Champion Driver Passes On His Knowledge

March 22, 2000 10:28 AM, EST

What does a retired champion professional truck driver do when he wants to give back to his profession?

	Michael James - Transport Topics
	Dick Gillespie, a former state and national truck driving hampion, now teaches others how to operate a big rig.

For Dick Gillespie — 13-time Minnesota Truck Driving Champion, seven-time National Truck Driving Champion, two-time Grand National Champion and captain of the 1992 America’s Road Team — the answer is teach.

At 56, he no longer plies his trade behind the wheel of a tractor-trailer on the open road. Rather, he instructs the next generation of professional truck drivers. Now retired, Gillespie teaches part-time at Dakota Technical College in Rosemount, Minn., passing along the wisdom garnered over 35 years and 3 million miles of operating commercial vehicles.

“The industry was really good to me, and this is one way I feel I can repay the industry,” he said. “I want to help out in any way I can to train as many drivers as I can.”

For the full story, see the Mar. 20 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.