Trucking competition to heat up in Daytona Beach, draw thousands to the coastal town

Florida Truck Driving Championships. Image via the FTA.

Daytona Beach is about to go truckin’ as more than 300 drivers are lined up to participate in the 2024 Florida Truck Driving Championships.

The event is set to take place at the Ocean Center Convention Center in Daytona Beach June 14 and 15. While the Truck Driving Championships represent a competitive arena, it’s also a vocational showcase of sorts.

The championship features driving skills from some of the top professional commercial truck drivers in Florida. It provides a competitive venue for participants to demonstrate their driving skills and industry knowledge.

“The Florida Truck Driving Championships offer a platform to recognize and honor the best professional truck drivers in our state. Their dedication to professionalism and, most importantly, safety, make them ambassadors of our industry,” said Alix Miller, President and CEO of the Florida Trucking Association, which is organizing the event.

“These drivers are the backbone of our nation’s economy, and this annual event showcases their impressive abilities and unwavering dedication to performing their duties with safety and efficiency.”

The free event in Daytona Beach is billed as family friendly. But there are serious elements to the Florida Truck Driving Championships.

Trucking companies and businesses that employ professional drivers select representatives to go to the event, which involves criteria for qualification. The drivers compete in different classes, ranging by vehicle configuration, and are ranked in performance by judges. Drivers also have to submit to written regulatory exams as well as inspections. The competitions conclude with drivers navigating an established motor vehicle course.

There is company pride on the line, too. Some of the bigger-name companies with professional drivers in the competition from around Florida include Publix, UPS, FedEx, Amazon, Florida Rock & Tank Lines and several others. Smaller independent companies from around Florida also send drivers to the championship event.

There are also exhibitions and banquets during the event. The championship activities are expected to draw thousands to the Daytona area for the weekend for an economic boost to local businesses as well.

The participants in the Daytona event will be vying for the title of “Grand Champion.” But the Florida Truck Driving Championships is an event that’s also a qualifying round for a greater objective. Top performers will advance to the National Truck Driving Championship, hosted by the American Trucking Associations Aug. 21-24 in Indianapolis.