2026 PMTA Truck Driver Championships DRIVER ELIGIBILITY

The Truck Driving Championship recognizes the professionalism, safety record, and skill of the industry’s best commercial drivers.

Quick Eligibility Checklist

Before entering a driver into the Truck Driving Championship, confirm the following:

• Professional Driver Status – The contestant must be an active professional truck driver whose primary duty is operating a commercial motor vehicle.
• Employment Requirement – The driver must have 12 months of continuous employment with the entering carrier immediately prior to the competition.
• Driving Activity – The driver must have actively performed driving duties for at least 11 of the previous 12 months.
• Safe Driving Record – The driver must maintain a preventable accident-free record during the qualifying period.
• DOT Qualifications – The driver must meet DOT medical qualifications and hold a valid CDL with proper endorsements.
• State Eligibility – Drivers compete in the state where they are occupationally domiciled and may participate in only one state championship per year.
• Competition Class – Drivers may compete in only one equipment class per year.

Accident Record Eligibility

Drivers must maintain a preventable accident-free driving record during the qualifying period.

For state Truck Driving Championships, the qualifying period begins the day immediately following the previous state or National Truck Driving Championships and continues through the date of the current year’s state championship.

Preventability must be determined using the ATA Trucking Industry Guidelines for Recording Fleet Motor Vehicle Accidents and Determining Preventability. Any accident determined to be preventable during the qualifying period disqualifies the driver from competition.

If an accident occurs during the qualifying period and the entering carrier determines it to be non-preventable, the incident must be submitted to the ATA National Truck Driving Championships Eligibility Review Committee for final determination. The National Truck Driving Championships Committee retains final authority on eligibility decisions.

Full Rules and Regulations

The information above provides a summary of the primary eligibility requirements for entering the Truck Driving Championship.

For the complete rules, procedures, and official competition guidelines, please refer to the 2026 ATA Truck Driving Championships Rules & Procedures Book, available from ATA Business Solutions.