Thirty-one employees from the Ohio Department of Transportation - District 9 showed their driving muscle last week as they participated in the district’s 2017 Truck and Loader Roadeo Competition at the Scioto County Highway Maintenance Facility in Lucasville.
Created in 1988, 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 competition tests the skill level of participating highway technicians and mechanics from the district’s maintenance facilities.
“The Roadeo is an annual event that gives our drivers the opportunity to hone their skills and test their abilities as heavy equipment operators,” said ODOT District 9 Deputy Director Vaughn Wilson. “Those who participate are scored based on set criteria that judges their skills against the course and the clock.”
This year, the winner in the truck competition was Garold Cox of Lawrence County, while Dustin Pfeifer, a highway technician in Pike County, won the loader competition. Brad Fent of Highland County and Trenton Otworth from Scioto County finished second in the truck and loader divisions, respectively.
Rounding out the top six in the truck competition were Trenton Otworth; Josh Havens of Pike County; and Duke Leisure and Terrell Fairrow of Ross County, with Josh Havens, Garold Cox, Brad Fent and Highland County’s Chris Fulton rounding out the top six finalists of the loader division.
(The Top Six finalists in District 9's 2017 Truck Roadeo were (l-r) Garold Cox, first place; Brad Fent, second; Trenton Otworth, third; Josh Havens, fourth; Duke Leisure, fifth; and Terrell Fairrow, sixth. Pictured with the crew in the center is Vaughn Wilson, District 9 deputy director)
(The Top Six finalists in District 9's 2017 loader competition were (l-r) Dustin Pfeifer, first place; Trenton Otworth, second; Josh Havens, third; Garold Cox, fourth; Brad Fent, fifth; and Chris Fulton, sixth. Also pictured in the center is District 9 Deputy Director Vaughn Wilson)
Moving forward to compete in the statewide Director’s Cup of the ODOT Truck and Loader Roadeo to be held in late August, Cox and Fent will represent District 9 in the truck competition, while Pfeifer and Otworth will participate in the loader division.