OKLAHOMA CITYOvernite Transportations Bob Akers, an Oklahoma City road driver, won his fifth state title and another trip to compete in the national arena when he captured the winners trophy in the twins division at the Oklahoma State Truck Driving Championships held here this weekend.
Also delivering a strong performance for Overnite, Oklahoma City driver Joe Conner won the competitions pre-trip award for identifying hidden safety defects on a truck. Conner also came in third place in the three-axle competition.
Akers, one of the nations most celebrated professional truck drivers who has more than 4 million miles of safe driving to his credit, will join a dozen other Overnite state champions in representing the company at the National Truck Driving Championships to be held in Tampa, Fla., in August.
In 2003, the American Trucking Associations (ATA) presented Akers with its Professional Excellence Award, the industrys highest honor. A 39-year Overnite veteran, Akers also is a former ATA Americas Road Team Captain and is a member of the Overnite All-Star Road Team. In addition, he was named Oklahomas Driver of the Year in 2000.
On May 16, UPS (NYSE: UPS) announced a definitive agreement to acquire Overnite Corporation for $1.25 billion.
Overnite Transportation Company, which provides a complete menu of regional, interregional and long-haul services, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Overnite Corporation (NASDAQ: OVNT), which also owns Motor Cargo Industries. Together, they form one of the largest less-than-truckload carriers in the United States with more than 200 service centers and a fleet of over 6,000 tractors and more than 22,000 trailers, covering all 50 states and providing customers with direct access to more than 45,000 cities in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Mexico.