PITTSBURGH — For Miguel Corral, a professional driver for UPS, the journey to earning the Bendix National Grand Championship trophy on Friday, August 14, 2026, was a run that took 14 years, countless hours of study and continual practice sessions, not to mention miles upon miles of safe driving.
Mostly importantly — as he utilized three points of contact to take the stage while accompanied by a round of thunderous applause inside the banquet hall at the David L. Lawrence Center Friday night — Corral’s route to become the 2026 Grand Champion of the National Truck Driving and National Step Van Driving Championships (NTDC) demanded a mile-by-mile commitment to safe driving year after year.
Corral put himself in position to become the second UPS driver in the history of the event to earn an NTDC Grand Champions’ title by taking home a first-place victory in the 4-Axle class, one of the eight vehicle divisions eligible for the event’s top trophy, which was added to trucking’s national championships in 1987.
Part of a stellar UPS Team representing Illinois that won six titles at the state’s Truck Driving Championships, Corral’s performance at NTDC 2026 helped lead the Land of Lincoln to earn the NTDC State Team Trophy, one of the coveted special awards presented annually at the national championships.
Overwhelmed by a sense of pure joy upon completing a 14-year quest, Corral took a few seconds to hold the coveted prize. That trophy is a goal that thousands of drivers across the country work toward each year, beginning at the state level championship competitions.
While he’s no stranger to the National Championships — he took home a NTDC Tanker title in 2018 and a second-place finish in 4-Axle four years ago — this was a crowning achievement for Corral.
Before stepping to the microphone to address the full-capacity gathering that featured this year’s 429 state champions, their families and a collection of trucking executives and industry officials, including FMCSA Administrator Derek Barrs, Corral kissed the top of the award, which is sculpted to represent a professional driver behind the wheel.
Reflecting On the Long Journey
“I wasn’t expecting this,” Corral admitted to the audience before turning his focus to what he’s learned over the years competing at the state and national levels of the program.
“For all you competitors, especially rookies, the first thing is to believe in yourself,” he said.
“My first year of competing was in 2012, and a friend of mine told me, “Why don’t you compete in this truck driving championship?’’ he recounted to the crowd. “I was like, ‘What is the world’s truck driving championship?’ I had never heard of it — but I did it one time. It’s a great program, and that’s why I do it over and over again. It’s truly a blessing.”
Corral, part of a 4-Axle finalist group that included NTDC 2025 Grand Champion David Comings, took a moment to recognize all the competitors before addressing what draws him back to the Illinois State TDC each year and to take his shot at a National Championship and the NTDC Grand Championship.
“Every year people ask me, ‘What is TDC for you?’ To me, TDC, not only is it a competition we all want to win, but it’s a family reunion,” Corral shared with the members of the NTDC Community gathered in Pittsburgh Friday. “No matter the company colors, no matter the name, it’s a family of safety. I am truly blessed to be in this room with everybody in here.”
PodWheels had a chance to talk to Corral and his wife, Cici, as soon as they walked down the stairs from the stage.
Corral looked back on a journey that began in 2012 with his introduction to the State TDCs.
“I always thought about the Grand Championship, but little did I know I would actually accomplish it,” Corral noted. “I was just targeting just to get a national, making it to the (finals) runoff. And then whatever happens, just let it happen.”
Cici Corral was beaming with pride and joy over her husband’s grand accomplishment.
“I am so proud of Miguel. He’s worked so hard over the years to get here,” she said. “I am super happy for him.”
Welcome to a Very Exclusive Driver’s Lounge
Comings — who took home the third-place trophy in 4-Axle, behind Corral and the second-place run of Bryan Krol from Martin Brower — made certain he could have a moment with the 2026 Grand Champion as the pride of UPS made his way to the stage to deliver his victory speech. Comings embraced Corral, sharing a few words that immediately hit home for the 30th top professional driver who’s earned a Bendix Grand Champion trophy since its inception 39 years ago.
“He told me to enjoy this amazing accomplishment,” Corral replied when asked what Comings had told him. “We are tough competitors, but we are also friends. He respects me, and I respect him.”
Roland Bolduc was among the many well-wishers to congratulate Corral on his championship week in a place on the map that earned the title as the “City of Champions” with the Pittsburgh Steelers success in the 1970s. A two-time NTDC Grand Champion with Bendix trophies from 2017 and 2022, Bolduc had a big smile as shook Correl’s hand and then gave the Top Gun of NTDC 2026 a hug as he exclaimed, “Welcome to the Club!”
