AUSTIN – A Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Highway Patrol Trooper was presented the Jimmy K. Ammons Grand Champion Award during a North American commercial vehicle inspection competition last weekend. Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Trooper Jeremy Usener of Mitchell County placed first in the 2018 North American Inspector Championship (NAIC) held in Columbus, Ohio, Aug. 14 – 18.
“Our Troopers and Inspectors perform crucial work every day to ensure commercial motor vehicles are in compliance with state and federal laws and keep our roadways safe,” said DPS Director Steven McCraw. “We are proud to recognize Trooper Usener for displaying such excellence on behalf of DPS and representing Texas at its finest.”
The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s annual NAIC event is dedicated to testing, recognizing and awarding commercial motor vehicle (CMV) inspection excellence. The competition consists of six timed events in a variety of categories. The compilation of scores in each of the categories results in a Grand Champion, which is the highest honor for CMV Inspectors.
Usener, stationed in Colorado City, won the Texas competition held in Corpus Christi in July to advance to the international competition against 52 CMV Inspectors representing various jurisdictions throughout North America. In addition to being named overall Grand Champion, Usener also placed first in the Hazardous Materials/Dangerous Goods and Cargo Tank/Bulk Packaging Inspection category, which included conducting an inspection on a bulk and non-bulk shipment of hazardous materials. This category is considered one of the most difficult due to its complexity, necessity for attention to detail and the limited amount of time allowed to complete the inspection.
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