BECKLEY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – It was a victory for more than 20 years as West Virginia hosted 11 states at the Southeast Regional Roadeo, Tuesday, September 26 through Thursday, September 28, 2023.
The Equipment Operators “Roadeo” is a training and safety conference where the top equipment operators from each state compete on a course designed to test their skills. Competing with West Virginia’s fleet of bright yellow equipment, workers from across the region moved golf balls as carefully as they would around utility lines on the course.
States take turns hosting the conference, and judges from each state participate in the scoring each year. This year, West Virginia Department of Highways (WVDOH) transportation workers took home the team trophy as judged by their peers from other states. It was the first time in 20 years that they won the best overall.
“It’s really valuable because it demonstrates the skill level of our operators,” said Jimmy Wriston, PE, secretary of the West Virginia Department of Transportation. “And they’re the best in the country.”
“This year, West Virginia won the trophy, and I couldn’t be more proud,” Wriston said. “I’ve never seen a group want something so badly, work so hard and work together so well. This is the epitome of what the governor is talking about, “Know the difference between effort and achievement,” because they put in the effort and they succeeded. I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
The competition takes place in six events: single axle truck, tandem axle truck, low trailer, motor grader, backhoe and tractor mower. Truck events involve running an obstacle course, parallel parking and seeing how far drivers can back into a bay.
In the case of the backhoe, operators must use a small scoop attached to the backhoe to pick up a golf ball and drop it into a cup. The grader event involves shooting tennis balls out of a tube with the grader blade without knocking it over. The mower event involves driving a tractor towing a mower through an obstacle course, both forwards and backwards.
One of the most talked about events in WVDOH’s recent history shared by many at the Roadeo was the day in 2019 when Governor Jim Justice called WVDOH County Administrators to a meeting at the state capitol complex and asked them what needed to do the job. . County administrators requested equipment to do the job, and Governor Justice made it his priority to ensure the equipment was provided. This same equipment can be seen on state roads in all 55 counties. That’s why West Virginia guests from across the region couldn’t find a pothole.
This bright yellow kit was recognized and appreciated by transport workers in the 11 participating states. Operators in each of these states spend their time in a variety of road situations, year-round, doing work across the region.
“You guys have a small fleet of international single-axle dump trucks,” said Ernay Robinson, state maintenance engineer for the Georgia Department of Transportation in his interview on WV episode 163 of the DOT podcast. “I think the next most impressive thing we noticed was the tractor mowers with cabs inside, we just have the cabs out in the open.”
“It was a great couple of days,” Wriston said. “The skill level was off the charts. It literally takes your breath away to see how precisely these guys can maneuver these things and perform these operations with this equipment. And the conference talk, all that wonderful new equipment that Gov. was able to achieve for us.”
“All of the activities in this competition are designed to reflect what they actually do on the roads and it shows the highly skilled level of operators we have in every department of transportation,” Wriston said, declaring that all the southern states- est are the best operators in the country next to West Virginia.
The morning after the win, the West Virginia Department of Transportation learned of the death of Tom Badgett, a decades-long WVDOH employee who returned from retirement to serve as a resource to districts throughout state while implementing quality standards for consistent results.
Transportation workers join Secretary Wriston in proudly dedicating the win to the memory of Tom, an advocate for equipment and training so workers can do their jobs efficiently, whose work was very much a part of of the day, as he is one of the many who have worked to make Governor Justice’s vision a reality.
West Virginia won first place overall among the 11 states in the region. Tennessee won second place. South Carolina was third. The competition was fierce, but so was the camaraderie. Each state shared knowledge, skills and strategies to keep their workers safe in field situations. It was a family event, with transportation workers from across the region bringing their families to enjoy the beauty of West Virginia. As Secretary Wriston says, the operators in the Southeast region are the best in the country.
Winners include:
Best overall: West Virginia (1st), Tennessee (2nd), South Carolina (3rd)
Tractor Mower: Steven Ford, South Carolina (1st), Larry Carman, Tennessee (2nd), Jeff Allgood, Virginia (3rd)
Tandem Axle Dump Truck: Michael Pannell, Mississippi (1st), Chris Schaar, Tennessee (2nd), TJ Pulley, Arkansas (3rd)
Single Axle Dump Truck: Joe Strickland, West Virginia (1st), Nick Southern, West Virginia (2nd), William Blackwell, South Carolina (3rd)
Lowboy Tractor Truck: Mike Simpson, West Virginia (1st), Chad Loudin, West Virginia (2nd), Michael Carr, Tennessee (3rd)
Motor Grader: Scott Burgess, South Carolina (1st), Joshua Williams, South Carolina (2nd), Daniel Evans, North Carolina (3rd)
Backhoe: Hunter Butler, Tennessee (1st), Jeremiah Law, Virginia (2nd), John Garrett, West Virginia (3rd)
