AASHTO Journal - Tennessee DOT Team Snags Top ROADEO Honors

A team of Tennessee Department of Transportation equipment operators recently earned “Best Overall” in the Southeast Regional ROADEO Competition for the 10th time.

[Above photo by Tennessee DOT]

The 2024 ROADEO competition – an annual training and safety conference for heavy equipment operators – was held in Raleigh, North Carolina, where teams from 12 southeastern state departments of transportation navigated backhoes, single axle dump trucks, tandem axle dump trucks, skid steers, lowboys, tractor mowers, and motor graders around obstacle courses that measured safety, accuracy, agility, and speed.

The Tennessee DOT fielded a team of 14 operators from all four of its statewide regions; a team comprised those who scored the highest marks in the state-level training events over the summer. Operators performed exercises like picking up a golf ball with a backhoe and precisely placing it in a pipe or maneuvering a tight space in a timely manner without striking any cones, among other events. As an extra unforeseen complication, all the state DOT teams conducted those exercises in the rain this year.

Not only did the agency’s team win “Best Overall,” they took home first and second place in the Single Axle Dump Truck and Skid Steer events as well.

“All Tennesseans should take pride in the fact that we have some of the best heavy equipment operators in the Southeast,” said Governor Bill Lee (R) in a statement. “Their mastery of the trade is evident in their work from clearing snow and ice to removing storm debris and making emergency repairs to our roads.”

“We emphasize continual training to ensure that our staff operates at the highest level to serve the motoring public,” added Butch Eley, deputy governor and commissioner of the Tennessee DOT.

“We are extremely proud of these highly skilled men and women,” he emphasized. “Operating heavy equipment in all kinds of weather takes incredible talent and proficiency. This conference gives operators a chance to highlight their prowess all while learning best practices and enjoying some friendly competition with our fellow Southeastern states.”