Thirty years on the road. More than 3.2 million miles without a scratch. And next week, David Comings walks back into a convention hall to defend a title that any one of Alabama’s best drivers would love to take off his hands.
Comings, a FedEx Freight driver out of Fargo, North Dakota, was crowned National Grand Champion at last year’s National Truck Driving Championships in Minneapolis, beating out more than 425 competitors to become the first driver from his state to ever hold the title. Now he’s headed to Pittsburgh for the 2026 championships, and this time he’s not just competing. He’s opening the show.
What It Takes to Win the Sport’s Super Bowl
The NTDC has been around since 1937, started by the American Trucking Associations as a safety initiative, and it hasn’t gotten any easier. Drivers have to be accident-free for a full year just to qualify. Then comes a written exam, a pre-trip inspection where inspectors plant defects for drivers to catch, and a six-obstacle driving course that separates the good from the great.
It’s the kind of competition where a missed mirror check costs you the whole thing.
Comings told Valley News Live he didn’t see the win coming. “I didn’t think I was at that level yet,” he said. His company thought otherwise and put his name and title on the door of his truck. Nothing like driving to work every day with your own reputation staring back at you from the paint job.
Alabama’s Own Will Be in the Building
Alabama doesn’t just watch this event from home. Every year, the state’s best professional drivers compete at the Alabama Truck Driving Championships for the right to represent the state on the national stage, and this year is no different. When the competition kicks off August 10 through 14 in Pittsburgh, Alabama drivers will be standing in the same lineup as a reigning champion who trains like he still has something to prove.
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The reigning National Champ heads back to defend his NTDC title
Thirty years on the road. More than 3.2 million miles without a scratch. And next week, David Comings walks back…
That’s the whole spirit behind why the Alabama Trucking Association backs this competition year after year. It’s not about trophies. It’s about proving, in public, that the men and women hauling freight through this state are among the safest professionals on the road. If you want to see who’s carrying that torch for Alabama, the Alabama Trucking News page is the place to watch this month.
