The NRMCA Mixer Driver Rodeo held this week in Nashville, TN at ConcreteWorks hit a record with an 82-contestant field.  CRMCA was well represented with 6 drivers in this years competition from member companies Chandler Concrete Co., Inc., Concrete Supply Co. and S&W Ready Mix Concrete.  A job well done by all!

During a grand event at the Wildhorse Saloon the 2016 winners were announced following a red carpet entrance. Chris Harrison of Mobley Concrete Co. in Russellville, Ark., took the NRMCA National Mixer Driver Championship. After placing second in the 2015 competition (San Antonio), Harrison earned a $2,500 cash prize from the NRMCA’s Truck Mixer Manufacturers Bureau (TMMB) for this year’s first place finish.

NRMCA Operations, Environmental and Safety Committee Chairman Tim Kauzlick (Cemex) led individual recognition of 2016 National Mixer Driver Championship contenders, and salute to the top finishers at Nashville’s Wild Horse Saloon.

A Crown Point, Ind.-based driver for Ozinga Ready Mix Concrete Inc., Billy Byrd, Sr. earned a $1,000 prize, finishing in second place and repeating a 2013 National Mixer Driver Championship performance. Rounding out the top five in this year’s competition, earning $200–$500 prizes for third to fifth place finishes, respectively, were Verlin Wagler of Irving Materials Inc., Washington, Ind.; Harvey Harmon of Concrete Supply Co., Charlotte, N.C.; and, Ed Rieper, Eastern Concrete Materials, Saddle Brook, N.J. Harmon took second place in the 2015 championship, while Rieper was the 2015 NRMCA Driver of the Year.

CRMCA Member Company Concrete Supply Co. pictured with company driver Harvey Harmon who brought home 4th place in the 2016 Rodeo.

The NRMCA Operations, Environmental and Safety Committee opens the National Mixer Driver Championship to winners of state, regional or member company truck driving competitions. The program factors scores from a written exam, reaction time and vehicle inspection tests, plus a challenge course where drivers choose a rear or front discharge truck to navigate back and forward stop; on target (rear bumper, center stop); scale box (rear tandem target); parallel park; tennis ball row drive-, back-through, and tightest turn stations.