Southeast Idaho trio earns Top 5 honors at Western Snow & Ice For the better part of two decades, ITD has sent the winners of the state roadeo competition to Colorado each fall to test their equipment skills and knowledge against the region’s best at the Western Snow & Ice Conference. Over the years, a few ITD individuals have placed high in the competition. This year, a trio from southeast Idaho added their names to that exclusive list. Matt Beckstead from ITD’s Preston Maintenance shed, Dan Daniels from the Malad shed and Pocatello’s Bruce Dial joined Brad Steiner of New Meadows (southwest Idaho) in Colorado in late September. ITD traditionally sends only the first- and second-place winners each year, but Dial and Steiner (the 2013 Idaho winners) also traveled to Estes Park this year. Their trip last year was cancelled due to heavy flooding in the area. The Idaho representatives competed as a team in both the single- and tandem-axle truck events and as individuals in the loader and motor-grader events. The team of Beckstead and Daniels placed fifth in the tandem-axle event, while in the loader event Dial was fifth and Beckstead 10th. In 2010, Dial was seventh place in single-axle event at the regional event, and was part of the fourth-place team for tandem-axle driving. “I’m extremely proud of my co-workers for winning at the state level, and being such incredible competitors at the national level,” said Ed Bala, ITD’s southeast Idaho region district engineer. “It says a lot about their skill and attitude, especially given the fact they competed nationally in unfamiliar equipment.” “This is important safety and operations training, and excellent employees like Bruce, Matt and Dan use those skills every day keeping mobility at an all-time high level here in southeast Idaho,” Bala added. ITD Maintenance Hall of Fame SINGLE AXLE TRUCK EVENT (TEAM DRIVING) TANDEM AXLE TRUCK EVENT (TEAM DRIVING) LOADER EVENT (INDIVIDUAL COMPETITON) MOTOR GRADER EVENT (INDIVIDUAL COMPETITON) Published 10-31-14 |