Thirty-seven employees from the Ohio Department of Transportation - District 9 were able to show off their driving skills recently during the district’s annual Truck and Loader Roadeo Competition at the Scioto County Highway Maintenance Facility in Lucasville.
Now in its 30th year, the Roadeo is held every spring in ODOT’s 12 districts as a means to recognize and test the employees who operate some of the state’s heaviest equipment.
Through a series of tests and a driving course of clearances, serpentines and stops, the Roadeo is a challenging competition that measures the skill level of participating highway technicians and mechanics.
This year, Chris Fulton, a highway technician at ODOT’s Highland County Highway Maintenance Facility, was the winner in the truck competition, and the winner of the loader division was Josh Havens, a highway tech from the district’s Pike County facility.
(Pictured are the Top 6 Truck Finalists in District 9's Roadeo competition. They are, left to right, Jon Kelch (Highland); Elza Taylor (Adams); John Hettinger (Scioto); Garold Cox (Lawrence); Jonathan Leisure (Ross); and first-place winner Chris Fulton (Highland).
Rounding out the top six scorers in the truck competition were Garold Cox of Lawrence County; John Hettinger of Scioto County; Jonathan Leisure of Ross County; Jon Kelch of Highland County; and Elza Taylor of Adams County.
Finishing first in the loader competition was Josh Havens. The finalists included Cox and Fulton, who came in second and third, respectively, with Brandon Shamhart of Scioto County, David Pistole of Adams County, and Tyson Moore of Adams County rounding out the remaining top six.
(Pictured left to right are Brandon Shamhart (Scioto); Tyson Moore (Adams); Chris Fulton (Highland); Josh Havens (Pike); Garold Cox (Lawrence); and David Pistole (Adams), who were the Top 6 Finalists in the loader division of the Roadeo)
Moving forward to represent District 9 and compete in the truck competition of ODOT's Director’s Cup will be Fulton and Cox, while Havens, along with Cox, will participate in the loader division. The statewide Truck and Loader Roadeo will be held June 6 at the Ohio Expo Center.