Truck driver wins state contest, heads to nationals
Edison resident has logged 1.8 million miles accident free
BY TOM CAIAZZA
Staff Writer

EDISON - Nick Caiola Jr.'s father drove a truck, as did his father before him.

The Edison resident, 46, has logged 1.8 million miles without an accident or injury, no small feat for a trucker who navigates the narrow, pedestrian-laden streets of Manhattan, Hoboken and Jersey City each day.

But now he has something his father and grandfather never had: the title of Grand Champion and a ticket to nationals.

Caiola, a nearly 20-year veteran with Roadway trucking company based out of Kearny, has been named to the New Jersey team for the 70th annual National Truck Driving Championships in Minnesota later this month. He defeated 81 other drivers from companies throughout the state to place first in the Straight Truck Grand Championship and earn a spot on the team.

He will compete against seven-member teams from every other state, each member representing a different class of truck. He hopes to bring home the $10,000 bond that is the grand prize.

While Caiola is no stranger to the big show (he's made it almost every year since his state Rookie of the Year performance in 1991), he has never finished higher the 12th place.

The teams compete in a series of written and driving challenges, including a six-point obstacle course and a written safety exam. The drivers are judged on many different factors including troubleshooting and their personal driving ability. To even qualify for the competition, drivers have to be accident free for a year.

The National Championships offer a chance for truck drivers to compete while also giving them an opportunity to brush up on their skills and safety precautions. Caiola feels that truck drivers tend to get a bad rap for causing accidents and that the competition is a way to keep that reputation at bay.

"The majority of accidents are passenger car-caused accidents," Caiola said.

The national championship gives Caiola an opportunity to see drivers from across the country and to foster friendships.

"I enjoy the competition," he said, "the pressure, but also seeing old friends every year. It's like a family reunion."

Caiola said that he should reach 2 million miles in the next year or so. To put that into perspective, he said that the average passenger car driver takes 60 years to log 1 million miles.

Caiola also works with driver's education programs through Roadway, teaching kids how to be safer on the road when dealing with tractor-trailers.

"We put them in the truck to see what we see," Caiola said.