Fifty-one commercial motor vehicle inspectors representing jurisdictions throughout North America gathered in Orlando, Florida, Aug. 7-11, 2017, to compete in the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) 25th annual North American Inspectors Championship (NAIC), the only event dedicated to testing, recognizing and awarding commercial motor vehicle inspector excellence.
[callout template=”cvsacallout1″]
Rommel Garcia of the Houston Police Department is the first local member in NAIC history to earn the Grand Champion Award.
[/callout]
This year, local member Rommel Garcia of the Houston Police Department earned the highest combined score in six competition categories to take home the top prize, the Jimmy K. Ammons Grand Champion Award.
“As we celebrate 25 years of NAIC this year, we’re also celebrating another historic accomplishment,” said CVSA President Julius Debuschewitz of Yukon Highways and Public Works. “This is the first time in NAIC history that a local member has earned the Grand Champion Award.”
All of the inspection categories are timed events and the compilation of scores for those categories result in a Grand Champion, which is the highest honor for commercial motor vehicle roadside inspectors. The six competition categories in which each inspector is tested and scored are:
[callout template=”cvsacallout1″]
Erick McGuire with the Florida Highway Patrol was nominated by his peers to be the John Youngblood Award of Excellence winner.
[/callout]
- North American Standard Level I Inspection
- North American Standard Level I Inspection Procedure
- North American Standard Hazardous Materials/Dangerous Goods Inspection
- North American Standard Cargo Tank/Other Bulk Packagings Inspection
- North American Standard Level V Passenger Carrier Vehicle Inspection
- North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria Exam
A special award, the John Youngblood Award of Excellence, is an honor NAIC contestants bestow upon a fellow NAIC inspector who exemplifies the high standards and unwavering dedication to the profession. This year, NAIC contestants voted to present the John Youngblood Award to Erick McGuire with the Florida Highway Patrol.
[callout template=”cvsacallout1″]
The winners of the North American Standard Level I Inspection Awards.
[/callout]
Awards are given for first, second and third place for selected inspection categories.
North American Standard Level I Inspection:
- First Place – Rommel Garcia – Local Member – Houston Police Department
- Second Place – Thomas Disterhaft – Wisconsin State Patrol
- Third Place – Darren Kennedy – British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure
[callout template=”cvsacallout1″]
The North American Standard Hazardous Materials/Dangerous Goods and Cargo Tank/Bulk Packagings Inspection Award winners.
[/callout]
North American Standard Hazardous Materials/Dangerous Goods and Cargo Tank/Bulk Packagings Inspection:
- First Place – Jose Najera – Texas Department of Public Safety
- Second Place – Steven Payne – Oklahoma Highway Patrol
- Third Place – Lance Skoog – Alberta Justice and Solicitor General
[callout template=”cvsacallout1″]
The North American Standard Level V Passenger Carrier Vehicle Inspection Award winners.
[/callout]
North American Standard Level V Passenger Carrier Vehicle Inspection:
- First Place – Mark Wisner – Alabama Law Enforcement Agency
- Second Place – Erick McGuire – Florida Highway Patrol
- Third Place – James Hamrick – Arkansas Highway Police
[callout template=”cvsacallout1″]
The Purple Team was the highest scoring team.
[/callout]
Team Award – Purple Team:
- Erick McGuire – Florida Highway Patrol
- Steven Hill – Kentucky State Police
- Rommel Garcia – Local Member – Houston Police Department
- Cindy Campbell – Nevada Highway Patrol
- Adam Trujillo – New Mexico Department of Public Safety
- Tommy Torok – South Dakota Highway Patrol
- Kent Hutchinson – Wyoming Highway Patrol
- Cheryl Anderson – Yukon Highways and Public Works
- Team Leader: Scott Henry – Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
Also, an award is given to each inspector who scores the most points representing each of the three participating countries: Canada, Mexico and the United States. The following High Points Awards were presented during this year’s NAIC:
- Sean McAlister High Points Canada Award – Darren Kennedy – British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure
- High Points Mexico Award – Luis León Merino Gómez – Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes (SCT)
- High Points United States Award – Rommel Garcia – Local Member – Houston Police Department
In celebration of 25 years of NAIC, each of the competing inspectors and registered volunteers received an exclusive commemorative 25-year anniversary challenge coin.
“The challenge coin not only acknowledges the NAIC anniversary, it’s also a thank you to the competing inspectors for the hard work they do every day to make our roads a safer place,” said Debuschewitz. “Approximately 4 million roadside safety inspections are conducted each year throughout North America by CVSA-certified inspectors who save lives every day by removing dangerous commercial motor vehicles and drivers from our roadways.”
[callout template=”cvsacallout1″]
Sean McAlister’s wife, Beverly Spencer, spoke at the awards ceremony and helped present the first Sean McAlister High Points Canada Award to winner Darren Kennedy.
[/callout]
This year also marked the first year that the Alliance presented the Sean McAlister High Points Canada Award, renamed to honor the memory and contributions of Sean McAlister. McAlister was a well-known leader in the commercial motor vehicle safety community throughout Canada and the United States and a strong supporter of NAIC. McAlister was instrumental in establishing and maintaining the Canadian Education Quality Assurance Team (EQAT) and served as chair of CVSA’s International Legal and Regulatory Affairs Committee, now called the Policy and Regulatory Affairs Committee. Last year, he passed away after a 15-month battle with lung cancer at the age of 57. With all that he has done to support commercial motor vehicle safety and training not only in Canada but throughout the Alliance, CVSA renamed the High Points Canada Award after Sean McAlister to honor his legacy.
The work of a commercial motor vehicle inspector is not easy, but it is vital in ensuring public safety on North American roadways. NAIC was created to recognize the hard work and expertise of inspectors and officers – the backbone of the commercial motor vehicle safety program in North America – and promote uniformity of inspections through training and education.
NAIC is sponsored by CVSA and many of its valued federal and associate members. For the past 25 years, the championship event has been held in partnership with the American Trucking Associations’ National Truck and Step Van Driving Championships. NAIC has been recognized by the American Society of Association Executives as an event that “Advances America.”