1221st Transportation Company conducts Truck Rodeo

Spc. Daniel McTurnan, of Advance, guides his teammate Pfc. Tomie Mason, of Essex, as she drives backwards through the serpentine station at the 1221st Transportation Company's recent Truck Rodeo.

DEXTER, Mo. -- Soldiers of the Missouri National Guard's 1221st Transportation Company recently participated in their annual Truck Rodeo in Dexter.

The Truck Rodeo is a training competition held each year for Soldiers to test and hone their skills as truck drivers.

"These Soldiers have to know how to drive these trucks and know all the ins and outs of their job," said Capt. Venita Shackelford, commander of the 1221st Transportation Company. "This is an opportunity for all the Soldiers to push themselves; for the good Soldiers to get better and the less experienced to gain more knowledge."

The unit was divided into teams of two, one more experienced Soldier and one less experienced.

"I like working with a team member," said Spc. Brad Wren, of Sikeston. "You get to work with someone you might not have before. If you try to go out there and just win, it's not going to work. It's really about the training and working together."

Along with building unit camaraderie, working in small teams allows the Soldiers to exchange knowledge.

"The rodeo is an opportunity to use my skills to help others to succeed," said Sgt. Daniel Cummings, of Poplar Bluff. "It feels good knowing I'm experienced enough to pass on information and teach other Soldiers."

Each Soldier had to properly complete the following tasks: preventative maintenance and checks of a truck and trailer before usage, connecting and disconnecting a trailer from a truck, secure a load on a trailer, driving forward and backward in a straight line without disturbing any cones and stopping at the designated distance from the stop line, backing a truck and trailer at an angle into a loading dock, driving through a set-up similar to what they would encounter in theater without hitting a cone, and changing tire on a truck and trailer.

Each task has a set list of military regulations and the teams are judged and scored on how well they follow and complete them. It can be daunting to not only remember everything but also perform perfectly.

For example, there are 25 items a Soldier must check on a truck before it can even be used. If a single one of these items doesn't pass inspection the vehicle is considered deadlined or undrivable until the problem is fixed. If one of the items is overlooked it may cause a risk later during the mission.

"The small things are really what matter the most," said Cummings, who encouraged Soldiers to check things that aren't on the list. "Soldiers can overlook things or think they're not important -- like windshield wipers. You can't assume they're in good condition and be out on a mission when it starts to downpour and your wipers are poor. Now not only are you at risk, but your cargo, the mission, and others on the road are too."

One of the most difficult tasks the Soldiers were required to do was the serpentine, which required driving a truck and trailer forward and backward through a winding path of cones. The set up is supposed to simulate what the Soldiers could encounter in theater, particularly on a big base where roads vary and traffic increases.

"You have to turn around the first cone just right, otherwise you've messed up the entire thing from the beginning," said Sgt. David Carmack, of Sikeston. "There's only one way the truck fits."

The task can be daunting for less experienced drivers like Spc. Yolanda Stanberry and Pfc. Tomie Mason who know there are so many things they have to do right but one thing wrong can jeopardize the entire task.

"It takes a lot of practice," said Stanberry, of Sikeston. "You have to know when to turn and what mirrors to pay attention to from moment to moment."

"The trailer is so long," said Mason, of Essex. "You have to watch out for where the cones are and know where the trailer is going to go before you move."

Mason's teammate Spc. Daniel McTurnan assured her that she'll get better and even Soldiers who've been in the unit longer can always improve.

"Backing up in the serpentine, unless you do it a lot, is difficult," said McTurnan, of Advance. "You need to keep practicing. I've been in the unit for five years and I'm still not perfect."

While inexperienced Soldiers get the opportunity to learn and master new skills, experienced Soldiers like Spc. Cody Todd relish in the chance the rodeo gives him to tackle even more challenging tasks, like backing a truck and trailer at an angle into a loading and unloading dock.

"The alley docking is my favorite," said Todd, of Leachville, Ark. "You have to remember that if your wheel goes right, the trailer goes left and so on. It comes natural to me because my full-time job is truck driving. So the alley docking is more fun and more challenging for me."

The most important aspect of the rodeo for every Soldier is the training and knowledge exchanged freely between all ranks.

"I got a lot of training and help from everyone today, I really like that," said Pvt. Chris Daniels, of Sikeston.

"The best part about the rodeo is the chance to see what everybody can do and where they need help," said Carmack. "I see that maybe this Soldier can't back up in a straight line, so I can take them aside and help out."

Knowing every Soldier's skill-level is also important for the leadership who has to plan, implement and choose Soldiers to complete the constant real-world missions the unit does across Missouri throughout the year.

"As leaders, the rodeo gives us the perfect opportunity to know who can do what and plan extra time during the next year's drill weekends on individualized training for specific Soldiers," said Shackelford. "We're a line-haul unit and we're always moving equipment across the state. These Soldiers have to know these trucks."

And while training is always on the forefront of the minds' of these Soldiers, each furtively admits the competition aspect does have an effect and an extra reward -- bragging rights.

"It does push us just that little bit more," said Sgt. Brian Hamby, of Cape Girardeau.

The winning individual Soldier, team and the platoon with the highest cumulative scores will be announced in December during the unit's Family Day celebrations.

For more information about the Missouri National Guard, please call 1-800-GoGuard or visit www.moguard.com.