Texas Department of Public Safety inspector Kaleb Rains earned the top honor at the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s 2026 North American Inspectors Championship, held Aug. 11-15 in Pittsburgh in conjunction with the American Trucking Associations’ National Truck Driving Championships.
Rains received the Jimmy K. Ammons Grand Champion Award after posting the highest overall score among 47 commercial motor vehicle inspectors representing jurisdictions across North America.
Alabama’s trucking industry works closely with state and federal enforcement partners throughout the year to improve commercial motor vehicle safety, from roadside inspections and compliance programs to driver and fleet safety initiatives. That same partnership between industry and enforcement was on display this month as the nation’s top commercial vehicle inspectors gathered in Pittsburgh last week.
The annual competition brings together top roadside inspectors from the United States and Canada for training and competition designed to promote consistency in commercial motor vehicle inspections. Competitors are tested on their ability to identify driver and vehicle violations, recognize out-of-service conditions, and correctly apply North American Standard Inspection procedures.
Over two days, inspectors competed in six categories using mock roadside inspections and real-world driver and vehicle scenarios. The exercises are timed and require inspectors to identify regulatory violations and critical vehicle inspection items while properly applying CVSA inspection standards.
Rains also received the High Points U.S. Award and placed first in both the North American Standard Hazardous Materials/Dangerous Goods and Cargo Tank/Bulk Packagings Inspection and the Level V Passenger Carrier Vehicle Inspection. He finished third in the North American Standard Level I Inspection.
Georgia Department of Public Safety inspector Andre McLamb won the Level I Inspection category, followed by Tyson Oxford of the Kansas Highway Patrol and Rains. McLamb was also a member of the Yellow Team, which earned the competition’s Team Award.
Brandon Johnson of the North Carolina State Highway Patrol received the John Youngblood Award of Excellence. Unlike the competition’s performance-based awards, the Youngblood Award is selected by fellow contestants and recognizes cooperation, leadership, professionalism, dedication and a positive attitude.
Training and Consistency Remain a Focus
While NAIC recognizes individual inspectors, the program also serves as an intensive training event. Participating jurisdictions send top inspectors who receive hands-on instruction on current commercial vehicle safety standards, procedures and technologies that can be taken back to their agencies and applied during roadside enforcement.
For motor carriers and safety professionals, that emphasis on uniformity is an important part of the program. CVSA inspection standards and out-of-service criteria are applied at roadside inspection sites across North America, making consistency among inspectors a key component of the commercial vehicle enforcement system.
The championship has been held alongside ATA’s National Truck Driving Championships since NAIC began in 1993. The joint event brings professional drivers and commercial vehicle inspectors together during the week, providing opportunities for both groups to interact and better understand their respective roles in highway safety.
As Grand Champion, Rains will attend CVSA’s Annual Conference and Exhibition in Orlando, Fla., and address CVSA members during the conference awards luncheon Sept. 23.
NAIC was established in 1993 to recognize commercial motor vehicle inspectors and enforcement personnel while promoting greater uniformity, consistency and reciprocity in roadside inspections throughout North America.
