The best professional truck drivers in the country are in Pennsylvania this week, and PMTA couldn’t be prouder of the nine drivers representing the Commonwealth on our home turf.

The 2026 National Truck Driving Championships and National Step Van Driving Championships are underway August 11–14 in Pittsburgh, bringing together state champions from across the country to compete on one of trucking’s biggest stages.

For Team Pennsylvania, getting here started two months ago at PMTA’s Truck Driving Championships at Kalahari Resorts in the Poconos. There, drivers competed in a written examination, pre-trip inspection and demanding driving skills course. The winner in each class earned the opportunity to represent Pennsylvania at Nationals.

Representing Team Pennsylvania in Pittsburgh are:

• 3-Axle: Kraig Keller, ABF Freight
• 4-Axle: Bryan Krol, Martin Brower
• 5-Axle: Kevin Heintzelman, Walmart
• Flatbed: Bill Bennett, Sherwin-Williams
• Sleeper: Matt Fletcher, Martin Brower
• Step Van: TJ Altland, UPS
• Straight Truck: Adam Graybill, Old Dominion Freight Line
• Tank: Paul Waite, A. Duie Pyle
• Twins: Justin Walker, FedEx Freight

Each of them earned the right to be here by proving themselves among Pennsylvania’s best.

More Than a Competition

The Truck Driving Championships are often called the “Super Bowl of Safety,” and there’s a reason for that.

You don’t accidentally end up at the National Truck Driving Championships. You earn it through hard work, dedication and a commitment to safety that extends far beyond a competition course.

These drivers spend their careers navigating some of the most challenging roads in the country while sharing those roads with all of us. At NTDC, the skills they use every day are put to the test — their knowledge of safety regulations, their ability to identify potential problems during a pre-trip inspection, and the precision required to safely maneuver a commercial vehicle.

But the impact of the championships goes well beyond the drivers competing this week.

Competition pushes drivers to sharpen their skills. Companies rally around their competitors and build safety programs around them. Families, coworkers and other drivers see professional excellence celebrated. And year after year, the championships reinforce a simple but important message: safety is something worth striving for.

That matters on the competition course, but it matters even more when these drivers get back behind the wheel.

Welcome to Pennsylvania

Having the National Truck Driving Championships in Pittsburgh makes this year particularly special for PMTA.

Pennsylvania is a trucking state. Every day, professional drivers move the food, medicine, building materials, packages and countless other goods that communities and businesses across the Commonwealth depend on. This week, we have the opportunity to welcome the very best of those professionals from across the country to Pennsylvania and celebrate the skill and commitment it takes to do this job safely.

And while we’re proud to welcome every driver who earned a spot at Nationals, we’ll admit that PMTA will be cheering a little louder for nine of them.

Kraig, Bryan, Kevin, Bill, Matt, TJ, Adam, Paul, and Justin: PMTA is behind you!

You have already made Pennsylvania proud. Now go show the country what Team PA can do.

Good luck, Team Pennsylvania!