drivers at NTDC competing across all nine vehicle divisions. David Comings, the 5-Axle Division winner who also claimed the NTDC 2025 Grand Champions’ crown, topped the score by Sanchez on the finals course by 10 points.
Sanchez’s finals drive was so impressive that Dave Mogler made a point to seek out Sanchez prior to the awards banquet. Mogler, a NTDC veteran with multiple national championships, including the 3-Axle Division title in 2024, held the Twins Class lead going into the final drive.
“So, we’re standing in line before we even get into the banquet hall,” Sanchez recalled. “Mogler approached me and said, ‘Hey man, you won it.’ I said, ‘Man, I appreciate you.’
“But I also said, ‘I’m not going to count the chickens before they’re hatched. I’m not going to believe it until whoever’s going to announce it announces it,’” he said.
A memorable win
Quite fittingly, when the Twins category was announced, NTDC 2025 Committee Chairman Robert Foskey had the honor of presenting the trophies. Coincidentally, Foskey, during his days with UPS, was the person who opened the door for Sanchez and gave him an opportunity to drive.
“It was such a special moment to have Robert Foskey call my name as a national champion. He means so much to me and my family,” said Sanchez. “I don’t know how many people I hugged on the way down to get the trophy, but man, I can’t believe it.
“Here we are. This is it. This is the moment. This is the goal. I still look at the trophy and, man, it’s hard to believe. It was such a great experience,” he said. “I met so many new people, so many friends, and it’s something that I will forever treasure as a huge accomplishment.”
Florida’s Miguel Sanchez Still Savoring First NTDC Division Champions’ Crown
Greg Thompson is an award-winning writer and producer who has worked in the trucking industry in a variety of roles since 1998. With more than a decade’s worth of experience as a journalist prior entering trucking, Greg is the founder and executive producer of PodWheels.com, a podcast network dedicated to spotlighting the trucking industry.
Since 2019, PodWheels has provided specialized coverage of the National Truck Driving and National Step Van Driving Championships.
In 2025, PodWheels’ NTDC Series earned the honor of being named the official podcast of the National Championships by the American Trucking Associations, which hosts the annual nationwide competition.
During 2025 alone, PodWheels produced some 100 episodes and provided over 50 hours of podcast content highlighting the competitors, organizers and volunteers involved with the Truck Driving Championships at both the state and national levels. PodWheels’ coverage of the NTDC, including state competitions and other features, is available through RoadToNTDC.com.
