Tom Hindman

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- After 1,400,000 accident-free miles and a lot of practice, an Elkview trucker is headed to the 2009 National Truck Driving Championships in Pittsburgh later this month. Daryl England, a driver for FedEx Freight, took first place in the three-axle tractor/semi trailer division at the state competition in May at the Civic Center. England said he knew when he was a boy that he wanted to drive a truck for a living. As soon as his father took him for a ride in his big rig, he was hooked. "I guess I kind of followed in my dad's footsteps," England said.

He's now been driving a truck for 15 years. It was truck driving that brought England to West Virginia. Born and raised in Toledo, Ohio, he spent many vacations in the Mountain State, where his father had grown up. Six years ago, a job opened up at the Nitro FedEx Freight facility and Daryl decided to take it. He moved to Elkview with his wife, Annette, and daughter Sarah, now 11. The first place in the state championships was a first for England. He captured third place in 2005 and 2008, and second in 2007. The state and national championships are part of the American Trucking Association's effort to encourage driver safety. The championships are broken into three parts: a pre-trip inspection, a written exam, and an obstacle course. For the pre-trip inspection, Division of Transportation officials intentionally mess up a truck, and it's up to the drivers to find what's wrong within a six-minute time limit. "It's the kind of stuff you do every day when you're working," England said.

Safety violations might include a missing permit book, safety triangle, windshield wiper or an unhooked trailer.

"A lot of the stuff isn't obvious. It's stuff that you have to look for," England said. In the state competition, he caught all the violations but one - a taped-over reflector on the side of his trailer. The written exam consists of 20 multiple-choice questions on safety, first aid, and firefighting. England said the key to success is constant studying. Many drivers, including England, purchase the audio version of the safety handbook and listen as they drive.

The obstacle course is the most difficult of the three segments, England said. The course layout isn't revealed until the day of the competition, and although England said he practiced a lot this year, almost nothing he practiced for was on the course at the state meet. "You just never know what your obstacles are going to be," England said. "You never know until that morning."

England said the object is to maneuver the truck as close to obstacles as possible. It's just the opposite of regular driving, when drivers try to keep their trucks as far away from obstacles as possible. FedEx Freight has 98 drivers competing in the national championships. England said the company is very supportive. "It's something that they really believe in and they really strive for us to be in the competition," he said..