Winning the loader competition in Tuesday’s Ohio Department of Transportation District 1 truck and loader roadeo was Brad Fuller (center) of the Paulding County garage. In second was Alan Taylor (right) of Wyandot County, and third was Tom Mellinger of Hancock County.
Employees in the Hardin and Paulding County Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) District 1 garages were named the winners in the ODOT District 1 truck and loader roadeo held in Lima. District 1 encompasses Allen, Defiance, Hancock, Hardin, Paulding, Putnam, Van Wert and Wyandot counties. Winning the truck competition was Mike Freshcorn of the Hardin County garage. Finishing second behind Freshcorn was Tom Mellinger of the Hancock County garage. In third place was Alan Taylor of the Wyandot County garage. The loader competition was taken by Brad Fuller of the Paulding County garage followed by Taylor of Wyandot County. John Rinker of the Hancock County garage finished in third place. The first-ever district team champion award was given to Hancock County which had the top-two scores in both the truck and loader competition. Also announced at the roadeo was this year’s paint the plow winner, which was Kalida High School. Paint the plow is a contest which asks area high schools to paint an ODOT plow with their message of school spirit, safety, patriotism or Ohio pride. There were 18 schools from ODOT District 1’s eight-county region participating this year. Photos of all entries in this year’s paint the plow contest are posted on the ODOT District 1 Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ODOTDistrict1/timeline According to Steve Myers, Kalida art teacher, the students chose their design because they wanted to do something patriotic. They wanted to show respect to the men and women serving our country both in the past and in the present. The students’ design included the phrase, “All Gave Some. Some Gave All.” There were 11 students who collaborated on the winning plow. “We love roadeo day – it’s a day for our operators to hone and prove their skills and to celebrate the relationship we have with the communities we serve through the paint the plow competition,” said Kirk Slusher, ODOT District 1 deputy director. The roadeo is a friendly competition which pits equipment operators against one another to test their skill in maneuvering equipment through a series of obstacles intended to mimic situations they encounter on the job. Participants are also required to find deliberately-placed mechanical bugs on equipment as part of the pre-trip inspection portion of the competition. The competition also included a test of the rules and laws pertaining to holders of a commercial driver’s license (CDL). All highway technicians for ODOT are required to retain a CDL. “All aspects of the competition are intended to enhance the skill and professionalism of our operators,” said Slusher. The top-two finishers in the district competition in both the truck and loader event will go on to compete against their coworkers in the statewide competition which will be held in Columbus in September.