NTDC Honors the Legendary Contributions of Rick Cates
Rick Cates, a Lifetime Member of the NTDC Organizing Committee, was honored at both Friday morning’s Parade of Champions and at the NTDC 2026 Awards banquet for his contributions to trucking’s national championships over the past 50 years.
One of the traditions for the past several years on Championship Morning at NTDC is the moment that Cates addresses the 45 state champions who earned spots in the final round of the nationals.
At a time when emotions range from elation about being one of five finalists within the nine divisions are also clashing with the excitement and nerves of preparing to drive on an NTDC finals course, Cates always takes the time to remind the 45 competitors in the championship briefing room that, in his view, they are the “Top Guns” of the NTDC for that year.
Before this year’s group of 45 finalists were announced, the NTDC Organizing Committee took a moment to honor one of their own, telling the crowd that, beginning this year and going forward, the championship round of NTDC will be driven on the Rick Cates Finals Course.
At the banquet, the NTDC Organizing Committee presented the Lifetime Achievement Award to Cates, who will be retiring from his active role with NTDC after this year.
North American Inspector’s Championship Winner Announced
Friday’s banquet was once again a collaboration between the American Trucking Associations (ATA) with the NTDC and the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) with its North American Inspector’s Championship (NAIC).
Kaleb Rains, with the Texas Department of Public Safety, put together a winning performance this week in Pittsburgh that secured the NAIC Jimmy K. Ammons Grand Champion Award, which is the highest honor for a commercial motor vehicle roadside inspector.
NTDC 2026 Vehicle Division Championships and Special Awards Winners
This year’s event included driving competitions across nine vehicle classes, vehicle inspection and a written exam, as well as a handful of specialized awards. Winners are noted below.
3-Axle
First: Chris Poynor, XPO, Washington
Second: Todd Loreman, Walmart Transportation LLC, Louisiana
Third: Jeffrey Halford, XPO, Idaho
4-Axle
First: Miguel Corral, United Parcel Service Inc., Illinois
Second: Bryan Krol, The Martin-Brower Co. LLC, Pennsylvania
Third: David Comings, FedEx Freight, North Dakota
5-Axle
First: Andres Garcia, FedEx Freight, Texas
Second: Adam Heim, FedEx Freight, Idaho
Third: Matthew Boenisch, FedEx Freight, Wisconsin
Flatbed
First: Richard Prescott, Walmart Transportation LLC, California
Second: Kenneth Rageth, FedEx Freight, Wyoming
Third: Karl Wilkerson, United Parcel Service Inc, Illinois
Sleeper
First: Terry Covey, FedEx Freight, Kansas
Second: Erik McFarland, Fareway Stores Inc., Iowa
Third: Patrick Condon, Walmart Transportation LLC, Florida
Straight Truck
First: Robert Cochran, Federal Express Corporation, Maine
Second: David May, XPO, New York
Third: Lynn Wilson, Walmart Transportation LLC, Utah
Tank Truck
First: Eric Ramsdell, Walmart Transportation LLC, Arizona
Second: Allen McNeely, ABF Freight System Inc., North Carolina
Third: James Dixon, A. Duie Pyle Inc., Connecticut
Twins
First: Ronald Ramon, H-E-B Grocery Co. Texas
Second: Vladyslav Piatkovskyi, FedEx Freight, Maryland
Third: Gary Mars, Walmart Transportation LLC, Arkansas
Step Van
First: Robert Ledoux, Federal Express Corp., Massachusetts
Second: Logan Stacho, Federal Express Corp., Ohio
Third: Ceth Christensen, United Parcel Service Inc., Illinois
Vehicle Condition Award
Edward Hill, FedEx Freight, Delaware
Written Exam
David Comings, FedEx Freight, North Dakota
Todd Gimpel, FedEx Freight, Nebraska
State Team Award
Illinois
Rookie of the Year
Todd Loreman, Walmart Transportation, Louisiana
Neil Darmstadter Professional Excellence Award
Jeff Davis, Walmart Transportation, Kansas
Congratulations to all 429 drivers who competed in this year’s NTDC. They represent the best of the trucking industry.
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.
