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ITD equipment roadeo season about to begin next go-around

The new season of equipment roadeos will be starting soon to measure ITD's best equipment operators. Following a 20-year drought, District 5 maintenance operators have won the last two statewide competitions, and will look to make it three in a row when the competitions begin again in the next few weeks.

Bruce Dial of D5 broke the two-decades-long string with his win in Garden Valley in 2013. Matt Beckstead of the Preston shop added his name to the traveling plaque with his triumph in Twin Falls last year.

Last year, Dan Daniels of the Malad shop in D5, took second. Brad Steiner of District 3, a second-place statewide winner in 2013, followed in third, just five points behind Daniels. District 5's maintenance crew also took first as a team.

Scores reflected an average of two rounds through the truck-driving and loader-operator courses, a truck inspection and a written exam. Participants were given 10 minutes to find five "planted" defects in the truck inspection contest and 10 minutes to answer 10 multiple-choice questions.

The top two transportation technicians from the state roadeo qualify to compete with other operators from throughout the country in the national finals in Colorado, held in conjunction with the APWA Western Snow & Ice Conference and National Snow Roadeo last fall.

Here’s the schedule of district roadeos for 2015, capped by the statewide competition June 9 in D5.

D4 - May 13 (Wed.) - Twin Falls Mtce.
D1 - May 19 (Tue.) - Athol Gravel Pit
D2 - May 21 (Thur.) - Dworshak Dam
-MEMORIAL DAY - May 25 (Mon.)-
D3 - May 27 (Wed.) - Garden Valley Gravel Pit
D6 - June 2 (Tue.) - location TBD
D5 - June 4 (Thur.) - D5 HQ Main Yard
STATE - D5 - June 9 (Tues.) - D5 HQ Main Yard