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May 07, 2023

Local truck driver is a state champ

A trucker from Rio Rico is headed to the National Truck Driving Championship in

A trucker from Rio Rico is headed to the National Truck Driving Championship in Ohio after winning two top awards at the state competition.

Marc Anthony Ahumada took first place in the Four-Axle Tractor-Semitrailer division of the Arizona Trucking Association's annual Truck Driving Championship at Tempe Diablo Stadium on April 1. What's more, since he performed so well in his first-ever state championship. Ahumada also took home the association's Rookie of the Year award.

"It was awesome," Ahumada said of the experience. "It's truly an honor to actually be there among the best and to actually win first place, it solidifies your abilities as a driver."

Ahumada, who is nearing his 42nd birthday, said he's been driving trucks since he obtained his commercial license at the age of 20. For most of his career, he was involved in over-the-road trucking, hauling produce from Nogales to California. But a year-and-a half ago, he switched to local delivery as a driver for Shamrock Foods, working out of Tucson.

Recognizing the benefits for the company, Shamrock offers its drivers the opportunity to participate in the Arizona Trucking Association's annual competition, an event that dates to 1937 and that was once known as the Truck Rodeo. "It improves our safety and our ability to better our skills as a driver," Ahumada explained.

More than 160 drivers participated in this year‘s state event, which includes tests in three different areas.

The first involves a written exam in which competitors prove their knowledge of the industry, as well as their understanding of topics such as first aid, injury prevention, fire safety and more.

Then comes a pre-trip inspection.

"The judges will set up the truck and trailer for defects, and it's your job to detect those defects," Ahumada said.

One part of the test involves driving as close as you can to road cones without hitting them.

Finally, the skills/driving component tests participants' ability to maneuver a vehicle. This time, the judges place a row of cones on a curve and the drivers earn points by coming as close as they can to the cones without hitting them. Making this part of the competition even tougher, the drivers use vehicles contributed by other participating companies – not the ones they are accustomed to driving.

This part of the test can be counterintuitive for drivers, who normally try to keep their distance from objects in their path, Ahumada said.

"When you’re parking your trailer or truck, you want to be careful not to hit anything, right? But when you’re competing, they make you get as close as you can to those obstacles in order to get points," he said.

Ahumada earned enough points to place first in the four-axle category, making him one of eight first-place finishers at the competition, in addition to the event's grand champion. The nine state-level winners qualified for the national championships, set for Aug. 16-19 in Columbus, Ohio. There, the Arizona drivers will compete against 430 other pro truckers from around the nation.

What's more, Shamrock Foods, Ahumada's employer, will send him to the International Food Service Truck Driving Championships, set to be held in Orlando, Fla. in October.

Family tradition

Ahumada's years of experience certainly helped him to hone his skills and stand out at his first-ever state competition. But he's also got truck driving in his genes.

"I’m a fourth-generation truck driver," he said.

The family tradition started in 1955 with his great-grandfather, who, along with Ahumada's grandfather, would buy and sell produce and distribute it in Nogales, Sonora.

Ahumada's grandfather, Fernando Gallegos, started his own trucking business in Nogales, Sonora – Gallegos Transport – in 1963. In 1970, Gallegos became president of the transportation union in Nogales, Sonora.

During the businesses’ peak years in the 1980s and 1990s, Gallegos Transport had a fleet of more than 20 trucks, Ahumada said. His uncles eventually took over the firm and it's still operating today.

Marc Ahumada gets a congratulatory hug from his son Marco Antonio.

Meanwhile, Ahumada's father, Francisco Pujol Ahumada, drove a truck for more than 20 years for the Capin Mercantile company in Nogales. He then went to work for Factory 2U, where he served as the company's fleet manager. He started his own business in 2004, and his son worked for him for more than 13 years.

Ahumada's family includes his wife Elmalee and children Marco Antonio and Natalia. Marco Antonio appears poised to continue the family tradition one day, his father said.

"He's 14, but he really loves trucks," he said.

As for his own recent career turn into competitive driving, Ahumada said it's something he plans to keep doing.

"I’ve really enjoyed this. It brought me to a whole new level in my career," he said.

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