Roadeo Champions Crowned: ODOT District 1 Employees Showcase Skills

LIMA, Ohio (May 9, 2024) – The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) District 1 hosted its annual truck and loader roadeo at the Allen County highway maintenance facility in Lima, where 54 employees from across the eight-county district competed for top honors.

The roadeo, which began in 1988, is a competitive driving event held annually in each of ODOT’s 12 districts. Contestants are scored on a pre-trip equipment inspection, a test of rules and laws pertaining to commercial driver’s licenses (CDL), and their operator skills as they navigate a series of obstacles with precision and speed.

This year, Hancock and Hardin County crews excelled in both the loader and truck categories:

Loader competition

• First place – Austin Garman, Hardin County, with 2,075 points out of a possible 2,300 points.
• Second place – John Rinker, Hancock County.
• Third place – Wyatt Price, Hancock County.

Truck competition

• First place – John Rinker, Hancock County, with 2,055 points out of a possible 2,300.
• Second place – Spencer Wall, Hardin County.
• Third place – Nate Greenwood, Allen County.

The top two winners in each category will represent District 1 at the Director’s Cup of the ODOT Truck and Loader Roadeo in Columbus in August. Rinker and Wall will compete in the truck competition, while Garman and Rinker will participate in the loader competition. Greenwood and Price earned spots as alternates.

The Allen County maintenance garage was named team champion of the roadeo, having earned the top-two truck and top-two loader scores for the day. The Allen crew secured the trophy with a total score of 7,075.

“The roadeo is a chance for our operators to demonstrate their expertise in heavy equipment operation,” said Chris Hughes, deputy director of ODOT District 1. “Each obstacle is carefully designed to simulate the challenges they face on the job, and we’re proud to recognize their achievements.”

In addition to the roadeo, 26 plows painted by schools in District 1’s eight-county region were on display. ODOT employees voted for their favorite entries, and the public can also participate in voting for a people’s choice award on ODOT District 1’s social media accounts. A photo of each painted plow will be posted on May 10th at 

• Facebook: Facebook.com/ODOTDistrict1
• Instagram: Instagram/odot_nwohio/
• X: Twitter.com/ODOT_NWOhio

Each reaction, comment, and share on the photo will count as a vote.  The contest will run through Sunday, May 19th, ending at midnight. The winners will be announced the week of May 20th.