Larry Gorby of XPO displays his West Virginia grand champion trophy while wife Stefanie proudly holds his award for winning the 4-Axle class. (Courtesy of XPO)
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Larry Gorby shuns self-congratulatory moments. Touting one’s achievements would actually be futile for Gorby, a veteran driver with XPO and the recent best-in-show at West Virginia’s truck driving championships.
Gorby instead would rather highlight the accomplishments of others. His signature reaction at precision driving competitions, such as the one in his home state on April 20, is to acknowledge fellow competitors, peers, colleagues and newcomers. There is, frankly, no greater gratification than watching a field of drivers show up to a competition to test their skills in the name of safety.
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“The men and women that you see; these competitors … they put so much into this,” Gorby told Transport Topics on May 3. “Even the guys that haven’t won yet, but they’re competing and they’re getting to compete, they are already winners.”
“Just being there, just being able to compete at a state level, that means they went an entire year without having an accident,” he continued.
2024 National Truck Driving Championships
Who: Winners from nine categories at the state level who have advanced to the national competition, where a Grand Champion will be crowned
What: Contestants are judged on a written exam, pre-trip inspection and driving skills
When: Aug. 21-24
Where: Indianapolis
Last month, Gorby won his third grand champion trophy at the Mountain State tournament to punch his sixth trip to the national contest. Competing in the 4-axle vehicle division, he was among the nine drivers to win their respective vehicle classes, a requisite for advancing to the National Truck Driving Championships and National Step Van Driving Championships.
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His message to every competitor at the state contest, especially to the ones who didn’t qualify to the national “Super Bowl of Safety,” is simply: “You’re already winners. Don’t go away. Don’t go out of here feeling bad. You’re a winner for even getting here.” To qualify for state and national tournaments, drivers must have an accident-free record for one year.
Getting to Know You
Name: Larry Gorby
Age: 55
From: Charleston, W.Va.
Vehicle class: 4-axle
Favorite music: “I like it all.”
Sports hero: Former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Joe Greene
Favorite snacks: Salted peanuts
Last place visited: Pittsburgh
Most memorable NTDC moment: Watching a colleague in 2022 advance to the final round of the tournament for the first time. “That was great. … meant a lot to me because he’s a friend.”
“It’s something to avoid an accident and not be involved in anything out here for an entire year,” he said, emphasizing, “You done a good job.”
Gorby’s most recent state champion honor was in 2017 in the straight truck class. His last trip to nationals took place two years ago.
This year will mark the 87th edition of NTDC.
3-Axle: Mike Roberts, XPO
5-Axle: Ernest Adkins, Walmart
Flatbed: Justin Moody, Walmart
Sleeper: Jordan Jordan, Walmart
Step Van: Brandon Wuletich, FedEx Ground
Straight Truck: Jeremy Thomas, Oliver Fuels
Tank Truck: Brett Thompson, Walmart
Twins: Bill Adkins, FedEx Freight
2023 Flashback
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